It’s a two-fer post: Windy City Kids meet the Mickey Mouse Club

Got to admit, peeps, I thought the 1^st two stops had much more bankable talent than this week’s sojourns into Tunesville. Could have been my frame of mind when watching. Could have been the producers holding back on some good stuff. Could have been not much to choose from. But when you see Bagpipes and Disney characters in a lot of shots, one kinda presumes that the talent might be a little lacking. Just sayin’…

Chi-town was touted as the largest stop on tour, with 12,000 hopefuls queuing up for the 15 seconds of fame. Our guest judge for this stop was Shania Twain and from what was presented, she appeared to be the most polite judge ever. Some are even calling for her to have a permanent seat at the judge’s table. I’ll reserve my remarks on that subject until I see what Ellen does later this season. Besides, Kara is still my gal – she’s knowledgeable, talented and knows how to play with the big boys. Love her! Anyway, let’s get back to how the talent stacked up:

Katelyn Epperly

pretty girl with a pretty voice and a pretty good backstory. Thank God the 1st one was good this week.

Amy Lang

Broadway baby and a Seacrest stalker. Less shtick and more singing, please. She actually could sing but killed her chances by going over the top.

Charity Vance

they are growing them younger this year. I like this kid – wrong choice of song but a young, sweet voice that she didn’t push on a big old diva tune. Might have a good chance in Hollywood.

Angela Martin

3rd time around and last shot because of her advanced age (that is, if you consider 28 OLD!). She still sounds great and should go to the top 24 this year unless she gets hit by a car or something.

Curly Newbern

I hate in guys try to sing higher than I do. I’ve never seen Simon laugh out loud before but he did this time. Buh-bye

Alannah Halbert

Clueless. Period.

Brian Krause

Tiny Tim???? I think I might have seen everything now on AI. Ugh.

Harold Davis

no relation to Sammy for sure (if you’re asking ‘Sammy who?’ you’re too young). Too rough around the edges and couldn’t take it like a man

Chantelle Graczkowski

one hot mess

John Park

smooth, easy singer with a nice bottom register. Should make a good showing in Hollywood after flirting with the lady judges.

Paige Dechausse

Ambitious song selection but she put her own spin on it. Pitch was a bit sloppy but she’s got some chops. Maybe she should have waited another year but let’s see what she can do from here.

Justin Ray

a bit of a screamer with a bad hair do.

Keith Semple

Definitely a Bryan Adams clone.

Marcus Jones

just ok. Guess we had to have some men…

While there were only 10,000 IDOL wannabes in Orlando, the best of the rest had to contend with a slightly hung over male judging team that could not abide the female bonding of Kara and guest judge Kristin Chenoweth, a personal favorite of this Broadway baby. She can sing rings around most vocalists these days and that’s probably what irked Simon the most because she knew what she was talking about. I loved seeing her on the small screen but I wasn’t too wowed by the rest of what I heard:

Theo Glinton

What is that???? Too over the top for my taste. That must be some tee shirt they kept blurring out, too. He could be on Broadway but not on AI.

Seth Rollins

the old standards are the best for showing off a good voice and this dude has a nice, smooth sound. I hope he can step it up in Hollywood.

Jermaine Perifoy

again with an old standard and they really do impress in an audition. Might do well in Hollywood but not a slam-dunk for beyond.

Shelby Dressel

what God take away in one place He gives back in another -great vocal production within her limitations and a winning personality. I like her and hope she does well in Hollywood.

Jay Stone

Blake Lewis he is NOT. Sorry. Won’t last past Hollywood I’m sure.

Janell Wheeler

A little bit country on a difficult song – not bad, but not too impressed.

Brittany Starr James

Decent r&b stylings but not very original. Won’t last the week in Hollywood.

Kasi Bedford

Too rough around the edges but they seemed to liked her – what do I know…

Cornelius Edwards

Splits and rips will get you to Hollywood every time. Not sure about the voice, though.

