Heather Phares
If there was any doubt that Simon Cowell is the only person on American Idol with half a clue, Tuesday night’s show erased it — and if the powers behind the show are serious about making real changes to the show (not just novel but mostly ineffectual ones, like letting the contestants play instruments), they should get rid of Randy and Paula. The judges’ picks for the Idols underscored what the show is doing right and (mostly) wrong: Paula’s choice of Billy Joel’s “And So It Goes” for David Archuleta and Randy’s choice of Alicia Keys’ “If I Ain’t Got You” for Syesha were both fine, but not especially inspired, and they resulted in pretty-good-but-predictable performances. David Cook really lucked out by having Simon pick his song. Roberta Flack’s “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” wasn’t the most obvious choice for the season’s rocker to sing, but he had to find a way to make it work for him — which he did, delivering more tenderness on the first part of the song than he did on “The Music of the Night” on Andrew Lloyd Webber week before turning it into a convincing power ballad. Potentially risky song choices like that, and the ways they make the contestants grow, are at least half the fun of watching Idol when it’s good. The rest of the night emphasized other big problems: We haven’t heard the contestants sing anything remotely resembling what’s on the charts at the moment until now, when the season is almost over. Actually, that probably worked in Archuleta and Syesha’s favor, since they both seemed uncomfortable with Chris Brown’s “With You” and Gia Farrell’s “Hit Me Up,” respectively. “With You”’s mid-tempo bounce left Archuleta breathless (more than usual, that is) and hearing him sing “my boo” is yet another reminder of just how square he is, though he was back in his schmaltzy comfort zone with Dan Fogelberg’s “Longer.” Syesha just didn’t make much of an impression with the “Rihanna-esque” “Hit Me Up,” and once again foreshadowed her almost certain musical theater fate with her very showy take on “Fever,” basically stepping aside for the long-awaited Battle of the Davids next week. As for Cook, his “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” and “Dare You to Move” were way more predictable than “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” but his stumbles were the smallest and his risks paid off the most. It ended up as one of the better shows of the season — and no, that’s not saying much, but at least it felt like something was at stake, and might have made diehard Idol viewers feel a bit like watching this season wasn’t an utter waste of time.

Andrew Leahey
Last night was an improvement over recent episodes, even if the contestants have begun to show some serious wear-and-tear after weathering the AmIdol storm for three months. David Cook’s upper range was mostly absent by the time he performed “I Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing” (a song that’s tailor-made for high notes, since it was originally penned for Celine Dion), and Archuleta was visibly winded during his Chris Brown song. The only consistent contestant was Syesha, but that hardly matters now, as I’m willing to bet my clunky ’96 Ford Taurus — a $400 value at least! — that she’ll be packing her bags in approximately 5 hours. While Syesha certainly gets the “Most Improved” award for her recent turnaround, it’s hard to champion a singer who refuses to inject her songs with any sort of personal identity. She fills her performances with character sketches; she peppers her interviews with imitations of crying babies; she assures Ryan Seacrest that she’s going to be herself, but she delivers the line with an exaggerated Southern accent that all but erases any genuine intention. It’s no coincidence that Syesha’s performances improved once the judges gave her the thumbs-up to embrace her Broadway side, and that’s likely where she’ll end up — either playing Mimi in “Rent,” joining Ruben Studdard and Frenchie Davis in “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” or trading hairstyling secrets with Clay Aiken on the set of “Spamalot.”

So in all likelihood (and really, who didn’t predict this weeks ago?), the competition is down to the two Davids. Archuleta bookended his evening with two solid ballads, but his wheezing performance of “With You” made for some seriously weak filling — like an inside-out musical Oreo — and once again, he proved that his only salvation rests in the sort of croon-worthy “Great American Songbook” projects that helped rejuvenate Rod Stewart’s career. That being said, the kid is a phenomenal singer when he’s in his element, as he proved during a pretty rendition of “And So It Goes.” As for David Cook, he looks and sounds like the sort of rockstar that American Idol so desperately needs right now, and his performance of “The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face” displayed more versatility than Archie’s. What’s more, the producers have learned how to properly mic his voice, as they now heap on the reverb and echo whenever he reaches for a high note. “I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing” wasn’t quite the sonic explosion it was probably meant to be, but it seemed to play out very well inside the theater, and the addition of a second guitarist (to double the power chords during the chorus) would’ve gone a long way in smoothing out any bumps. It’s a toss-up between him and Archuleta, but I’m rooting for David Cook.

