Three's Company On
American Idol
The three finalists each sang three songs this week on American Idol: a judge's choice, a contestant's choice and a producer's choice (way to work yourself in there, Nigel). None of the choices were the best of the season, but there were a few good moments to be had.

Following is the It's Destiny! panel's take on the AI7 Top 3: Judge, Contestant, Producer.

David Archuleta "And So It Goes" (Chosen By Paula Abdul)
Tammy: David actually sounded very nice on this song. It has a bit of a soundtrack-ish quality to it. I liked.
Score: 8.7
Liza: If I were a contestant, I would be scared to get a song from Paula because she does not have a good track record with these things. "And So It Goes" is pretty, if not dull. And it's very slow. David makes a good choice to start it a capella (with assistance for the opening from the band) and does a very nice job with that part. However, he stumbled with the "and so you will soon I suppose" line and then cracked like Peter Brady again while doing his usual vocal gymnastics. But none of the judges outside of Simon care because apparently David can do no wrong.
Score: 8.0
Destiny: I agree that David sounded nice on the song. I just think Paula did him no real favors with the choice, though. As Liza said, Paula's song selection track record is not good. She always chooses less-than-stellar songs that aren't recognizable by the masses, and that's exactly what she did on this one. Though vocally good, this is not something that will be remembered.
Score: 8.8

Syesha Mercado "If I Ain't Got You" (Chosen by Randy Jackson)
Tammy: This was Syesha's chance to prove that she could be a legitimate contender as a contemporary artist, and I wasn't really convinced by her effort (not for lack of effort, but maybe for lack of ability). I wish she'd done something different with it so she wouldn't be directly compared to the original artist. But still, it was a professional performance.
Score: 8.4
Liza: I'll bet she already knows what she's going to do because she did it before on "The One"! At least she's not lounging on the piano like she did on that show. She sang this well, but it was nothing any of us hadn't seen before. I've seen a dozen performances of this song like this. There wasn't anything unique about it at all, and she didn't put her own stamp on it. I'm right there with Simon so far tonight.
Score: 7.75
Destiny: I'm right there with Liza. It was nothing original, and it wasn't anything beyond just good. Like Tammy said, Syesha's main problem is lack of ability. This performance was the perfect display of that fact.
Score: 7.8

David Cook "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" (Chosen by Simon Cowell)
Tammy: Despite being rather obviously less than thrilled with the song selection, it actually turned out to be the best performance of the night. David successfully changed key notes just enough to make the song his own, and built the song melodically so that the crowd was on their feet by the final note (something that would challenge him the rest of the night). And how interesting was it to see Simon clapping mid-song along with the crowd (but perhaps he was just applauding his own song choice)? A really beautiful version. I can't wait to hear the song in full-length.
Score: 9.2
Liza: Simon's psychotically clever, choosing this song to contrast everyone else's unoriginality. Wow, Simon's a genius, as is David. That was terrific! His range continues to amaze me. Also genius? David (very sincerely and without any hint of pandering) saying Happy Mother's Day to his mom. On the other side of the coin, Randy is the dumbest dumb that ever dumbed. "I wanted more rock from you" ... I'm sorry, but you can't really rock that song, but David rocked it out as much as humanly possible while keeping the melody intact. Simon Cowell clapping mid-song? Wow! I don't recall ever seeing him do that before!
Score: 9.25
Destiny: I was also surprised by Simon's clapping during the performance. I also agree that David sounded beautiful on this song. The only problem was that it wasn't long enough. The song needed more time to develop. I also just wanted to hear more.
Score: 9.2

David Archuleta "With You"
Tammy: Hoo boy, did David ever look uncomfortable during this one. The 'dancing' (which was more or less just some deep knee bends), and the flubbed lyrics had me hoping the song would just be over with, and quickly.
Score: 7.0
Liza: This is Sanjaya levels of comedy here, seeing little Mormon 12-year-old David singing words like "I need you boo" and attempting to "dance". It just showed how irrelevant he is in the current music scene. Actually, it was kind of like watching those KidzBop commercials on TV. The vocals were there, but the ending was ridiculously out of place, and he messed up the words again, and yet no one calls him on it! They eviscerated Jason Castro for doing it, but they don't even mention it when David does it on the first two songs!
Score: 6.0
Destiny: I have to totally disagree. I think Archuleta may have just sealed winning the competition with this one. The way he loosened up by even choosing this song was very endearing. The way he connected with the audience and the camera was also fun and charming. This was something so different from him, and it is sure to send his fans into a frenzy. I'm sure this performance will be rewatched by his masses of fans repeatedly. I personally enjoyed seeing him try something different and put himself out there and be "youthful" as he says. Cute.
Score: 9.0

