American Idol: David Vs. David Vs. Jason

And then there were 7. After Michael John's surprising departure from the competition, the remaining 3 men will have to face 4 girls in the fight to become this year's American Idol. I've said this before, and I still believe it: it wouldn't surprise me a bit if the next few weeks we see the girls leave one by one, and the men will compete in the final. Then again, stranger things have happened already in this competition.

This week saw the men singing Mariah Carey songs. Not an easy task for any performer, let alone a male singer. Her vocal reach is phenomenal and she can switch between high and low notes like no-one else. All in all an exciting premise to see how the guys would deal with her songs.

Let's start with America's new sweetheart, David Archuleta. Probably gifted with the best vocal reach of all the contestants, it wasn't a surprise to see him choose 'When you believe', one of the hardest songs of the night. David didn't fail and gave a perfect rendition. As every week, he stood on stage like he knew that's where he belongs, performing like he's never done anything else in his life, the crowd cheering from the second Ryan mentioned his name until he left the stage.

David Cook went for 'Always be my baby', and did it in true Cook style. He changed the sang in a subtle way to make it sound like he wrote it, and did an amazing job at it. Slow start turning into a stunning climax and David nailed it like only he can. Another memorable performance by a very gifted artist.

Jason Castro probably had the hardest task with this week's task, as his own style couldn't be further from Mariah Carey's songs. He chose 'I don't want to cry', left guitar and ukulele at home and with only his voice to support him succeeded again in convincing the public that he's definitely a great artist . His vulnerable voice was perfect for this song and he seemed very comfortable singing it.

So who made the best impression? Hard to say. All 3 are very different performers, and it'll all come down to personal preferences of the voters rather than sheer talent. After last week, I felt that Cook had to made up for what I thought was a slippery performance, and he did so in an amazing way. Once again he took a great risk by changing a famous song into something completely different, and once again he made it memorable. He's a true performer who can entertain all kinds of crowds, and can be anything from the rocker with the soft spot to the crooner with a hard edge. Archuleta almost never fails to deliver a flawless performance and shows week after week that he's got absolute control over his vocals, even at his young age. Which leaves Jason, who becomes stronger and more confident by the minute and proved with this week's performance that he doesn't have to hide behind his guitar to shine and can rely on his voice and charisma to please a crowd.

Judging by popularity, Archuleta seems the safest bet. With Cook and Castro, you either love them or hate them. Nobody seems to dislike Archuleta. And still.... I for one will be hoping for a huge surprise with Castro winning it. As unlikely as it seems, it would be the perfect ending for a competition on an incredibly high level.