You'd think that once we were down to the final three, we could maybe count on getting at least one really exciting or interesting or memorable performance out of the evening. But no, we get a sadly lackluster evening of forgettable blandness.
The rundown:
Round 1: Judges' choice
David A, "And So It Goes," chosen by Paula -- The a cappella opening is impressive, and all of the notes throughout are lovely. But the performance is even more emotionally empty than usual for David, who shows no understanding of what the song's about. Paula calls him "a storyteller;" Paula is crazy. (The evening will be filled with moments that will grab the attention of the conspiracy-minded who believe that the producers are trying to manipulate the vote. Note that the sorority girls in the front rows have been instructed not to wave their arms during this ballad, so as not to distract us from David.)
Syesha, "If I Ain't Got You," chosen by Randy -- It's a solid, tasteful performance, but it's lacking in pizzazz; there's not much personality to it. It is perhaps emblematic of Syesha's artistic failings that when asked why she's peaking at this point in the season, she puts on a phony voice to tell us that she's started to "be myself, you know." (Conspiracy moment #2: Randy tells her that her impressive run late in the season is why she's "standing there number three.")
David C, "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," chosen by Simon -- The only really interesting choice of the round. It's pitched a bit too high for David in the quiet opening section, where his falsetto feels terribly forced, but the gradual addition of a rock beat works nicely, and the build to the big notes at the end is very impressive.
Round 1 results: Cook, Archuleta, Syesha
Round 2: Singers' choice
David A, "With You" -- Li'l Archie is so not an R&B/hip-hop singer, and he's not very convincing when he sings love songs, so this is a dreadfully dull performance. There's not much wrong with it technically (though his enunciation is unusually sloppy), but it's never interesting and I've forgotten it almost before it's over.
Syesha, "Fever" -- It's fun and theatrical, and I love the arrangement which has some nice retro touches (the baritone sax is fabulous) but still feels contemporary. Simon calls a "lame cabaret performance," which is a bit harsh -- there's nothing lame about it -- and Paula notes correctly that it doesn't really tell us much about who Syesha is as a performer.
David C, "Dare You to Move" -- The dullest song of the night. It's David's usual shtick, and it sounds like almost every performance he's given. I literally cannot understand a word he says in the chorus. A ghastly performance.
Round 2 results: Syesha, Archuleta, Cook.
Round 3: Producers' choice
David A, "Longer" -- David looks terribly tired here, and there's a pained expression on his face throughout. It's a love song, for heaven's sake, at least make the effort to look happy. His visible unhappiness -- with the song, with the way the night is going, with the backstage drama surrounding his dad, who knows? -- is so extreme that it distracted me from the singing; I had to rewind and listen again without looking to realize that it was, like many of David's performances, very pretty and very forgettable.
Syesha, "Hit Me Up" -- Conspiracy moment #3: The producers give Syesha a number that is entirely about personality. There's nothing of interest in the melody or the lyrics; it's purely about slinky and sexy. Syesha does her damnedest, but she can't make the song interesting, and she doesn't have enough charisma to make the performance interesting, either.
David C, "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" -- In contrast, the producers have given David a big, fat, juicy pitch over the middle of the plate. The first half of the song is particularly well done; the transition from string quartet to rock band is a bit awkward, and David sounds a bit strained in the rock half. Still, it's enough to win the round.
Round 3 results: Cook, Syesha, Archuleta
For the night: Cook, Syesha, Archuleta
For the season: Cook, Syesha, Archuleta
Deserving to go home: Archuleta, but that's not going to happen; we're going to get the all-David final that the show's been pushing for the last two months.
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