Express' Greg Barber on the fortunes of David Archuleta, David Cook and Syesha Mercado as they sing for their supper on "American Idol."

CAN YOU FEEL IT? That extra tension in the air? That twinge of anticipation? That little jolt of electricity like winter static?

Yeah, I'm happy the rain in D.C. finally ended, too. Oh, and "American Idol!" It's the second-to-last week!

Three contestants are left: the juggernauts who've rumbled through the season with nary a bump in the road and the battle-scarred fighter who's clawed her way up from the trenches and has so far lived to tell the tale.

Where once we had dozens of hopefuls splayed out before us like quacking ducklings in a pond, only David Archuleta, David Cook and Syesha Mercado remain.

The stakes, they are high.

"This is it," says Seacrest as he opens the show. "It is a pivotal moment in the lives of our three finalists. The way they perform and the way you respond can truly affect the closest race this show has ever seen."

No pressure, right?

The contestants are set to perform three songs each: one they selected, one the judges picked and one the mighty producers chose from their thrones of darkness blanketed in shadow.

Over the weekend, the Top 3 contestants flew back to their hometowns to be fawned over. That's also where they received the judges' song choice.

Our first stop: Murray City, Utah.

DAVID ARCHULETA, Part 1
The people of Murray have an outstanding sense of humor. If anyone would have told me before 8:03 p.m. Tuesday night that the mayor of Li'l David's hometown looked like a paunchy cross between Captain America and Chester A. Arthur, I'd have said they were crazy. But then I laid eyes on Mayor Dan Snarr. (See, even his name is funny! Try to say it out loud without laughing, I dare you.)

At first, I wasn't sure if he wanted to praise Li'l David or tie him to a set of railroad tracks. But it turns out he was really charged with giving David his assignment from the judges. Perhaps then he's allowed to go back to his other day job, hosting Walt Disney World's Carousel of Progress.

Li'l David gets a big, wet, sloppy kiss from Paula in the form of Billy Joel's "And So It Goes," a song that's totally in his earnest li'l wheelhouse.

Sharpen your knives, haters: I think he absolutely nails it. The echo effect at the beginning of the song strikes me at first as gimmicky, but then almost immediately sounds right. The accompaniment sounds off-kilter, but I'll blame that on the notoriously wobbly "Idol" sound mixing rather than David.

It's heartfelt. It rises and falls and casts an emotional wave out with it. This is David Archuleta at his best.

"Paula chose a dope song for you," Randy says. "You are in the zone. You are in it to win it, baby."

"It was a pure and stunning performance," Paula says. "And tonight, I really felt that you were a storyteller. You really were. It was a beautiful performance."

"Yeah, it was very good," Simon says. "No surprises. A bit predictable. ... It was good. I don't think it was outSTANDing."

"Yes, it was!" scream a chorus of female voices.

Right. As long as that audience loves him, he's a winner.

SYESHA MERCADO
Syesha gets news of her judges' pick from inside a limo in Tampa, Fla. What, no mustachioed civil servants available in the Sunshine State?

Her assigned judge was Randy, and his pick was "If I Ain't Got You" by Alicia Keys.

Wow. She's in fine form, too. For this song, her voice seems to take on a huskier sound, deeper and more melodic. It really works for her, and cuts out some of the sharper edged that detractors — including Simon — have said make her sound "shrieky."

Particularly impressive are the vocal scales she stairsteps near the end of the song, an effortless exercise that shows a maturity I'd never noticed in her before.

"I thought that that would work really well on you," Randy says. "You did an amazing job on it. ... I'm so happy that you are peaking at the right time in this competition. That's why you're standing there at number three."

"I'm very proud that you are the last lady standing there," Paula says. "It's difficult to do a song that's so identifiable with a beautiful artist as Alicia, and I applaud you for that."

"You sang that very well, Syesha," Simon says. "I really wish Randy had chosen something for you where you weren't going to just, you know, try and sound like the original."

"Actually, if you listen back, she changed quite a few notes ...," Randy says.

"Not enough, in my opinion. But, listen, overall, it was — and you look gorgeous, by the way," Simon says.

DAVID COOK
David's at home in Kansas City, and he's on the set with the news team at Fox 4 television when he gets his assignment from Simon: "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" by Roberta Flack.

"So you're really going to sing Roberta Flack," Newsguy X asks.

"Apparently so," says David.

Well. Can our hero arrange himself out of this little pickle?

He can. And he does.

Maybe I've got my Paula-tinted glasses on, but this is another spectacular performance — but one that's different from the others in that, as Simon wanted, it was a stylistic departure for David.

Much of the song is performed in his upper register, with slightly uneven results, but not enough to outbalance the points he gets for the sheer chutzpah of trying. He takes Flack's more ethereal version and tweaks it to give it almost a "November Rain"-ish sound that's still contemporary. And his soaring vocals at the end of the song make for a powerful conclusion.

This is a seriously formidable slate of contenders.

