The Australian Idol finals kicked off with a bang last night. The topic was Contestant’s Choice, and our top 12 were encouraged to choose songs that represented them.
Ben McKenzie showed a maturity beyond his years, keeping his composure despite being first up on the big stage. I loved what he did to Maroon 5’s “Sunday Morning,” slowing it down and upping the emotional content. Ben’s such a likeable sweet kid, and he shows more and more diversity every time we see him.
Mark Da Costa turned up the volume with his cover of U2’s “Vertigo.” I’m still not feeling any real connection with this guy. It feels like he’s simply imitating the artists he covers, rather than being himself. I’ve never liked this song, and he didn’t do anything to change my mind.
Poor little Lana Krost. She’s a very sweet, very talented girl, but she really seems to struggle to keep her nerves under control. I also felt the song choice was a curious one. “Shiver” was never one of Natalie Imbruglia’s biggest hits, and I didn’t feel Lana really connected with it either. I honestly would have preferred to hear her sing something from the world of theatre. As that’s her background and that’s where she feels most comfortable, I think it would have helped her keep those nerves under control.
Daniel Mifsud didn’t convince the judges, but I really appreciated what he tried to do with “Cry Me a River.” I groaned when I heard he was covering Justin Timberlake (unlike most girls, I just don’t like the guy), but the guitar heavy arrangement made it much cooler. However, while this was also the redeeming feature, it was also what let him down. Daniel did a great job, but the band was just too overpowering.
Carl Riseley was the surprise package of the night, delivering a swing version of Australia’s unofficial anthem, “Waltzing Matilda.” I spent the first half of it asking myself whether he was kidding, and the second half certain this was the smartest song choice of the night. It was an incredibly weird pairing, but we’re such a patriotic lot that it somehow worked.
Holly Weinert came out with something to prove, determined to show Australia that she’s not the alt-country chick she’s been branded. A cover of The Gossip’s “Standing in the Way of Control” was certainly the way to do it. Her vocals and presence were really strong, but I just didn’t like it. I would have bought an album with music along the lines of her cover of “Easy,” but I wouldn’t buy this.
It almost seemed like the Idols were deliberately choosing material by bands I hate. The big difference with Matt Corby and his cover of the snoozeworthy Coldplay song “The Scientist” is that he made me love it. The performance had so much control and intensity it was captivating. I think it just may have been the best performance of the night.
Natalie Gauci stripped back Powderfinger’s rock anthem “On My Mind.” She’s just such a competent performer, she never seems to put a foot wrong. Unlike Mark Da Costa, Natalie really seems to know who she is and she’s able to inject that into every song she sings. This was very cool.
Jacob Butler turned a corner with a rocking cover of The Killers’ smash “When You Were Young.” At times his energetic performance compromised the vocals, but it was so enjoyable that it hardly mattered. What was important is that Jacob was finally cutting loose. So long as he does more of this, he’ll be fine.
Next up we had the consummate professional, Tarisai Vushe. She built her cover of Alicia Keys’ “If I Was Your Woman” like a woman who’s been singing for a lot longer. What I love most about Tarisai is that she has a big voice, but she doesn’t overuse it. When she does bring it out though, it’s spectacular.
Marty Simpson showed why you shouldn’t necessarily sing songs that you love with his take on “Can’t Stand Losing You.” He’s obviously a really big Police fan, he even has a tattoo to prove it, but it really didn’t work for me. Marty just doesn’t have this kind of intensity (he’s a surfer from the laidback Central Coast after all) and he’d be better off sticking to mellower material.
Brianna Carpenter brought a touch of cabaret to her cover of The Beach Boys’ classic “God Only Knows.” I thought the arrangement was great, but her pitch problems really let her down. Perhaps this was a case of nerves? I’ve heard her sing a lot better than this, and I hope we get the opportunity to see her do so again.
So tonight we’ll lose one of them. I think Lana’s time may be up, but I’d love to hear your views!
Last weekend I reported that 
Aussie soul legend