American Idol: Final 3

Does America want a pop star, a rock star or a soul singer as its next American Idol? Here's the order of how the three finalists performed last night, with the odds of winning it all next week:

1. David Cook
Spine-tingling version of "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face"  is the song of the night and vaults him into the final. Diverse talent who continually takes risks and delivers. Switchfoot track is just OK but he finishes strong with Aerosmith ballad. The one to beat. Would be nice to see a real rocker win Idol.
Odds of winning: 3-1

2. David Archuleta
Flawless effort with Billy Joel and Dan Fogelberg covers, although accompanying vocals dilute purity of "Longer." Hated the Chris Brown version as it's just not his thing. Licking his lips and closing his eyes gets a little annoying. Does dad notice this? David vs. David makes for the most compelling final since Bo vs. Carrie.
Odds of winning: 4-1

3. Syesha Mercado (bye, bye)
Typical song choice that confirms we've seen this before. Alicia Keys, Rhianna and yet another cover of "Fever" do nothing to show her originality. I do think she's the best performer of the three and the most polished, but she's typical of past Idol stars. Looks great and sounds great, but she's in the wrong season.
Odds of winning: 10-1

Comments

[Frogger]

The kid pulled off an Aerosmith ballad - that's no easy trick. Go David Cook! It's time a real rocker joined the ranks of America's idols.

[Gwen]

I have said this all along - David Cook is the real thing. I don't care who he sings against in the final; he will win.

[Dragger Lok]

David Cook is not only original he show's signs of brilliance, time after time he delivers and knocks more than his share out of the park ... while little David is a technically competent singer he lacks the soul to connect with what he is singing.