Brionne Jones turned 4 years old today, and it's highly likely, in my book, that her mama will end up a millionaire in three months -- win or lose American Idol.

If there was any doubt that Maryland native Lakisha Jones could win Season 6, those doubts were put to rest when the bank teller sang Jennifer Holiday's "And I Am Telling You," the showstopper from "Dreamgirls," which is about to win Idol alum Jennifer Hudson an Oscar.

"I'm very tempted to say to 23 other people, 'Book your plane tickets home,'" said Simon Cowell after Jones' performance.

Unfortunately for the hefty chaunteuse, this Season 6 group of women were pretty fantastic upon first listen. The competition among them is fierce, even after one week of live performances.

What could spell a problem for Ms. Jones, if I may call her that, is that it's quite possible that she cannot improve upon her rendition of the Holiday classic. Allow me to explain.

It's generally accepted in music that THAT song is to be sung only by big, black women with big, thick, rich voices. It is stylistically unique in that only a few people can pull it off, which Jones did.

On the other hand, for many singers of Jones' caliber, that song comes natural by way of emulation. It's as if one can almost memorize how to sing it, blow it out and then watch everybody's collective amazement. So, in one sense, it was very smart of Jones to debut with that performance.

In another sense, it could leave audiences wanting more after future ones.

Yet, several singers Wednesday night left America wanting more, including Stephanie Edwards, who opened the women's half of the Top 24 with Alicia Keys' "How Come You Don't Call Me Anymore."

The 19-year-old Georgia native took to her knees and immediately drew praise from the fearsome threesome.

Randy Jackson said she "set the tone" for the night.

In a sense, he was spot on with that comment.

Five young women, all of African-American descent, blew the other 19 contestants out of the water, setting the stage for what media critics will almost certainly label as the "five divas."

Jones, Edwards, Sabrina Sloan, Jordin Sparks and Melinda Doolittle all impressed at a level unseen at any point during the guys' Tuesday night portion of the competition.

Sloan was solid with Aretha Franklin's "I've Never Loved A Man," rendering high praise from the Dawg Pound.

"That's the way to put it down," Jackson said.

Paula gave the California native a standing ovation, which Ms. Xanax is apt to do.

Sparks sang to an extraordinarily uptempoed "Give Me One Reason," popularized by Tracy Chapman, drawing some criticism for song choice but general praise from all three judges, who agreed that she could do better.

"Push yourself, and you might surprise a few people in this competition," Cowell said.

However, the shy and unique Doolittle did right by Aretha's "Since You Been Gone," demonstrating tremendous soul and polished stage presence.

"You have a fantastic story. You are a fantastic singer, and I really hope you do well," Mr. Nasty told the Tennessee native.

Doolittle has spent years as a backup singer for stars like Christina Aguilera, yet she comes off as unassuming and shy. Several weeks ago, I noted that she reminds me of a young Tina Turner. It's high praise, but in a competition -- as I noted in my last post -- that is looking more for uniqueness than mere technical ability, she's a keeper.

If these five women represented the best of the pack on Wednesday, singers Amy Krebs, Leslie Hunt, Antonella Barba, Nicole Tranquillo and Alaina Alexander represented the half of the group almost certainly to disappear in three weeks time.

Of all of them, Hunt was undeservedly criticized for her stage presence during "(You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman." Hunt's mannerisms are a tad quirky, but she did some terrific things with this Aretha classic.

Heavens no, she couldn't sing it nearly as well as the Queen of Soul; however, while watching, I noted that her vocal mannerisms, particularly the scratchiness of her voice, reminded me of Kelly Clarkson quite a bit.

Krebs put on a forgettable performance of Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me," Barba butchered Aerosmith's vapid "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing," Tranquillo squealed through Chaka Khan (and Erykah Badu's) "Stay" and Alexander pooped out "Brass In Pocket" only half as well as Scarlett Johannson did in "Lost In Translation."

And, she wasn't rockin' the pink hair like Scarlett.

Those four singers, to me, have to develop an extraordinary fan base to go far in this competition. To win, they'll need a Clarkson-like transformation, too. Don't forget that Kelly was never considered a front-runner until about the Final 8, when she just took over like a dominatrix at a submisison party.

Oddly enough, two singers who fared well vocally but not stylistically could, theoretically, undergo that type of transformation. Texas-native Haley Scarnato sang "It's All Coming Back To Me Now," and drew criticism but also some backhanded praise in the judges' description of her as a Broadway singer.

There are worse fates, honey.

Illinois-native Gina Glocksen took on Celine Dion's version of "All By Myself," utilizing the arrangement that was mastered by Season 4's LaToya London. Instead of continuing the run at the end of the song, culminating in the screechingly, beautifully soulful climax that London gave us in this very same round two years ago, Glocksen's arrangement came to a halt.

But, then she belted out a big final note at a surprisingly high level. Glocksen, a dental assistant by trade, took the judges by surprise by going the ballad route, given that her musical background is definitely more in rock-n-roll.

What viewers cannot take from these Top 24 performances, boys or girls, is anything certain about what the future holds for Season 6. According to DialIdol.com, Sundance Head came out on top of the voting for the men last night.

And, he was abysmal.

At this stage of the Idol competition, as it's been for six seasons, the singers are vying for a fan base. They're demonstrating uniqueness. That's all.

The vocals have to be a given right now, and song choice ultimately determines whose voices shine in the largest light. While Sundance might have garnered votes from people who feared for his Idol existence this week, a second consecutive subpar performance will render his days numbered.

The contrary can be said for singers like Doolittle and Jones. Their performances tonight bought them weeks of safety and, likely, a ticket to the Top 12.

And, rightly so.

I haven't picked my personal favorite yet. However, Jones and Doolittle took steps toward securing that designation tonight. Personally, I felt a bit sorry for Leslie Hunt, who I think was better than what the judges said, and there is very much something I like about Glocksen.

She's a classic overachiever, methinks. I've been called that a time or two, so I identify with it.

Among the guys, I have to say that my loyalty is securely with Mr. Sligh at this point. He writes. He can play an instrument, and he can do both at a high level.

Truly, Rudy Cardenas could be voted off Thursday night, but vocally, there might not be anybody on par with him among the males. Go to YouTube and look up M-Pact; they're freakin' excellent.

And, Brandon Rogers is the type of singer I have always liked playing for. He's charismatic but nice with a rich, soulful voice. He's got the North Texas background, and he has sang backup for one of my all-time favorite singers, Anastacia.

However, I temper these thoughts with some reality. The guys in this competition aren't nearly as strong as the women, not at this point -- and they might not ever be. I have a theory as to why that could be, in general, on Idol, and I might expound on it later.

For now, my picks (guesses) as to who will be eliminated: Amy Krebs and Alaina Alexander.

Who I would eliminate: Krebs and Antonella Barba. Vocally, Barba should never have been included in the Top 24. Unlike Sundance Head, I can't add some backhanded compliment to caveat the obvious: She's not a good singer.

Doesn't mean she won't stick around for another week, but I can't envision her hanging with what turned out to be an excellent group of women for very long.