Bernadette & Amanda DeSimone

A sister act from the Jersey Shore – #1 was decent/#2 was trying too hard. Neither really deserved Hollywood, imho.

Jarrod Norrell

problem child for sure – ‘nuf said.

Matt Lawrence

A bank robber? Seriously? That’s a novel backstory. Very convincing blues singer with a really good voice – strong yet not screaming. I hope he makes it to the Top 24.

Let’s hope the next two stops are more memorable. If not, I might be a little concerned with the lack of real talent this season – and the show needs a strong showing this time out if it expects to survive without the Brit next year. Piers Morgan as replacement, anyone?

Catch you later!

A lukewarm night in Hotlanta…and pick up your pants, will ya?

**Note: Because of my changing and unusual work schedule I might not get to post my reviews immediately after each episode. Please don’t hate me for that. Just keep on checking back to the blog and I’ll get them up there in a day or two. Thanks for understanding!

Night two of the AI Season 9 auditions finds us back in the city that brought us Clay, Fantasia and Jennifer Hudson. Other than the quick shot of the guy in the sumo suit I had high hopes for the talent at this venue. I discovered quickly that this would not be another banner year for this otherwise fruitful stop on the AI audition train.

Here’s what I heard and saw from my red comfy couch on this evening:

Dewone Robinson – are all the first auditioners going to suck this year? Oh Laty….laty…it’s over…go away now…

Keia Johnston – a little bit of a screamer but a nice overall sound. Won’t get past Hollywood, however. Needs help in the wardrobe department for sure.

Miriam Lemnouni – a Faith Hill clone that should quickly get dismissed in Hollywood’s first round.

Noel Reese – a bright sounding Whitney Houston clone. Another first round dismissal.

Tisha Holland – is this her second time around? Actually, after consulting the AI website, she’s been down this road a couple of times before so that’s why she looked familiar to me. However, this time her soulful and warm vocals got her the golden ticket. Now let’s see what she can do in Hollyweird.

Jermaine Sellers – this year’s Danny Gokey is a very smooth and skillful singer. Should make it through Hollywood unless he hits a huge bump, like not being able to sing well with others.

Christy Marie Agronow – don’t quit your day job, honey, ‘cuz you’re already on TV. That may have been a poor career move as well.

Vanessa Wolfe – has a definite Dolly Parton vibe to her and a decent voice. Great poor girl backstory – a Tennessee Eliza Doolittle. Hubby likes her a lot – I just hope she can survive Hollywood. But she is what this show is really all about – finding raw talent.

Jesse Hamilton – bad luck, bad teeth and I could smack Mary J. Blige for laughing so much. In fact, they all lose points, including the production folks, for their treatment of this simple chap. I hate these auditions the most.

Holly Harden – it’s Kellie Pickler 2.0! (ugh!) but she actually has quite a good voice. Another good ol’ country girl that I hear did NOT make the Hollywood cut. Oh well…

Lathan Davenport – I thought this one was a girl until I looked a little closer to the name. Ouch!

Hansel Enriquez – what’s with this dude’s name? (Does he have a sister named…never mind…) Nasal and no hope for advancement.

Blake Smith – Miss Spears may have changed his life but not for the better.

Mallorie Haley – definitely a country version of Janis Joplin and I kinda like it because she wasn’t screaming the lyrics. Hollywood bound and I hope she can stick it out because I would like to hear more from her.

Antonio “Skiiboski” Wheeler – he walks the talk but he’s so full of himself that he gets in his own way. I’m with the Brit on this one. I hope Hollywood trips him up big time.

Lauren Sanders – too soft and shallow a voice for this competition

Carmen Turner – a Kelly Clarkson clone with a limited vocal range – she won’t last long in Hollywood.

Bryan Walker – a singing cop backstory – he scared me a little when he said he was singing a la Ruben but he has pretty good chops. A little too much vocal calisthenics for me but he might just do well in Hollywood

Lamar Royal – a very angry singer who looks waay older than his is. I also hate it when they can’t take constructive criticism.

