The Australian Idol semifinals are underway! Predictably there were some nerves and some flashes of brilliance. So let’s get into it!
Chrisyln Hamilton was up first. What a big job for a 17-year-old, but she showed she was up to the task. Her decision to take on Tina Turner’s version of “Proud Mary” was a little predictable, but it was also a smart choice. It allowed her to show a little light and shade and deliver those big crowd-pleasing notes. This girl’s got bucketloads of personality and I’d love to see her in the finals.
Country boy Mitchell Steele’s another one of our teenagers. He made a really smart choice, singing Tom Cochrane’s “Life is a Highway.” It stayed true to his country roots while veering a little closer the mainstream. Vocally there wasn’t a lot to fault, but he really needs to loosen up. He was holding on to the microphone stand for grim death and he looked petrified when he left it!
Jaden Dowd was up next with “Finally.” It’s such a big song and I honestly didn’t feel like she did it justice. Was it just me or was she pitchy? She did perform the hell out of it, but I think perhaps the energy she gave there made her vocals suffer. Either way, it was disappointing.
Olly Corpe performed next with James Morrison’s “Wonderful World.” He didn’t do a bad job of it, but it was a little shaky. He’s a young kid and the Idol stage is such a high pressure environment, it’s not surprising he was nervous! Despite a few pitchy moments though, I enjoyed it. When his voice really kicked in, it soared. Olly’s got a lovely presence. But I wonder whether he might feel a little more comfortable if he chose those quirkier tracks as Dicko suggested.
Nicole Banks was like a breath of fresh air with her jazzy take on Sam Sparro’s “Black and Gold.” Again I find myself agreeing with Dicko: it was an inspired song choice and one which will hopefully pay dividends with the voting public. I’ve always liked her, but seeing her sing alongside everyone else I grew to love her.
They really did save the best for the last tonight. Wes Carr followed Nicole with an excellent take on the Foo Fighters’ “Times Like These.” The reworking was fresh without losing the song’s intent. Wes is such a natural performer, and his experience showed.
If Wes doesn’t get through tomorrow night I’m a poor judge. I’d like to think Nicole will take the second slot in the top 12 based on her performance tonight, but there’s a lot of support out there for Chrislyn so she may scrape through to the finals. I think I’d be happy either way. There’s always the wildcard round after all!
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