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(S07E39) It only took until the Final Three, but finally the contestants are going to be able to sing at least one song that is entirely their own choice. No themes, no specific artists just whatever their little hearts content. Expect David Cook to do a rock song, Syesha to do a Whitney song and David Archuleta to do a ballad he's been singing his whole life. After that, the judges get to select a song for each and the producers get to do the same. Traditionally these Top 3 episodes have featured some pretty amazing performances, as the songs are better suited for the kind of vocalists we have left. Now, this may not be your favorite Top 3 (it's certainly not mine), but stop by anyway in our live chat during the episode and talk about how they're doing.

You can join the chat by following this link. Look for the full episode review right here later tonight.

A high-schooler, an actress and a bartender. One of them is your next American Idol. The other two are going back to their day jobs. Who's it going to be? We have three songs each tonight to try and narrow that down. Could there be an upset in the making? Can Super-Syesha skate back once again and escape elimination or is the wall of Davids just too strong to break? My wife officially declared that Syesha's dress is too big for her, so I countered that David Cook's head is too big for him. "But she can change hers," she retorted. Point to the wife.

David Archuleta
"And So It Goes," Billy Joel (selected by Paula Abdul)
If David used a mic stand, would he be able to avoid holding out his right hand palm up at his side all the time. It would help him. I think this was a good showcase song for his vocal abilities as David has excellent vocal control and range. I like that he started a capella to really spotlight what he's capable of. But I think I'd rather he close his eyes completely than do that squinty thing of his. Ultimately, I worry that the performance, while technically very well done was pretty boring for a show opener.
Judges: Randy said the performance was dope and he was in it to win it. Paula thought it was a beautiful performance and Simon said it was good, though predictable.

"With You," Chris Brown (selected by David Archuleta)
He chose a song he hasn't performed in awhile (or a style, he wasn't clear) and wanted something more modern. This was a smart choice as it gave us a chance to see if David Archuleta could sound relevant. I can say that he doesn't move like a current pop star, and it felt like he struggled in the quicker parts of the song. But you could see in there the potential for an artist who could do well in the pop scene, so I applaud him for choosing something so current and showing us that potential.
Judges: Randy applauded as well his effort to be current as well but felt it lacked credibility (particularly with "my Boo"). Paula thought he should continue singing this type of song but needs to stop trying to make a ballad out of it with longer phrasing. Simon applauded the "not ballad"-ness of it but thought the whole thing was a bit awkward.

"Longer," Dan Fogelberg (selected by Idol producers)
This is a fantastic song and one that I wouldn't have picked as a perfect fit for David, but it is. He squinted his way through an amazing vocal rendition perched atop the stool that Ryan didn't use when he introduced David Cook last round. Well, I think tonight has proven that when it comes to sappy ballads there's almost no one better than David Archuleta, and for his age he is amazing at those, but when he steps out of that comfort zone, things are a lot less sure for him.
Judges: Randy said for the third time that David could sing the phone book (twice to David A. and once to David C. tonight) and just continued to cheerlead everything David does (I wonder if he cheers when David takes a pee break during commercials). Paula dubbed it lovely. Simon thought he sang the song well, but didn't care for the song itself and declared David would make it into the finals with his performances tonight.

Syesha Mercado
"If I Ain't Got You," Alicia Keys (selected by Randy Jackson)
Check it out, dog, a current song choice. Immediately when she started you could feel something missing. There's such a richness and passion in Keys' rendering of the lyrics, that Syesha felt kind of hollow when she started. It got better when she hit the chorus, though. She definitely is well-suited to this genre of music but I felt she could have wowed a lot more with that song than she did. Plus, there were a few sour notes sprinkled throughout.
Judges: Randy reiterated that Syesha is peaking in the competition at the right point and that she did an amazing job. Paula applauded her for tackling Alicia and said she looked great, meaning there was no direct critique of the singing. Simon said it was very good but he would have liked to see her change it up a bit more and agreed that she looked gorgeous.

"Fever," Peggy Lee (selected by Syesha Mercado)
This has been performed to great success on the Idol stage. Syesha chose to perform with a chair, making it more like a theatrical production than just a singing performance. This was an incredibly sexy performance that spotlighted her acting ability as well as her singing. I will say, though, that while fun the chair may have been unnecessary. But, if the alternative had been for her to sit on stage, her dress was way too short for that.
Judges: Randy felt she sang it very well, though it was an odd song choice. Paula was surprised by the song choice again and didn't think it showed her who Syesha was as an artist. Simon took it a bit further saying she would regret that choice as she had a great chance to be contemporary and instead was cabaret.

"Hit Me Up," Gia Farrell
After two dresses, Syesha went with a white top and tight black pants so she could get her move on. Like David Archuleta, she seemed not as confident vocally on this up-tempo piece and sprinkled it with bigger notes to make it something more like she would normally sing. But again, like him, I think with some training she could do this very well and hit a Beyonce-like niche in the industry. Unfortunately, I'm not sure if she did enough tonight to break the Davids wall, and wrapping her night on this number didn't do her any favors.
Judges: Randy called it Rihanna-esque, but just okay for him. Paula said she did the song very well, but doesn't think that's the type of song that defines her and isn't certain that can get her into the finals. Simon said it was better than her second song, but thinks she peaked last week with her Sam Cooke joint. She didn't get her defining moment.

David Cook
"First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," Roberta Flack (selected by Simon Cowell)
Can I say that both David and Syesha's "impromptu" readings of their text messages was so contrived it hurt me. This one was a bigger departure from the kind of artist David has proven himself to me, so it's interesting that Simon was the only judge seeking to challenge the contestant. And by dammit if David didn't prove himself more than up to the challenge. He caressed every note throughout the performance and never kicked it too far into his "rocker" arena. But in exchange, he did drop in an ending Idol Power Note.
Judges: Randy loved the high note at the end but wished that Simon would have picked something less predictable and more "rock." Paula said he was her second favorite person to have sung the song, after Flack. Simon thought it was one of his best performances ever, and added that he took risks and made the piece original for him.

"Dare You to Move," Switchfoot (selected by David Cook)
Well, David stuck with his strong point picking a number by a rock group, and as he's done before I felt he started off a bit weak with this one. I've read in multiple places that David has a tendency to start softer and then "rock out" after a few lines, and this number followed that formula to perfection. Ultimately, it was just okay for me as he didn't do anything to impress me with it vocally and then it was just kind of over as if he stopped in the middle of his planned performance.
Judges: Randy had to namedrop a bit before throwing out his catch word: pitchy. Paula felt like he was just getting to the beginning of the song when he stopped, and she wanted more. Simon said it wasn't a very melodic choice and dubbed the middle round just okay for everyone.

"I Don't Want to Miss a Thing," Aerosmith
I'm not sure what happened, but for the first time I think that this performance again started off a bit weak, but he more quickly put it together. I'm a huge fan of this song so each rearranged note really rung out to me, but I forced myself to listen to it how David was interpreting it and for what he did to it, he handled it very well, though I think he missed his final note before it's rise at the end.
Judges: For Randy it was very predictable and okay for him. Paula cheered the songwriter, Diane Warren, who was in the audience and declared David Finals-bound. Simon also liked the performance and declared David Cook the winner of the night.

Best of the Night
David Cook

Going Home
Syesha Mercado didn't do enough to break through so we're probably getting our Davids finale after all.