We're on to solo rounds of American Idol Hollywood week and that's legitimately a good thing! People bring intstruments, separating the men from the boys, the girls from the women, the real musicians from the autotuners.

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Sure, it's still American Idol- the songs are watered down and poppy, the voices are generally generic- but you've got to admit that the inclusion of instruments adds something to the mix. Take 19 year-old Casey Abrams for example. In spite of (or perhaps because of) his stoner-like appearance and goofy personality, Casey has been marked as a judges' favorite since his initial audition. His past performances have been perfectly adequate, albeit forgettable. This round, he accompanied himself on a standup bass (an Idol first) and it made his performance... well, it made his performance kind of awesome. Neither his vocals nor his bass playing was completely perfect, but together they just worked. Does the inclusion of the bass make Casey a performer I'd pay to see? Probably not, but, to be fair, I'm not a concert person (I only take in music from the privacy of my own home, then insult the musicians from behind the protective veil of the Internet, natch). Still, Casey was a nice break from what usually comes out of the Idol cesspool and the judges recognized this as well. On to the next round with you, Casey!

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Of course, there were still some yikes moments. Remember Ashley Sullivan? She's the woman with the seemingly endless collection of cray-cray expressions who was first introduced to us when she popped out of a port-a-potty at the New Jersey auditions ("Ah, yes! Ashley Sullivan!" -you, right now). Well, she hasn't gotten any less crazy since then. For her solo audition, she decides to sing a Michael Buble song acappella and ends up totally losing it. She does manage to pander to the judges a bit, telling them that she used to sing this to her boyfriend when he was fighting in Iraq. The boyfriend, for his part, also seems a bit nuts in that way-too-supportive way. For all of his "I love yous" and "You did a great jobs," Ashley calls him a liar. She actually says, "You're lying" as he practically smothers the life out of her. It's kind of sad. It's kind of great. I can't really tell the difference anymore. Luckily for Ashley, the judges see some potential in her and move her on in spite of her botched performance. You can see her and her battered copy of "Chicken Soup for the Soul" in the next round.