This is it. The big night before the winner is revealed. But I can't help thinking that the boxing metaphor (complete with robes and gloves) that opened the show was pretty lame.
Three songs each tonight. The first round are songs chosen by Clive Davis.
David C. gets I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For. Although not wild about the song, I enjoyed the performance. I like the quality of his voice, that sort of gravely sound.
David A. draws Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me. An excellent song for him, more challenging than some past choices, and he was in great form. I am always amazed at the maturity of his voice, but wish he was more fun to watch.
Yikes! There went my satellite. The storm got it for a while (68 mph winds hitting the valley I learned before I could post this). Signal kept going in and out. I missed all of the judges' comments until the end when Simon said that round one went to Archuleta.
Second round: the boys got to choose from the ten favorite entries from the song competition.
David C. chose to sing Dream Big. Hmm. I liked it okay. The song wasn't great, but he sounded good.
David A. chose to sing In This Moment. Okay, I've heard that this kid's fan base is young girls and grandmas. Well, I'm a grandma. Guess that's why I enjoy listening to him. My main problem with Archie is that I don't think he is as versatile as others, including Cook. But his voice – awesome!
And Simon said that this round, too, went to Archuleta.
Third round is contestants' choice.
David C. picked The World I Know. Very nice. He got emotional at the end, and I don't blame him. Weeks and weeks and lack of sleep and that huge applauding crowd. Simon said that David C. is one of the nicest contestants they have ever had, and I believe it.
David A. chose to wrap it up with a reprise of Imagine. Although not as great as the first time he sang it, it was still good.
And Simon declared it was three for three for Archuleta. To quote: "A knock out." Me? I think it was a very close night, but I guess I would give a slight edge to Archie.
So what do you think, faithful readers who have followed my blog all these weeks? Did David A. win the night? Will the viewers cast votes according to the judges or does Cook still have a chance to win?
-rlh-
Robin,
Let me start by saying I have loved your faithful play-by-play analysis of Season Seven. Thanks for weighing in (oh, no, is that a boxing metaphor?) twice per week. I often (but not always) agree down the line with your remarks. And I always appreciate them!!
I suspect that even more important to David C. than winning AI is being true to himself. He felt that doing a redux of “Hello” wouldn’t be consistent with his hope of showing a progression from beginning of the season to the end. Hard not to respect that.
Archie can sing. Boy, can he sing. But he does not have the versatility that Cookie has. And maybe it’s because I’m not a grandma yet (ha!), but I could look at Cook all day long.
I say Cook has every bit as good a chance as Archie–maybe more. I love him to pieces.
I see David C selling the most records. My husband even said he’d by David C’s CDs before David A’s. Shoot, I already download his stuff off iTunes.
However, I see David A as singing Classics–the kind of songs sang at weddings, funerals, graduations, and other life-defining events. Songs that stay and make a difference. Yes, he’s young and not overly versatile. But when he is more definitive–watch out. I see him as an Elton John, Neil Diamond, Elvis Presley, Paul McCartney kind of presence.
It’s a toss up for me. I’d love to see either win.
Robin,
I love David Cook. I agree with you and others who believe that Cook is much more versatile than Archuleta. D.A.’s voice is great, though, and I believe he performed better last night. Unfortunately, I think D.A. will win by a landslide. He’s cute. And that’s why he will win. At the end of the day, this really isn’t a talent contest. If it was, Mindy would have won last year. (Was that last year?) It’s a popularity contest. I do remember early on saying that Archuleta could win the finals, but as time went on, I started feeling like Cook had a shot at it. But I heard some percentages from last week (things you NEVER hear from A.I.) that put Archuleta at somewhere around 60+% of the total vote of the top three. He’s cute. There are lots and lots of teenage girls voting. I know I sound cynical about it, but it’s the way of the world. I predict Archie by a landslide, but I wish Cook would win. I will probably buy/download whatever he comes out with, anyway, and, like Daughtry, he could conceivably come out as the Idol contestant of this season that does the best on the charts. Realistically, at this point, we are still hearing from two of the A.I. winners. And one of those has faded a bit (Clarkson). David Archuleta, in my opinion, doesn’t have what it takes to sell records. He’s going to win, and in two years, no one will remember his name. And this is one prediction that I would gladly be wrong about. So long for now…
Most of the season, I (a former singer) and my husband (a professional musician who usually doesn’t watch Idol — or much TV at all) have been saying Cook would win. I don’t particularly like his style (just not to my taste), but he’s a great musician with a lot of charisma onstage and a great ability to tweak a familiar song and make it his own. That being said, I’ve been so impressed with Archuletta’s voice all along. And last night, going strictly on voice quality, A sang circles around C. I can’t call it now. A does have a lot of devoted teen and tween girl fans, but judging from what I’ve seen on the net today, C has an equally devoted and determined fans who were dogging the phone lines last night. I voted last night for the first time this season — for A.
I loved to follow your write up about A.I. and I have enjoyed watching David Cook from the beginning. As for Archie, he is painful to watch during the interviews, yes he can sing but goodness he always looks scared and on the verge of tears when Ryan intervews him or the judges talk to him. Yes he can sing but he doesn’t have the stage presence of Cook. I can’t imagine going to see him at a concert but I would go and see David Cook. I think that David C. will have a more successful career in the long run.