It’s country week, and the over/under for “cheating” on song selection is 3. You have to figure that Eva will be doing so, and I have to think that two of Steffi/Chad/Craig will be doing some sort of country-turned-pop song. It’s at the point where I wonder why they even bother with this genre, unless it’s meant to showcase/expose Tyler.
Whatever. Last week, Ashley probably could have sang “Fever” and still would’ve been eliminated. I’m sure that some voters are still crying over her departure though. Also, I managed to spot Murtz in the crowd. Self High-Five! Five singers remain. Canadian Idol starts… now.
Opening Credits
We are back in the Bassett Theatre in Toronto, ON. Ben Mulroney is here to tell us that we’ll get a little (a miniscule bit) Country grammar with the Idols and this week’s mentor, Martina McBride. They even went to Nashville! And back for yet another week are the judges Curt Hennig, Kendall Windham, Bobby Duncam, Jr. and Curly Joe.
Question/mic check time
Jake – Any country song can be sung with an acoustic guitar and a great voice.
Sass – (Martina McBride) is beloved by her peers.
Flex – Country music is a composite (of styles).
Zack – Regardless of theme the singers must break through as themselves.
And now, the Top Five. And because we’ve got one hour, here’s Elena Juatco’s voice and a video feature called “A Week in the Life”.
Eva Avila is first this week, and she’s singing Dolly Parton’s “Here Ya Come Again”, which was her first crossover hit. (0/1)
Jake – Last week we got to see you sing a song you really like, this week we got to see some of your personality.
Sass – You’re just getting better and better and better.
Flex – Seeing a sweet balance of grace and confidence, and it’s moving you forward very nicely.
Zack – For me, it sounded hard around the edges. You made it into a Bert Bacharach kind of classic, and I dig it.
Eva starts out on the steps, moves into the audience, and sings in front of the judges’ table before finally emerging back onto the stage. There are some theatrics to it (especially with the eyes), but it understated and I wish Steffi would do that (although to be fair, that wouldn’t be Steffi). Eva also looks hot, but that’s pretty much a given. It’s a great way to start the show though. 6.5/10
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Tyler Lewis is up now, and he’s singing Elvis. But Elvis isn’t really country (although country can probably trace his roots to him). Still, Dwight Yoakum sang “Suspicious Minds”, so I guess it counts (1/2)
Sass – That was insane.
Flex – I’m no Farley Pride (2 minutes for bad punning) but your kinfolk should be real proud.
Zack – I see you as a hybrid. For me that was completely credible.
Jake – You did not disappoint.
Zzzzzzzzz… oh, he’s done? Great. Man, did that lack energy or what? Sass was right – that was insane. Insanely boring. 4/10
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Craig Sharpe has also decided to sing Elvis. But he’s going mellow, singing “Always On My Mind”, which indeed was a bona fide hit by Willie Nelson (1.5/3).
By the way, if the songs seem to be longer, it’s because they are – the singers are going around 2’30” as opposed to the 1’30” of the previous shows.
Hey, Emmanuel “Choke” Sandhu is in the audience! Why are they showing him during Craig’s performance?
Flex – Biggest thing was the maturity you showed.
Zack – It’s kinda like Michael Jackson-style country. Felt it, but want it to be as big and obnoxious as me… or Jake… or Farley.
Jake – Two weeks in a row I’ve told you that I didn’t feel ya. I think Martina put it into your head that you need to (create a connection).
Sass – She makes a corny Craig joke, but loves Craig.
In contrast to Tyler, the singing of the Elvis song was much better. I think that this is because this song is easier to “make your own”, while “Suspicious Minds” is so very Elvis that there has to be a bit of Elvis in it. It also had to not be boring, but I think I may have mentioned that about Tyler’s performance already. As for Craig, it was a good rebound from last week. 6.5/10
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Now it’s time for Steffi “I like her, honest I do” D, and she’s chosen Nancy Sinatra’s “These Boots Are Made For Walkin'” which was covered by Loretta Lynn and Billy Ray Cyrus (?) (2.5/4), but also known for Jessica Simpson’s video, which just might be the Worst Video Ever featuring a Chick in a Bikini:
The director? Brett Ratner.
Zack – It’s very cornpone. I think it’s kinda fun.
Jake – For what it’s worth, every week I think “what is Steffi going to do tonight?” Didn’t he say that last week?
Sass – That was one of my favourite performances of yours.
Flex – That was sexy, sultry, sassy and oh so Steffi.
First let me say that the song choice is very Steffi. And this was, vocally, the least theatrical we’ve seen Steffi, which is ironic because the song had the potential to be her most theatrical performance. That’s not to say that it wasn’t, but at least this time Steffi made things fit within the context of the song. 6.5/10
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Our final performer is Chad Doucette, who is singing Gordon Lightfoot’s “If You Could Read My Mind”, which I thought was more folk than country, but apparently it counts (2.5/5).
Hey, it’s hockey legend Mike Bossy!
Jake – I love watching you sing. You capture the sentiment of the words better than anybody on the show.
Sass – You’ve got a signature song and I love your voice.
Flex – When I listen to the radio and I hear your voice I’ll know it automatically. Wicked.
Zack – Like everybody else, I forgot I was here. (This was actually a compliment).
This is the kind of performance we don’t hear Chad do enough – he’s got a great voice but when he insists on making things “too Chad” it comes off as really awful. This week, it was subtle and enough to make it the best performance of the night. 8/10
We have time left for the Name Brand Cereal recap and now… it’s time to vote. Hit it Rockapella!
