Australian Idol rocked this week with special guest mentor and judge Suzi Quatro. But before we could get into the business, someone had to go. This week saw Tim Johnston, Casey Barnes, and Ashleigh Toole land in the bottom three. Despite never putting a foot wrong in the comp, Ashleigh was the unlucky one ousted. My husband wonders whether all of her fans simply intended to vote as he did, rather than picking up the phone. Either way, she definitely didn’t deserve to leave us so soon.
Hayley Warner, our resident rock chick, was a natural choice to kick off the performances. Her choice of a Paramore number was spot on. I think she took everything Suzi said in her stride and delivered a performance even more compelling than the week before.
Casey Barnes is one of the nicest guys in the comp, so finding his rock edge was always going to be a challenge. I’m not sure he did it with Carolina Liar’s “I’m Not Over”, but we saw a little more angst than we have in the past. It was a solid effort for a singer clearly out of his comfort zone.
I loved Kate Cook’s cheeky choice of Jet’s “Are You Gonna Be My Girl.” Like Casey, she wasn’t in her comfort zone, but I had to admire her commitment. While parts of it were a little shouty for me, she certainly didn’t do it by halves. She gets an A for effort.