Canadian Idol’s third season is underway and Inside Pulse will be bringing you extensive coverage.
I saved my initial comments on the show until now because I was waiting for the Top 32 to be selected. With Canadians voting as I type this, the search for Kalan Porter’s successor is upon us.
I have always believed that Canadian Idol is a superior show to American Idol. That’s not my Maple Leaf pride shining through because as any of my colleagues will tell you, I am probably the most Americanized Torontonian around.
This season is once again proving that the raw acoustic singing talent is better up north. Don’t get me wrong. No one can doubt that the States have redefined modern music, but in terms of one person standing in front of a microphone, I don’t think there is any doubt as to which country is better. Truth be told, I am pretty sure that the other countries in the world would smoke us all.
In any event, I have already predicted that Suzi Rawn of Kamloops B.C. has this competition in the bag. If she doesn’t win, I fully expect her to at least be one of the top five people standing. Although, considering the Anthony Fedorov disaster, I am not sure how much this means. Haha, just kidding. I think that Suzi has received a lot of facetime (deservedly so) and the fact that she isn’t performing until the final group of eight sings on July 5, just make me wonder. Anticipation is never a bad thing.
Anyway, onto Tuesday night’s show. Our performers included:
Stephane Aubin, 21, Edmonton, AB – Apprentice Grower
Jenn Beaupre, 22, Drumheller, AB –Singer/Songwriter
Melody Bonicel, 20, Montreal, QC – College Student
Daryl Brunt, 16, Sudbury, ON – High School Student
Dianelys Hernandez, 21, Saint John, NB – Customer Service Representative
Matt Humphreys, 27, Timmins, ON – Marketing Coordinator
Ashley Leitao, 18, Burnaby, BC – Sales Associate
Cher Maendel, 25, Winnipeg, MB – Night Club Host
Well, first let’s get to the good stuff. Actually there is no need to get to it because I thought the first show was good in general. So let me instead point out my minor nitpicks.
The only performance that I didn’t like was Matt’s and his song choice was terrible. I still don’t know what he decided to sing and for somebody who told us all about his doctorate in music, I was left largely unimpressed.
I thought Jen’s Dancing Cheek To Cheek was awful. I don’t know. Maybe I am not artistic enough or lack creativity, but I prefer my singers to be straight shooters. No gimmicks necessary. Actually, that is kind of funny considering my infinite respect for the Backstreet Boys (whose CD I am currently listening to). So maybe I am a hypocrite. In any event, I didn’t like Jenny Gear in the first season of the show and I don’t like Jen now.
Now to the good stuff.
I knew that Cher would be good. Her Bohemian Rhapsody was fantastic and it was the first time that I have heard a female sing the song. She chose a song that everybody knows and sang it well. While it wasn’t perfect, I still think it was the performance of the night. In the Top 32 shows, you need to pick songs that people recognize and aside from Ashley, I think Cher was the only one who did this.
I also liked Stephane’s Georgia On My Mind. While the judges complimented his voice, they also talked about how cheesy he came across and I didn’t agree. I thought he chose a famous song, did it justice, and performed well enough to earn a berth in the next round. I don’t think he will because…
Daryl Brunt is in this competition. Ah, to be a young teenage girl. Canadians seem to have a love affair with these young guys and Darryl is cut from the same cloth as Kalan Porter. I can guarantee he moves on. While I preferred Stephane’s performance, Daryl would be my third choice and so I wouldn’t be too disappointed to see him in the next round.
I liked Melody’s All In Love Is Fair, Ashley’s Colors of the Wind and Dianelys’ Summertime. I just think they were put in the wrong group. I look forward to seeing them on the wild card show.
I will be at the live results show tomorrow night at 8 PM and will be back to file a report on the two contestants that are moving on to the next round.
