With American Idol down to the final three, North Texan Casey James and his fellow contestants sang two songs Tuesday night -- one they chose, one picked by judges.
Perhaps predictably, the judges liked their choice for James more than they liked his. He picked OK, It's Alright With Me, an easygoing track by singer-songwriter Eric Hutchinson. The judges barely said anything about James' performance but hammered him on song choice.
"This is down to the wire," Randy Jackson said. "You can't just do a safe, easy song like that."
The judges' choice, picked by Kara DioGuardi and Jackson, was John Mayer's Daughters. Jackson said the song fit James like a glove, and DioGuardi said it showed James' more sensitive side, which she sees as his strength.
Simon Cowell was more reserved. "I think it was a much better song choice," Cowell said. "But it was a lazy arrangement. The climax is a limp guitar solo."
The judges practically fainted over Lee DeWyze's rendition of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah (picked by Cowell) and also heaped praise on Crystal Bowersox's performance of Paul McCartney's Maybe I'm Amazed (chosen by Ellen DeGeneres). Jackson said both are "in it to win it," a phrase he didn't use for James.
The results show is at 8 tonight on KDFW/Channel 4
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