After a night listening to Canadian Idol's judges hammer the male performers about their song choices, the ladies of Top 18 hit the stage Tuesday night hoping they'd made selections that were Idol material.

Nine performances later, they breathed a collective sigh of relief. The mission was accomplished -- at least, in the mind of judge Jake Gold.

"The women won this week," he declared at the end of the show, after beginning it asserting that three of the girls were shoe-ins for the Top 10, but two spots remained up for grabs.

They were reminded once again of the importance of song selection before even stepping on stage, when judge Zack Werner pointed out the importance of choosing songs relevant to their audience.

"It would be kind of unimaginable that someone who won this show would be uncomfortable making a Top 40 record if they won," he said, alluding to the string of classics that has peppered the competition so far. "Unless someone plans to make a record full of "Stand by Me" and a bunch of other schmaltz, I think it's time to show who you'd be if you won."

And for the most part, the ladies stepped up to the challenge.

Big-voiced blues singer Ashley Coulter kicked off the night with Melissa Etheridge's "I'm the Only One." While none of the judges were critical of her delivery, they unanimously agreed she should pick something different for next week.

"Last week you did a bar song and I said it was good and this week you did the same kind of thing," said Jake.

"If you want to be the queen of the blues rock belters of the next generation -- if that's who you want to be -- you better decide that soon because you're making a little box for yourself and I think you're going to find it uncomfortable," added Zack.
 
Eva Avila took the stage next with the Grammy-winning Roberta Flack classic "Killing Me Softly." The judges -- who said last week she was the standard to which the other competitors would be compared -- once again loved her flawless tone, but had suggestions on how to make the rest of her performance even better.

"I think you've got to search for what is definitive of you," advised Zack. "What is your signature? What is your stamp? You've got to find that."

Sass Jordan called it "absolutely beautiful," "warm," and "touching." Both Farley and Jake thought she seemed nervous, and according to Jake, that probably was what led her to rush the song at the beginning.

The next performer also had to contend with criticism for rushing -- or as Jake would say, being "out of the pocket" -- but that was the extent of the negative criticism they could muster for Alisha Nauth. Pocket or no pocket, her performance of "Against All Odds" by Phil Collins finished with Zack telling her she was a "serious contender." The others seemed to agree.

"While I don't think it was your best performance, I think you said it yourself," said Farley, referencing the lyrics in the song's chorus. "'Take a look at me now, I'll still be standing.' And you will."

"There's something so appealing about you when you sing," added Sass.

Sarah Loverock seemed to hit her Idol stride with Gavin DeGraw's "I Don't Want to Be." Her confident delivery and perfect pitch left all four judges impressed and had Jake pegging the performance as the best song so far that night.

"That was a tough song to sing," noted Zack. "The fact is you're probably technically the best singer here."

"You've got a ton of skill," added Farley, urging the British Columbia mom and store supervisor to try to challenge herself even further. "Use it, show it, be proud of it and blast everyone away."

The message of learning to sing to her own generation was one that also played into Steffi D's song choice.

Stepping out of her 1920s musical theatre style to perform Dido's "White Flag," she earned accolades from the audience and judges alike, with both Farley and Sass impressed she was able to balance her dramatic "cuteness" with the intensity of the song.

"That song was so good for you because we got to see that serious hard side and this really soft and cute side," added Jake. "It was really good, really entertaining."

"That was the first performance of the whole Top 22 that actually reminded me of the era that we are living in," said Zack. "That was hip. And that was shocking coming from someone who lives in another era."

After earning less-than-thrilled reactions from the judges last week, Kati Durst managed to bring all but Zack back to her fan base with Leann Womack's "I Hope You Dance."

"That was your most confident performance so far," said Sass, whose opinion was wholly supported by Farley and Jake. "I really enjoyed it. When you hit that note on 'dance,' it was awesome. Good job. Heartfelt."

"I think the audience got a great view of your eyelids because your eyes were closed for most of the performance," countered Zack. "And that folksingery coolness is being overshadowed by some bizarre desire to compete."

Next up was 16-year-old Ashley Coles, who put her distinctive pipes to work belting out Pink's "Misery." While some of the judges weren't sure how much someone her age could understand true anguish, they were all drawn to the sharp tones that come out in the singer's higher register.

"For me, those are the highlights. That's why I think you could make records in front of a band," said Zack, adding "you did some things that were cool and some things that were really 16."

Sass disagreed, telling the teenager she thought it was "a really mature performance."

"Plus you had the foresight of doing that bit where you do the quiet voice," Sass said. "That's how you get the attention -- whispering, not screaming."

After being nailed to the wall for her performance in the Top 22, Alyssa Klazek tried to turn her tides with a slowed-down version of Steppenwolf's "Magic Carpet Ride." Unfortunately for the free spirited Albertan, a piano take on a rock guitar song was not what the judges were looking for.

"I'm not going to go on very long because I'm kind of wondering why we didn't put somebody else through," said Zack bluntly.

"I loved you in auditions. I thought you were great in auditions and I fought to get you here," added Farley. "You've got to get your stuff together."

Ending the show was a big number from dance party drama queen Nancy Silverman: Alicia Keys' "Fallin'." Stating that viewers who fail to appreciate her sharp tone "have no concept of what real singing is about," Zack was quick to label the musical theatre student "a real deal virtuoso."

"You are the best drama queen I have ever seen," added Sass. "You come out here and you kick it!"

"The wacky wonderful world of Nancy Silverman, please let me in," begged Farley with a smile. "You've got so much soul and I'm a big fan of that... and you just nailed the daylights out of that song."

Whether Canadians will take the judges to heart or hand in another surprise verdict remains to be seen. Find out who earned your votes and who is heading home on the Top 18 Results Show, Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. EST (check local listings).