It’s crunch time on Australian Idol, with only three young hopefuls remaining. Tonight we’ll see one of them leave the comp, paving the way for the final two to sing for the ultimate title at the Opera House. You’d think all of that would have inspired some outstanding performances, but did it?
Natalie Gauci was first up, singing the viewer’s choice of “Ray of Light.” I agree with Kyle – this is the worst thing I’ve seen Natalie do. Personally I’ve never liked the song, and it did Natalie no favours. If nothing else, it proved that Natalie can’t sing anything. Thankfully, this wasn’t her only song of the night. Pink’s “Nobody Knows” was a much better choice, and I really enjoyed it.
I was really excited when I heard the home viewer had picked “You Give Me Something” for Carl Riseley, but I didn’t think this worked at all. Vocally it wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great either. I thought his version of “For Once in My Life” was better, but it still wasn’t up to the standard I’d expect at this stage of the competition. I like Carl a lot, but I’m wondering whether he peaked too early.
I was beginning to despair that the viewers’ choices would unintentionally sabotage all of the Idols, when Matt Corby appeared. Evermore’s “It’s Too Late” was the perfect song for him, forcing him to step out of the introspective space he’s inhabited for the last few weeks and really perform. In my eyes, this was the performance of the night. He closed the show with a soaring rendition of “Across the Universe.” It didn’t quite have the “Idol Moment” I think he was aiming for, but it came pretty close.
I honestly have no idea who will go tonight. If the punters vote on performance alone, Carl should be shown the door but we all know more comes into play than that. His status in the bottom two last week will only inspire more Carl fans to pick up the phone. I feel Matt and Natalie have been our most consistent performers and deserve places at the Opera House, but will it happen? You’ll have to watch tonight’s elimination show to find out!