American Idol 2008 – Top 3 Performance (5/13/08) Recaps

Believe it or not, we’re finally down to the Top 3 contestants in American Idol 2008, Season 7. It’s been thirteen weeks of live performances to reach this point and it’s starting to feel like it. This week the last three Idol hopefuls were allowed to sing three songs each – one chosen by the judges, one chosen by the producers, and one of their own choosing. Who would perform the best?

I thought last night’s show was pretty good for the most part (well, compared to recent shows). I think all three of the remaining contestants are in it to win it which makes for far more entertaining television. I wasn’t crazy about all of the song choices, but I thought the singers did well with what they had. They all performed as expected so it’s bound to be close in the voting. I do, of course, have my opinion of how I think all three of them did with their songs.

I’m going to do the format for this week’s article a little different. I’m breaking up the performances by who made the song choice and at the end I will give the order I think the contestants ranked.

Judges’ Choice

• David Archuleta – “And So It Goes” – Paula chose this dull and gooey Billy Joel ballad for young David to do his thing with. We get the same old same old which is technically spot on, but emotionally about as fulfilling as a bag of marshmallows. Randy loved it, though, so it must be good.
  
  

  David Archuleta – And So It goes

  [youtube qr9oGB35iWE]

• Syesha Mercado – “If I Ain’t Got You” – Randy picked an Alicia Keys song for Syesha because he loves Alicia but she hasn’t quite reached the untouchable level he places Mariah and Whitney on. Syesha does a really good job for the most part. She looks gorgeous but does get a bit shouty in places. Still, I needed her to wake me up after David sang me to sleep.
  
  

  Syesha Mercado – If I Ain’t Got You

  [youtube A7jcEfMp1lc]

• David Cook – “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” – Simon is smart enough to know that David is best when he’s out of his element. So Simon picks a Roberta Flack song for him. It’s a bit too far out of his element for my taste, but David manages to pull it off in not really surprising fashion. Wasn’t his best performance ever by any means, but he easily wins the round.
  
  

  David Cook – The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face

  [youtube Qs1TTG0iGSg]

Contestants’ Choice

• David Archuleta – “With You” – Thumbs up to David for realizing that the ballads are getting really old and for finally choosing an up-tempo modern song when he got the chance to choose for himself. Thumbs down for sucking at it. I’m not sure David would know what a “boo” was if it bit him in the butt. It wasn’t a total disaster, but his running out of breath and singing this badly on the type of song you might want him to sing on the radio isn’t the kind of thing you want a potential American Idol winner to show you in the final three.
  
  

  David Archuleta – With You

  [youtube xQsTTk6-MNs]

• Syesha Mercado – “Fever” – I completely understand why Syesha chose this song despite the judges claiming it was a huge misstep. I think Syesha is doing what Syesha knows she does best – theater. Syesha chose this song because she knows the finals are pretty much already set in stone so she may as well audition for Broadway while she can. It was a great audition. Not the best version of the song I’ve ever heard, but she did her thing which, once again, was still more enjoyable to watch than David A.
  
  

  Syesha Mercado – Fever

  [youtube TnnWgwO0a7w]

• David Cook – “Dare You To Move” – This song by Switchfoot wasn’t a great song choice for David because this is another one of those songs that just doesn’t allow you to build it up in the 90 seconds or whatever they have to sing. He did a decent job, but the song felt somewhat incomplete. He would have been better off going with Switchfoot’s “Meant To Live” which would have allowed him to rock the whole song.
  
  

  David Cook – Dare You To Move

  [youtube V2gcVqkpNAs]

Producers’ Choice

• David Archuleta – “Longer” – At least Simon had the balls to tell the producers how terrible a song choice this was. Dear God. What were they thinking? Sure, David sang it to the best of his abilities, but that’s not saying much for a song that could be the most boring song ever sang in the top three on American Idol. Is this the kind of record they want this kid to make if he wins? God help us all.
  
  

  David Archuleta – Longer

  [youtube r7MWWyaeGEo]

• Syesha Mercado – “Hit Me Up” – It wasn’t a completely horrible choice for Syesha, but it didn’t turn out to be a great performance. I guess they wanted something a little more contemporary for her after her last song, but she ended up sounding a bit shrilly. I could have used more of seeing Syesha dance and less of seeing the backup singers. Seriously, every time she was about to dance they cut to the singers or the drummer. What is this, Elvis on Ed Sullivan?
  
  

  Syesha Mercado – Hit Me Up

  [youtube 49Gtk8vDJ3k]

• David Cook – “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing” – I’m not too sure about Simon’s statement that this is one of the greatest songs ever. I mean, it’s pretty trite. I’ve always liked it, but let’s not get crazy. This version, however, seemed kind of wrong. I think the arrangement was just odd or something. David did his usual thing, but there wasn’t much special about it. He pulled it off with flair, though, which is more than I can say for some Davids in the competition…
  
  

  David Cook – I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing

  [youtube 20MWYIqfHR4]

Deciding the order in which I think the three contestants ranked this week was tough. As I’ve said before, at this point it’s largely a matter of personal opinion and taste. However, I do have an opinion.

This is how I felt the performances this week ranked:

The Top 3 Performers For May 13, 2008

1. David Cook
2. Syesha Mercado
3. David Archuleta

I placed David Cook first because I think he showed the most energy mixed with potential star quality. He was able to tackle all three songs in his trademark style while looking relaxed and comfortable.

I placed Syesha second because I felt that she also was able to perform very well. I liked her more than the judges did. I think she looked good on stage and seemed like she belonged. I think she definitely has the talent to cut an album and do well.

I put David Archuleta in last because I felt like he was sleepwalking his way through his songs. The only song he showed real energy on was the one he chose and he sang and performed it poorly. He has a great sound to his voice (if you can get past the nasal sound), but I just didn’t see the liveliness I would like to see from a potential winner.

Who’s Going Home?

If I was a braver person I would make a huge upset prediction right now and say that the final two will be David Cook and Syesha Mercado. In my opinion, they’ve earned it. Unfortunately, I’m not that brave.

The real question is who will pick up the voters that were voting for Jason Castro before he left the show? I have a hard time believing that very many of those voters will go to Syesha. David Cook might pick up some of them, but I think a lot of them might gravitate to David A. If that’s the case then I think the season long prediction of an all David Finale will finally come to pass.

My prediction to get voted out this week: Syesha Mercado.

The American Idol Top 3

• David Archuleta, 17, Murray, UT
• David Cook, 25, Tulsa, OK
• Syesha Mercado, 21, Miami, FL
• Jason Castro, 20, Rockwall, TX (Top 4)
• Brooke White, 24, Van Nuys, CA (Top 5)
• Carly Smithson, San Diego, CA (Top 6)
• Kristy Lee Cook, 24, Selma, OR (Top 7)
• Michael Johns, 29, Los Angeles, CA (Top 8)
• Ramiele Malubay, 20, Miramar, FL (Top 9)
• Chikezie Eze, 22, Inglewood, CA (Top 10)
• Amanda Overmyer, 23, Mulberry, IN (Top 11)
• David Hernandez, 24, Glendale, AZ (Top 12)