Matt Collar
Nothing much surprised me last night. I can only assume Syesha won’t make the final two. In that sense, I think she did well with her three songs. And I didn’t have a problem with “Fever,” as she’s obviously a huge theater/jazz/cabaret lover and this really seemed to be where her heart is right now. As for the Davids, Archie was dead boring — although as an avowed soft-rock fanatic, I hand it to the producers for picking a Dan Folgeberg song. Sure, its gooey and sweet, but that doesn’t mean it’s a crummy song, despite what Simon thinks. Perhaps the only surprise for me was how pitchy Cook sounded. He seemed dead sure of himself on “Dare You To Move”, but the sound-bite length didn’t do him or that song any favors. Conversely, he looked somewhat nervous while singing “I Don’t Want To Miss a Thing” and, frankly, didn’t nail the melody like I thought he would. I still think he’ll take the competiton.

Stephen Thomas Erlewine
David A:
Judge’s Choice: Paula picks “And So It Goes,” a Billy Joel ballad that may be suited stylistically for David A, but it’s a song about middle-aged regret and is therefore emotionally far beyond his years. As always, schmaltz carries him through but he’s not connecting, he’s performing –- although in retrospect, it’s the best thing he does the entire night.

Contestant’s Choice: Somebody, either David or his banned father, had the right idea about trying to make Archuleta seem his 17 years… in theory, at least. In practice, David’s stiff, schticky spin on Chris Brown is an outright embarrassment, demonstrating no feel for either modern R&B or conventional human behavior, confirming all suspicions that if he has to do modern music on his album he’ll go down in flames.

Producer’s Choice: And that of course is why the producers are pushing old-fashioned ballads like Dan Fogelberg’s “Longer” on David, aware that this is his strength and this is where he’ll sell records: to people that usually don’t buy music. It’s a good match, of course, but if you want a reason why ratings and interest are down this season, you have to look no further than this, both in its selection and performance.

Syesha:
Judge’s Choice: Randy picks Alicia Keys, which is a bit of an odd choice for a judge that always complains about contestants picking stylized songs like that. As mimicry is one of Syesha’s strengths, she does fine with it even if she goes flat a few times, but the choice of this tune calls into question Randy’s judgment and taste, as it doesn’t showcase Syesha at her best. Then again, this whole season has raised those questions about Randy time and time again.

Contestant’s Choice: Based on her decision to sing “Fever” complete with a prop, Syesha has her eyes not on the charts but on the Great White Way, as she likes to ACT –- and if you need further proof of that, just check out that Southern accent she debuted last night! Unlike either of the Davids, her choice is not modern, but that’s fine –- she has to know she’s not going to win the title, so might as well do a de facto audition for Broadway, as that’s where she’ll end up. After all, if Diana DeGarmo made it there, so can she.

Producer’s Choice: If you need any further proof that Syesha is not going to win, look no further than the Producer’s Choice of a song from the Happy Feet soundtrack! A song nobody knows and nobody cares to know, a song that Syesha valiantly tries to jazz up, but there’s nothing she can do with it as it was a song that was picked with the intention of getting her off the bloody show, which it will likely do. It’s almost enough to make you feel bad for her, then you start thinking of that new Southern accent again…

David C:
Judge’s Choice: Simon chooses Roberta Flack’s “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” for David C, a selection that at first seems to be a mismatch but proves to be the highlight of the show, as it does let David stretch but also focuses on the best parts of his music-theater grunge delivery. It’s a little weird that the show kept cutting back to his mom during a love song like this, but hey, this version was good enough to suggest that David could indeed cut a not-bad commercial record.

Contestant’s Choice: Of course, David immediately had to kill that buzz by revealing who he really is by picking a Switchfoot song with no melody, and then act all smug about the band when somebody shouts in recognition of their name, acting like they’re underground rock radicals — like they were Suckdog or something. He does fine — this is his kind of music, how could he not? –- but the music itself is unappealing, and if he’s truly gonna do this kind of thing on his inevitable album, he’ll need a pro to graft a melody onto these turgid guitars.

Producer’s Choice: But if the producers have anything to say about it, he’ll do big arena power ballads like “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing,” a song designed to be a hit on both the rock and country charts simultaneously, the kind of mass appeal that the producers want from an AmIdol winner — and if there’s any doubt that this is what the producers want, the song’s author, Diane Warren, is sitting in the audience, smiling on David’s performance. The song lends itself to over-singing, a temptation Cook can’t avoid and he does a respectable job with it, although it’s hardly compelling but surely easy to market.