This week our Australian Idol hopefuls were ready to rock, with the help of special guest mentors Kirk Pengilly and Tim Farriss of INXS. Kirk also stepped behind the judge’s desk to offer his advice on the performances.
Luke Dickens is one of those performers who’s made to rock, and perhaps that’s why I was a little disappointed this week. “Are You Gonna Go My Way” is a fantastic song, but it was slightly underdone here. Maybe it was just lacking in those soul undertones? Once he stepped away from the microphone it definitely kicked up a notch, but it was all just OK for me.
When I heard Thanh Bui was doing Linkin Park’s “Shadow of the Day” I was a bit nervous for him, simply because I think Linkin Park are whiny and annoying. Thankfully this wasn’t. I was pleasantly surprised by this, although again it wasn’t anything that wowed me.
Sophie Paterson chose “Ana’s Song” and it was the first time I really cared tonight. Perhaps it’s because it came from such a personal place, but I thought this was very convincing. There were some pitchy parts, but the emotional intensity carried it through.
Teale Jakubenko chose one of my favourite songs, “Slide” by The Goo Goo Dolls. There wasn’t anything revolutionary here, but I think the awesomeness of the song chose through. Of course I’m kind of biased when it comes to this song, but I had great fun.
Roshani Priddis left soul behind to tackle “The Pretender” by the Foo Fighters. There were some pitchy moments here and there, but I love the way she embraced the genre. She worked hard to perform the pants off it and give it all the energy it needed. She held nothing back, and that’s what rock is all about.
Wes Carr followed in the footsteps of one of the great rock bands, U2, with his version of “Desire.” Honestly, I’m one of the few people in the world who don’t actually like U2, so that might cloud how much I enjoyed it. In terms of song choice, it wasn’t my favourite, but he was an absolute rock star. I loved his energy and intensity in terms of performance.
Chrislyn Hamilton took on No Doubt’s modern classic “Don’t Speak.” I hated the first half of it to be honest, and I think that was mostly due to the arrangement. The arrangement never really picked up, but Chrislyn has such an intensity that it made it easy to forget about the music behind her. She is so gutsy and genuine and real, and that shone through despite the song’s flaws.
Mark Spano showed a return to form with the Kings of Leon hit “Sex on Fire.” I was relieved, because he was really flatlining. I haven’t seen him this committed in a long while. Everything was just as it should have been, and I ate it up.
Another fantastic night from our Idols makes it really tough to guess who’ll be the one to go. My pick is probably Thanh or perhaps Teale, but I really hope Mr Jakubenko manages to stick around a little longer.