In some "American Idol" seasons, the winner became obvious a week or two before the grand finale. Though a knockout performance on finale night can turn things around, momentum is extremely important. There are really only two potential winners—David Archuleta and David Cook—and only one offered the dominant performances necessary to build that momentum.

David Cook struggled with "Hungry Like a Wolf," his opener. His stage performance was lackluster and uneventful; he did nothing to integrate into the song and show that its words meant something. His vocals, while not terrible from a technical perspective, also failed to work. Instead of coming off like an edgy rocker, he came across like a stiff karaoke performer who was unprepared to take on the challenge of the song. (D+/C-)

He showed some life on "Baba O'Riley" but still fell way short of the original. The arrangement was interesting, and Cook showed star quality and professionalism in his navigation of the song (although he came across as nasally and detached at times), but it just didn't capture the frenetic intensity of the original. Cook's "safety" this season has been his ability to improve the original songs with unique arrangements. This time, he would have been better off singing it straight. It was still a very solid performance, however. (B)

Syesha Mercado continued her streak of providing sass and sex appeal on stage with "Proud Mary," but she fell way short of the well-known Tina Turner version. Her vocals were decent but not special, and the dancing appeared forced and goofy rather than genuine. Syesha still manages the stage better than anyone in the competition, but this one felt more cabaret than soulful. (C)

She more than redeemed herself with a hauntingly powerful rendition of "A Change is Gonna Come." Gedeon McKinney surprised the world with a very strong take on the song in season five, but Syesha found a way to top that one. The emotion just seemed so raw, and the vocals were more than enough to truly sell the song. And, nothing else needs to be said about the incredible ending. Once again, Syesha proved that she did not deserve to land in the bottom three virtually every week this season. (A)

Jason Castro served up one of the worst performances of the season on "I Shot the Sheriff." He had literally no clue what he was trying to do on stage—he moved a little bit but not enough to capture the song's energy, and he sang with a little bit of soul and grit but did little to change the overall spirit of the song. Everything about the performance was a mess; Castro completely let it get away from him and came across as beyond undeserving of his status in the competition. (D-)

He improved on "Mr. Tambourine Man," but he still failed to enter into the same league as his competition. He was acceptable vocally (with a few obviously missed notes), but he was simply off the mark in terms of connecting to the song and even worse at connecting with the audience. It was just an "okay" performance that was enough to prove that Jason has some talent but not enough to make up for his atrocious opener. (C)

David Archuleta showed some life on "Stand By Me." Everything about the performance was believable and fresh; Archuleta also did a great job of working the stage and avoiding the pitfall of becoming a vocalist rather than an American Idol. He was not able to prevent the performance from becoming cheesy at times, but it was still a very strong showing that gave him frontrunner status back. (B+)

He then cemented his great night with "Love Me Tender." Restrained and passionate, Archuleta found a way to make his own vibe and vocal style every bit as effective as Elvis'. The performance was believable and pure, and there were some fantastic moments. His performance was in the same elite ballpark as Syesha's "A Change is Gonna Come," but the fact that he offered two great performances easily gave him the night. (A)

Performer Rankings:
1) David Archuleta
2) Syesha Mercado
3) David Cook
4) Jason Castro

Elimination Thoughts:
It seems inevitable that Jason's number is up. It seems even more inevitable that Syesha will make a bottom two appearance.

Because David Cook had a lackluster night, and because he has never made a bottom two or three appearance, it is possible that he will make the trip this week. But, the fact that he and David Archuleta seem significantly more popular than the other two contestants likely means he will not be "Daughtry'd" Wednesday night. The person leaving will be either Syesha or Jason, and from a talent perspective, it really should be Jason.

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