American Idol 8.9 - The top 3 sing two songs each

From 100,000 to three amigos. That's how Ryan summed up the season so far. Any way you slice it, the three finalists have done a great job in getting where they are. They all deserve props.



Danny Gokey
Dance Little Sister - Terence Trent D'Arby
Paula's Pick
Very nice song choice for Danny. This song is upbeat and bluesy and Danny looks like he's having fun with it. It's a perfect fit for his vocal style. He's doing well playing to the audience, although he's still not great at using the whole stage. I especially like the little scat singing duet he does in the middle with the sax player. It's fun and I wouldn't mind hearing that again... it's a winner. Woot.

Kris Allen
Apologize - One Republic
Kara and Randy's Kool Request
I have to admit it. Although Kris hasn't been my most favorite this season, he really showed why he's still in this thing. That was a completely legitimate, very indy performance. I thought it sounded flawless, but Paula claims she heard a very obvious bad note. Listening back, I think she way overstated the case. His voice cracked ever so slightly on the second chorus, but it wasn't a "bum note". Not even close. Between Kara and Paula, I'm thinking that they are just telling him that they don't want him in the finale. I guess that's fair. Ish.

Adam Lambert
One - U2
Simon's Say
Without a doubt Adam will have a career in the music industry. But I'm pretty sure I won't be buying a lot of his albums. While the performance was fully adequate, I personally found it whiny and annoying. It was not my favorite performance from Adam so far this season; and it wasn't my favorite of the night so far. The judges are fawning all over him, but I'm not jumping up and down.

I'm going to piggyback here on the Idol Gives Back video. The anti-malaria cause is worthwhile and can make a real difference for people. If you want to contribute to this or any other cause that Idol is supporting, you can do so at the Idol Gives Back page. If you want to learn more about the malaria issue in particular, you can head over to Melinda Doolittle's favorite charity organization, Malria No More.

Now back to the songs....

Danny Gokey
You Are So Beautiful - Joe Cocker
This is a great song. And it was a great arrangement. And a perfectly amazing performance. I may end up buying this one on iTunes - it would be the first one all season. It really was a unique take on a very familiar song and he earned the kudos he just received from all four judges.

Kris Allen
Heartless - Kanye West
I'm not a Kanye fan (sorry GG & Mike) so I'm not familiar at all with his music. I'm guessing when he sings this song, it really doesn't sound much like this. But here's the thing - I am fairly impressed with the song itself. It's good writing. And I'm enjoying the simple guitar & vocals only arrangement that Kris is singing. I especially like the slightly Latin feel to it. Interesting choice and a very, very good job.

Adam Lambert
Cryin' - Aerosmith
This song is fairly typical for Adam. And his performance actually feels predictable to me. I'm so over the screaming glam-rock thing. I was much more impressed several weeks ago when he did the quiet ballad. The high note at the end was OK, but overall I am not finding this a memorable performance. I was bored. Simon may be all in a dither over Adam, but I've personally lost interest. He's more than a one trick pony, but he does really like that one favorite trick, and screeching vocals isn't something I like to listen to.

I have to be honest. I'm really really hoping that there is an "upset" tonight that sees Kris and Danny in the final two. I'm actually expecting to see Adam and Danny go on, with Kris being eliminated. But it could also be that Danny goes home leaving Kris and Adam as the final two.

In other words, it's anybody's game. Excellent job, Idol. This is the first season where all three of your top three (and all four of your top four) actually deserve to win. They should all have very lucrative recording contracts coming out of this.