Idol Chatter & Voice Views

The Top 3 on American Idol — Clark Beckham, Jax and Nick Fradiani — return to the stage tonight. (FOX Photo)

American Idol has a lot to cram into an hour Tuesday night.

But then the show that moves at a snail’s pace typically tries to squeeze too much into its performance finale.

The first bit of business will be eliminating one of the three remaining singers.

I’m already on record as saying I think Jax deserves to be the Season 14 champ.

But I’ve also watched Idol long enough to know viewers preference for cute guys who play guitar, which means she might be frozen out of the finals altogether, which would be a damn shame for those of us who like our Idols with a touch of originality.

The final two will sing three songs tonight — one chosen by Idol creator Simon Fuller, one repeat of a past favorite, and their new single.

Speaking of the singles, you can download them now. Nick’s is called “Beautiful Life,” Clark’s is called “Champion” and Jax’s is “Forcefield.” If it means anything, Nick’s seems to be slightly more popular at this point.

And Jax is eliminated, meaning the show has lost its most interesting perform. But, hey, the two cute guys are left.

One has been on a downward trajectory. One hasn’t taken a risk all season. Boo!

But the show must go on …

Round 1, Reprise performances

Clark Beckham: “Georgia on My Mind” — Clark is back at the piano, where he tends to excel. Clark got off to a slow start, but he sure delivered dynamic vocals and a ton of attitude over the last half of that performance. Nice way to start the finals, Clark. Keith calls it “really good.” Jennifer says Clark reminded the judges “why you’re here.” Harry likes his musical drive, and said that performance was a great example of it. Grade: B+

Nick Fradiani: “Bright Lights” — A song he performed just a couple of weeks ago. Liked that little trip to the mic as he opened the song. Nick’s delivering a nice upbeat performance. This is another good reminder of how much he’s loosened up as a performer over the past few weeks. That was a real crowd-pleaser. Jennifer is clearly a Nick fan. Harry calls it a great performance, and is encouraging fans to vote. Keith says he can relate to Nick. Grade: B

Round 2, Simon Fuller’s picks:

Clark Beckham: “Ain’t No Sunshine” — Clark’s on stage with just his guitar, performing this acoustically. Gotta give Clark this: He’s rediscovered the dynamics he was displaying early in his Idol run just in the nick of time. Once again, he did a superb job vocally over the last half of that performance. Harry compliments him on a great “inward soulful” performance. Keith calls that “fantastic.” Jennifer calls it awesome and wonders who he was singing to. Grade: A–

Nick Fradiani: “I Won’t Give Up” — Hey, Nick is taking a turn at the keys. This is different. And a nice song choice, a heck of a lot better than the song choice for Clark. Nick had a couple of vocal stumbles in that first verse. But he came on really strong over the course of that performance. That might have been his best performance of his Idol run. Keith calls that song a really nice match for his voice. Jennifer calls it another strong performance. Harry likes the emotion Nick poured into the performance. Grade: A

Round 3 — The singles:

Clark Beckham: “Champion” — This is actually my least favorite of the three potential winner singles (yep, you can download all three now, even the one Jax didn’t get to sing). That first verse was a snooze. Clark did a decent job on the vocal, including a prolonged glory note there at the end. Harry said it was obvious Clark was singing a new song. Keith called it an inspiring song. Just not a fan of that song and can’t imagine it being a hit. Grade: B

Nick Fradiani: “Beautiful Life” — This song has much more of a sing-along chorus. And Nick is doing a really good job of delivering that chorus. He didn’t sound nearly as strong on the verses. That wasn’t one of his stronger vocals. Harry says it’s a good song for him. Jennifer says she likes the way Nick performs in the moment. Keith calls it a bullseye. Grade: B–