Finale!

Finale time! Tonight each contestant will be singing three songs. The first will be a repeat of the song the contestant believes is his best performance of the night; the second, a producer's pick; and the third the "victory song."  

We learned last week that Kris had won the coin toss and had chosen to perform second after Adam. This could be good or bad. The good is, his final performance will be fresher in the audience's mind than Adam's. The bad is, depending on how they arrange the performances tonight, he might sing directly after Adam, and if Adam goes to rock out and Kris comes back with something a little more subdued, he could end up sounding uninspiring in comparison. So here we go--starting off, of course, with video footage (because of course we can't have a show without hearing heartwarming stories about the contestants in their childhoods.) Adam was a bit of a pain in the butt as a kid--"kind of like I am now," he says. Thanks for sharing. Please sing now.  

Adam Lambert is singing "Mad World," "with a twist" as he promised earlier. He's pitched it a little higher, coming out of the floor in a trenchcoat in that blue light he loves so much. He goes from half of verse 1 straight into the chorus, still restraining his voice. He is note-perfect, although the change in pitch is a little odd. This time he's singing the second verse and... no, he nearly kicked into overdrive, but pulled it back. I love his vocal restraint the overall restraint of this performance is almost un-Adam-like, and very haunting. I don't remember his first performance of "Mad World" well enough to compare it, but in comparison to the iTunes performance, this was a little bit weaker, a little more subdued. It was a lovely performance and a lovely vocal. An A- performance.  

Kris Allen is singing "Ain't No Sunshine," which is not what I would have picked for him, but was still a fabulous performance. He's coming out with piano rock this week instead of acoustic. He starts off restrained, gets more animated and almost a little angry in the "I know" segment, and then pulls it back for a great high note at the end. He was a little shaky at the beginning of the last note, but pitch-perfect. More runs in this performance than his original version of this song, but nothing over the top. Kara said he "created an intimate bond with everyone in the audience" and I think she's right on with that; he sings very emotionally. Simon says that he completely takes back all of his doubt about Kris being in the finale. Way to catch up with the rest of us, Simon! A solid A for Kris.  

I'm going to call the first round for Kris!  

Adam is singing "A Change Is Gonna Come" in a normal-looking suit and tie, no less. He starts off almost explosive, and I thought this was going to be an over-the-top Adam performance, but he immediately pulls back. Restraint may be Adam's watchword tonight... or maybe not, as he absolutely kills a few notes around 45 seconds in. He throws in some jazz hands, some unintelligible vocal showboating, and then the last note is another of the ones where you need to count the seconds he holds it to realize how extraordinary it is. The thing is... he rearranged the song, went over-the-top... and I think it detracted from the song. It's really a problem for me when I can't even tell what someone is saying (or screaming) in this case. To me, this was mediocre. The judges all gush about it. I agree the vocals were good, but to me, he turned it away from the song, into just showing off what he can do. Yes, this is a singing competition, but to me, much of a successful artist's power is in his ability to deliver a song emotionally. I got nothing of that from Adam in this performance. A solid B performance.  

Kris gets a great song choice from Simon Fuller in "What's Goin' On." This is classic Kris on the guitar in a chair in the middle of the stage with the drums in the background. He’s really getting into it around the middle, just him and his guitar, and I’m getting a bit of a Dave Matthews vibe from him. This is the type of performance that could work equally well at a bar in the middle of Baltimore as it would in the middle of a concert when you’re letting the bass player take a break. It is a very laid-

back performance and I thought he could have taken more risks with it, really thrown himself into it and delivered; it was a bit safe, but very correct. Another solid B.  

Simon calls this round for Adam (“a million times Adam”) but I’m inclined to say this is a dead heat. Let’s see how bad this year’s victory song is—it’s co-written by Kara, so it can’t be too bad, and called “No Boundaries.”  

Adam sings it like it’s the love child of an RnB song and a waltz until the chorus, where he’s electrifying the song like his life depends on it. His voice sounds hoarse (no surprise after “A Change Is Gonna Come”) and a hair weak, but he is singing this with absolute conviction. This is classic Adam, guys, screaming, high, emotional, and finishing on—very literally—a high note. Nicely done. Adam’s fans will love this. The people who have never voted for him will not start voting now. An A performance.  

Kris, as predicted, is more low-key. I am concerned that he will suffer a bit, being prohibited from having his guitar on stage, but as he builds up the bridge, my concerns are scattered to the winds. Kris has never gotten enough credit for how damned big his voice is. His phrasing and enunciation are borderline perfect. Kris is into this song, he is feeling it, this is signed sealed and delivered. All my criticisms from the last performance are gone. He might be a hair flat on the last two notes, but that might be my sound system. This man can emotionally deliver a song like none other. Randy and Kara point out that the song was a little high-ranged for him, and yeah, maybe they’re right, but he did a damned fine job. A+.  

I am going to stand out on a limb and call tonight for Kris. I think he rose to the challenge tonight, while Adam did not. Now, how to vote? Do we vote based on the season, or do we vote based on tonight? That’s up to you. I know who I’m voting for... and it may surprise you to learn that it's not Adam. Oh, I think Adam will win it, and I'll be happy with him winning it, but I think that Kris is every bit the singer and I'm giving my votes to the person whose album I'm more likely to buy. Kris consistently puts out songs that I would want to buy and have on my iPod; Adam is hit or miss. Both contestants put out quality performances tonight. I think Kris was better. Let's discuss.