“American Idol” may have three competitors left standing, but on Tuesday night it seemed more like a two-horse race.
Crystal Bowersox and Lee DeWyze gave stirring performances that will likely land them in the final next week at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, despite the efforts of Texas cutie, Casey James.
Crystal offered an average performance for her first number of the night – of Melissa Etheridge’s “Come To My Window,” allowing Lee to really stand out during the first round.
Coming to the stage third, the Mount Prospect, Ill., singer, a former paint salesman, whipped out his own song choice (Round 2 songs were chosen by the judges) – “Simple Man” – a Lynyrd Skynyrd cut.
The quiet and thoughtful performance won over the judges, who after watching Casey’s rendition of “Ok, It’s Alright With Me” (an Eric Hutchinson song), and Crystal’s first number, were waiting for one of the “Idols” to show some real fire.
“You sounded amazing,” Randy Jackson noted of Lee’s performance. “Somebody here’s feeling like they could win tonight!”
“That song was absolutely on the money,” Simon Cowell added. “I don’t think you won Round 1, I think you just crushed the other two.”
Crystal came back swinging with her Round 2 number – Paul McCartney’s soulful love song, “Maybe I’m Amazed.” Chosen by Ellen DeGeneres, Crystal gave a passionate performance, which Kara DioGuardi noted showed a great deal of vocal range from the Ohio mom, and which Randy enthused over.
“America, we got somebody else in it to win it right there,” Randy said.
“I couldn’t have asked for more,” a proud Ellen smiled. “That’s was what I was hoping you’d do and you did it.”
Kara and Randy chose Casey’s song in the second round – John Mayer’s “Daughters,” but while Kara and Ellen were impressed, Simon suggested his fellow judges let the singer down a bit with their song choice.
“I hold these two slightly responsible for not working with you harder to give you a much bigger vocal moment,” Simon noted.
If it was big vocal moments he was looking for, Simon found them with Lee.
Simon chose Lee’s song – Leonard Cohen’s much beloved “Halleluiah,” and the singer knocked it out of the park.
A choir joined Lee on stage while he was singing the precious song and the overall performance stirred the studio audience, who – for a short while – prohibited the judges from offering praise because they continued to stand on their feet and commend Lee on a job well done.
“This was, I think, your biggest moment,” Randy said. “That was unbelievable, dude!”
Ellen too was impressed.
“That was stunning, just stunning,” she said.
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