General Larry Platt – a very funny end to the night and probably going to be a very popular You Tube video. We should see him reprise his song at the finals.

OK, that’s my take on this group. Who do YOU think has a chance so far to GO.ALL.THE.WAY? Drop me a comment and let’s get the discussion going! Later, Idolites!

Ok…I return and Simon decides to leave…what gives?

Happy New Idol Season, folks!

I had planned to be back in the blogging saddle earlier than this but yet again my best laid plans were interrupted by real life and God’s will.  I’ve learned not to argue with either of those two realities so I’m simply happy to be back giving my POV to all things Idol.  In any case, as I was preparing to watch tonight’s first installment I heard the news that my favorite Brit is leaving the show at the end of the season.  What gives?  First, Paula jumps ship and is replaced by Ellen DeGeneres (I’m still not over that – even though I couldn’t stand Paula’s antics and lack of concrete critique at least she was a musician of sorts).  Now the Brit decides he wants to make more $$$ selling and starring in his X Factor’s American franchise rather than sticking with the vehicle that made him who he is today.  And everyone is now tolling the death knell for the show itself – again.

Interesting timing, don’t you think?

Ya know, this could actually work out for AI in both the short and long run.  Everyone will want to tune in for Simon’s last season so that will keep ratings from slipping this year.  Then, everyone will want to see who gets chosen to replace him and how well (or not) said replacement will do in Season 10.  My two cents on who should fill the seat?  Perhaps one of the former IDOL contestants – either Clay Aiken or Justin Guarini would be an interesting choice – so that the once judged would now be in the position of judging the next generation.    How Ellen does this year will also factor in on the judging equation so at least there will be plenty to talk about this year.

Speaking of plenty to talk about, let’s get to tonight’s first auditioners.   As I’ve done in the past, I will give you my uncensored impressions as I wrote them while watching the show from the confines of my comfy couch.  The “darling hubby” (DH) was watching with me and sharing his views as well so you might see those comments here and there.  My two dogs didn’t lift their heads from slumber at all during the show so no one was totally terrible to get their attention.   

So, from my neck of the woods ( I actually live an hour from Boston), here’s what I heard and saw this first IDOL night:

1 -Janet  McNamara // pull up those jeans up, girlfriend, because we almost had embarrassing butt-cleavage.  I just knew that she was gonna be a trainwreck from the word GO.  Too bizzaro for me. Buh-bye!

2 – Maddy Curtis // “tug at your heart strings” back story.  Only 16 year old but she’s  got a sweet voice and demeanor to match with a little bit of soul as well.  Off to Hollywood with her!

3 – Pat Ford // Ok,  a GLEE geek if I ever saw one – complete with bad riser choreography.  Not happening here.

4 – Jennifer Herch //she has a nice jazz feel to her voice – loved the unusual version of  “Ding Dong the Witch is Dead”

5 – Claire Fuller // strong country sounding vocals but could be a forgettable performance

6 – Jess Wolfe — soulful voice with good control. I wouldn’t mind hearing more from her

7 – Amadeo DiRocco // this gumba is from Providence, go figure – (looked more like Johnston to me and I was correct!) – he’s actually pretty good – a little affected but a good strong voice – Hollywood won’t know what hit it…

8 – Derek Hilton //  white guy can’t sing like black guy trying to sing a gay Brit’s song – that may not have been politically correct but it is a pretty accurate assessment of what I heard.

9 – Mere Doyle // ok, screaming is NOT my cup of tea and I’d love to talk with her vocal coaches about that audition.

10 – Luke Shaffer // 1st guy tonight with some real vocal chops.

11 – Ben Bright // nice, old school vocals

12 – Andrew Fenlon // too much ‘tude for me – Simon & Kara had every right to get in his face – trying to be Michael Buble and failing miserably – and yet he was totally clueless as to why he didn’t make it.  Needs to buy an attitude adjustment or enroll in a charm school course.

