Adam Lambert, Kris Allen and Danny Gokey Shine in Contest for a Place in American Idol Finale

There always seems to be something strange about the American Idol Top 3 shows. Maybe it's the feeling that the show is just a formality of sorts, a stumbling block to get to the finale. Maybe it's the anticlimax of all the hype, the reality of the show never quite measuring up to the expectation. Whatever it is, it was present Tuesday evening when Adam Lambert, Kris Allen, and Danny Gokey hit the American Idol stage to sing two songs, each hoping that they would be one of the two voted into the shows finale next week.

On American Idol's 300th episode, the Season 8 Top 3 were given a song to perform by the American Idol judges and were given license to choose whatever other song they wished.

Paula Abdul texted Danny Gokey in the middle of a radio interview. Her song choice? Terence Trent Darby's "Dance Little Sister." Gokey had never heard of it. One has to give Paula Abdul credit on this choice; even before Danny Gokey begins to sing, one notes that at least the vocals are near a dead even match.

And Gokey did a great job. Lots of energy. Lots of power in the vocals, a little more than the original but that's Gokey's shouty style coming out. He connected well with the audience. If there was one drawback to the performance, he should have left out the dueling saxophone / scat. The saxophone was fine. That scat sounded terrible.

American Idol judge Randy Jackson said that that was the way to "jump it off" and that the performance was "dope for me, dude." Kara DioGuardi said she just didn't think she'd remember it and the dancing was not so good. Paula Abdul, pointing out that she was a choreographer, disagreed. She also said the magic of his voce came shining through. Simon Cowell reminded the two female judges that this was not a dance competition, although the dancing did seem a bit "desperate," said that Danny Gokey's singing was "fantastic." He said that Paula was "on the right track" with the artist of her song selection, but he would have chosen "Sign Your Name." He said the "toy sax" was just "too much."

Second up: Kris Allen. Kris Allen was being outfitted with a custom phone courtesy of American Idol when he was texted by Kara DioGuardi and Randy Jackson. They wanted him to sing "Apologize" by OneRepublic. Another good selection by the judges, where the vocals should match up nearly perfectly.

Allen goes for the soft approach (kind of difficult not to, given the sentiment of the song), seated at the piano. And his voice is a close match to that of Ryan Tedder, lead singer for OneRepublic. But there was enough of Kris Allen to sound like himself, just not enough to make the song sound very original. It was a good performance, just nothing memorable.

Judge Randy Jackson said that that song could be played on the radio, it was "very nice." Kara said that the performance was "competent," but that Kris didn't make it his own and he needed to knock it out of the park. Paula said she noticed a "bum note," but was proud of him. Simon Cowell took exception with Kara's critique, telling her she couldn't choose a song for someone, then condemn them for singing it. He said they should have helped him with the arrangement. He nailed Paula for her somewhat contradictory line as well.

Adam Lambert, pulling down the anchor position as usual, was asked by Simon Cowell to sing "One" by U2. Simon said he chose the song because it was one of his all-time favorites. He said he had to get permission from the band (U2) and they had told him "it would be their pleasure" to have Adam Lambert perform their song.

And perform it he did. He started off sedate and low, befitting the seriousness of the song's lyrics. But as the song progressed, so also did the elevation of Adam's vocals until, by the end of the song, he was singing loud and high, his voice soaring and triumphant.

Randy Jackson said that Adam was "in the zone." He went on to say, "You've been hot since day one. Unbelievable vocals... it's a great song, and you are a really, really talented guy." Kara called him a "strategist" and that he could "do it in a completely different way, change up the melodies, change up the instrument, and make it unbelievable." Paula Abdul told Adam Lambert that he made her miserable, because now she had to sit beside a gloating Simon. She resignedly said, "Brilliant song choice... superb performance," and that she was staring at "one American Idol." Simon agreed, saying it was "brilliant song choice." (Laughter from the audience even though you know he meant it.) He added, "...if you're not in the (American Idol) finals next week, it will be one of the biggest upsets on this show."

And then it was time for the guys to sing a song of their own choosing. In weeks past, this had been disastrous for many, not one of Danny Gokey's stronger suits, and where Kris Allen proved that he knew what he was doing and Adam Lambert proved he could sing anything.

As with the American Idol judges choices, Danny Gokey led off. He chose the old Joe Cocker standard, "You Are So Beautiful," which was written by honorary fifth Beatle Billy Preston. And if you could imagine that the song was perfectly suited to Danny Gokey, then the reality of it matched up well. Although the tempo of the song was far too slow at first, Gokey pushed the song toward a more Gospel flavor about halfway through, employing background singers, retaining enough of the soulfulness of the Joe Cocker version, but definitely showing his contemporary Christian and Gospel influences. Besides the opening tempo of the number, Danny Gokey's performance seemed nearly flawless.

