Carly Smithson Sings Bonnie Tyler

After getting down to the top 10 contestants on American Idol, I felt that the competition in Season 7 would end up being only between two people; David Archuleta and Carly Smithson. After watching the show tonight, however, I'm not so sure. I am beginning to worry that Carly may be losing her high standing with the audience.

Syesha Mercado gave an outstanding performance this evening, as did David Cook and Michael Johns. When it comes time to count the votes, this may become an issue for Carly.

When I first heard the strains of "Total Eclipse of the Heart" by Bonnie Tyler as Carly took the stage, I was thrilled. With the unique tone of Carly's voice, I had high hopes that this was going to be the perfect song for her. Unfortunately, I was a bit let down.

Don't get me wrong; I think Carly is a strong contestant. In all actuality, she is one of my favorites. She has an incredible voice, and there is no doubt that she puts her heart into her craft. For some reason though, she wasn't as strong this week as she normally is.

During her performance tonight, there were actually times when she sounded exactly like Bonnie Tyler, but at other times, I am afraid she fell slightly flat. I particularly did not like the weird little run she did at the end of the song. It took a lot away from the overall feel of the song, and since that was the last thing we heard from her, it is also going to be the one thing people will remember.

Overall, I was slightly disappointed with the quality of Carly's performance this evening. I thought that with her excellent choice of song she would be able to showcase her vocal range and bring out the power we all know she has. I didn't see too much of that though, and at times it almost felt as if she were having a hard time hitting certain notes, which is unusual for her.

With all of that being said, Carly has a great stage presence, and she still gave one of the better performances of the night. I am hoping that she will remain in the competition in the weeks to come. Even if she doesn't, I believe she will go far in the music industry.