One gigantic stage. Two talented singers. Three daring song choices. Four opinionated judges. Joined in unison for the performance finale of American Idol's eighth season. This would mark the last time the final two competitors would showcase to the world exactly who deserved to walk away with the covet title.In one corner, there is the risky and theatrical talent of Adam Lambert, and in the other corner, the guy next door and charmingly, charismatic styling of crooner Kris Allen.
The guys were given three chances to impress by singing their favorite song of the season, a song chosen by producer Simon Fuller, and lastly, the winner's first single written by judge Kara DioGuardi.
Kris won the coin toss and chose to go second, so Adam kicked the show off.
Adam Lambert - "Mad World"
Adam chose to sing the haunting, "Mad World", which he sung during the "year they born" week and ended with a standing ovation from every single judge including Simon Cowell. During the original performance, I walked away saying that Adam's performance was "sheer brilliance", and although it was still good the second time around, it just failed to impact me the way the original performance did. Honestly, I think I would have rather heard his mesmerizing rendition of "Track Of My Tears" instead. That said, all of the judges loved it, but Simon did think it was a little too theatrical.
Kris Allen - "Ain't No Sunshine"
Kris chose to revisit Top 9's theme of "Top Itunes Downloads", with his version of the classic "Ain't No Sunshine", which I originally declared as a monumental performance for him. Similar to the first time around, everything about the performance just simply worked, the arrangement was great, his vocals were stunning, and once again, this performance proved that no matter how old or known a song is, if the right artist gets his or her hands on it, then new life can be granted. Randy loved that Kris' artistry is a facade, Kara loved the intimate connection he created with the audience, as did Paula, and Simon said the performance eliminated his original thoughts that maybe America had made the wrong decision.
Round 1: Simon declared Kris Allen the winner of the first round, and I have to agree.
Adam Lambert - "A Change Is Gonna Come"
Simon Fuller made a daring choice for Adam when he picked the R&B classic, "A Change Is Gonna Come", but as always, Adam was up for the challenge. The first part of the performance was a little shaky, but midway through he found his groove and ended by delivering those big notes that only Adam can deliver. The performance was good and he was definitely feeling it with a connection, but the problem with the performance for me, is that it lacked soul, which is a major requirement for a song like "A Change Is Gonna Come". Especially, when compared to the greats that took on the classic beforehand, it just paled in comparison. That said, Randy thought it was unbelievable, Kara thought it was his best version of a song ever, Paula declared he will be "iconic", and Simon felt it put him "100% back in the game".
Kris Allen - "What's Going On"
Simon Fuller made another risky choice when he chose the socially conscious Marvin Gaye classic, "What's Going On", for crooner Kris Allen. Sticking to his guns, Kris put an acoustic spin on the classic, that was good, but once again left a lot to be desired. I have to fully agree with Simon when he said the performance just wasn't worthy for this stage of the competition as it was extremely too plain. Another thing that bugged me about the performance was that there didn't seem to be a connection. That said, the judges with the exception of Simon, gave Kris positive feedback.
Round 2: Simon declared Adam Lambert the winner of the second round, but truth be told, I didn't think either of the song choices were fitting for their voices. That said, I agree, Adam takes round two.
Adam Lambert & Kris Allen - "No Boundaries"
Let me start off by saying, my problem with the winner's single, is that it always tend to suit one of the contestants better, usually the front runner, and places the other at an disadvantage given it is the last thing the audience hears. Seriously, if you look back, it starts with Kelly Clarkson's winning single, "A Moment Like This", Fantasia's winning single, "I Believe", and Jordin Sparks' single, "This Is My Now", which placed all of their competitors at a disadvantage, because it just simply suited their voices better and gave them the shine. I personally think, the finalists should pick all three of their songs on finale night, and then the winner performs the winning single after being crown the following night.
With that said, let's start with Adam's version of the Kara DioGuardi penned, "No Boundaries". The performance was extremely pitchy, especially the beginning, and though Adam tried to rescue it with his big high notes, the task ended unsuccessful. Randy thought he had some pitch problems, Kara loved that someone with his talent was singing one of her songs, Paula loved it, and Simon, who slammed the song, said he was one of the competition's most original contestants ever.
As for Kris, who is looked at as the underdog, the song was actually a better fit for him (surprising), which Randy pointed out, but still he struggled for the majority of the performance with trying to find the correct key. That said, it was still a much better version than Adam's, at least, for me. Randy called him an amazing competitor, Kara loved how compelling he is, Paula and Simon both reestablished that he rightfully deserved to be in the final two.
Round 3: Truth be told, the song is far from great, but I do feel like Kris granted it the most justice. Simon failed to call a winner.
PREDICTIONS:
Celebrity Bug's Pick To Win: For me, no matter how I look at it, whether it be from this particular night or the competition as a whole, Kris Allen takes the title.
Who Will Win: Its really a toss up, but Adam Lambert will likely take the title, given the judges have endorsed him from week one. That said, Kris has continuously emerged as a darkhorse, so he still has the chance to reign supreme.
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