Real Kato Blog: American Idol 2008 Week 13: Top 3

Jason went out last week. This week: judges' choice, producers' choice, and contestants' choice.

David "Cheeks" Archuleta: 6.0
Paula's choice: "And So It Goes" by Billy Joel. It's pretty typical for him... very grandma-friendly. It's pretty, and he sings it well, but it's kinda dull. And it's the kind of song you'd be embarrassed to have playing in your car when others might hear it.

Self-chosen: "With You" by Chris Brown. Huh. At least it's different, but this isn't a believable performance. Not only that, the singing isn't all that good. It's like bad karaoke... almost painful to watch.

Producers' choice: "Longer" by Dan Fogelberg. Uh. Even more grandma-friendly music, and he doesn't do anything to jazz it up or make it more contemporary. Bo-ring.

I give him a 5 overall. He's probably got enough fans to win this thing no matter how he sings, though.

Syesha "Whitney" Mercado: 6.8
Randy's choice: "If I Ain't Got You" by Alicia Keys. A little old-fashioned, but she's performing it well. She's not overreaching like she normally does. It's nice, but not a game-changer... it's not going to win her any new fans. 7.

Self-chosen: "Fever" by Peggy Lee... and a gazillion other singers. This is soooo cliché; not at all original, and as Simon says, very cabaret. She sings it decently, but it's not all that difficult a song. 5.

Producers' choice: "Hit Me Up" by Gia Farrell. I like that it's a young song, and uptempo, but vocally it's not great, and she doesn't seem to have enough energy. This might be the nail in the coffin for her.

I give her a 6 overall.

David "Shaggy" Cook: 7.2
Simon's choice: "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" by Roberta Flack. Huh. He starts it off pretty traditionally, but he adds a little rock to it as it goes along. I would have liked to have seen a little more rock, though. Still, this is quite good; unlike the first performances from the other two, he's able to build drama and energy as the song goes along.

Self-chosen: "Dare You to Move" by Switchfoot. This is exactly the sort of self-important song that I think he should avoid. Vocally awkward at the start. It gets better in the chorus, but I'm just not thrilled with it.

Producers' choice: "Don't Want to Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith. This is odd... at the start, he's tamed it down, when he really should have gone the other way. Getting to the rock part, it gets better, though he struggles vocally a little. A pretty good performance, and the right sort of song... this should be enough to propel him to the finals.

I give him a 7 overall.

No one is really running away with this thing. Syesha should get the boot tonight... it seems she was always destined to finish 3rd.

Permalink