On the day after being ousted from "American Idol," some contestants offer a cheery image.

Not Alexis Grace. "I never imagined going home this early," she said by phone.

Judges had often praised her gritty, bluesy voice and some people saw her as a top contender. Instead, she stumbled during country week.

"I feel like I let my state down," said Grace, who is from Memphis, Tenn. "I'm from the South and we're suppose to sing country well; I think I do."

But there was the question of which song to sing Tuesday. Grace, 21, considered doing something current from Carrie Underwood, but decided against it because two others were doing Underwood tunes.

Instead, she sang "Jolene," a Dolly Parton hit from 1974. "I felt like everyone knows 'Jolene' and it's such a pretty song," she said.

Judges disapproved and said Grace had lost her edge. Going into Wednesday's show, she said she felt she would be in the bottom three among viewer votes, but didn't expect to be last.

When she was, she had one last chance to sing for the judges and change their minds. This time, her "Jolene" did sound bluesier, but Grace said that wasn't on purpose. "That was just what I was feeling."

She cried backstage, then went back to the "Idol" mansion "and packed all my bags and packed my 30 pairs of shoes."

It was the second straight year that a woman with a bluesy voice finished 11th, just missing a chance to tour with the top 10. Last year, it was Amanda Overmyer.

The difference is that Grace simply doesn't look the part. Just under 5-foot and 100 pounds, she initially surprised judges with her voice. "It was, 'You don't look like you can sing like that,'" she said.

On their suggestion, she changed to a hip look, including pink highlights in her hair. The color may change, she said, "but I'll definitely keep the edgy look."

The rest is indefinite. She'll go back to Memphis, where her boyfriend and her daughter are. She hopes to sing there and do some recording, with a style that's "Joss Stone mixed with Carrie Underwood and with Sheryl Crow."