"I've been a David Cook fan since Day 1," Randy says. "I wish Simon would have picked something that wasn't as predictable as this older kind of song for you, because I want you to rock, baby, you're a rocker. ... So, I needed more rock from it."

"It's so funny that it's about the two of you," Paula says (zing!). "That is one of my favorite songs and now you're the second favorite person who sings it."

"This may sound a little bit biased, but I thought it was actually one of your best performances," Simon says. "This is what makes you brilliant, because you take risks. ... Round one goes to Cook and Cowell."

David's mom teared up during the song, which was cute. Strap in, mom — the roller coaster's not over yet.

DAVID ARCHULETA, Part 2
It's Li'l David's turn to pick his own song, and it's "With You" by Chris Brown — something a bit more contemporary.

It works. It's not as good as his first song, but it's nice to hear Li'l David sing something that doesn't come from a beauty pageant program or VH-1's list of Tear-jerky Songs of the '70s.

It's light. It's lilting. I'm concerned in spots that he's going to bungle the lyrics, but it doesn't seem like he does. All in all, it's a peppy performance that shows David might have a future that might not necessarily go the way of Leif Garrett if his looks or his hair start to wear thin.

But the outfit? Yeah, my grandpa wants his pants back.

"I applaud the fact that you're trying something new and young," Randy says, "because that's really kinda the kind of record you should make. But I'm not sure that was the right song. Seeing you sing, 'My boo,' was like — I couldn't believe it."

"I understand," David sputters. "It's pretty weird to see a white guy ...."

"I think you should be singing songs like this," Paula says, contradictorily. "I think you're so used to singing ballads, but this is another part of who you are."

Or who somebody is. Maybe not him. But the him his audience wants to hear, definitely.

"I applaud you that you didn't do a very treachly ballad, which I would have expected," Simon says. "However, it's a little like a chihuahua trying to be a tiger."

Ha!

"Insomuch as it's not really you. I thought was all a bit awkward, the dancing...."

"It's just not quite you," Randy offers.

Indeed.

SYESHA MERCADO, Part 2
She's singing "Fever" by Peggy Lee, a sexy barnburner of a song. And hoo boy. I think they might have to hose down the stage after this performance.

Syesha is a woman in control. She works her vocal chords nearly as much as her short skirt and high heels to create a veil of sultriness unlike any "Idol" performance yet this season. It's about as seductive as one should be at 8 p.m. on national television.

It's a dynamic performance that, once again, appears effortless. Like she's toying with us, almost. Seacrest asked her earlier in the evening whether she'd planned to ratchet up her game near the end to stay in the competition and I thought it was a silly question. But now I'm beginning to wonder. Has she been playing us all along?

"A very interesting song choice at this point," Randy says, not elaborating. "You sang it amazingly well. Again, a great performance."

"Of all the songs that you chose to sing, I'm surprised that you picked this song," Paula says, offering rare criticism. "I'm not sure that it shows me who Syesha is as an artist."

Everyone pauses for Paula to follow up with something nice to cleanse the palate. But she doesn't. At all. It's awwwwwwkwaaaaaard.

Then, the boos come.

"It's OK," Syesha says, channeling Brooke.

"Good," Simon says. "Syesha, I think you will probably regret that decision tomorrow. Because you had a chance to prove that you are a contemporary recording artist with your own choice of song. Instead, you did quite a lame cabaret performance."

Hmm. I can almost see his point about contestants using their song pick to show their range, but it's odd to hear him say something like that after he just forced David Cook to sing a Roberta Flack song. Do as Simon says, not as he does?

And what will this barrage of criticism do for Syesha's chances? Help them? Hurt them?

Who knows.

DAVID COOK, Part 2
David picks "Dare You to Move" by Switchfoot. Is it just me, or does it seem shorter than the other performances?

It's all right. David sounds a little less put together during this song than he does his other performances. The song's all lead-up and no payoff, so it leaves me, as a listener, feeling kind of disappointed when it's over.

His voice sounds good, but the material he chose to work with isn't great.

Randy totally disagrees.

"Great, great song choice," Randy says. "Performance-wise, let me just say, it wasn't your best tonight. A little pitchy, baby."

"As an artist, I know how hard it is to try to get like a three-and-a-half-minute type of song all into a minute 30," Paula says. "And the challenge is to get the audience to feel like they got the beginning, middle and end. ... And I felt like you just got to the beginning when it hit the end of the song, and I wanted more."

Did someone replace Paula with Simon?

"It was pretty much what I would have expected," Simon says. "It's not the most melodic song in the world. I thought all three of you had a pretty OK middle round, and we've got another round to go."

DAVID ARCHULETA, Part 3
It's time for the "Idol" Dark Lords producers to have their say. And for Li'l David, they chose "Longer" by Dan Fogelberg.

Dan Fogelberg? Has anyone under the age of 30 heard of Dan Fogelberg? Do the producers want to cue up some Rick Nelson or Gordon Lightfoot while they're at it?

