The Top 3

We get three songs from each contestant: judge's choice, producers' choice, and contestant's choice. (I believe all those apostrophes are in the right place.)

The mayor of Murray City, Utah, sporting a quite remarkable mustache, announces that Paula has chosen Billy Joel's "And So It Goes" for David Archuleta. I adore this song. David better treat it right. A lush string intro, several bars in a pure, controlled a capella, and then a lovely, lyrical performance. Yes, the emotion goes to 11, and I miss the spare, introspective performance that the great Mr Joel offers, but David really outdid himself on that one.

Randy texts Syesha to tell her that she will be singing "If I Ain't Got You," by Alicia Keys. She's a good minute into the song before I hear anything remotely interesting. Then it gets louder, so she's more comfortable, if occasionally shrieky. There's no way she was the third best singer this season.

Simon texts David Cook a challenge: Roberta Flack's "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face." This is a brilliant choice, actually. And David absolutely nails it. We got more vocal variety in those 90 seconds than we get out of an entire season's worth of David Archuleta. Randy launches into some completely insane criticism that is entirely directed at Simon, not at David. But Simon calls it right: "Round One to Cook and Cowell."

And now it's the contestants' choices. David A. has chosen "With You," by Chris Brown. My principal reaction is gratitude that I've never heard this song before. The performance is very Disney teen pinup, and vocally it's pretty undistinguished. This is bubble-gum pop, only it's Chiclets. Simon: "It was a little like a chihuahua trying to be a tiger."

So which Whitney song has Syesha picked? Ha. It's "Fever," by Peggy Lee. Oh no. She's using a chair. She's gonna work the chair. Avert your eyes! I was really worried she was going to molest the chair, but fortunately she was restrained. Vocally it was just OK. Randy professes enthusiasm, but unconvincingly. Paula (who, let me just say, is remarkably lucid tonight) didn't care for it. And Simon said she'll regret it. M: "She sounded just like everyone else who ever sings this song. David Cook took an old song and did something new with it, but Syesha just did a bad Peggy Lee impersonation. It's what you'd see at a cheesy Vegas club. But that's what she is. She's the Queen of Cheesy Clubs." Quite right.

David Cook has chosen Switchfoot's "Dare You To Move." That didn't do much for me, I'm afraid -- too close to the original, and there were some rough spots vocally.

The producers have chosen Dan Fogelberg's "Longer" for David Archuleta. Now why would you pick a song about long-enduring love for someone who was just dropped by the stork this past week? And this is, predictably, Elf levels of syrupy-sweet. The producers really did him no favors with that one, and Simon is justly displeased.

They've chosen "Hit Me Up" for Syesha. She just can't pull this off. M: "Thank goodness she sucked so badly. It's David Archuleta's only chance at this point." The judges are notably unenthusiastic. To her credit, Syesha handles the criticism very well.

And for David Cook, it's "I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing." M wishes he hadn't dialed up to the whole Aerosmith grind at the end, but I liked it a lot. Everything that was missing from the second performance was there.

Recaps: David A. is lyrical and tender, then disconcertingly bouncy and Up-with-People, then preternaturally old. Syesha is a second-rate Alicia Keys, a third-rate Peggy Lee, and then a decentish theme-park performer. David C. is marvelous, then somewhat disappointing, then doing something awful that he fortunately decided not to repeat after dress rehearsal.

Syesha has to go. Right? But we've been saying that for weeks.