David Archuleta's American Idol Season 7 Top 10 Performance

Last night on American Idol, the competition was fierce. With only 10 remaining, the contestants had to be on top of their game. While there were some unfortunate misses, there were also some surprising hits.

It's interesting to see that while some contestants started strong right out of the gate, as the season has progressed, they are starting to be out shown by some of the once thought "less talented" contestants. Along with Carly Smithson, David Archuleta seems to be falling into this category.

While David wowed us week after week in the top 24, as he moved into the top 12, his performances have started to falter. During the Top 12 he forgot his words, and the past two weeks it seems his weakness has been song choice. For Season 7 Top 10 week on American Idol, the theme was "The Year You Were Born." Contestants gave the audience background on growing up and then chose a song from the year that they were born.

David, being the youngest contestant on the show, was born in 1990. He chose the song "You're The Voice" by Australian artist John Farnham. It seems that the theme with David Archuleta is that each week he picks a song with a message; a task that can become daunting for a 17-year-old, who often chooses songs that he may have never even heard before himself, and that the audience has never heard as well.

Like the majority of David's performances, his Top 10 performance was solid. David is consistently consistent, and with his boyish charm and his unyielding smile, this continues to win him votes. However, listening closely to the judge's comments, you can tell that while once enamored with Archuleta, now, they are slowly seeing him as less of a front runner. After performing "You're The Voice," Randy claimed that it was solid but that he'd never heard the song, Paula gushed as usual and Simon compared it to a theme park performance, one that would be sung by animated creatures dancing around on stage at a theme park.

In the beginning weeks of Season 7 of American Idol, Archuleta emerged big and emerged fast, many claimed that he could easily win the entire competition, but as the season progresses, other contestants are proving their worth and showing that they may have the better voice. Since entering the Top 12 portion of the season, contestant David Cook has stepped into the spotlight and could give Archuleta a serious run for his money.

The theme of American Idol Season 7 is song choice, and if David plays by the rules, we could see him stick around for the long haul. But in truth, he needs to step it up a notch because his charm will only get him so far. As Season 7 of American Idol continues, it will be interesting to see just how far David Archuleta can make it.