Australian Idol 5 is off and racing after a cracking first semifinal. Following a thoroughly entertaining show last night I’m left wondering who will stay, and who will go. Some of the favourites underachieved, leaving some others to rise to the top of the pack. Right now, it really seems like it’s anyone’s game.
First up with the crowd-pleasing teen Matt Corby. So much has been said about Matt in this blog so far, but did his rendition of Stevie Wonder’s “I Wish” live up to the hype? Honestly, I think so. Sure, the performance could have been a bit more dynamic, but he certainly nailed the vocals. The performance showed real depth, and for his first time on the Idol stage I think he did a credible job.
This week the Idol forums were buzzing about Junior To’o. We’ve barely seen anything of this Sydney dad, yet there he was fighting for his place in the top 12 amongst early crowd favourites. While he may not have the profile of some of the other contestants, Junior took it in his stride to deliver a very mature performance of “Dear Mr President.” Junior brought a great sadness and believability to the song, and it was wonderful.
Carl Riseley showed yet again why I call him a poor man’s Michael Bublé. This time around he tackled “Home,” a song that should have been right up his alley considering his Navy background. But this guy just simply isn’t good enough. He didn’t do a bad job, but he’s just not strong enough to compete at this level.
Next up we had Daniel Mifsud, my early favourite, with Diesel’s “Tip of my Tongue.” When the judges said this was “underwhelming” I think they were spot on. He sang well, he performed well, but on the whole it was all just very average. I’d expect to hear something on a par with this performance at any local pub. He was so popular he may find himself in the top 12 anyway, but based on that performance alone he doesn’t deserve it.
It seems people either love or hate Husny Thalib. Personally, I fall into the former category. He brings a sense of drama and theatrics to Idol that we haven’t seen since drag queen Courtney Act. While the song “If You Can’t Say No” may alienate a few people, he really sold it to me. Really strong vocals, distinctive dance moves, outrageous costuming: this boy has style.
The show was closed out with serial reality TV offender Jacob Butler. I was a bit of a fan of Jacob’s work on The X Factor, but I can’t say he won me over here. “Chasing Cars” is such a monotonous song that he really had nowhere to go with it. It’s a shame. He’s a strong performer, but I doubt this will win him votes.
I predict Matt and Daniel will probably win their places in the top 12, based purely on their popularity. However, I’d really love to see Husny take Daniel’s place. He worked his leather-clad butt off for it, and he really deserves it.