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.

Round 1: Judges Choices

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,”

Round 2: Contestants Choices

David Archuleta: With You
Its interesting that the 17yo picked a song from Chris Brown which is on the Disney Channel. He actually sang without his Member’s Only jacket. I really like the song. Archuleta made it a little more pop. I thought the arrangement was good. I liked it better than his first song.
Randy: “I’m not sure that was the right song for you.”
Paula: “Its perfect. In the right tone for your voice.”
Simon: “It was like a chihuahua trying to be tiger. It’s not really you. Its all a bit awkward.”

Syesha Mercado: Fever
Fever was a bold choice. Syesha pulled it off. That was hot. I don’t care if it was old fashioned or cabaret, I could watch that all night. She looked great and sounded great. Every guy watching the show should have voted for her.
Randy: “Very interesting song choice. You sang it amazingly well.”
Paula: “I’m not sure it shows me who Syesha is as an artist.”
Simon: “I think you will regret that tomorrow. You did quite a lame Cabaret performance.”

David Cook: Dare You To Move
I love this song and I like David Cook but I think this was a bad choice for him. He was able to rock out which was awesome. He had a much harder time making that song his own.
Randy: “It wasn’t your best tonight. A little pitchy.”
Paula: “I felt like you just got to the beginning when you got to the end.”
Simon: “There’s not much more I can add to that.”

Round 3: Producers Choices

David Archuleta: Longer
The producers picked the perfect song for David Archuleta. It was an old fashioned ballad. David did a great job singing it but, he didn’t so much with it. He just sang it the way Dan Fogelberg did.
Randy: “Your in the zone.”
Paula: “Very lovely.”
Simon: “You sang it well.”

Syesha Mercado: Hit Me Up
I thought Syesha did a great job with that song. I wouldn’t have picked it for her. I still liked how she sang it a lot. Syesha has really been working it up on stage tonight. I really liked her performance for this. Listening to the judges’ comments, I almost get the feeling they are trying to slant the voting on purpose. Song for song Syesha, has been better than David Archuleta, yet the judges praise him and get on Syesha.
Randy: “It was just OK for me.”
Paula: “I don’t know if its the type of song that defines Syesha as an artist. I don’t know if it was good enough to get you into the finals”
Simon: “It was better than the second song.”

David Cook: I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing
Another one of my favorite songs. David Cook did a great job with it. I thought the violins were a nice touch. Then when he finally rocked out it was fantastic. Nice job Cook.
Randy: “It was OK for me. ”
Paula: “See ya in the finals.”
Simon: “One of the great songs of all time and I have to tell you David Cook wins the night.”

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