Author: Lauren Katulka

After the wildcard round last night, Australian Idol is one step closer to the finals. Tonight we’ll discover the four singers who’ll round out the top 12, and the games will really start. All the singers last night knew they needed to really impress to earn their place amongst the chosen ones. Some people brought their “A Game,” yet others failed to live up to expectations.

Jack Byrnes kicked off the show with his take on The Doobie Brothers’ classic “Long Train Runnin’.” I love Jack’s energy, and he has a really distinctive voice. Yet I find his performance a bit affected. It seems like he’s more interested in the big notes and how the song goes together rather than what’s behind it. He just feels false to me.

No one could say the same thing for our next performer Husny Thalib. It was a very different Husny this week. The flashy campiness of his Lenny Kravitz cover was a world away from his take on “I Believe.” It certainly wasn’t perfect. This bare bones track exposed every one of Husny’s vocal weaknesses. But, for some reason, it didn’t matter. He was just so believable, so passionate, and I found that so much more compelling. You can teach someone how to sing with the right training, but you can’t teach someone how to really interpret the way Husny does. I loved it.

Carl Riseley really surprised me with his swing interpretation of The Everly Brothers’ smash, “Bye Bye Love.” I didn’t particularly like the arrangement, but his vocals were much stronger than I’ve heard before. This kid’s really improving. He’s got to learn some stage presence and how to move, but just look how far he’s come. Last night I finally saw him though Marcia’s eyes.

Sarah Lloyde did her best to show her diversity with the sassy Christina Aguilera hit, “Candyman.” She’s vocally very strong, but the arrangement really let her down. I know it must be hard to compress a song into one and a half minutes, but there was too much dead time here. Even when she was singing, most of it was just ad-libbing and wailing. She’s a real talent, but this just didn’t show us that. I absolutely loved her outfit though.

Another talent who suffered from another underwhelming performance was Dave Andrews. He tackled “The Dolphin’s Cry,” a risky move that didn’t pay off. He certainly had the right intensity in the first verse, but somewhere in there it became karaoke to me.

Early favourite Daniel Mifsud delivered the sort of performance I’d hoped he would. I must admit, I was nervous when I heard he’d chosen “Lay Your Love On Me.” It was more of the same middle of the road soft rock that saw him miss out last time. Yet the arrangement was genius, and that saved this from being more forgettable blandness. Yes, yes, yes.

Natalie Gauci was another early favourite who used the wildcard to show why she deserved to be in the top 12 all along. Nina Simone’s “Feeling Good” was the perfect song choice for her – strong, different, and feminine. I loved the way she used the stage, and she sang flawlessly. Natalie’s never really put a foot wrong in the competition, and I’m almost positive she’ll be in the top 12 after this.

Mark Da Costa closed the show with more straight-up rock, this time a cover of “Evie Part 1.” Mark’s another performer with great energy, but I still can’t see what the judges are raving about. His voice has a wonderful rock and roll rasp, but it seems like he falls off just about every note. He’s good, but I don’t think he’s that good.

So who’ll go through? My money’s on Daniel Mifsud, Mark Da Costa, and Natalie Gauci. The judges rave about these three so much that I’m sure they’ll choose whoever the viewers don’t. The fourth spot is really anyone’s guess. I’d love to think it’ll be Husny, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the safer performers like Sarah or Jack get a run.

After a couple of days predicting, I actually got it right last night! I was thrilled that the two Central Coast boys, Ben McKenzie and Marty Simpson, were voted through the top 12. Well done boys! Australia definitely got it right this time.

With the announcement out of the way, it was time to hear the final group of girls. Sarah Lloyd started us off with a gutsy rendition of Jennifer Hudson’s Dreamgirls hit, “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going.” I thought she performed really well, but I just don’t find her very interesting. There was nothing to fault here, but I wouldn’t go out and buy her albums.

Morgan Hosking is more my kind of performer. Funnily enough though, while she has the interest factor, the vocals let her down. She insisted a bad case of nerves marred her performance of Alanis Morissette’s “You Learn,” and maybe that’s all it is. The sad thing is, we hadn’t seen a lot of Morgan before last night so Australia’s going to take her on face value. I think she could have brought something very cool to the competition, but she won’t go through with this effort.

After some half-good acts, Holly Weinert was a breath of fresh air. During the audition rounds this chick from Mildura got lost amongst all the other guitar girls. Yet last night she held her own and established herself as a unique force in the competition. I loved everything about her stripped-back version of “Easy.”

While Holly provided a point of difference, our next singer Madison Pritchett showed she’s incredibly bland. Her voice is really nothing spectacular, and her stage presence didn’t impress me either. Her take on Avril Lavigne’s “When You’re Gone” was far too sugary sweet. I can see this girl modelling for Dolly magazine, not on the world music stage.

From the bland to the extraordinary, enter one of my favourite contestants, Brianna Carpenter. Some of my first loves let me down this week, so I was thrilled at this performance. Regina Spektor’s “Fidelity” was the perfect song for her: unique, kooky, and playful. I just hope that Australia understands how great this was and votes her through, as the competition really needs someone like her.

Seasoned Idol performer Rosie Ribbons closed with a very different take on REM’s indie anthem “Everybody Hurts.” There’s no denying that Rosie’s a great singer. But it feels like she’s putting together a collection of impressive notes, rather than really singing and connecting with a song. Maybe that’s enough to do well over in Britain, but this kind of superficial performance won’t impress Australia. I found it downright painful.

I really hope Holly and Brianna join the top 12 after last night. Their performances were the only ones that really had star quality for me. Having said that, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Sarah took one of their places. Disappointed, but not surprised.

So tonight we’ve got the girls’ verdict, and the wildcard announcements. Given the talent that’s been rejected, Sunday’s going to be one hell of a night!