The second night of the Australian Idol semis opened with the announcement of our first two finalists. It looks like I was right. Australia fell in love with the soul stylings of Stan Walker and country girl Kate Cook.
Ashleigh Toole opened the show with Christina Aguilera’s “Hurt.” I’m not a fan of Christina, especially when done on the Idol stage. But wow. She made me forget about all the people who’ve performed this song in an overly emotional and cloying way. It was vulnerable and believable and lovely.
Adam Eckersley was up next with the big rock chick anthem, “All Fired Up.” It was a solid rendition, but it didn’t really take off beyond that for me. And at this point of the competition, I think you really need to break into the stratosphere to distinguish yourself. It needed a little more grit and passion. And perhaps a guitar would have helped. Security blanket or not, he seemed a little aimless up there without it.
Marijana Topalovic took on one of my favourite songs, “It Must Have Been Love” by Roxette. I’ve said many times that Idol needs more power ballads, but not like this. I’m not sure how she managed to suck all the power out of the power ballad, but she did it. Instead of being forceful and gutwrenching, it was simply pleasant. That also equates to boring. She hasn’t had a lot of screen time, so she really needed to pull something out tonight. And she didn’t.
Lauren Street gave us a gutwrenching rendition “You Oughta Know.” It’s a song that really needs you to commit, and she did that and then some. She gave it everything she had, and you can’t ask for any more than that. It was a little shouty in places, but it was genuine and honest. What a way to take advantage of a second chance at the title.
Casey Barnes is one of my favourite singers in the competition, and Rob Thomas is one of my favourite singers in the world. It should have been a winning combination, but it wasn’t. That song has so much grit and angst, and it just felt like he was coasting through it. Because of that it just wasn’t convincing to me at all. What a disappointment.
Nathan Brake closed the show with “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me.” I was enthralled and captivated from start to finish. For me it was the performance of the finals. So I was pretty shocked when he got slammed for it! From where it sit, the semi finals aren’t the time to step out of the comfort zone. You’re showing the public what comes naturally to you. He did this brilliantly, and I’ll be amazed if it doesn’t put him through to the next round.
It’s a tough call to decide who will make it into the finals with Nathan, but my vote goes to Ashleigh. Although I’ll be really disappointed if Lauren doesn’t get another shot in the wild card round.