Candice VS. Kree

Tonight Candice Glover will go head to head with Kree Harrison in their final face off for the Season 12 Miss American Idol crown. They will each sing three songs. The first one will be selected by the American Idol producer, the second song will be their debut single, and the third song will their own choice of their favorite performance from the season.

The Idol producer's selected the 1997 hit from Sarah Mclachlan, Angel, for Kree to get started. This song is very sad and forlorn so it set her up to be even more dreary and meloncholy than usual. It was good, but Kree's voice lacks a unique quality that sets it apart and makes it stand out. Not a good start for her.

The Idol producers selected the 2008 hit from Adele, Chasing Pavements, for Candice to get started. This song is a good sample of the kind of music that could be hits for her in the future. It showed off her voice perfectly and it is just the right blend of pop and R&B to appeal to a wide audience. Very good start for her.

The original song for Kree is called All Cried Out and it is a wonderful country ballad that showcased her voice and style better than anything she has done all season so far. There was finally some emotional depth to her interpretation and her vocals were the perfect fit. If she can pull together an album with stuff like this, she might actually have some hit potential after all.

The original song for Candice is called I Am Beautiful and it is a triumphant anthem of empowerment and acceptance. Candice had total command of every lyric as though she connected personally to each word. This song is very current and will fit right in to what radio is playing these days. Her voice was wonderful on it.

For her favorite song of the season Kree selected Up To The Mountain, which I think was a mistake. Simply  put, the Season 9 Miss American Idol 1st Runner Up, Crystal Bowersox, did this same song during her finale and she flat out did it better. Kree's voice is flat and plain in comparison. Kree needs to stop doing covers and stick to original material selected just for her.

For her favorite song of the season Candice selected I Who Have Nothing, which was a stellar choice. The fact is that Candice has an exceptional vocal range and she can truly step up to the plate and easily handle a challenging song like this. She tore the roof off the theater with her amazing and impressive encore performance.

This year my prediction for the Season 12 Miss American Idol winner is that I think Candice Glover SHOULD win, but I think that Kree Harrison WILL win.

The Top 12 boys take their first shot...

Tonight we get to know what these top 12 boys can really do - they can pick any song they want to present themselves to America for the first time:

Stevie Wonder took Superstition to #1 in 1972. Clint Jun Gamboa used this funky jam to belt out some big notes. He did a pretty good job, but not sure if it will be enough to win over votes after he turned off the fans during the group portion of the Hollywood round. He just doesn't seem like a very nice guy.

Edwin McCain took I'll Be to #5 in 1998. Jovany Barreto thoroughly and completely impressed with vocals that were pure and powerful. Combined with his stunning good looks he elevated this song to higher heights with an amazing crescendo at the end of the song that was a million times better than the original.

Usher took OMG to #1 in 2010. Jordan Dorsey missed the mark with his awkward efforts at dancing and this song choice did not showcase any interesting vocals at all.

Tim Halperin doesn't have a chance based on this performance of Rob Thomas' Come On Over. It was clunky and vocally choppy. This didn't inspire any interest.

The Doors took Light My Fire to #1 for three weeks in 1967. Brett Loewenstern has that skinny rock star thing going for him along with a dynamic and bold vocal range. His youth comes through, though, with the lack of maturity and intensity that this song requires.

Judas Priest became classic heavy metal rockers with songs like You've Got Another Thing Coming. James Durbin tried to set himself apart from the original glam-rock standard set by the Season 8 Miss American Idol 1st Runner-Up, Adam Lambert. While he's very talented vocally, James does not do Judas Priest better than Adam could.

Sarah McLachlan took Angel to #4 in 1999. Robbie Rosen's rendition of this sweet ballad was painful to listen to. His voice is very plain and lacking any personality and his huge smile didn't help at all to convey the appropriate emotions for the lyrics.

John Michael Montgomery took Letters From Home to #24 in 2004. Scotty McCreery is up there doing an imitation of what other singers have already done better. He's a talented deep-voiced country boy, but he doesn't really add anything new to the mix.

Bruno Mars took Just The Way You Are to #1 in 2010. Stefano Langone has a sweet and smooth tenor voice that fits into what is happening in pop music right now. In addition, he's very young and cute and ready for music videos.

Rod Stewart took Maggie May to #1 for five weeks in 1971. Paul McDonald recreated this classic tale of love into a quirky slice of hipster delight. He has a warm personality that pulls you in and keeps you engaged.

Luther Vandross gave the world a legendary version of A House is Not A Home. Jacob Lusk was clearly trying very hard to over-sing his way into our hearts, but it was all a lot of loud screaming effort without the emotional pay-off.

Casey Abrams puts on a great show when he closes his eyes tightly and screams at the top of his lungs. It looks impressive on stage, but it is very reminiscent of what made Taylor Hicks the Season 5 Miss American Idol winner. The fans loved him on stage, but they didn't buy his albums.

Now it's up to America to vote and for the first time you can go online to support your favorites at http://www.americanidol.com/.

My top 5 will be: Jovany Barreto, Brett Loewenstern, James Durbin, Stefano Langone, and Paul McDonald.

And Jovany is my early favorite. :)