It all comes down to Crystal Bowersox and Lee DeWyze – one of them will be crowned the next American Idol, and the other will have to settle for second place. The finalists each sang three songs on the big stage at the Nokia Theater, including the song chosen to be the American Idol winner’s first single. Here is how each contestant fared, and who might be going home:
Lee DeWyze – The Boxer, Simon and Garfunkel (1969)
This was the song that Lee picked from this season. It was not nearly as good as his performance of “Hallelujah”, which he sang on the Top-3 show – but it probably wouldn’t have been a good idea to do the same song two weeks in a row, so you do what you can. It was good, but not over the top – and every performance has to be a home run to have a chance to win in the American Idol finals. Lee left a little bit on the table, and that could give Crystal an advantage.
Crystal Bowersox – Me and Bobby McGee, Kris Kristofferson and Fred Foster (1969)
Crystal’s take on the Janis Joplin version of this one was really good vocally, but like Lee’s choice of song – it lacked a little of that spark that it takes to get the votes on American Idol. That being said, it was true to the type of artist that Crystal wants to be, and overall the performance was better than Lee’s. Not perfect, but Crystal definitely took the lead after round 1.
Lee DeWyze – Everybody Hurts, R.E.M. (1992)
This song was chosen by show producer Simon Fuller, and it was an interesting choice – it was definitely the type of song to allow Lee to show off his voice, but after “The Boxer”, it would have been nice to have something more up-tempo. Simon was right – Lee was a little nervous up on stage, but not nearly as much as he was earlier in the competition. This one was better than his first song of the night, but Lee still left room for Crystal to outduel him.
Crystal Bowersox – Black Velvet, Tyson and Ward (2005)
Fuller selected this song for Crystal, and it was a fantastic choice – it gave her a chance to show off her vocal range, and she performed without the guitar, which may have been a bit risky, but worked out fine. Crystal had a case of the nerves almost as big as Lee’s, but did a much better job of hiding it on stage, and because of that – the overall impression was much more favorable. Once again; not perfect, but good enough to keep her ahead of Lee.
Lee DeWyze – Beautiful Day, U2 (2000)
The American Idol producers finally figured out that their “first release” original songs in the past have typically been complete duds, but having the Idol winner’s first release be a cover of a landmark U2 song might not go over much better. At any rate, Lee sang the song reasonably well, although it lacked the edge (no pun intended) and determination that we get in the original. For the third straight song, nerves crept into Lee’s performance, and while it was good – he left room for Crystal to top him once more.
Crystal Bowersox – Up to the Mountain, Patty Griffin (2005)
In another departure from past American Idol finales, each contestant sang a different song as their potential first release. Crystal’s song was also a cover – this one much lesser known than Lee’s U2 song, and it was a much better choice – not only did it fit Crystal’s personality, but because it was not as popular, it has much better potential to stand alone as a release (even if it is a little unclear what kind of radio station it would be intended for). Crystal did a great job singing this one, and it was probably the best performance of the night.
The Verdict
Things were very close in this American Idol final, and neither contestant really stole the show. Based on performance alone, Crystal edged Lee out in all three rounds, but not enough to make the vote a slam-dunk. It could go either way, and while Crystal is probably the one to beat, both contestants have a chance to be the next American Idol. The voting will be very close, that is for sure.
Todd Butts - Coming from the world of newspaper and radio, I have been covering NASCAR and other motorsports for over 8 years. I started as the host ...