13 – Bill Bloom // uh, no.  Just no.

14 – Michael Ryan // musical theatre geek in the negative sense of the term – NO

15 – Ashley Rodriguez // big, solid soulful sound with definite commercial value.   She could be a contender

16 – Tyler Grady // white boy with soul – BIG surprise – retro hip with a good voice to match and very polite, too.  I liked this one.

17 -  Lisa Oliveira // I had a vision of this chick not going to Hollywood – by the way, she mispronounced the town where she is from (Bill-er-ric-ca??).  Not a real New Englander, if you ask me.

18 – Ryan Keane – ouch

19 – Mike Davis // he’s got the Bahston accent down, that’s for sure – a little rough in the  pitch department to start but he settled down and actually grew on me.

20 – Katie Stevens // another touching back story.  It’s a  young voice with lots of different colors and she’s 1/2 Portuguese, too!  That gets points in my book.  She’s one to keep an eye on.

21 – Joshua Blaylock // thin but good country vocal sound.  Also a very likable guy.

22 – Justin Williams // Another LDS boy with a good back story who was also in the top 50 last year.  However I do LOVE  this guy’s voice!!!!!  Was the talk of Twitter this evening so that should help him.

23 – Norberto Guerrero // what’s with the hair, dude? – weird, surreal voice (DH said it was like fingernails on a blackboard)

24 – Bosa Mora // easy listening voice – a little lacking in the stage presence department but that could be fixed by Hollywood.

25 – Leah Laurenti // one big, old voice with lots of control and color. I would watch this one very closely, however she needs more stage presence and confidence if she wants to succeed.

There you have it – my first review of the new season.  Can I keep up with the pace?  How long will it take me to write my next installment since I can’t watch it live tomorrow night?  How many times will Simon and I agree this season?  Can I ever agree with Ellen?  Will my gal Kara keep raising the bar for both contestants and judges?

You gotta come back for those answers and more!  See ya!

Congrats to KRIS ALLEN!! The “Dark Horse” winner of American Idol 8!!

I know. I haven’t been around since last summer and I show up on AI8 finale night to finally chat up with y’all. Well, things have been very strange and crazy since last August. The short list of changes has been:

Mom in and out of hospital
I changed jobs (this one is the best of the last 8 years)
Hubby lost his job

May not seem like much but all this happened concurrently over the last 5 months and put a major crimp in my AI viewing time. Needless to say I had to miss chatting with you all about the BEST SEASON OF IDOL EVER!

Sad.

Anyway, I hope to revive my little corner of the Idol world in the weeks to come now that real life seems to have become a bit more calm. Sure, Season 8 is history but IDOL never really ends. There’s much to talk about until the Season 9 auditions begin so stay tuned and check back in about a week or two to see what I come up with. I’ll try to keep you entertained, amused and informed until January – and try not to let real life stand in my way of being Stuck in Idol with all of you.

See you soon!
J

CI6: The Top 5 sing the Fab 4

Another “down and dirty” Idol review this week, peeps, (I’m away from home and doing this on the fly), and it was the BEST Beatles show with spot on judges’ picks and some great performances. It’s gonna be a tight race to the finish since all the contestants are finally bringing their “A” games. Here’s what I saw on the laptop for this week (and might just watch again — it was THAT good!):

Earl Stevenson

With A Little Help From My Friends

Well if the “curse of the first” holds up, we should be saying “buh bye” to this boy finally! I will note that he actually sounded pretty good this week by channeling the Joe Cocker version of the song and he kept the stage prowling down to a respectable minimum so that actually could work in his favor. Great…NOT! I want him gone so I’ll predict some bottom dwelling for this boy this week.