Li'l David sounds more at home than he did singing Chris Brown, but the arrangement is all strings and crescendoing cymbals. In other words, kinda schlocky. It doesn't help that they've gussied him up in a shirt that's buttoned so high that it looks like his mommy dressed him so he can sing one of daddy's favorite songs.

That's not to say it's a bad performance; it's not. But it's not a song choice or execution that strikes me as the sort of thing a recording artist of today would put out for public consumption.

He should leave the "Idol" producers off the Christmas card list.

"Once again, an interesting song choice for me for you," Randy says. "But listen, dude, you can sing the phone book. It doesn't matter. You're in the zone, vocally. It was another hot one from you."

Really? Lukewarm, maybe. Probably closer to tepid.

"It was a lovely performance, David," Paula says. "I expect nothing more. It was just very lovely."

"I'm not going to criticize you, because I think you sang the song very well," Simon says. "However, I thought the song and the lyrics was absolutely horrible. It was so gooey ... it's something you choose for, like a 90-year-old, and you're 17 years old. Having said that, I do think you've done enough to get into the finals next week."

David beams. The fangirlies cheer. All is right with the world.

SYESHA MERCADO, Part 3
For Syesha, the producers have chosen "Hit Me Up" by Gia Ferrell, and she performs it with poise, attitude and rhythm in equal measures. It's an uptempo tune that would make even the most sedentary viewer bounce ever so slightly in his seat.

Where in previous weeks she would have devoured every chorus in a series of runs, Syesha's understated vocals achieve a greater goal: they craft a releasable single.

"Yeah, I could see you doing a song kinda like that," Randy says. "It was just OK for me. It was just all right for me."

"Syesha, you did the song very well," Paula says. "As much as I liked it, I don't know if it's the type of song that defines you as Syesha the artist."

Then, Paula delivers a death blow unlike any I've ever seen her level.

"I don't know if it's going to be good enough to get into the finals of 'American Idol,'" she says. "I love you, though."

Did somebody change Paula's dosage?

"It was better than the second song, that's for sure," Simon says. "I think the problem with that song ... it's a little bit forgettable. It's fun, it's young, but it didn't give you the defining moment I would have liked at the end of this show."

You know, as much as I liked Syesha's performance, I've got to agree with Simon on the defining moment thing. It was a fun song, but it's not one people will be talking about tomorrow. And she needed one of those.

DAVID COOK, Part 3
The producers have switched from fast-pitch to T-ball for David: they handed him Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing." It's the kind of rock ballad that Cook could sing in his sleep.

He whacks that ball but good. It's not a tour de force or anything, but it's a solid performance of a so-so song. The arrangement, with its "Eleanor Rigby"-esque strings, gave the tune some texture, while a slithering guitar riff almost made the chorus sound less trite.

It was yeoman's work, but David accomplished it with aplomb.

"For me, I loved the song," Randy says, transitioning incongruously to this: "It was OK for me. Very predictable."

"David, see ya in the finals," Paula says, "that's what I predict."

"David, one of the great songs of all time," Simon says. (Huh?) "And I have to tell you, David Cook wins the night."

OK, that bit about the song being great had to be because Diane Warren, the song's writer, was in the audience. Because, really? Ew. If that's one of the great songs of all time, I'll keep listening to crap. Thanks.

FEARLESS PICKS
This isn't an easy call. Li'l David wowed me on his first song, whiffed on his second, then recovered on his third, despite the odds the producers stacked against him by sticking him with an old-man song.

Syesha was electric on her first song, sultry on her second and bouncy on her third. I liked all three performances.

David Cook gave a smashing first performance, a puzzling second one and a solid third turn.

So here's the hard part, and I'm just going to say it. Syesha is a wonderful performer. She's improved in every way she possibly could, and she has proven those who underestimated her to be utterly wrong.

But I think she's going home this week.

I think it comes down to expectations and math. I think the Davids have become such institutions in this season that only a perfect strike straight through their hearts would have felled one of them, and Syesha didn't get that lucky. While I thought she did well each time she took the stage, she didn't perform so amazingly that I couldn't see the competition without her. And that's what I think about the Davids. This competition just wouldn't feel right without them.

And then there's the question of fan base, and I'm going to bet that Syesha's isn't big enough to take down the alternafans of David Cook or the tween-beat posse that supports David Archuleta.

I could be wrong. But I don't think I am.

I guess we'll see in just a scant few hours, won't we?

» COMING UP: Get all of those opinions and observations ready for 11 a.m., when you can participate in our Idol Chatter Live discussion, when we'll take on all things "Idol." Tonight's the elimination show; I'll have another recap on Thursday morning, after which we can turn our eyes toward next week's finale.

Until then, what did you think of the Top 3's performances? Should Syesha make it into the finals, or will next week be David country? Give your take in the comments section below.

Photos courtesy Fox

Posted by Greg Barber at 8:10 AM on May 14, 2008
Tagged in Entertainment , Idol Chatter , Television , Top Columns