Music of the Dead
on Canadian Idol

In what was one of the most interesting themes in Idol history, the Top 9 on Canadian Idol tackled music of dead musicians this week. That's right. As Ben Mulroney put it, the finalists could do any song they pleased this week with only one stipulation: the song had to be by someone who is no longer alive. The broad spectrum of the genre seemed to work some magic, as most of the contestants turned in better performances than they did during last week's very narrow theme of David Bowie. Here's hoping this is an upward trend for the performers, who have seriously floundered over the last few weeks.

Following is the It's Destiny! panel's take on the CI6 Top 9: Music of the Dead.

Theo Tams "No Woman, No Cry"
Liza: It was sung well, but maybe a little too well. It was a little too straight-laced for my tastes on that song. I think he needed a little more funk there.
Score: 8.0
Destiny: It was a little too straight-laced for my taste, too. This week and last I have found Theo's voice to have no signature tone or style. He just sounded generic yet again. He hits all the right notes, but there is just something missing from him more and more each week. Unfortunately, he's not alone. There was lots of big talent at the start of this season, and it all seems to be fading away as the finalists, like Theo, lose their vision. And what's up with all the guys heading for the barber directly after last week's performance show? Theo got shorn a little too much for my liking!
Score: 8.0
Tammy: I don't think this song was a good fit for Theo. While he did a respectful job vocally and didn't mess around with the arrangement too much, he just didn't have enough of a 'groove' for me with this song. But at least he got rid of the boy band hair this week? Much improved in that department!
Score: 8.0

Mitch MacDonald "Angel Eyes"
Liza: The opening did sound a bit out of tune. Zack called the whole thing annoying, and I wonder if it was because Mitch never really moved but just stood there staring at the camera.
Score: 7.25
Destiny: Mitch's voice rides real close to the flat and twangy parts of each note, making the listener have to constantly question whether or not he is in or out of tune. His type of voice can work and create a real appealing signature style if the artist knows how to use it. This performance confirmed for me that Mitch isn't quite there yet. A great song like this lends itself to a great performance, and his mediocre result seems to display his lack of control and manipulation of his voice. Or it just may be revealing that his voice is not that outstanding. As for physical things, I liked Mitch's new facial scruff. It adds some depth and appeal to his look. He didn't need to join Theo at the barber, though. His hair got a little too short.
Score: 7.5
Tammy: Oof. I was not feeling this. Mitch's voice took on a whiny quality during certain parts of the song (when he sang the lyrics 'angel eyes', to be specific) which made it almost unlistenable. Aside from that, it wasn't so terrible. A bit of a letdown from last week, however.
Score: 7.1

Earl Stevenson "Light My Fire"
Liza: I thought that we were going to get a break from Earl's dancing, but, alas ... I kind of liked the arrangement, but it got so repetitive at the end, almost to a point where it was as if he had forgotten the lyrics at the end and just repeated "come on baby light my fire". I was laughing at the backgrounds on the video screen. It looked so cheesy and Vegas-y.
Score: 7.0
Destiny: The judges liked this way more than I thought they would. And way more than I did. I really like Earl, and I liked this performance well enough, but I certainly didn't love it. His wardrobe makeover by the stylists was all sorts of wrong. Earl needs his messy, casual style to make his performance style work. The stiff button-up shirt and formal shoes were so confining, and they were a major hindrance to his performance. It was uncomfortable to watch. If ever there was an Idol contestant who needed to be left alone by the wardrobe, hair and makeup departments, it is Earl.
Score: 7.5
Tammy: Earl is so fun to watch. He doesn't show even a touch of nervousness on the stage, and appears so loose on stage that you'd figure he was just stepping up to perform for a few friends on a karaoke night somewhere. This one will live to see another week!
Score: 9.2

Sebastian Pigott "Love Me"
Liza: I liked the vibe he was putting out, right down to that old-school microphone. It might have been a little too low for him, though. His voice got lost when he was down in his lower register. But it was not nearly as horrific as the judges made it out to be. It kills me that they slaughter him up there while giving others a pass in prior weeks.
Score: 7.0
Destiny: I hate the judges assassination of Sebastian, too. They certainly have it in for him. How can they go from proclaiming his performance two weeks ago as one of the show's greatest, to now basically declaring that he has no musical talent? Their blanket insults are a bit much. That being said, Sebastian has not been up to his standards the past two weeks. I don't know if it is his brother's departure from the competition or just nerves, but Sebastian seems to have lost his focus. This performance lacked the magic we've come to expect from him. And his vocals were not at the level we know he can take them. Sebastian is one of the most interesting (and hottest) contestants we've seen on Idol, and it was disappointing not to see his full potential this week. And what's up with the hair?! Whoever took these boys for such major haircuts needs to be punished. Seriously. Especially in regards to Sebastian. That pretty hair didn't need to be touched! I've never seen across-the-board haircuts like this on Idol before. It is kind of bizarre like they are children in a family or in some kind of cult.
Score: 7.5
Tammy: Who told him to cut his hair??? Who?!! He looks like he's getting ready for his grad pictures! Blah. He looks so young and clean cut now. And really, isn't 90% of his appeal aesthetic? He did not look at all comfortable tonight, and I'm guessing that last week's Bottom 3 scare shook him more than a little. He had none of his usual passion. I see another trip to the bottom three in his future. I am fearing we may not see much more of The Pretty anymore.
Score: 6.0

