Sometimes it gets easy to forget that David Archuleta has the potential to be a great singer.Yes, he seems a little pre-programmed. And yeah, despite his young age, he’s not really very contemporary. But, man, he’s got a nice voice and when the arrangements are meticulously laid out for him, the results in ""Love Me Tender" and "Stand by Me" are gorgeous. Even though it sounded like he was having a bad allergy week or fighting back some sort of asthma attack as he gasped for breath between notes, those notes were well-placed and well-delivered.
David Cook showed that despite his high skill level, he still needs a bit of inspiration to make his act work. He took all the fun and drama out when he grunged-up Duran Duran’s “Hungry Like the Wolf” and though he managed a bit of fire on “Baba O’Riley,” it was nowhere near the amount of heat Roger Daltrey gives off on even his worst day. He didn’t take on enough with the Duran Duran song and on “Baba O’Riley” he took on too much.
Syesha Mercado seemingly always takes on too much, not really making the mark with Tina Turner’s “Proud Mary” or Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come,” which I thought would suit her perfectly. It did suit her, but she was swinging for the fences and came up short, resulting in a bloop single. She probably would have gone home this week if Jason Castro didn’t flame out, but his performances were essentially his way of bowing out.
His “I Shot the Sheriff” was not as fun as he wanted it to be and flubbing several lines in “Mr. Tambourine Man” really should make it the end of the road for him. Of course, it will also energize his fanbase, as will Syesha’s tears. Will that be enough to save him? Probably not.
THE RANKINGS
David Archuleta, “Love Me Tender”
David Archuleta, “Stand By Me”
David Cook, ‘Baba O’Riley”
Syesha Mercado, “A Change Is Gonna Come”
David Cook, “Hungry Like the Wolf”
Syesha Mercado, “Proud Mary”
Jason Castro, “I Shot the Sheriff”
Jason Castro, “Mr. Tambourine Man”
BOTTOM TWO: Jason, Syesha
WILL BE CUT: Jason
SHOULD BE CUT: Jason
ACTUALLY CUT: ??