Music Blogs

The mission of the night; to get naked; perform free of gimmicks, showcase vocals, exude emotion and to enhance your performance abilities based on the advice that Gavin Rossdale offers.  Wow, repeat after me, breathe in…breathe out!

Let me just begin by saying that I find it ironic that Gavin Rossdale was brought onto Canadian Idol to offer advice to the Idol hopefuls. Gavin offered the Idols advice based on what he has learnt throughout his career.  Gavin is a musician that went from frontman to solo artist and has been able to exist as a compelling artist on both levels.  Here’s where the irony comes in; Gavin offered advice that should help these Idols develop, but the judges seem to punish the Idols that have been growing and developing.  Maybe I just pulled an Alanis and misused the term ironic, but that to me, is irony. 

Tonight, a few of the hopefuls achieved the mission with flying colours and appropriate mood lighting.  They were; Drew, Mitch, Theo, and I’ll admit it, Earle!

Drew is getting better with each passing week, without a doubt.  Tonight he was on his game and was able to put Gavin’s advice to work for him.  Gavin Rossdale offered Drew the advice that merely covering someone’s song isn’t performing a cover.  To successfully cover someone’s song, you have to interpret it and make it your own.  The past few weeks, Drew has been more comfortable in his skin and it’s becoming very evident in the caliber of his performance.  That opinion of course completely differs with what the judges have said, but to be perfectly frank, the judges must have been watching a totally different performance because Drew’s brining the A game!

Becoming very well acquainted with the A game is Theo. 

Gavin reinforced for Theo that music is all about heart.  It was very apparent that Theo internalized Gavin’s advice and put it to good use because Theo delivered the performance of the night and did so for the following reasons;   

1. He covered one of the most beautiful love songs of 2008, Serena Ryder’s “Weak In The Knees” and did it without flaw;
2. He appeared to be completely in his element;
3. Heart, heart, heart!

Could Theo Tams be the Canadian Dane Cook? 

For some musicians, it’s not about bringing more emotion or energy to a performance; it can be about channeling natural energy properly.  Gavin feels that character is one of the most important things that a musician can bring to a song.  Well, Earle is definitely full of character.  Tonight’s performance from Earle was a big step in the right direction.  Last week I said that I would like to see Earle contained and focused, well, my idol wishes were granted.  Seated on a stool playing his acoustic guitar, Earle left all his borderline manic energy backstage and pulled off a Ryan Adams cover beautifully!  For the first time I was able to focus on Earle and his singing…and he actually can sing!

I’m becoming a fan of Mitch.  The hopeful with the most original voice has learnt how to control his unique sound and sell it with just the right dose of emotion.  I’ll admit it; part of me fell in love with Mitch tonight.  With his evident love of music and the suddenly obvious levels of charm that he emoted this evening, a very solid performance was given.  Oh, and to the judges, who needs to shake it up when what he does seems to be evolving so naturally?  Mitch was in his element tonight and I’m sorry that you weren’t able to enjoy it.    

I’m more sorry that I wasn’t 100% able to enjoy Sebastian tonight.  

Sebastian is a performer, no doubt about it, his place is in the spotlight!  Gavin Rossdale commented on Sebastian’s natural knack for showmanship.  What he suggested was for Sebastian to take it down a notch and show some vulnerability.  I for one would love to see Sebastian go completely unplugged, perhaps even acapella.  Sebastian has been one of my favourite hopefuls, so it pains me to say this, but I don’t think that tonight he was really able to complete the unplugged mission.  Sebastian comes across as a musician with such passion that you feel that he's seconds away from combustion.  While that can be great, sometimes we need music to lull us.  He was bang on vocally, full of heart and soul, but far from vulnerable.    

There is one hopeful that always seems vulnerable and that’s Amberly. 

Tonight, we got a straight up copycat job from Amberly.  She literally took the song  and mimicked it…perfectly.  While her performance showcased the soft and beautiful tone of her voice, she in no way lent any charismatic elements of herself to it.  Jake Gold said that he would rather see Amberly perform that song rather than the original artist Ingrid Michaelson…um…Jake, you basically just did!

The two performers that missed their mark for me (no pun intended) were Mark and Mookie. 

Gavin’s advice to Mark was that every line of the song should be sung like it’s the only line of the song.  I was instantly afraid that Mark’s cover was going to become a loud and very dramatic Broadway-esque performance.  Instead, Mark’s performance made me feel like I was watching a telethon.  Maybe that had something to do with the emotion…but that was honestly how I felt.  I also can’t decipher if that was a good thing or not.  

I almost feel as if I should give Mookie a break this week.  He seems like a nice kid and I’m just starting to feel like a bully, but I’ve made it pretty clear that as a musician, he does nothing for me and this week really didn’t help.   

Based on tonight’s performances I think it’s fairly evident who should be the bottom three.  Contrary to the judges opinions I don’t think that Drew or Sebastian should hold two of those slots.  See ya tomorrow!