Mookie Morris

Come Together

The more I see and hear this boy, he sure does remind me of a mellower Steven Tyler (who also covered this song with Aerosmith) but with the same stage charisma that draws the audience in. He has proven each week that he knows how to present the oldies to a new generation but his fan base is a trifle fickle. He also received the strangest judges’ comment of the night — “…a jumbo pot of umm, umm good?” Sass is as bad as Simon – what does that mean? Should be safe but one never knows.

Theo Tams

The Long and Winding Road

Perfect song choice for the piano man but, IMHO, it was just a tad over the top. No matter. Great vocals, great delivery, and — have you noticed — he’s getting that Idol makeover BIG time! This one is still my pick to GO.ALL.THE.WAY! Should be safe if Canada knows what’s good for them!

Mitch MacDonald

In My Life

Another perfect song choice for this high pitched honey and it quite the risk to do the first verse with minimal backup. He truly is a good, solid performer and very comfortable on stage. Good for him, even though I’m still not that keen on his sound. I think he just might go another week but I can’t be sure.

Drew Wright

While My Guitar Gently Weeps

I usually like this young man but a grunge version of this song just didn’t do it for me. Good vocals, not much screaming, fine guitar weeping but I guess I am more partial to the original. But, since the judges were all over him with accolades I will defer to them and say that he just might avoid the bottom this week. Who knew?

With all that said and done, I’ll declare that my choices to occupy the bottom of the totem pole this week are:

Earl Stevenson (because I’ve had enough of his theatrics) and

Mitch MacDonald (because his song wasn’t as flashy as the others and that might dissuade some voters)

with “das boot” going to Earl Stevenson just because I want him gone, gone, GONE! Will I be happy or sad this week? We’ll see…

Carry on!

J

CI 6 – The Results: Amberly gets ambushed!

One unhappy camper here, people!

The last woman standing on Canadian Idol has been dismissed before hitting the Top 5 and this American is definitely crying “foul!”  She certainly was not the worst in the vocal department this week and her performance was more outgoing and natural than in weeks prior.  So what happened?

Two things:  first, whoever suggested that outfit and look for her was dead WRONG!  While Zack’s comment was a tad over the top, it showed that the look casted a dark pall over her performance and I guess Canada felt that to be true.  Second, it’s another case of the curse of going first — with at least two other strong performances and a surprisingly good showing from our friend from NS, Amberly was all but forgotten because she didn’t stand out enough.  It’s too bad that this very talented vocalist could only make it to sixth place.

With five guys left and the Beatles songbook being tackled next week, this should prove interesting…

Carry on!

J

CI6: Top 6 Week: Simply Canadian

Sorry I’m a little late with my reviews this week but my normal Canadian video junkie was out of commission and I had to scramble and find a new supplier. Good thing I hit pay dirt at You Tube and was able to see the show but not in the correct order of performance. I was able to figure out who went first and last but the rest are a toss up so if you are one of my OCD fans, I apologize for the disorganization.

Anyway, it was a celebration of Canadian artists this week with Simple Plan as the mentors. They seemed like a decent group who wanted to help our contestants succeed and I think they must have given them some good advice because most of them appeared to up their game. I can’t say enough how much I’m enjoying CI and it’s very eclectic musical themes this summer. I don’t think I can look at AI again without noticing the BIG differences between them and wishing they’d get their act together.

So, without further ado, here’s the view from my trusty laptop this week with many thanks to another great Canadian poster:

Amberly Thiessen – 1, 2, 3, 4 (Feist)

I haven’t heard Brooke White sing this on the AI tour yet so this was a preview of the song for me. While not enamored with the piece, I thought this was the best performance this little lady has given so far in the competition. She looked relaxed and joyful, her voice was clear as a bright bell and she worked the stage well instead of hiding behind her guitar. I didn’t like how they dressed her and made her up to be a pop tart because I believe the “girl-next-door” vibe works for her so I hope this transformation doesn’t lose votes instead of gain them. Should NOT be in the bottom three but she did go first so ya never know. BTW, I think Zach is auditioning for Simon’s spot on the American show when he leaves…Elvira? Please. She didn’t look THAT bad.

