Can you believe it; next week is the finale all ready?! Honestly, where has the first half of the year gone? It's amazing how quickly things have progressed but we are now down to the final three of American Idol! And I must say, all three contestants are definitely qualified to be there. It also doesn't hurt to have huge fan bases like the two David's have. Not only do the contestants have three songs to sing tonight, but they also get to choose a song of their own. In addition, the judges will be picking songs for each of the contestants and the producer's also have a say in song selection tonight. So this could prove to be a very interesting night for each of the three finalists. Song selection could make it or break it for them tonight. Wouldn't it be great to see all three contestants nail all of their songs? That way, the voting would be so unpredictable and wide open! It'd be fabulous. I don't forsee that happening, however. Let's get this party started!
David Archuleta - singing "And so it Goes" by Billy Joel: So Paula gets to choose for David. Did you know that whenever Paula picks the song for one of the three finalists, those contestants have never gone on to become the eventual American Idol? Let's hope David is able to break this curse! I really liked how this started off acapella. I agree with Randy; maybe he could've played a bit of this on the piano. Still, this is an enjoyable performance by Archie. He seems very much in the moment and really connecting with the song. He's able to have a connection with a song everytime he's up on stage and he makes it believable. Randy is right in that David is really in the zone and is in it to win it. I tend to agree with Simon in that it was good but nothing exceptional. He has two more songs in which he can really wow the crowd.
Syesha Mercado - singing "If I Ain't Got You" by Alisha Keys: Randy picks a song that Alicia Keys had a hit with and the good news is that it's contemporary! Nice pick by Randy. She's singing the song quite well. The song starts off pretty low key and Syesha is singing it how it's supposed to sound. Definitely not doing anything different to make it her own, but that's okay. It was a good performance from her but I wasn't blown away by it. I do think she has really embraced the competition for what it is and we're seeing her more comfortable and in the moment when she's up on stage. She is looking the part of a star and looks very elegant everytime she sings. I do wish she could've changed up the song some and made it her own. She could've even done a few runs to make it different. Still, it was a nice performance from Syesha.
David Cook - singing "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" by Raberta Flack: So Simon has the honors of picking the song for Cookie. An interesting choice, to say the least. Simon really tries to challenge a contestant whenever he's picking a song for them, and he definitely challenged David on this one. It's a very soft and low key song for him, definitely something we've rarely seen from him. Other than "Music of the Night," we haven't seen David tackle a ballad before. Usually they start off slow, like a ballad, but then they tend to pick up. Not necessarily so with this song. The tempo is gradually picking up and it sounds to me he's making it his own, although I am not really familiar with the original version. I actually liked seeing this side of Cookie and the last note really made this a good performance for him.
David Archuleta - singing "With You" by Chris Brown: Now who saw this coming? David chooses the most contemporary song of them all by picking an R n B song that talks about "boos" and a variety of other current R n B phrases (I can't remember all of the lyrics in the song at the moment). He takes a risk with this song and he seems pretty familiar with it. Otherwise, why would he have chosen it? He must like it enough. Looks like he briefly had trouble with the lyrics momentarily but made a nice recovery. It didn't appear that he forgot anything but he may have lost the tempo for a bit. Definitely seeing a different side of David here although I don't know if it truly works for him. The fans always crave for an uptempo song, but I don't know if this is the right one for him. Again, a good performance but not great. I am getting a bit concerned for David because Randy didn't gush about him being able to sing anything like usual. David needs to be on his "A" game for the next song.
Syesha Mercado - singing "Fever" by Peggy Lee: Syesha is looking particularly sexy with a short dress and is throwing in her sassy attitude into this performance. I must say, this is an interesting song choice for Syesha. I thought she'd want to do something more contemporary. I enjoy it when she's moving around on the stage and showing off her "broadway" personality, if you will. First she's sitting on a chair, then starts moving around and dances around Ricky. Then she goes back to the chair and leans/walks around it. She appears to be really in the element with this song and she sounds strong. Not a lot of high notes for Syesha to show off her incredible power and I didn't think she did anything very different with it. Nevertheless, it was still a nice performance from her.
