American Idol

While the competition has gotten a little too predictable at this point, the American Idol Top 3 all sang with everything they had with hopes of making it to the big show — next week’s finale.

You could see the exhaustion on their faces. They all just returned from trips to their hometowns for concerts, parades and celebrations galore. David Cook, Syesha Mercado and David Archuleta have given just about every ounce of themselves. Tonight was no exception, though the song choices remained a mystery — that’s something that’s been a running theme this season.

There’s no question David Cook secured his spot in the finale. Without question, and I’ve been saying this for several weeks, he needs to be crowned the Season 7 winner. His overall performances tonight were well above the competition in many ways. Plus, he’s obviously being groomed for the prize.

Going into tonight, Syesha didn’t have a chance. It seems everything about the show has been playing to the favor of the Davids. And, if truth be told, Syesha kind of showed the younger David she’s not messing around. But, I think it’s a classic case of too little, too late. Die-hard fans are devoted to Archuleta. Plus, they probably feel bad for him after his dad’s inappropriate behavior in recent weeks.

Truly, I thought Syesha gave her best performance of the season with Randy Jackson’s choice of an Alicia Keys song. She was totally in her zone. I didn’t think her version of Fever was too bad, either. In fact, I liked that she played to her acting strengths and had fun with it.

As far as David Archuleta, he probably should not try to sing radio hits from Chris Brown. It wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t “wow.” As far as the rest of his performances, they kind of all sound the same, at this point.

Now David Cook, that’s a different story. He brings his own sound to every performance. His influences certainly shined through when he chose to sing a song from Switchfoot. That’s his groove, and it’s certainly the type of tunes I think we’ll be able to expect on his debut CD. Because, even if he doesn’t win, Cook is guaranteed a recording contract.

When it comes down to it, I think we’ll be seeing our first David-off in the finale. There’s no real question, there. But I would love to see Syesha take one of the Top 2 spots. She has proven herself throughout this season, even though the rough patches.

Your thoughts?

American Idol, David Cook, David Archuleta, Syesha Mercado

It’s the night the judges, contestants and producers all throw in their best effort at choosing songs.