Syesha Mercado "Fever"
Tammy: Who couldn't hear that 'cabaret' comment coming from Simon a mile away? Perhaps not the wisest song choice from Syesha, but it was by no means an epic failure. Just...misguided. It was fun to watch, and she looked like she was having fun doing it (which couldn't be said for the two Davids for most of the night).
Score: 8.2
Liza: Well she certainly brings out the theatrics here. I can't recall another Idol finalist outside of Nikko Smith who has used movement to enhance their performances as she has. The lighting, however, did her NO favors, casting shadows on her face while she was sitting on the chair. I don't quite agree with Paula in that this doesn't show who Syesha is as an artist because I think this was right up her alley. She's destined for Broadway, and I think she'll have a great career there.
Score: 8.5
Destiny: This was reminiscent of a monologue performance from a musical theatre acting 101 class. It was totally theatrical, though way more classroom than Broadway. Though it wasn't great, it was frustrating to hear the judges criticize Syesha for the choice, given that they have continually told her that theatrical is the way she should go. I appreciated her efforts, but as with her first performance, her lack of ability is what held her back.
Score: 7.9

David Cook "Dare You To Move"
Tammy: Wow, this was maybe the first time I've ever heard David Cook sound out of tune? This song just never really ever took off. David's pitchyness, along with the band really not being together at the beginning, made for a bit off a mess. Not to mention the odd 'is the end or isn't it?' finish to the song. Maybe Jason Castro had the right idea when he got out early.
Score: 7.9
Liza: Like Baba O'Riley, that song was ridiculously short, and David didn't have enough time to really give that song some justice. I also don't think his vocals were as strong on this song as on other songs. The rehearsal clip sounded better.
Score: 7.75
Destiny: The short time slot, combined with the rushed start due to Seacrest's bumbling song set-up, both made this a weird performance. Cook's vocals weren't his best, but the arrangement and technical issues were the biggest problems.
Score: 8.0

David Archuleta "Longer"
Tammy: What the what, AI producers? What a truly dreadful song to hand to the kid. Is this song, or has it ever been, popular? It certainly made me to never want to hear it again. Ye-ikes. Maybe they just wanted to even the playing field a bit?
Score: 6.5
Liza: I felt like he barely got through this song without biffing the lyrics. You can tell when he's struggling to get the lyrics because the volume gets lower, and he just barely found them in time right before the bridge. The ending was pretty, but that song was just another typical boring, treacly AC ballad from him.
Score: 7.75
Destiny: This song has been a staple on easy listening stations for probably twenty years, but it really has no place on American Idol. Knowing what we know about the AI producers, we shouldn't be surprised that they made a stupid decision. He sounded good on the song, but the producers, like Paula, did David no favors with this choice.
Score: 7.8

Syesha Mercado "Hit Me Up"
Tammy: Oof. Syesha was given no favors by being handed this song. If anything, it exposed how un-pop she is, seeing how she oversang much of it. Not the catchiest tune either, as I'd be hard-pressed to recite even one lyric. And still? I hope she makes the finals, just to upset the David vs David finale. The girl always shows up to play, even when the odds are stacked against her!
Score:
Liza: This is a crazy song choice by the producers. While it's contemporary, it's also not a singer's song. If they wanted a Rihanna vibe, they should have given her a Rihanna song. I think she would have done better with a more well-known song like S.O.S. She sounded great when they did "Don't Stop The Music" on Idol Gives Back. However, on this song, she had some pitch problems throughout, and the song was very forgettable. The producers couldn't make it more obvious that they want her gone.
Score: 7.0
Destiny: Syesha looked cute. This was just another weird song choice. As Liza said, very forgettable.
Score: 7.0

David Cook "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing"
Tammy: Well this is possibly my least favorite song ever, so the chances were pretty slim that I'd like it...and I didn't. The fact that he didn't really change it up at all didn't thrill me either (maybe the extra song the Idols had to sing with week made that task more difficult, given the time restraints).
Score: 7.6
Liza: I love how David changes things up to put his own stamp on songs. The string section gave it a nice touch of class, if not some tempo to get enough out of the short amount of time he has to sing. And, wow, he got the total rock star lighting. Randy Jackson calling it predictable is a total joke considering he NEVER calls Archuleta out on being predictable.
Score: 9.0
Destiny: Randy's comment was totally ridiculous. David Cook is the most exciting contestant this season. This wasn't my favorite performance from him, but it was darn good. Nice way to end the night!
Score: 9.0

Who Should Be Eliminated:
Tammy: David Archuleta
Liza: David Archuleta
Destiny: Syesha

Who Will Be Eliminated:
Tammy: As much as I like Syesha's spunk, I think she's done.
Liza: Syesha
Destiny: Syesha

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Last week we asked you, "Who Did You Vote For On American Idol?"
36% David Cook, 34% Jason,
29% David Archuleta, 1% Syesha

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