<b>American Idol:</b> Jason Castro heads for home

The choice for elimination this week was a no-brainer. It would have been a shock if Syesha gets the boot. PHILIP LIM tells why. JASON Castro came, he sang and he sank. It was that simple. It was rock and roll week and the remaining four contestants had to pick two songs from that era.

Jason's song was I Shot The Sheriff. First, it was the wrong choice and second, he sounded quite lame. It was quite understandable why Jason chose this song because it was Bob Marley's 1973 hit. Well, that was Marley then but on Wednesday evening, Jason didn't do his idol's song any justice.

Describing it as an average performance would be an act of kindness towards the dreadlocked guy. Simon Cowell didn't mince his words when he lambasted Jason for "an utterly atrocious" performance. It was easy to agree with Simon on this one.

His second number Mr Tambourine Man was another vocal suicide act. The guy from Rockwall, Texas forgot his lyrics, smiled and carried on. A brave act that did nothing for him.

By the time he finished, even the usually sympathetic Paula Abdul uttered: "Obviously, you didn't blow us away." All who heard Jason were inclined to agree with her. Simon just said: "Pack your bags" and he actually did.

In contrast to Jason, Syesha Mercado caught everyone's attention when she appeared in a slinky, tight mini dress and belted out Proud Mary. It was Tina Turner's signature tune. Some of us may recall that Proud Mary as one of the songs made popular by Creedence Clearwater Revival back in 1968.

Anyway, it was difficult to find fault with Syesha because she impressed just about everyone except, who else, Simon who said it was a bad impersonation of Tina Turner. Everyone who sat in the same room, including me, shouted their disagreement. Simon got that wrong, big time.

Syesha's second song A Change Is Gonna Come was so good that it took some people's breath away. In sporting terms, they called it being in the zone. Her long golden gown boosted her image and complemented the song. This Florida lass admitted later that she was deeply moved by the lyrics and felt the emotional connection.

So it came truly as a surprise that Randy Jackson disapproved of it. That was quite uncharacteristic of Randy who was usually spot-on with his critique. It was Paula who came to her rescue when she stood up and applauded. Paula said: "You turned this into a superstar performance." Hearing those words, Syesha burst into tears and then cried profusely until host Ryan Seacrest had to ask for a tissue to dry her tears.

Simon kept her tears flowing when he commented: "I am going to be fair. I have to agree with Paula." He then turned to Randy and said “you made her cry.” It was one of those Idol moments that brought joy to our hearts. If America had sent Syesha home this week, they would have owed her a big apology.

David Cook could do no wrong again this week. He started with Hungry Like The Wolf which brought out a crescendo of applause from the audience.

With his grunge look and gritty vocals, Cook sounded very much like Joe Cocker during the 1969 Woodstock Music Festival. However, on a scale of one to 10, that performance would be rated as a six.

Cook's second number Baba O'Riley was an unfamiliar song but he milked every ounce of goodness out of it and earned high praise from all three judges. With that powerful performance, Cook had turbo-charged his chances and was clearly back in contention.

As for David Archuleta, he plucked Stand By Me from the 1960 song sheet and received a standing ovation. For a little guy, his deep voice made him sound 10 feet tall. It was the best performance by any standards.

Long after the song ended, cheers were still echoing across the wide hall. Archuleta then took many people by surprise with Love Me Tender as his second number. Before you could say "Elvis", Archuleta captivated everybody with a moving rendition of a 1956 movie theme song that fired up the King of Rock and Roll's movie career.

It was the innocence and freshness of youth that made Archuleta the darling of the evening. The kid from Utah had bouquets of accolades thrown at him by all three judges. Simon put it rather succinctly when he said: "You didn't beat the competition. You crushed the competition." No disagreement from anyone of us.

The night truly belonged to little David. Now down to the last three contestants, Archuleta has emerged as a leading contender for the Idol title. If he keeps up the string of great performances, it would take a lot to snatch that crown away from him. On top of that, he has millions of adoring young girls cheering him on.

American Idol: Jason Castro heads for home