Love, as the old song goes, may be sweeter the second time around, but on "Rock Star:INXS" auditioning gets harder as you go along. There's no room for error, and Dave and INXS are there to keep the Rockers honest, making sure they learn from previous performances and keep up the energy level.

Based on these criteria, our 14 Rockers did remarkably well. The first thing you'll notice this time out is that they've moved into a new space, an impressive performance stage similar to the inside of a mystical temple -- dark, cozy and warmly lit. With the kick-ass house band, commodious dance floor and great sound -- and with INXS, Brooke Burke and Dave Navarro in attendance and a chance to see the Rockers -- it just might be the hippest stage in town.

But before the winner goes on to front INXS, he or she will have to prove himself or herself here. Our Rockers have superior voices, but to grab the rock-and-roll brass ring they'll have to show they have that something extra that separates the great from the merely good. Can they take criticism? Do they listen to what INXS, Dave and their peers have to say? Can they take this feedback, positive and negative, and put it into practice? Do they have the style and charisma to truly evolve into a rock star? Monday night, the Rockers were given a list of 14 songs with instructions to decide among themselves who gets to sing what tune for Tuesday's performance. Song selection has already become an issue -- MiG's choice of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" on Monday night nearly sank him. INXS and Dave are paying attention to the comfort level of our Rockers -- who really connects with the song and hits the emotional notes in addition to the musical ones?

It's Heather's turn to kick off the show tonight ... wait, is that Heather? She's shed Monday night's earthy cocoon, emerging in sexy, dark red leather pants and a slinky top that shows off her butterfly tattoos. It's the perfect outfit to sing Jefferson Airplane's 1967 smash "Somebody to Love."

This Top Ten hit put the Airplane on the musical map, making Grace Slick one of the sex symbols of the Summer of Love. Heather certainly looks the part, and her performance has a seductive, feline energy. And she knows the song ... perhaps a little too well. Her vocal hews to Slick's original a little too closely, right down to her use of vibrato. It's a bold move on her part, and her stylistic range impresses INXS. Jon tells Heather straight out, "You were rockin'. You've got diversity. It's great."

Next up is Marty, who also kicked his style-meter up a notch, arriving on stage in a dapper outfit topped by a rakish fedora. It's a Bowie-esque look that's perfect for his song, Franz Ferdinand's alternative hit, "Take Me Out." The Scottish quintet sports a heavy Bowie influence -- although this song is more reminiscent of their biggest inspiration, fellow Scotsmen Orange Juice -- and Marty has a great time. He's reined in the writhing from Monday night's performance, but he still radiates energy onstage -- he gets so excited when the song kicks into its funkily angular chorus that his hat flies off his head. It's a triumph for Marty, and all he wants is to do another song. The one song is enough to impress INXS -- Tim assures Marty, "You really pulled it off. Congratulations."

Daphna raises the temperature of whatever room she enters. Growling her way through The Doors' "People Are Strange," her totally in-the-moment performance (and wild mane of hair) has the leonine grace of Jim Morrison, adding to the song's eerie eroticism with her hard-boiled sensuality. Her outfit, complete with top hat, bondage pants and a drum majorette's jacket over a bustier, only turns up the heat -- she looks like the ringmaster for the psychedelic carneys on the cover of The Doors' "Strange Days" album. And the look works for Dave, who tells Daphna, "I love your style tonight."

This time out, Suzie remembers the lyrics of her song, and her powerful voice is certainly up to the task of Blondie's "Call Me." If anything, she adds some flesh to the chilly Gorgio Moroder-produced original. Deborah Harry was sexy but distant when she sang the theme to 1980's "American Gigolo." It fit the movie's mood, and Suzie wins the crowd over with the powerful desire of her vocal. She wins Andrew over too: "That was a ballsy choice to do a Blondie song and you pulled it through. It was amazing."

Brandon looked a little upset on Monday night's show when everyone was divvying up Tuesday night's songs, but he must either have been bluffing or very lucky. He couldn't have asked for a better song than "Hard to Handle," and the barefoot singer again showed himself to be the group's heartland Rocker, although you have to wonder what his Detroit peeps would make of those painted toenails. INXS and Dave dug the performance, as Kirk noted, "It was fantastic."

Jordis was either brave or drew the short straw, because she was the Rocker who ended up with Nirvana's "Heart Shaped Box." The Grunge icons could become the hot potato of "Rock Star:INXS," the band whose songs are almost radioactive. Unlike MiG, Jordis finds her way to the heart of the song, possibly breaking the Cobain curse. Her performance, in fact, not only blows Tim away but also moves him to declare, "I think I love you."

Speaking of the Cobain curse, MiG, who needed to show INXS he was more than a pretty face, was next up with The Kinks' "All Day and All of the Night." He's certainly charismatic, and for someone who never sang the song before, completely comfortable, but his experience in musicals (he recently appeared in the West End production of "We Will Rock You," the musical based on the music of Queen) could be a detriment. He "sells" the song a little too hard; in rock, the trained, smooth phrasing of Broadway can strike a false note (think of Sinatra's attempts at rock). INXS liked MiG's improvement from the Monday night show and Garry notes "the transition from rock performer to rock singer really showed through tonight."

With her pigtails and diminutive stature, Deanna looks more like Lolita than a Rocker. But her gritty rendition of The Clash's "Should I Stay or Should I Go" leaves no doubt she's all grown up. Dave could not get over the fact that she's "the tiniest bunny rabbit" but has "the voice of lion." The Clash are special favorites of INXS, and Tim said she "nailed it."

Wil's next, and his take on Jesus Jones' "Right Here, Right Now" does little to dispel the impression that he's the mellowest Rocker. He's also something of a crooner, which could put him at a disadvantage among the bigger-voiced shouters. This time, he plays to the whole room, but his watery performance goes nowhere. Says Jon, "I wanted a lot more from you."

Jessica delivers an ingratiating version of Cheap Trick's "I Want You to Want Me," but more than her performance, INXS is impressed by the way she interacts with the band. (Giving your band mates their moment in the spotlight goes a long way. It's like slipping the maitre d' a fifty -- you'll be remembered kindly and taken care of.)

Tara, on the other hand, takes the title of her song, The Eagles' "Take It Easy," literally. It's a disconnected, rote run-through, not even changing the lyrics' gender (which works for Bowie or Morrissey but less so when singing Jackson Browne). Tim notes that she "didn't even change the arrangement" from The Eagles' version. You have to wonder if she even likes the song. Playing in a noisy bar, it would have been fine, but auditioning for a major rock band, it's problematic.

Whatever her deficiencies, Tara at least has a good grasp on her material. The shirtless and bandanna-wearing Neal (looking less like his hero Mick Jagger than Axl Rose) seems to completely misunderstand his song. Although Dave thinks he does a good job, his over-the-top version of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Fortunate Son" turns John Fogerty's bitter irony into empty braggadocio.

For the right way to rework a classic, check out Ty and J.D. Ty, whose appeal goes way beyond his unique look, gives Pat Benatar's "Heartbreaker" a ferocious modern rock/funk edge. And J.D. (sporting a witty "American Vital" T-shirt) completely rearranges The Mamas and the Papas' classic "California Dreamin'," turning the original's folk-rock into a dark, thrashy nightmare. He's still intense, and the performance's control and gutsy power impresses.

Remember, who stays is up to you. As they used to say in New York, vote early and often. See you next time with the results.