We bid an emotional farewell to Vonzell Soloman, the mail gal from Florida, who showed a lot of heart and personality throughout this season of American Idol and was often praised by judge Randy Jackson for being the most improved singer. Last night she delivered three challenging songs so effortlessly and with such professionalism that it was hard to see why America voted the least for her. Not to say that the rocker and the country chick were lousy - they were equally spectacular in their own elements. Alabama son Bo Bice sang with charisma and conviction while Oklahoma farm girl Carrie Underwood took flight with her saccharine yet powerful vocals.

In my opinion, though, the night belonged to Vonzell. It was sad to see her sacrificed when she most deserved to be at the Kodak Theatre next week. Sure she sings and looks beautiful… how common is that? But hold on, what endeared me to her the most is her ability to reach out to her audience and touch their hearts with her perfomances. Each time she sings, you can feel her sincerity and hear that she’s not too concerned with technical perfection. But somehow, she brings it home at the end and leaves a lasting impression. I’ve never heard better versions of “When you tell me that you love me” and “Chain of fools” than the ones delivered by Vonzell. She reminds me of a young Whitney Houston. If Vonzell breaks into the R&B music industry, she will inject a fresh, soulful vibe into a market where power vocalists like Whitney and Mariah have long lost ground to stylized singers like Usher and Alicia Keys. Best of luck Baby V, I look forward to hear a record soon.

Now the deal with Bo Bice and Carrie Underwood. Firstly, I like how it seems to pan out at home stretch: Country vs. Rock. And we’re referring to a “pure” rocker as is Bice, as opposed to annoying cheeseballs like ousted contestant Constantine Maroulis. The country chick can’t be more original than that- she lives on a farm in Checotah , Oklahoma, and sings and yodels with as much Southern twang as LeeAnn and Reba combined. Previous “country” contestants such as Joshua Gracin from Season 2 and the pink-haired gal from last season turned Western because their vocals “fit” the genre. C’mon, you either can or you can’t, not try to be one! So next week we’ll see a true fight. Honestly, you can’t tell who has the edge although based on previous votes tallied, Underwood has an advantage having never been in the bottom three. Bice has been there once. But whether he would bounce back and rock America for their vote remains to be seen. A Bice or Underwood win would both be an American Idol first: Bice would be the first white male and rocker, while Underwood would be the first country crooner.

I definitely see a mind-blowing finale brewing as we count the days to the showdown at Kodak Theatre. But I have a problem with both Bice and Underwood. Firstly, Bice has a few annoying things about him that you’ll either love or hate. His hair! Someone please get a pair of scissors. And the clothes look like he’s gotten them sponsored by the Red Cross Society. Doesn’t he know the hippie look is soooooo ten minutes ago? Lose the garb, get a suit or at least learn from Anthony Keidis or Rob Thomas. If you wanna go commercial, at least do it with some fashion sense! As for Underwood, her main issue is what her name cheekily implies about her showmanship: Wooden. Yes, she can really “sang”, but she needs to be more natural on stage and be comfortable in front of the audience. She’s tried on a few occasions to be more “dancey” on stage but it appeared well, tragically amateurish.

So for Bice to win, he needs to be less predictable with his choice of songs and bring up his fashion sense to a new level. And it doesn’t hurt to chop off the locks to about shoulder level eh? For Underwood to win, she needs to expel her inhibitions on stage and strike a chord with the audience. It also wouldn’t hurt to wear a dress too, perhaps? Never seen her worn one.

So who do you think will win? It’s a truly tough call, but I predict Underwood wins by a few thousand votes out of tens of millions. Reason: Vonzell fans will shift allegiance and it’s obvious the powerful female vocalist in Underwood is closer to their idol than the rocker in Bice. Tell me what you think.