//American Idol Recap: Danny Gokey, Kris Allen, And Adam Lambert Battle It Out For The Finals//

Can you believe it!? Only one week left until the American Idol season 8 finals. The final two will duke it out on stage on May 19, but before then it was time for the top 3 guys to sing for their spot on that stage.

Adam Lambert, Danny Gokey and Kris Allen have all had a long, hard road to get to where they were last night on Idol (some much harder than others) and they didn’t waste any time proving that they made it this far for a reason.

Last night’s episode got right down to business. No mentors. No lame monologues. It was time for the music straight away. The guys would sing songs chosen for them by the judges then a song of their choice. Things kicked off okie dokie with Danny Gokey.

Let’s take a look at how it all went down:

Danny Gokey – Dance Little Sister – chosen by Paula Abdul: Danny admitted he didn’t know Paula’s choice, but he was up to the challenge of learning the song. He had no problem with the lyrics, but some how I was not moved by the performance. I love Danny’s voice, but the gruff was a bit much and the performance and song choice was so old fashioned. There’s no way Danny singing that kind of song and performing that way would make for a viable mainstream star if he were to win. Randy thought it was “dope,” Kara like that the song stayed in his rough range, but she thought the performance was forgettable. Paula stroked her own ego and loved it. Simon thought the dancing was desperate but loved the vocals. Me? Thank goodness for a second song.

Kris Allen – Apologize – chosen by Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi: YES! Finally no more old fashioned songs. Could Kris take on Ryan Tedder and OneRepublic’s massive hit and do it justice? Yes, people. Yes he can! And he did. Was it super original? Nah. Was it his best performance? No. But what is was was a great performance to show that Kris will be a very marketable artist away from Idol. As he sat at his piano playing with his vocals smoldering, it was like he had returned to perform as a previous winner, not as someone in the competition currently. Randy shared my ’seeing into the future’ sentiments. Kara was disappointed that he didn’t make it more original. Paula heard bum notes that were not there, but was still proud. Simon sorta, kinda liked it but blamed Randy and Kara for not choosing a better arrangement for the song. Whatevs! I thought it was great. And he still has another song to go! Eat that!

Adam Lambert – One – chosen by Simon: Simon chose a super sappy U2 song for Adam, but of course, Glambert would never fall victim to a cheesy performance, right? Well, duh! Adam switched up the arrangement, laid on the sweet vocals, mixed in a couple shivering high notes, and ended on a tender note. Loves! Adam came to win! Randy thought it was an unbelievable vocal performance. Kara loved the new take on the song. Paula said she was staring at the American Idol. And Simon thought it was a brilliant song choice….ego much? But he loved it overall, saying that if Adam wasn’t in the final next week, it would be one of the biggest upsets ever.

Danny Gokey – You Are So Beautiful: Danny is at his best when he gets to sing songs that showcase his amazing voice. It wasn’t really a surprise that he’d show a sensitive ballad like “You Are So Beautiful.” It started out a little too slow for me. The vocals didn’t exactly mesh with the band until midway through, but when he finally got in the pocket, WOW! Chills. I got chills. It was so sweet and so sincere. Way to come back from the first performance. Randy, Kara, and Paula adored his vocals. Simon didn’t care for the changes with the arrangement but called it “a vocal masterclass.” Go go, Gokey!

Kris Allen – Heartless: Like seriously? Did Kris REALLY just say he was performing Kanye West’s “Heartless”???!? Yes. Yes, he did. Why on Earth would you risk your final shot performing this song, Kris!? Why?! And then he started the song. Slow strokes on his acoustic guitar. Drawn out intro. My answer to why he’d take this risk: because he’s totally going to pull it off. Many have covered “Heartless” but never like this. It was beyond epic. Great vocals. Nice arrangement. Great originality. Kris for the complete and total WIN! Randy loved it better than the original. Kara loved the original spin. Paula loved how relevant Kris is. Simon thought he bounced back ten fold from a “lame” first song choice and thinks the performance put him back in the competition.

Adam Lambert – Crying: Get your stones ready now: I was not blown away by Adam’s last performance. Great song choice. Awesome ending. Spectacular high notes. But, overall, it was just too over the top for me. Maybe it was the background singers joining in that made some parts sound incredibly screechy, but the beginning was a tiny bit painful. Does it matter? Adam will be good to go. Randy thinks Adam is a rockstar. Kara was blown away by the high notes and joins Paula in saying he’ll be in the finals for sure. Simon  loved it but wanted to remind America not to assume he’ll be safe and to vote because Adam deserves to be there. And even though I didn’t love this performance, I agree that Adam deserves to be there. He’s a star already. No molding needed.

Predictions: Wow! This is almost too hard. I’m Team Kris all the way, so I hope he makes it. But I have a feeling Paula will be right: it’ll be a Gokey vs Lambert showdown.

Tune in tonight for the results show with performances by Jordin Sparks and Katy Perry.

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