Canadian Idol 4's
Top 11 Guys Are The Bomb!

Canadian Idol 4 got off to a rocking start this week when the Top 11 male semi-finalists hit the stage Monday night. With so many great performances, this may well have been the best night in Idol history- definitely the best semi-finals night ever. The male talent pool is deep this season. Good onya, Canada! Let's get this party started!

Following is the It's Destiny! panel's take on the CI4 Semi-Finals Round 1: Top 11 Guys.

Jeremy Koz "It's Only Love"
Destiny: Wow. I was sort of tepid about this guy going into this week. Not any more. This was a great performance! Love the look. Love the voice. Love the stage presence. What a way to start!
Score: 9.0
Liza: It's going to take me a bit of time to get used to the bare bones piano of the CI early rounds because it really threw me off to hear him do THAT song with only the piano accompaniment. I thought he put as much into it as he could and certainly showed his ease on stage, but he had a few rough and screechy vocals near the end.
Score: 7.25
Tammy: Jeremy Koz is a dynamic performer. It was a bit strange hear him do that song with only a piano, but it looks like he's trying to establish the rock cred early. I can't wait to hear him backed by an actual band. Now if someone would only talk to him about his unfortunate jackets.
Score: 9.0

Craig Sharpe "What Hurts The Most"
Destiny: I wasn't really feeling Craig going into tonight, either, but like Koz before him, he turned in a solid performance that totally won me over. What a pure tone he has. Yes, it's a little too feminine, but it's undeniably strong.
Score: 8.8
Liza: Yeah, the tone and the clarity of his voice is unbelievable. If you can get past that voice coming out of that body, it would be hard to deny that his vocals were fantastic. He picked the right song for his high-pitched voice, since Gary LeVox is a bit high-pitched himself, but I do like that song much better with the harmonies. Craig needs to work a little bit on his stage mannerisms because they seem a bit affected. I caught a few head snaps there during the song. But vocally, it was superb.
Score: 8.5
Tammy: Vocally, it is hard to fault Craig. But it looks like he's studied The Book of Mariah before stepping on the Idol stage. The hand waving, the drop to one knee, and yes, the head snaps all were a bit off-putting and premeditated. He might last a few more rounds, but he won't be taking home the crown this season.
Score: 7.2

Nathan Brown "A Change Is Gonna Come"
Destiny: I did not enjoy this guy's voice at all in the Toronto round of the competition, but he showed up this week with a toned-down, legit performance. It wasn't greatness like we saw on AI5 with Gedeon McKinney's version of this song, but it was good.
Score: 8.5
Liza: Very soulful performance with nice, controlled vocals, as Farley said. I'm not sure it will be enough to stand out, but we'll see.
Score: 7.5
Tammy: I agree with Liza, there is nothing about Nathan that makes him stand out. His vocals were good, his performance was good, but there was nothing 'wow' about this guy. He is Blandy McBlanderson.
Score: 7.4

Brandon Jones "Lady"
Destiny: I liked Kalan Porter's version of this song much better, but there's no denying that Brandon has charisma and a good voice. It was a solid performance.
Score: 8.7
Liza: I'm not so sure that his voice is one of his main selling points. I don't think he proved it here. Brandon's voice is very wispy, and he should be able to hold his notes longer than he actually does. I don't think his version could hold a candle to Kalan or even Will Makar's. Brandon looks a lot older now that he has the braces off, but that doesn't mean he should be singing a song like this. It's not believable at all, and I didn't like the extra runs he made in the song.
Score: 6.5
Tammy: Brandon, like many of the contestants this season, has the annoying habit of singing directly into the camera, and when he is not on the right camera, searching for it. Stop it! You're supposed to be immersed in the song (granted, I'm not sure just how immersed anyone could get singing the cheese that is 'Lady')! Let the person behind the camera do their job, and just sing! The boy has a good voice, and will no doubt get the screamy teen vote.
Score: 7.9

Rob James "Let's Stay Together"
Destiny: There's no denying that Rob has a great voice. He sounded fantastic on this song. Like the judges, I hope that he gets over his nerves and frees himself up onstage next week, because that's really the only thing holding him back.
Score: 8.9
Liza: It may help that I don't know McMaster & James from McDonald's & Burger King, but I thought he did a really good job with this song. This song is so overdone on Idol, but I think he may have delivered the best vocal of this song on any of the Idol shows I have seen. The power notes were really impressive. His stage presence was a bit lacking, but I agree that it's due to nerves. He has to work twice as hard and be twice as good as everyone else because of his past, and he really has the most to lose here, in my opinion. That's a lot of pressure to deal with, but hopefully he'll have a chance to overcome that because he really is a good singer.
Score: 8.25
Tammy: Rob really impressed me tonight. McMaster & James never showed that he had that kind of voice. It was a strong, powerful and passionate performance. He definitely seems to be weighted down by the pressure at his even being in this competition at all, but he has proven to be one of the best there, and hopefully his past won't be held against him and he'll live to see another week.
Score: 8.9