Katherine St-Laurent "Move Over"
Liza: I dunno, but that sounded more out of tune than Sebastian's at times. I would have liked that otherwise. She looks eerily like Anna Faris with the new 'do.
Score: 7.25
Destiny: I liked Katherine's vocals on this. Usually I think the judges heap a little too much praise on her, but this week I was scratching my head at their universal panning of this performance.
Score: 8.0
Tammy: She can sing, but I'm still not convinced that she can perform. At least she looks good on stage? I predict that in five years she'll be going by the way of Suzie McNeil with the 'Marineland' jingles. But everyone lovvves Marineland, so that's not such a bad thing.
Score: 7.5

Drew Wright "No Rain"
Liza: Very, very odd song choice and performance for Drew. It was sung well from a vocal standpoint, but he was hamming it up and acting the lyrics out for the camera so much that it was just so distracting and off-putting.
Score: 6.5
Destiny: Why didn't any of the judges call Drew out for his over-the-top attempt at an image makeover? The guy came out with a totally new persona and style (which didn't at all fit with the Drew we've come to know on the show) and no one says a word. It was very, very odd indeed. And what about Ben? Le sigh. He's charming and funny.
Score: 6.8
Tammy: I'm guessing he meant to do something Jason Mrazzy with this performance? It just didn't come off that well, in my opinion. He looked sort of awkward running about the stage and I wasn't crazy with whatever he did to the arrangement. Props to Ben for the bee ensemble, though.
Score: 6.8

Mookie Morris "I Feel Good"
Liza: That was entertaining, although I do think he'd have been better off not spending more than half the song wading through the crowd.
Score: 8.25
Destiny: Yes, wading through the Canadian Idol audience has never really worked for anyone in the history of this show. Granted, Mookie got more response from the dead fish audience than they usually give, but I have to agree that his time would have been better spent on the stage. That being said, this was a really good performance from Mooks. He sounded and performed great, and he managed to make the song totally his own. I swear he is straight out of the 1960s. Every time I watch him perform it feels like I've jumped into some old black and white footage of a young rock legend.
Score: 8.8
Tammy: This song drives me crazy, so I wasn't thrilled for it to be covered on Idol. I can't knock Mookie for his entertainment value, though. He's a natural showman, and you can tell he loves to soak up the spotlight. I'll forgive the song choice this time.
Score: 8.8

Amberly Thiessen "Redemption Song"
Liza: Amberly keeps picking songs that just aren't right for her and turning them into folksy coffeehouse tunes. Kind of like David Cook in reverse. To put it in Simon Cowell terms, it was pleasant. Well, actually, it was more than pleasant. It was pretty, although I'm not sure pretty is what Bob Marley was going for.
Score: 8.0
Destiny: This was a nothing performance. It wasn't bad. It wasn't great. It didn't inspire any feelings, and it wasn't memorable. Amberly has a decent voice, but it lacks passion, as did her interpretation of this song. She's no Theresa Sokyrka in terms of delivering the heart that this kind of singing requires.
Score: 7.0
Tammy: A definite improvement over the snoozefest of last week, and I liked the way she changed up the song to make it suit the image she's crafting. I think she just out-folked Theresa Sokyrka.
Score: 9.3

Mark Day "Dance With My Father"
Liza: A non-flamboyant Mark this week was able to show why he was brought into the Top 24 (or whatever). He does have a nice singing voice, but it's just not right for our competition, Canadian Idol. And maybe this is me being a cynical wench, but that "tear" looked a little too manufactured at the end. His eyes didn't even look watery.
Score: 7.5
Destiny: The "tears" were totally fake and planned in my opinion, too. The whole thing was staged like a bad theatre class monologue. I cannot believe none of the judges called him out for the falseness of this performance. That was as irritating as the performance itself. Vocally, he sounded the best he has on the show, but it still wasn't anything really outstanding. He did a total Clay Aiken arrangement of this song, which only proved that he is out of his league both in terms of this show and the music industry.
Score: 6.0
Tammy: This was just passable to me. You need more than good vocals to stay in this competition. I know I'm alone in this opinion, but I think I prefer what he served up last week. Because this just bored me.
Score: 7.0

Who Should Be Eliminated
Liza: Mark Day (I'll keep saying this till he actually does go home)
Destiny: Mark
Tammy: Mark

Who Will Be Eliminated
Liza: Sebastian :(
Destiny: Sebastian (Noooooo!!!)
Tammy: Drew

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Last week we asked you,
"Who Was The Best This Week On Canadian Idol?"
48% Mitch, 30% Theo, 6% Earl,
4% Katherine, 3% Drew, 3% Mark,
2% Mookie, 2% Sebastian, 1% Amberly, 1% Adam

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