Randy told him he had "mad vocals." Kara attempted to make up for her earlier criticism of his dancing by saying, "Everything you didn't do in the first performance, you just did. Stunning." Paula said that Danny "left all of us breathless," that it was a "beautiful performance." Simon said that he wouldn't have changed the arrangement like Danny did, but that the singing was "vocal masterclass."

Kris Allen then did something unexpected. He stepped out to center stage with his acoustic guitar and performed without the band. He had chosen "Heartless," the recent megahit by written and performed by Kanye West (and also covered by The Fray).

It sounded just a little like the Fray version of the song, but just a little. It had that little nasal Kris Allen thing he does with his voice and a bit of a strumming flamenco guitar sound. Doing "Heartless" that particular way showed Kris Allen's arranging talents (especially to suit his own vocals and style) and his fearlessness at doing something different.

Randy Jackson told him he liked his version better than the original. (Speaking as one who can honestly say that "Heartless" is the only song by Kanye West this writer has ever enjoyed, Randy was correct. It was also better than The Fray's cover.) Kara asked why he didn't do that with "Apologize." She also said he was "bold, brave, and fearless." Paula said she had to "commend" him, it was what kept him "relevant," and "bravo." Simon got under the audience's skin by leading off with a few negative comments, but finally managed to get around the screaming to say that he had all but written Kris off, but that had completely changed after that performance.

And then it was time for Adam Lambert to seal the deal for his spot in the finale. He chose "Cryin'" by Aerosmith. He said he wasn't going to change it much, because it was "brilliant as it is. Steven Tyler is the man." (Agreed.) And where Steven Tyler has that rough blues/rock voice, Adam Lambert smoothly sang and screamed his way through the number. The audience was loving it. And what was there not to love?

Randy Jackson crowed, "You're one of the best we've ever had on this stage... one of the most charismatic, one of the biggest brightest stars, and you should make a rock album. You should be a rock star - that's who you are." And when Kara said, "How do you hit those notes? Who hits those notes?", Randy answered, "Adam Lambert does." Kara added, "...see you in the finals." Paula continued the praise, "You've set the bar so high in the sky... as I said from the beginning, we'll be seeing you next week and many years after that." Simon told him he wouldn't "suck up" like the others, then said, "It's easy to assume you'll sail through to the final next week. The show is about finding a star who has earned the right to be in the final, and I want everyone not to assume you're going to be there, but to vote for you because you deserve it based on talent."

That being said, it would actually be a shame, given his vocal talent, if Adam Lambert did not make it to the finale. Still, one never knows.

Host Ryan Seacrest turned to Adam Lambert before they did the final voting numbers rundown and asked what he thought of the night's performances. Adam replied, "Kris and Danny did really well tonight. They're both so talented... it is an honor to be in their presence, to be in their company."

It is saying something like that, showing some grace and class without arrogance even after all the hyperbole and praise he's garnered throughout the competition, that just may have sealed Adam Lambert's position in the finale.

But based on Tuesday evening's performances alone, the finale will undoubtedly be between Danny Gokey and Adam Lambert. Danny Gokey and Adam Lambert's performances were both sung well enough and performed well enough just when they needed it. Kris Allen's second performance was exceptional but his first was just there.

Based on originality, all three did well. Again, Kris' "Apologize" was a bit lacking.

Still, given the godawful scat duel with the sax in Danny Gokey's "Dance Little Sister," he might pull even with Kris Allen in overall performance.

It's definitely going to be a tough one for the American Idol voters, except for the diehards. They will vote for their favorites no matter how poorly they performed.

This writer would like to see Adam Lambert and Kris Allen face off in the finale, simply because of overall performances down the stretch and the fact that both have shown a flair for choosing songs that suit them, arranged them to suit their vocal stylings, and done the most original work. They have also made the least mistakes coming down the stretch.

But Danny Gokey has a strong following, much of it picked up at season's start with his compelling personal story. And we've seen both he, Kris Allen, and Adam Lambert in the bottom three (and as so many have pointed out, without having actual statistics to go by, it is unknown where any of the bottom three actually placed, by how much, or even if they were part of the bottom three, especially this past week).

But if one were a betting person, one would have to bet that Kris Allen is headed home on Wednesday's results show, leaving Danny Gokey and Adam Lambert to go head-to-head for the Season 8 finale.

******

"American Idol," Fox Television