Top 3 Have a Showdown

Season four runner-up Bo Bice recaps the May 13 episode for Us

The first round for Idol’s three finalists was judges' choice. David Archuleta kicked it off with Paula’s song choice of “And So It Goes” by Billy Joel. I’m a big Billy Joel fan and when you are singing one of his songs, you really need to understand the intimacy of a song. I appreciate David’s talent and voice because he is still young. It was a nice arrangement, but it lost the intimacy that Billy Joel has in his version. Billy Joel made you feel that he had lived the song; David’s rendition was beautiful, but he just sang the words and forgot the feelings.

Next up was Syesha Mercado singing Randy’s song choice of “If I Ain't Got You” by Alicia Keys. In one word: disconnected. You have to bring the audience in and sell the song as if it were your own. Her vocals were great, but show me the show. Last was David Cook, singing Simon’s choice of “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” by Roberta Flack. Great version of this song, very original and it kept me entertained. I would have rather heard David rock something out, but this was Simon’s choice and I can only imagine that he was trying to hear another side of David’s voice and see what he could do with a song like this.

For the contestants' choice round, David Archuleta sang “With You” by Chris Brown. Not great, medium performance, and bad song choice. David needs to show more diversity. Syesha sang “Fever.” Aside from her pushing some of the vocals and phrasing issues, the vocals were great. However, the performance seemed very Las Vegas. David Cook sang Switchfoot’s “Dare You to Move.” It was a good song choice. The performance was good, but he missed a few notes and I would have liked to have the big money shot with a big ending to such a great song. When you have to tear these songs apart to fit them into a minute and a half to impress America, you pick the absolute best parts and let them shine.

The final round was producer’s choice. Archuleta performed Dan Fogleberg’s “Longer.” This song is more David’s speed. Songs of this style will probably end up on his album but it was still safe. And playing it safe at this level of the competition can send you packing. Syesha offered an upbeat performance of “Hit Me Up.” She’s got a beautiful voice and performs well. It was a better song for her than the previous one. David Cook finishes off the night with Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing.” Great song choice for David on this one. He missed a few melody tags that were important to the song, but I do believe we will see him in the finals.

Overall, each contestant showed a good representation of not only how far they have come by making it to the top three but also how producers, judges and even themselves help guide you to great songs and encourage you to perform them as if they were your own. They all worked very hard to get this far and no one should walk away discouraged after the night’s performances. Who will it be? David A., David C. or Syesha, only America knows, so get to voting. See you at the finale.

About this blogger: Season four's runner-up, Bice recently returned to the Idol stage for Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame week to perform his single "Witness," and is currently prepping a summer tour. His second album, See the Light, is in stores now.

BY BO BICE