It’s crunch time for our Australian Idol contestants with just a week to go until the grand finale. We were reminded of why our final three made it to the pointy end, with a medley of their finest moments, before one was sent home. Perhaps not surprisingly considered his brush with elimination just a couple of weeks ago, James Johnson was sent home.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWLhMVHnq_w]
Stan kicked off the night with a stunning version of The Bee Gees’ “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart.” In my opinion, Stan is at his best when he centers himself with these quiet songs. They allow him to focus on the vocals more without the dance moves compromising them as they tend to. This was right on the money.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dDCACojcmU]
Hayley Warner countered with Sneaky Sound System’s “UFO.” What a smart choice this way. While dance is a little out of her genre, the edgy quirkiness of Sneaky sound System meant this wasn’t too much of a stretch. She performed this with such genuine joy and the whole room (and perhaps the whole of Australia?) responded.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXSd_hwQSWg]
Stan was up next with his winner’s single “Black Box.” It was a good song – not one that jumped off the page really – but a good song. Stan brought what he could to it and made it a little more special than it might have been in the hands of a lesser artist.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZKOfDV2u-0]
Hayley Warner turned her hand to “For Once in My Life.” Honestly, I liked half of this. It seems like many Idols think all you need to do to make the song your own is slow it down, then sing it at speed. It’s getting a little repetitive and boring. The ballad section lost all of the bounce and joy this song encapsulates, so I didn’t really enjoy it until it kicked into that gear.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRlYsN963Kw]
Stan fired back by revisiting Beyonce: “Sweet Dreams” this time. This was probably his weakest performance of the night. There were a few patchy vocals, and it never really rocked me. That may be partly Beyonce’s fault. Somehow I don’t think anyone’s going to remember this song in five years, and I don’t think they’ll remember this performance either. I guess it was good for adding light and shade into proceedings, but it didn’t wow me.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zkwWfFN30c]
Hayley’s winner’s single “Good Day” came next, a song which in my opinion is vastly superior to Stan’s. It perfect for Hayley, with just the right amount of attitude and loaded with catchy hooks. This has hit written all over it.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJ2GONsNRJA]
Stan came back from the lacklustre “Sweet Dreams” with his performance of the night, a cover of “Superstar.” This was the wow I was looking for all night. While the previous performances were good, this was downright amazing. If only this was his winner’s single!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmFTJAq7eU0]
Hayley surprised me with Rihanna’s “Please Don’t Stop the Music.” Again, it was a left of field choice, but that might have been why it worked. This was the performance that convinced my husband that Hayley’s got this competition wrapped up.
Personally, I’m not so sure. We are left with two incredibly talented, incredibly likable young singer. Whichever way Australia votes, I don’t think it matters. They’re both brilliant.