David Cook - singing "Dare You To Move" by Switchfoot: Nothing against Simon, but these kind of songs do tend to suit David more (not to say I didn't like Cookie's first song - but it did seem awkward). I love hearing a contemporary song from him. An earlier song spoiler had him singing "The World I Know" by Collective Soul which would've been an absolute killer song for him to tackle. Personally, that song is one of my favorites. "Dare You To Move" is a good one, too, but not as great as the original spoiler stated. It ends up being a great personal song choice for him and out of the three contestants, Cookie picks the best of them all. I did notice a few pitchy notes, particularly in the beginning of the song. Arrangement-wise, it did seem rather short and he may not have incorporated enough of the middle-portion of the song into it. Otherwise, still well done for David.
David Archuleta - singing "Longer" by Dan Fogelberg: Clues have been out for awhile regarding this song chosen by producers. Even though it wasn't figured out right away by the fans, they eventually got it. This song does suit Archie's style and it's the perfect range for him. He's sitting down and does his usual thing with a classic ballad. This is the kind of performance we're used to seeing from David. He's definitely hitting this one out of the ballpark and vocally it sounds spot-on. Yeah, I guess it is a sappy kind of song lyrically, but David did a lights-out job with it. It's not his fault the producers chose it for him. Simon doesn't seem impressed by David tonight. Basically what I'm getting from him is that he did good, but not great. I hope that's not a bad omen for tomorrow.
Syesha Mercado - singing "Hit Me Up" by Gia Farrell: This is sounding like a fun little ditty for Syesha to sing. It's a very upbeat and fun song and it appears she is having a fun time with it on stage. She is still well-dressed but not donning a dress this time. I am not all that familiar with the song and the "Happy Feet" penguin movie is being referenced throughout the judge's comments, but it appeared to me like she didn't do enough with the song. It ends on kind of a bland note for me. It has definitely left me with a sour taste in my mouth. A very pleasant, rather cutesy song song but maybe not suited for Syesha's style. She does better with the more power-ballads and this song choice did not show off her vocal power. I bet secretly to herself, she absolutely hated having to sing this.
David Cook - singing "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith: Didn't we see an Aerosmith song done by Michael Johns during the week he was eliminated? I wonder if this is going to be a new curse for American Idol - those who perform Aerosmith get eliminated next night. Nah, that's pretty doubtful. I really didn't care for the orchestra sound to start the song. It seemed especially tacky for this kind of song. He's doing his usual thing with this song; an exceptional rock sound, great vocals, and ending the night on a good note. This song proves to be a good fit for David and he knocks it out of the ballpark. For me personally, this was Cookie's best performance of the night and the best out of all three contestants. He was really on his game for this one.
So after tonight's performances, I am feeling a bit disappointed overall. I'd rate this one a 7.5 out of ten. I don't think everyone was on their game tonight and with the added pressure of performing three songs, I don't believe the contestants were completely focused as they could've been. Also, the contestants experienced an ultimate high of going home and getting a star-like homecoming which probably threw them off, as it was tough getting back into the competition mode again. That being said, I don't think anyone was truly terrible. Heck, they didn't make it this far to be bad. I think David Cook is a definite lock to be in the finale. I am a bit concerned about David Archuleta after his second song which didn't receive the usual props from Randy. However, the judge's were probably the most negative for Syesha and they basically dubbed her as being forgettable. So with that being said, I have a feeling Syesha maybe going home tomorrow. But didn't we say that a lot throughout our journey through the top 12? Anyways, here is tonight's performance rankings:
#1: David Cook - best of the night
#2: David Archuleta
#3: Syesha Mercado - eliminated (eliminated - 5/14/08)
So there you have it; I believe Syesha will be going home after tomorrow. She has really peaked at the end of this competition and she's really grown into an ultimate performer. However, I believe the time has come for her to exit stage left. It's time to make room for the David vs. David that a lot of American Idol fans and producers have wanted for some time. But I will say this, don't be surprised if there's a shock elimination tomorrow night. Remember last week when Ryan said only a million votes separated the three contestants? If it was that close last week, who's to say it can't be that close this week, too. Remember to look for the elimination update to be provided sometime Thursday (that's when I'm available to do it). Until then, see you next week!
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