While Milwaukee's Danny Gokey does not seem in danger of being eliminated from the competition tonight on "American Idol," his status as a favorite/front-runner could be in jeopardy.

On a night when the contestants sang Motown hits, with Smokey Robinson and Berry Gordy seated in the audience, Gokey sang "Get Ready." The tune fit his voice well and Gokey gave an energetic and overall credible effort, but judge Simon Cowell termed it "clumsy and amateurish."

The other judges were more kind.

"You are an undeniable, you're identifiable and you're always reliable on giving us a first-class performance every week," Paula Abdul said.

Randy Jackson agreed. "You remind me of the great Levi Stubbs. ... You've got, definitely, a dope voice. It wasn't your best performance, but I loved the energy and just the feel of it."

Though Gokey seemed a bit unsure how to handle the uptempo number -- marching in place and trying to engage his backup singers -- judge Kara DioGuardi said, "I loved your personality tonight. It thought it was good, not great. But I'm still a huge Danny fan."

Although he still seems to be a solid contender to win the competition, Gokey may have to play "catch up" behind Adam Lambert, whose version of "Tracks of My Tears" elicited raves from the judges and a standing ovation from Robinson. Lambert, who ditched his black nail polish and "guyliner" in favor of a gray suit and an Elvis-like hairdo, actually heard Cowell say "You tonight really have emerged as a star."

In a competition dominated so far by men (only 3 of 10 finalists are female), Matt Giraud ("Let's Get it On") and Kris Allen ("How Sweet It Is") also stood out Wednesday.

The results show will air tonight on Fox (Channel 6 in Milwaukee).