Idol Chatter & Voice Views

The final three on The X Factor take the stage tonight.

And their performances will include at least one duet.

Carly Rose Sonenclar will perform with LeAnn Rimes. Tate Stevens will take the stage with Little Big Town. And Fifth Harmony will perform with none other than X Factor judge Demi Lovato.

Who has the upper hand?

Well, Tate Stevens has received more votes than anyone else more weeks than not.

On social media sites, Carly Rose is at the top of the heap by a wide, wide margin.

And Fifth Harmony enters the finals with the most momentum, coming off a string of highly praised performances.

On to the performances … after lots and lots and lots of background clips.

Round 1

Carly Rose Sonenclar: The gal who says her first CD would be a combination of pop and soul is going to kick off the night singing “Feeling Good.” She’s pitch perfect of course. She’s showing lots of sass. The fedora is a nice touch. Carly Rose brought her A game tonight. This is a much better vocal that last week’s “Imagine.” My, my. I thought song choice might be Carly Rose’s downfall tonight. That was an excellent choice, even if it was a repeat of her audition song. Very good song to show off all of Carly Rose’s vocal acrobatics and she brought her A game. With that said … Grade: A

Tate Stevens: It’s another love ballad for Tate. He’ll sing “Anything Goes” by Randy Houser. Tate’s in fine form, too, turning in another rock steady performance. Now that we’ve gotten rid of Emblem 3 and some of the vocally challenged soloists, the talent level on X Factor seems much more impressive. Tate delivered a very fine vocal there, complete with an emotional ending. My only complaint would be that the song didn’t lend itself to the type of flash and flourish that so often draws in tons of votes on these shows. Grade: B

Fifth Harmony: Simon has decided his remaining group — probably the one he didn’t expect to be competing tonight — will sing “Anything Can Happen” because it’s so appropriate for a quintet of gals who entered the competition as soloists, wound up a combo, was given three different names and is now the surprise entry in the finals. OK, they’re sitting around that table again. But at least the a cappella opening is different. I can’t believe I’m going to type this, but this is one time I’m appreciating the X Factor sideshow. Dang. These gals are in fine form too. And their song sounds like it could be a hit on pop radio. Right now. Call me very impressed. Even though I saw this number before. Just as aside — Emblem 3 never approached being that good. Grade: A

Round 2

Carly Rose Sonenclar: Hmm. Carly’s going to tackle country-tinged “How Do I Live Without You.” And she’ll be joined by LeAnn Rimes. Not loving this idea. That first round was so close, the focus should be on the contestants and solely on the contestants. I didn’t love Carly Rose on that opening. And I have no idea why that gal who wants to sing soul-tinged pop wound up doing a country song tonight. This, honestly, is a bit of a mess. Carly Rose says that was “a blast.” Glad it was for you, Carly Rose. It sounded more like she and LeAnn were trying to outdo one another than singing a duet. Grade: C

Tate Stevens: He’s going to be joined by Little Big Town, but I like the switch from a serious ballad to a far more playful number in round two. Tate sounded great til he hit that chorus. Then he seemed to be straining a little. Now, he’s completely turned the song over to his singing partners. Who sound great. Of course, it’s their song — “Pontoon.” Again, this is silly. Tate virtually disappeared for the second half of that number, and he’s the one vying for the votes. Grade: B-

Fifth Harmony: What’s the surprise? Everyone knows they’re performing with Demi. The girls will be singing “Give Your Heart a Break.” And they sound great again. Heck, better than Demi, even. If that’s really Fifth Harmony harmonizing, they sound wonderful. But who are we supposed to be showcasing here? Demi or the contestants? Despite Demi’s showboating, that was my favorite of the three duets. Grade: B

Round 3

Carly Rose: Now Britney’s going to do something really imaginative (lol). She’s going to have Carly Rose sing “Hallelujah” for her final performance. Love this song. But it should be banned from these competitions it’s been done so often. Carly sounds fine. Not great so far. Just fine. OK, she poured on a little greatness near the end. I’m really disappointed in that song choice. But I shouldn’t hold that against Carly Rose. Grade: B+

Tate Stevens: It’s back to ballads for Tate. He’s going to sing Chris Young’s “Tomorrow.” And, you know what, Tate Stevens hasn’t given a bad performance all season. Problem is, I’m not sure he’s delivered many $5 million performances either. This, though, was one of his best. With the little touch of a cappella in the middle, the big note at the end, the emotion he displayed throughout. Very impressive. Grade: A-

Fifth Harmony: Oh, boy, another tried and true singing show song, “Let It Be.” Really original, Simon. That said, the gals are looking like they just might pull it off. I could do without the choir. I want to hear Fifth Harmony, not a bunch of background singers. OK, didn’t Fifth Harmony sing harmony once during that performance? I don’t think so. That said, I thought the girls handled the song they were given pretty well. Grade: B-

OK, so if I was grading the overall efforts tonight: 1) Fifth Harmony; 2) Carly Rose; 3) Tate Stevens.

But one night does not a season make, so, for the season: 1) Carly Rose; 2) Fifth Harmony; 3) Tate Stevens.

That said, I wouldn’t be upset to see any one of the three walk away with the $5 million prize Tuesday night.

They are that close.