David Archuleta may have delivered a “knockout” performance last night on American Idol but the raw vote reports on a couple of fronts suggest mixed signals. DialIdol.com, which measures busy signals, hands the crown to David Cook while Zabasearch, which accounts for phone and text votes indicates a much tighter race with Cook still on top. However, the vote totals do not account for what likely will be between 70 million and 75 million cast.

No doubt, the final night of competition did not disappoint. In many respects, both singers fulfilled the producers’ desires for a head-to-head battle in talent terms. While Cook seemed oddly restrained, Archuleta’s performances were, by far, his strongest of the competition. The young singer established his own identity last night in spectacular fashion. Perhaps not so surprisingly enough, some critics are hinting this morning that Cook may have thrown the competition deliberately. Ann Powers’ commentary from today’s Los Angeles Times is worth quoting in some length.

Citing the teacher’s influence on Archuleta, Powers writes:

And his teacher? Certainly not Simon. No, it’s pop itself, the clear source of all of this kid’s comfort and emotional understanding. He is the latest embodiment of that wondrous, somewhat sad figure, the young dreamer who lives inside his chosen art form. The fondness many viewers feel for him reflects not only his singing talent but also the otherworldly aura that comes from Archie’s utter absorption in the world of song. (That same quality makes others find him a bit creepy.)

And on both singers’ performances:

Anyway, following [Malcolm] Gladwell’s logic, the doer should have outclassed the learner in this ultimate test of “Idol” prowess. For weeks Cook has been the front-runner, growing ever more assured as Archuleta trembled, getting ready for his next role as Chris Daughtry’s little bro on the meat-and-potatoes rock circuit.

But it was Archuleta’s night. Cook was credible singing U2 and enthusiastic with the songwriting competition number he chose, and (I discovered, returning to the moment on Youtube.com), his cover of Collective Soul had more panache than the original. But this final contest just didn’t seem that important to him, even when he dropped a few tears mid-show. “I’m playing in front of seven thousand people,” he said. “I feel great.” You could feel his anticipation of many more thousands of fans to come, and that confidence somehow lifted him away from the role of “American Idol.”

Archuleta, on the other hand, went deep inside tonight, completely focusing on those ridiculously short performances, letting the world slip away. When he started to sing “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down on Me,” selected for him by Clive Davis, it seemed slightly ridiculous. One of Elton John and Bernie Taupin’s most stentorian ballads, a favorite of Clay Aiken when he wanted to pull out his big gospel notes, the song expresses the despair of a tired, endangered lover, not a 17-year-old kid who murmurs “gosh!” when surrounded by cheerleaders.

But Archie pulled it off. Climbing the song’s long crescendo as if it were as stairway to the throne, he left his student’s desk for a few minutes and unleashed something visceral. Maybe the motivation behind Archie’s reading was just his burning need to win, but whatever it was, it belonged one hundred per cent to him.

The rest was frosting. Two more excellent interpretations; three moments with Ryan Seacrest, during which poor Little David could hardly speak. But as most “Idols” past know, it only takes one instance of convincing transformation to become the final Chosen One. Making the leap from learner to doer, David Archuleta grabbed that ring. No matter what the voters decide about the contest, which can’t be summed up in one night, Archuleta was your “American Idol” this hour.

Yes, I completely agree here. Salt Lake City is reaping the benefits of Archuleta’s presence on American Idol. An Idol Tours concert coming in mid July at the E Center sold out in 20 minutes, necessitating an extra concert date. And, Idol producers announced yesterday that Salt Lake City will be among the audition venues for American Idol’s next season.

In either respect, this year’s American Idol will be a welcome addition to the music industry as will be the runner-up singer.