American Idol: Top Eight Performance Recap

On last night's episode of American Idol, we watched the top eight contestants perform inspirational songs, and the competition was fierce! Here is a brief recap of the performances in order of how much I liked them, from best to worst.

#1: Kristy Lee Cook
Kristy Lee Cook shone in her rendition of "Anyway" by Martina McBride. Randy said there were some pitch problems but was really good, Paula said it was her best performance, and Simon thought she was very good. I thought she was awesome-her voice sounded great, she looked great, and the song was perfect for her. She needs to keep making these kinds of song choices. However, I don't think she'll be the next American Idol.

#2: David Archuleta
David Archuleta made an excellent song choice in "Angels" by Robbie Williams. Randy Jackson said it was David Archuleta's hottest moment of the whole season and Paula Abdul said it was fantastic. Simon Cowell said it was the best song choice of the night, although he thought it was a bit nasally. He did say he'll sail through. If nothing else, he'll stay on because his fans would vote for him if he sang the Alphabet Song. However, he really did put in a beautiful performance. He lost it a little when he hit the highest notes, but that was only in one or two places.

#3 Brooke White
Brooke White sang "You've Got a Friend" by James Taylor (written by Carole King). Randy Jackson didn't think it was her best performance, Paula Abdul said she's "definitive" and loves her, and Simon Cowell said it was like a pleasant walk in the park. I thought it was a lovely performance, although not entirely memorable. Her voice was good and the song suited her.

#4: Jason Castro
Jason Castro sang "Over the Rainbow," the Hawaiian version by Bruddah Iz. Randy said it was blazing, molten hot; Paula said he has the most definitive sound, that he picked the perfect song; Simon said it was fantastic. This was the only performance by Jason I've actually really liked. It was a great song choice for him, and it's one of my favorites. I don't like that little catch thing he does with his voice on every third word, but other than that it was a really nice performance.

#5 Carly Smithson
Carly Smithson sang "The Show Must Go On" by Queen. Randy Jackson said it was just OK, that it was disconnected; Paula Abdul said Carly didn't feel engaged, but her voice sounded amazing; Simon Cowell said she looked good, but thought she over-sang it and lost control of the song a bit. I really enjoyed the performance but had to agree with the judges-she didn't seem to "feel" the song she was singing. Her voice sounded great, although there were a couple of parts that seemed a little strained.

#6: Syesha Mercado
Syesha Mercado picked "I Believe" by Fantasia. Randy said it was OK, but he didn't feel a connection to the song and Paula said it was one of Syesha Mercado's most shining nights. Simon thought she sang it very well, but it lacked a big wave of emotion. They all compared her to Fantasia-last week it was Whitney Houston. Syesha should really consider choosing songs that aren't remembered as being sung by big singers, so she can be judged on her own merits instead of as a comparison. She sang it very well, but it was kind of boring.

#7: Michael Johns
Michael Johns performed "Dream On" by Aerosmith. Randy thought it was a pretty good song choice, but said Michael had some pitch problems; Paula thought it was a perfect song to pick, that he was unbelievable; Simon thought it was a very good performance, but thought he was doing an impersonation of a rock star (which made me laugh). I like that song and I thought he did a decent job of it, but again...it wasn't memorable. The vocals were good, but he didn't bring anything new to the song. He's been worse.

#8: David Cook
David Cook sang "Innocent" by Our Lady of Peace. Randy didn't think it was one of his strongest performances, Paula said he's the whole package and she believes in him, and Simon didn't like it very much. He thought it was pompous. The vocals were ok and it was nice to see him do something that wasn't a rock ballad, but it wasn't a memorable performance for me. I thought holding his hand up with the "give back" on it was a bit over the top, and was it really necessary for Paula to remark on it? This performance was OK, but not up to the calibre of the others.