Drew Wright – That Song (Big Wreck)

This one wants to be Canada’s answer to David Cook for sure. It was an OK performance, vocals were good when he wasn’t screaming over the band, but I felt he was concentrating too much on his playing the guitar and not enough in entertaining the audience. I’m not sure his cherub good looks are going to carry him unscathed to the Top 5 so look for him in the bottom three this week.

Theo Tams – Sweet Ones (Sarah Slean)

Other than the “lounge lizard” velvet jacket (which made him look a little cheesy), that was another great performance. The vocals (with just a hint of growl) were spot on, his musical treatment of the song was driving in places and “come hither” in others and I have to agree with the boys from Simple Plan, he makes singing and playing look effortless. If he’s not safe this week, Canada is just not as hip as I think they are. This boy is my pick for the top spot, definitely.

Mitch MacDonald - Love This Town (Joel Plaskett?)

Definitely an indie performer for sure, he does very well in his own genre but his vocal tone can be grating. Not tonight, however. It fit the song and he kept it simple so the performance was very sincere and likable. A props for choosing a song almost no one was familiar with. This could buy him another week in the competition and I’d like to see him stay after many weeks of calling for his departure. Good job.

Earl Stevenson – Little Bones (The Tragically Hip)

I guess I’m not hip because I just don’t GET this guy (and I really liked Taylor Hicks)! He sings OK but he always looks like he’s been hitting the bong before each performance. I like my Idols a tad more serious about what they’re doing and I just don’t understand WHY the judges love him to death. Canada, do me a favor? Send this boy home packing. I just can’t take him anymore.

Mookie Morris – Magic Carpet Ride (Steppenwolf)

I liked the scratching vibe that was added to this classic rock song and this boy definitely had the charisma to pull it off and draw the crowd in. I wasn’t as sold on his vocals because I thought they weren’t as good as I’ve heard him to be and I think that might hurt him with some of the more savvy voters. He needs more time to grow vocally but he’s got the performing side of it down pat.

So, the bottom dwellers for this week would have to be:

Mookie, (because he needs more work vocally and this IS a singing competition, isn’t it?)

Drew (because he tried too hard with the vocals)

and Earl, (for being just too Earl-ish this week)

with “das boot” probably going to Drew Wright because Canada doesn’t have the ***** to get rid of Earl or Mookie just yet. However, don’t be surprised if Mitch goes home because voters just might be done with him at this point. We shall soon see if I’m correct…or not…

Carry on!

J

CI 6: “The British are coming…and it’s not unusual for Canadians, I suppose…”

This is one of my quick, down-and-dirty reviews so let’s just get to it. With Sir Tom Jones giving them some sage advice, it looked and sounded to me that most of them listened and tried to switch it up a little this week.

So, how did I rate the contestants this week? Here are my observations, brought to you again from my trusty laptop and my equally reliable Canadian video supplier:

Mark Day - Bleeding Love (Leona Lewis)

Odd choice for an odd personality but he does sing rather well and actually did a decent job vocally. The performance was a little flat for me and I felt that while he did a good job vocally he really didn’t connect with the lyrics. Going first is usually the kiss of death so expect to see him among the bottom feeders this week and could be going home.

Mitch MacDonald - Jealous Guy (John Lennon)

For weeks I’ve had this guy pegged to leave and he’s still here – wassup with that? His voice IS unique but it’s just not my cup of tea and while his performances have always been high charged they just fall flat with me. Nice enough guy but with a less than enthusiastic reception from the judges this week, he just might make it to the bottom three — finally!

Drew Wright – Creep (Radiohead)

He sure is a versatile musician and singer but I just did NOT enjoy this particular song choice. I’m sure it appealed to the younger set but I felt it did nothing to show off either his personality or his true vocal abilities. Since the judges loved that he “brought it” to the stage this week, he should remain safe for yet another week.

