I can't fucking believe this. I've watched this show for all 7 seasons (the first one I saw was when Kelly did "Stuff Like That There," which fucking ruled and completely sucked me in), and I actually picked up the phone and voted for the first time. I kinda feel like a moron. Anyway, my thoughts:
Round 1:
If any contestant in the history of the show would ever sing U2, I'm glad it was Cook. I suspect Clive Davis (who was so kind to crawl out of his sarcophagus and show up) pulled some strings to get it cleared. Remember when he went out of his way to clear Springsteen for Taylor? I think this was the same thing. And while Clive may occasionally bug the shit out of me, he picked a perfect song. And Cook sounded freaking beautiful on "Still Haven't Found." Loved it. I got worried that he might be losing his voice last week, but he sounded fantastic tonight. Lovely.
I love Elton John, but I don't think I can accurately judge "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me." I HATE that song with a fiery vengeance. I'll give you this: Archie was note-perfect, so I can see how people who like this song loved it. One thing that bugs me about him, though, is that he has absolutely no power in his higher register.
Winner: A tie. I personally preferred Cook, but I HATE the song Archie sang, so I can't be objective.
Round 2:
I've pretty much hated every coronation song that's ever been on the show. The best, prior to tonight, was "A Moment Like This," which still sucks on its own merits. Then Cook comes out and sings. Was the song great? No. But, as Randy(!) pointed out, he sang his ass off, and I could actually hear this song on the radio. Not so much for Archie. He chose the more typical coronation song; again he sounded great, but the song blew and I'm just not a fan of his style. Simon honestly thought that was the better song? I thought he was all about what sells, and I can't imagine Archie's song ever being a hit.
Winner: Cook by a freakin' mile.
Round 3:
Could Simon throw Cook under the bus any more than he did? Damn. I'm really surprised at that, because Cook is his favorite and he's said as much on several talk shows. In any case, I love "The World I Know." I can generally take or leave Collective Soul, but that's a great song, and he sounded great on it. Very sincere, and beautifully sung. And aw... he cried. Heh. It would have been very easy to reprise "Billie Jean" or "Hello," but I'm glad he sang something new. He turned something that wasn't a "singer's song" (as Randy would say) into something that was.
Archie, again, was note-perfect on "Imagine." I was blown away the first time he sang it. Not so much this time, because I was completely expecting it. The reprises are never as good as the originals. And it bugs me that a) he's never sung anything up-tempo that didn't suck aside from "Shop Around," which I loved, and b) he's never sung anything even remotely contemporary without crashing and burning. I'm also annoyed that he completely aped Eva Cassidy's version without being called on it, while Cook has had to deal with CoverGate all season. And he screwed up the lyrics on one of the greatest songs ever written (which, of course, the judges conveniently failed to notice. Arrgg).
Winner: For me? Cook again. I have no idea what the casual viewer will think. I do understand Simon's criticism. But from a "Whose album would I buy?" standpoint, Cook wins. No contest.
Other stuff:
I was very surprised that Randy, of all people, was Cook's biggest supporter tonight. Most of the season, he's been so far up Archuleta's ass that he doesn't even know what year it is (that would be 2008, dawg. Hee. Sorry, the part where he didn't know what year it was cracked me up). Anyway, I have no idea who's going to win this one. Cook had the momentum going on, but (according to Simon) Archie won the night (which I would strongly disagree with).
Cook should win. I don't know if he will. The judges and I were apparently watching an entirely different show, because I thought Cook outsang Archie on every song.
Oh, and I thought Ruben sounded great. He was never my favorite, but he can definitely sing. Well done.