American Idol: Top 3 Performance

On tonight’s American Idol we got to see the final 3 contestants make their hometown visits. The top 3 each had to perform three songs tonight: one selected by the judges, one selected by the producers, and one selected by the performer.

David Archuleta: And So It Goes

I thought Paula made an interesting choice. I love this song by Billy Joel. While I think he did an OK job with it, Billy Joel makes the song a little more light hearted. David tried to make the song too serious. Maybe if his Dad had been there he could have added in some lyrics to another song to spruce it up a bit. I like the original better.
Randy: “The Billy Joel thing works well on you. You are in the zone.”
Paula: “A pure and sunny performance.”
Simon: “It was very good. No surprises, a bit predictable. It was good. I don’t think it was outstanding.”

Syesha Mercado: If I Ain’t Got You

Randy Jackson picked a great song for Syesha. If I Ain’t Got You was perfect for Syesha. That may have been my favorite performance of hers this season. An awesome performance.
Randy: “I’m so happy you are peaking at the right time in this competition”
Paula: “You look gorgeous.”
Simon: “You sang that very well Syesha.”

David Cook: The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face

Simon choose this song because he wanted to give David a song that was different. He said it was a difficult song to sing but he thought David could do it. He did. Cook’s version sounded nothing like the original. If I didn’t know this was an old song by Roberta Flack I would swear it was a modern ballad. David Cook did an absolutely amazing job with that song. Pure genius.
Randy: “I loved the high not at the end.”
Paula: “That was one of my favorite songs and you are now my second favorite person to sing it.”
Simon: “I thought it was one of your best performances to date. This is what makes you brilliant. Round 1 goes to Cook and Cowell,”