Theo Tams – You Had Me (Joss Stone)

Three words: The. Complete. Package. And this boy was worried about working the stage? That was one killer performance with the requisite matching vocal to tie it up in a nice big bow. If this kid isn’t safe no one is! He is the one to beat for sure.

Mookie Morris – Lola (The Kinks)

This child is so retro and while it does work for him, he is still very young and needs a lot more vocal training. His lower register was very rough but when he kicked it up an octave it kicked butt big time. He won’t win the competition but he just might have enough life in him to make it to the Top 5. However, he could still be bottom dwelling this week but he probably won’t go home yet.

Amberly Thiessen – Put Your Records On (Corrine Bailey Rae)

I just love her voice — sweet, easy on the ears but quietly powerful all at the same time. This was a good song choice for her and getting out from behind the guitar was just what she needed to let her personality shine a little bit. She needed to change things up at this point and hopefully this will keep her out of the bottom three because she needs to be in the Top3 for sure.

Earl Stevenson – Change the World (Eric Clapton)

Dr. Strangelove gets the pimp spot this week and with a weak song choice and an equally strange performance he might just make the bottom three this week, if I could have anything to say about it. However, the judges are just so in love with him I have a feeling he’ll be safe yet again. Rats. Maybe I’m just too old to get where this guy is coming from and I definitely don’t want anything he might be smoking.

My choices for the cellar dwellers this week? They would have to be:

Mark, (for going first and being just a pitch off pitch)

Mitch (for a truly flat performance)

and Earl, (for really not living up to his usual hype this week – the performance was blah even for him)

with “das boot” probably going to Mark Day because I just believe his time is up in this competition. We heard the judges name four of the ones to beat and while there were no surprises there, Mark just doesn’t fit the profile they are looking for. Tomorrow night can’t come soon enough for me…

Carry on!

J

CI 6: Top 8 Results…and what a surprise!

Well, Canada got it right — even if it was a week late. Ladies, I’m sorry but Sebastian deserved to go. He did well enough to get into the Top 24 but after that it was a hit or miss effort with more misses than hits. I’m not sorry to see him go however I think he has a future if he rejoins his brother Oliver and they take their act on the road. Having been on CI will give them a renewed fan base and should open a few doors for them. Not a bad deal for a few weeks of TV exposure.

The bottom three were right on this week as well and I guess my own bias against Mitch is just coloring my predictions. I think that’s why I threw in Mark at the last moment because I felt he might not get enough votes due to his lack of real musical spark. Good voice, yes — showmanship, in spades — but Canadian Idol? Not so much. Both he and Mookie should be due to leave in the next two weeks — I hope.

Next week it’s the British Invasion lead by none other than SIR TOM JONES himself! All I can remember is my Mom playing his albums (that’s what we called them once upon a time) ad nausea with yours truly knowing all the words to both Delilah and It’s Not Unusual by the time I was nine.

But that’s another blog for another time…see ya next week!

J

CI 6: Top 8 Unplugged Week…and this blogger is getting sleepy…

I apologize for not getting this review done last night but I when I found myself falling asleep over my laptop after the sixth singer, I knew I had to get some sleep and finish it in the morning. Not that “Unplugged Night” was boring, because it wasn’t, but I hate trying to rush my comments just to be timely in my posting. Sometimes a good thing is worth waiting for…

Anyway, I suppose I’m just old enough NOT to know who Gavin Rossdale is but he seemed like a decent guy and I’ll be looking forward to hearing and seeing what he can do on the results show. The contestants didn’t demonstrate anything better or worse during their unplugged solo – just more of the same that they can do. It is that point in the competition for someone or two to start breaking out but that hasn’t happened — yet.

So, without further ado or falling sleep, here’s what I spied on my laptop from the land up north for this week:

Sebastian Pigott – Lucille (Little Richard)

He obviously likes the real bluesy oldies and I’ll give him props for a mean harmonica solo. His charisma has been carrying him for the last few weeks but this week he seems to have channeled his inner musician and came out with a half way decent performance. I can tell the Zack wants him gone and, frankly, so do I but I don’t see him going anytime soon. Should be on the bubble, particularly since he went first, but I doubt it.

