Note: This column marks the debut of Culture Crumbs on Lawrence.com.

All year the three-and-a-half judges on American Idol have consistently preached about “song choice.”

Every contestant’s victory seemed to stem from the right choice; every defeat from the wrong one.

Never mind about little matters such as talent or taste or subtlety, if they found the right song, they were guaranteed another week of fame.

The judges and the remaining three contestants got to put that concept to the test on Tuesday’s show. Flanked by the adoring crowds marshaled during a return visit to their respective hometowns, the Idols each received a text message from a select judge (or judges) who had picked a specific song for them. Round two of the show allowed the singer to pick any song available in the time/space continuum on their own — provided the original artist OK’d it for use. (Thus, it was no surprise that Neil Young was absent among the covered songwriters.)

Judge Paula Abdul retreated to her glory days to cull an obscure track from a historic footnote of an artist. She requested contestant Danny Gokey sing “Dance Little Sister” by Terence Trent D’Arby.

SIDEBAR: Whatever happened to Terence Trent D’Arby? Why, he changed his name to Sananda Maitreyaand moved to Italy, of course.

The song was upbeat and forgettable, with Gokey appearing uncomfortable trying to generate dance-laden energy. Fortunately, the Milwaukee-based singer was not quite as awkward-looking as the guy who stepped onstage during his performance to deliver a sax solo while sporting a Cosby vest three sizes too small.

Gokey next proved he had better taste than Abdul — a fairly simple feat — by selecting “You Are So Beautiful” by Joe Cocker. Hey it worked for former Idol winner Taylor Hicks, so it should work for Gokey, right?

Well, yes … The ballad was given a gospel facelift complete with added string section, but rather than deliver it with melismatic bombast, Gokey approached it with genuine emotion. It was by far his finest moment all season.

Kris Allen took the text request while addressing the masses in his hometown of Conway, Ark. The tandem of judges Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi selected the dark ballad “Apologize” by One Republic.

The lone musician of the bunch, Allen chose to render the song while seated at a piano. The tune proved competent but unremarkable. Obviously, the judges were also learning how difficult it was to pick the right song.

Allen also fared much better on his own choice: “Heartless” by Kanye West. This time he offered a shrewd arrangement of just voice and his own jangly-funky acoustic guitar. Once again, Allen found a decent marriage between his strong vocals, relaxed stage presence and overall good taste.

San Diego resident Adam Lambert earned the right to have judge Simon Cowell select a song, and for once the pick seemed a can’t-miss . Cowell selected “One” by U2, which many regard as one of the best tracks of the 1990s.

Lambert initially approached it with a haunting, withdrawn arrangement, but midway through he kicked into overdrive … then into hysterical theatrics. Ultimately, he ruined the song. Now, the judges had no shortage of accolades to heap on Lambert for his vocal control and ability to hit outrageous high notes. Yet they failed to mention that his upper register was just plain screechy. Often sounding like the reedy shriek from a junior high oboe player, Lambert’s voice was simply unpleasant on the ear.

He continued that trend on his choice of the equally shrill “Crying” by Aerosmith. Lambert is undoubtedly a talented dude, but he showed as much elegance as that saxophone player in the wee vest.

QUICK MATH SIDEBAR: Over 60 million votes were cast during last week’s show in which young Allison Iraheta was eliminated. For whom do the people (i.e. kids) who were favoring her now cast their vote?

To approach this more as a math formula than a singing competition, hers will likely be split between dreamy heartthrob Allen and the sexually unthreatening Lambert. Gokey is just too old and dated-sounding from the teen block perspective.

Based on the merit of the two combined performances, this week’s loser could arguably be any of the three contestants. Based on arithmetic, Danny Gokey is going home.