Nashville's Paul McDonald, whose mother Susan is a professor at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, got positive feedback from the "Idol" judges Wednesday for his performance of the Smokey Robinson hit "Tracks of My Tears."
"You had the crowd on their feet jamming," said Jackson.
Lopez said McDonald has "a tear in his voice," and Tyler compared his distinctive style to Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson.
Thursday night the "Idol" field of finalists will be pared from 11 to 10.