Earl Stevenson – Two (Ryan Adams)

Ok, he was better this week but that was because he sat and played guitar the entire time. I just don’t get it, however – the judges gush all over him and I can’t hear or appreciate what they are digging. He just doesn’t do it for me – the voice is gravely but passable, he plays guitar well enough but I just don’t see the “specialness” about him. He’ll continue to be safe because I guess the Canadians like him a lot.

Mark Day - Stay (Sugarland)

For all of his tomfoolery he happens to have one of the better voices in this competition and tonight he chose a song that fit his voice and played it absolutely straight. He has the Newfoundland/Labrador vote locked in, along with that dastardly VFTW following, but this week he would have earned my vote if I could vote — and that means he done real good with both the vocals and the interpretation. Might be bubble bound but I wouldn’t pit him there.

Mitch MacDonald - Oh, Atlanta (Alison Krauss)

Well his performance this week was so good IMHO that I was able to forget all about his annoying vocals for once and get into the music. But it figures — I liked him and the judges trashed him. He wanted to represent his area and I think he succeeded. Bubble bound if the judges have any real

Amberly Thiessen – The Way I Am (Ingrid Michaelson)

Very animated, solid vocal stylings and no guitar – I really like this “last woman standing” and musically she deserves to remain in this competition to the bitter end. I don’t get why she was a bottom dweller last week but I truly hope she is not there again tomorrow. I totally agree with Flex that she has been picking great songs for her vocal abilities (I did question the Marley stuff from last week, however) and yet she seems to be struggling to find a fan base. Well, they’d better step it up and vote or she’ll be there again – or worse. Shouldn’t be anywhere near the bottom but this is Canada and they don’t seem to like the ladies this season.

Mookie Morris – Ophelia (The Band)

He is so retro it’s cool, I suppose. A very unique song choice but he seems to like the obscure oldies. He’s another boy I can’t warm up to but I will admit he’s better than Earl in my estimation. At 18 he’s musically mature for his age and yet he appeals to the teenage crowd. He’s been in the bottom before and could land there again but I don’t think he will this week. The performance was solid enough to buy him one more week.

Drew Wright – Sunday Morning (Maroon 5)

I’ve liked this boy from the beginning and if there is a dark horse it would be him. The vocals may not always be on par with others but he has managed to stay true to his pop self and brought it to the stage each week, this time being no different. I sometimes wonder of the judges are looking to make their money by having to come up with things to say each week in order to take the contestants down a peg or two. Safe does NOT equal boring most of the time and I didn’t find this singer boring at all. He worked the stage, he sang comfortably and mostly in tune and put his own spin on the song. Depending on how much the viewers at home agree with the male judges, he may not be as safe as I’d like him to be.

Theo Tams – Weak in the Knees (Serena Ryder)

IMHO the only true MUSICIAN in the bunch and that brand of training/gift carries through in every performance. Nice falsetto notes at the end without over-killing it (like some many others would be tempted to do), emotion charged interpretation without going over the top and good balance of singing and playing without either suffering for doing both. He would be my number one choice to GO-ALL-THE-WAY in this competition so if he’s not safe, no one else is.

So, curiously enough, after this set of performances I’m going with the same three bottom feeders this week that I chose last week: re:

Mitch, (no sure his song choice will play as well in Canada as it did with this American)

Sebastian (not sure he did enough this week to erase the last few attempts)

and Mookie, (I think his song choice was too “hip” for most)

with “das boot” probably going to Mitch MacDonald since the ladies are not about to give up on Sebastian yet – but I’d LOVE to be wrong on this one. There is an outside chance that Mark Day might have run his time out but that’s just a hunch I have as of this writing. Guess we’ll see soon enough…

Carry on!

J