After my final two prediction of Carly Rae Jepsen and Dwight d’Eon proving to be incorrect after the lobster fisherman was eliminated last week, all of my prognostication powers now rested in the hands of the singer from Mission, B.C. on Monday night.
The Canadian Idol semifinals began at 6:48 PM yesterday with the usual warm-up.
The show began and Ben Mulroney made sure that everybody in attendance knew that the finale was on the line with tonight’s performances. Each of the final three contestants would be performing two songs. One picked by the judges and one picked by fans in a viewer poll.
The host of the show asked the judges for their comments.
Sass talked about coaching the Idols this week and said that it was an “eye-opener” and quite a change from seeing them in the context of a TV show. Zack said that the kids were as diverse as Canada is. Farley talked about focus and Jake said that the voting public had more or less been right this year.
It was then time for the show to really begin.
Jaydee Bixby
Age: 16
Drumheller, AB
– Sang “Break It To Them Gently” by Burton Cummings / Gil Grand.
– In his opening video, Sass said that the best possible approach that Bixby could take is what he showed in the workshop.
– Jaydee sounded totally different on the song.
– It was good but definitely did not seem like ‘authentic Jaydee’ to me.
– The crowd seems to like it.
– I guess I have just become so used to Jaydee singing Elvis, that I didn’t know how to react to something so different.
– It was passable in my opinion, but definitely not as special as his performances in previous weeks.
– Jake: That’s the best thing that I have ever heard you do.
– Farley: Say happy birthday Mrs. Flex. You did a fantastic job.
– Sass: If you went and recorded that song, it would be a hit single.
– Zack: That is the real Jaydee as far as I am concerned.
Commercial.
Brian Melo
Age: 24
Hamilton, ON
– Sang “Whiter Shade Of Pale” by Procal Harem.
– In his opening video, Sass said that Brian had a presence and that performance was about experience.
– I found this piece of advice from Sass to be very interesting, because how can an Idol performance be about experience when it is supposed to be an amateur singing competition?
– It’s good.
– Has Brian ever delivered a bad performance on the show?
– Didn’t like how one of his big notes sounded.
– Melo is looking more and more like the winner, especially with the home province advantage.
– Nice ending to the song.
– Farley: You captured the essence of what it was.
– Sass: He’s a born performer, we love him too.
– Zack: Dude, you have got it.
– Jake: You didn’t disappoint me. I got chills.
Commercial.
After the break, Ben plugged Kalan Porter’s new album and performance on Tuesday’s show.
Carly Rae Jepsen
Age: 21
Mission, BC
– Sang “At Seventeen” by Janis Ian.
– Missed her opening video.
– Great lighting on the stage for the song.
– Amazing start to the song.
– Because it was a sad tune, Carly Rae got into character and didn’t smile at the crowd before she started.
– It was a phenomenal touch to the performance.
– Proving that she can sing with the best of them, as the song was almost acoustic in terms of how stripped down it was.
– Her voice took over the Bassett Theatre.
– Amazing.
– Sass: That was really perfect.
– Zack: Kalan Porter’s “Nature Boy” and Ryan Malcolm with “He Ain’t Heavy” delivered some great performances, but from an artistic standpoint and an emotional standpoint I don’t think either of those performances held a candle to what you just did.
– Jake: It’s the perfect song for you. You showed your vulnerability.
– Farley: With every note you sang, my heart was dropping lower and lower.
Commercial. The top three would sing the people’s choices after the break.
Jaydee Bixby
Age: 16
Drumheller, AB
– Sang “Ring Of Fire” by Johnny Cash.
– Immediately, I didn’t like the arrangement.
– Dilana performed this song on Rockstar: Supernova and it was one of the best performances I had ever seen.
– I was surprised that Jaydee didn’t bust out a guitar.
– When I interviewed him, he said that he had intentionally picked three songs for the public to vote on based on them all giving him a chance to play an instrument.
– I feel like Bixby missed the true meaning of the song since he sang it was such country gusto.
– Great dance moves.
– Jaydee is undoubtedly the best dancer remaining.
– He can sing, but if he could just master the meaning of the lyrics, I think he would be a flawless performer.
– Zack: I like you in that high register. You are much more than what people are writing you off to be.
– Jake: I would have loved to see you all in black, black hat and guitar.
– Farley: Best part was when you mounted your palomino.
– Sass: You had fun.
Commercial.
Brian Melo
Age: 24
Hamilton, ON
– Sang “Lightning Crashes” by Live.
– Very good performance.
– Not as good as “The Dolphin’s Cry” that he sang a couple of weeks ago, but still very good.
– Not perfect, but tied with Carly’s first song as the best of the night.
– I expected him to rock out a little more, but I felt he decided to go with a safer approach.
– Might be good strategy because a major mistake could cost a trip to the finale.
– Jake: Maybe one of the most explosive things ever on this show.
– Farley: Good job.
– Sass: The guy who sings that song, Ed Kowalczyk, he’s the biggest ham on the planet and you totally kicked his butt!.
– Zack: You sound super tired to me. The game is wide open after that performance.
Commercial.
Carly Rae Jepsen
Age: 21
Mission, BC
– Sang “White Flag” by Dido.
– Started song by sitting on couch, which was a nice touch.
– Invoking Avril Lavigne (who will be performing at the finale), with her outfit choice.
– Good.
– Odd arrangement.
– I liked her spin on it, but definitely not one of her best.
– I think she should have just kept the song in the same style as the arrangement.
– I liked it, but definitely not the most memorable close to the show that she is capable of.
– Farley: A real sense of understanding of the song.
– Sass: A stellar performance.
– Zack: She is what she is. Canada either gets it or they don’t. Personally, I get it!.
– Jake: Sang it really well. Came a little off the rails emotionally when you started dancing.
Recap.
End show.
An interesting night. I seriously do not know who will be going home. I believe that all are in trouble and for the first time this season, I am not making a prediction! I think that Brian will be in the finale… but I am not sure who he will be sitting beside.
On Tuesday’s expanded results show, there will be performances from Low Level Flight, Kalan Porter, and Hedley!
I’ll be back.
