'X Factor': Week 2 power rankings

They should have called last night's show: “X Factor: The Corrections.”

There was a whole lot of reversing course for the Top 11, with mostly good results. Or, more accurately, the mentors reversed course.

The most notable change, of course, was for Rachel Crow, who dumped the way-too-cutesy image Simon Cowell was trying to build her and got to be herself. She hit the Etta James classic “I'd Rather Go Blind” out of the park, filling it with all the pain in her 13-year-old soul. It was stunning, especially when Cowell admitted he hadn't really helped Crow's chances with his previous choices. “I picked my song this week,” Crow said, triumphantly. And it was right on target.

There were corrections for Chris Rene – who rewrote Coolio's “Gangsta's Paradise” so it would feel more real, though he also changed into “Pastime Paradise” for some reason – and for Melanie Amaro, who luckily got an R&B song this week instead of country.

Even more corrective, though, was how the mentors suddenly soured on The Stereo Hogzz, after the voters didn't seem to love their version of “Rhythm Nation” last week. Cowell said they've got problems – only a week after saying they were the best band in the world. Um, their take on Christina Aguilera's “Ain't No Other Man” wasn't that different, though it is kind of sad that they somehow need six backing vocalists to help fill out their harmonies. Note to L.A. Reid, who claimed not to have heard of the song: It reached No. 6 in 2006 – are you serious?

Also on the “seriously?” tip, how could the judges not know how badly LeRoy Bell messed up the lyrics to U2's “I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For” and didn't even cover it well. “I have kissed honey lips” became a slurred “I have kissed the lips of the angel.” “I have spoke with the tongue of angels” became “I have walked with the hand of a devil,” followed by something that sounded like “I have sweet oh with the devil.” To magnify the mistake, the backing singers handling the call and response were responding with the correct words. It was a mess, but the mentors offered nothing but praise.

That tone-deaf review, along with the recent revelations of lip-synching, shows one of “X Factor”'s biggest problems. Either the mentors don't know what they're talking about or they aren't saying what they believe. The third possibility, I suppose, is that they can't hear very well in the arena – which may lead to a Cowell-esque, “When I watched it back last night, you really weren't as good as I thought.”

Those circumstances could also apply to Stacy Francis' horrible version of Whitney Houston's “Queen of the Night,” which was so strained it was almost painful to listen to, and Marcus Canty's trying-too-hard take on Mary J. Blige's “I'm Goin' Down.” (On “Idol,” if a contestant was unable to remove his jacket the way Canty struggled, Cowell would have mocked him mercilessly. Instead we get Nicole Scherzinger saying, “Two words: Ma. Gic.” What is going on here?)

And finally, a correction of my own. I've been wondering for weeks whether Astro was a novelty act or the real deal. Last night, he reimagined Eminem's “Lose Yourself” into his own triumph, while managing to slip in tributes to Joe Frazier and Heavy D. His only issues came when doing the chorus because Eminem's breathing pattern is different from his. That was remarkable to watch. Little man is the real deal. Brooklyn, stand up!

THE RANKINGS

Rachel Crow, “I'd Rather Go Blind”
Astro, “Lose Yourself”
Melanie Amaro, “Man in the Mirror”
Josh Krajcik, “With a Little Help From My Friends”
Drew, “Fix You”
Stereo Hogzz, “Ain't No Other Man”
Lakoda Rayne, “Love Somebody”
Chris Rene, “Pastime Paradise”
Marcus Canty, “I'm Goin' Down”
LeRoy Bell, “I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For”
Stacy Francis, “Queen of the Night”

BOTTOM TWO: Chris Rene, LeRoy Bell
SHOULD BE ELIMINATED: LeRoy Bell
WILL BE ELIMINATED: LeRoy Bell

ACTUALLY ELIMINATED: The Stereo Hogzz (Wow, "X Factor" voters really dislike groups. Poor Paula nearly has a breakdown trying to not choose between her two groups, eventually picking to go against Lakoda Rayne in order to pass the decision on to Cowell. Crazy.)