Keith MacPherson "Collide"
Destiny: Wow. That was an awesome performance. The tone of his voice, combined with his ability to convey emotions, is outstanding. He just became a major contender for the Idol title. Wonderful!
Score: 9.4
Liza: I wanted to like this performance so much. First of all, "Collide" is one of my favorite songs, and I have been dying for someone to sing it on Idol. Second of all, I think Keith is a really good singer with great tone, an earnest delivery and a hilarious personality. However, when those two things collided (no pun intended), it didn't do it for me. And I am sure it has so much to do with my affinity to Howie Day's version. For me, Keith sang it way too high, thus stripping away those glorious low notes on the original. I give him absolute props for song choice, though, and I am looking forward to what else he will sing in the future.
Score: 7.5
Tammy: I enjoyed Keith's vocal performance, but his stage mannerisms bothered me. They just seemed a bit unnatural. Perhaps this criticism will fall by the wayside as he becomes more comfortable performing in front of millions each week. Overall, though, it was yet another strong performance. If his voice doesn't pull him through to next week, his quirky personality should.
Score: 8.8

Chris Labelle "Walking In Memphis"
Destiny: What a night this is! Another guy who didn't seem all that great in previous rounds, yet came out onstage and turned it around with a great performance. He sounded strong and looked confident. He almost made me forget that I had pegged him as merely a Jacob Hoggard wannabe.
Score: 8.8
Liza: I'd say more of a JPL wannabe, actually. I like how Chris starts the song next to the pianist, and his vocals are fairly good. However, his pitch seemed a tad bit off in the beginning, and the marching and prancing around stage was quite goofy and distracting. I prefer my comedians after the performance, not during. See Macpherson, Keith.
Score: 6.0
Tammy: This boy is a Jacob Hoggard wannabe. Except Jacob knew how to make his personality mesh with song onstage. When Jacob sang 'Only the Good Die Young' and did his zany antics, it worked. With a song like' Walking In Memphis', it just did not. Chris seems like he's doing all he can to make himself stand out in the competition. But throwing every trick that you know how to do into one performance makes for a disconjointed mess. Chris just came across as annoying tonight.
Score: 6.0

Tyler Lewis "Here Without You"
Destiny: This may well be the best save of a performance ever on an Idol show. Tyler started out so off-tempo and off-key, but then, magically, he found his place and rocked it out. Yet another strong, original voice on the stage tonight. Definitely would like to see more of him.
Score: 8.9
Liza: Totally agree about the save. He just pulled an Eric Gagne there. His vocals were very shaky to start, but once he hit the chorus - BAM! It was very impressive. He has quite a mature voice for a 19 year old, perhaps the most mature voice we've heard in this competition since another Tyler, the lovely Mr. Hamilton in season 1.
Score: 7.5
Tammy: Tyler did seem a bit shaky as he began the performance, but what a finish! His voice is so unique and strong, I too have difficulty believing he's only 19. Wow.
Score: 8.8

Sheldon Elter "Gonna Move"
Destiny: What a likable guy Sheldon is! He brings so much joy to the stage. And his voice is so clean and strong. Not the best song choice ever, but he sounded great doing it.
Score: 8.8
Liza: The surprise of the night. I can't get over how much he sounds like Billy Joel. Like really. If this Canadian Idol thing doesn't work out, he should try out for Movin' Out (along with Ryan Malcolm). But I hope he won't have to worry about that for a little while because Sheldon's performance was the most charismatic and entertaining of the night so far, and I loved the a capella portion of the song.
Score: 8.75
Tammy: It's hard to dislike Sheldon, but I didn't really care for the song choice. There are better songs that he could have used to showcase his voice. Still, he managed to get some audience participation, and seemed completely comfortable onstage.
Score: 8.2

Chad Doucette "Tonight I Wanna Cry"
Destiny: I loved this guy last year when he was shown in the Toronto rounds, and I love him even more now. It's difficult to really stand out on a night full of such strong talent, but Chad managed to do that. He has such original tone, and his delivery of the song was stunning. Love everything about this guy. More, please.
Score: 9.5
Liza: At first I thought he was off-key on some of the notes, but I think it's just how he sings - the best way I can describe how he finishes his notes is that it sounds a bit Cher-like. It's a little off-putting, but his delivery more than makes up for it. The way he emotes his songs is unrivaled amongst his peers so far.
Score: 8.0
Tammy: LOVE. HIM. He makes you believe the song. I am greatly impressed that someone so young already is so adept at expressing himself so well onstage. There is no way he is not going to the next round.
Score: 9.7

Greg Neufeld "You And I Both"
Destiny: Wow. My fellow panelists had been talking this guy up as the one to beat going into tonight, and I must admit that I didn't get what they were talking about. Well, Mr. Neufeld, you proved their point. Beautiful delivery, stunning voice. And he looked so handsome! Definitely one of the frontrunners. Can we just keep all the guys for the Top 10, and forget all the girls? This group is so good! They all deserve a shot at the finals and several of them are major contenders for the title. Love it!
Score: 9.5
Liza: Thanks for tooting our horn there. He caught my attention the first time he sang this song in the Vancouver auditions, and it's so nice to hear more of it. Greg showed his musical intelligence in his opening package, explaining why he picked that song, and he delivered. Like Keith, I'm really looking forward to seeing what other songs he chooses in the future because the guy's got great taste in music and knows how to pick songs that suit him. His good looks are just a bonus.
Score: 8.75
Tammy: Perhaps it is because I have such an affinity for the original version of this song, but I didn't love Greg on this song. It was just okay for me. He is capable of doing better.
Score: 8.2

Who Should Be Eliminated
Destiny: Nathan Brown, Brandon Jones (Let it be noted that with such a great group, two don't deserve to get the boot!)
Liza: Chris LaBelle, Brandon Jones
Tammy: Chris LaBelle, Nathan Brown

Who Will Be Eliminated
Tammy: Sheldon Elter, Nathan Brown
Liza: Nathan Brown, Sheldon Elter
Tammy: Nathan Brown, Craig Sharpe

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