Well the number 3 was a big one on this night. We have 3 contestants who would perform 3 different songs from 3 different sources. A judge pick, a producer pick and then the contestant would pick one. Overall at least in my thoughts tonight of all nights truly showed who should win it all and I will be totally pissed-off if she does not win the title. Anyway on to the show.
Ryan looked nice in his gray suit and it appears that stubble will stay because it has grown some. The judges look nice although there was kind of a goofy air about them tonight. We get to see snippets of each of the contestants going to their hometowns to be honor by their fellow neighbors and friends. I am sure each felt overwhelmed and happy by the support they received.
We begin the songfest with 17 year old Jordin Sparks:
1st song is a judge pick by none other than Simon Cowell who chooses "Wishing On A Star". It is a more jazzy version than the original done by Rose Royce and Simon was not all that pleased with it. Randy and Paula of course liked it alot. My thoughts were she looked great but the vocal was just okay for me.
2nd choice was a producer pick (where the hell was Clive Davis?). "She Works Hard For The Money" fit Jordin's voice however she appeared to be bored to death singing it. While the vocal was good it was a pretty lackluster performance overall.
3rd song choice chosen by Jordin was "I, Who Have Nothing". She got an A+ from me for giving a truly passionate and excellent vocal on this old-fashioned song as Simon called it. I could feel the chills running up and down my spine as she sang. Awesome job on this one.
Next up is Blake Lewis.
1st song choice is by Paula who chooses "Roxanne" for our beat-boxer. I do not think anyone could ever perform this song as good as Dilana did on Rockstar and in my opinion Blake's version was a total boring mess. He did sound somewhat like Sting but there were a lot of off notes throughout the song, at least to my ears. I could not believe the judges liked it.
2nd choice from the producers was a lot better "This Love" by Maroon 5. I thought Blake did a good job on this one and definitely showed more personality. The judges liked it and so did I. He definitely should stay in this vein for his future cd. Even the small beat-box worked.
3rd choice was his own "When I Get You Alone" which to me did nothing for him. I really hated this song alot although Blake sounded okay doing it. This is the second song I have heard that Robin Thicke does and I really am not into this artist at all.
Last but not least comes our Melinda Doolittle.
1st choice chosen by Randy is a Whitney Houston number "I Believe In You and Me". It was a very nice and controlled rendition of a very hard song to sing I think. The judges loved it and yes the first round definitely went to Melinda.
2nd was the producer pick "Nutbush City Limits" by Ike and Tina Turner. Wow, wow, wow! This woman could easily take the place of Tina Turner in the music world. I loved, loved, loved this performance.
3rd song was one she had done prior on the show "I'm A Woman" by Peggy Lee. She once again shows she is in it to win by giving another consistent performance as recognized by Simon. I think this woman could sing the phone book and I would loved it and as mentioned above she deserves to win the title, lock, stock and barrel.
Neither Blake or Jordin gave 3 great performances but my pick to go home would be Blake. Regardless I honestly I think all 3 of these contestants will get a recording contract.
Thoughts anyone?