There was a British Invasion at the John Bassett Theatre for Canadian Idol Wednesday night, as nine young Canadians did the monarchy proud!

The evening certainly began with a bang as the first competitor, Jacob Hoggard, took the stage singing David Bowie’s “Space Oddity”. Wearing a shiny blue jumpsuit, and bold makeup, Jacob was more disco than glamour rock. The judges seemed surprised with his performance but that didn’t stop them from showering their praises. They unanimously agreed that Jacob’s performance was stellar, and Jake even added a sentimental, “David Bowie would be proud.”

Theresa Sokyrka was next to perform with Herman’s Hermits’ “There’s a Kind of Hush”. It was definitely not her best performance. Her voice seemed to be reaching and her vowels sounded chopped. The judges agreed that Theresa chose the wrong song. Farley said Theresa “did the best she could,” but the other judges had no encouraging words of the sort. Sass felt the performance was “muted and uninspired,” Zack felt it was “Marie Osmond,” and Jake said it was simply “a bad song choice.”

Jason Greeley was the third voice of the competition with his rendition of “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting” by Elton John. Jason was definitely having fun on stage, which was quickly recognized by the responsive studio audience. He became so energetic at one point that he was hopping up and down like the Energizer Bunny clad in a dark pinstriped suit jacket. Sass and Farley loved this upbeat performance. Zack stood out from the pack on this one, claiming that Jason’s performance was not a true reflection of himself. However Jack fought back with a snappy “this is who he is.”

Kaleb Simmonds was next in line with Eric Clapton’s famous “Tears in Heaven.” However, Kaleb once again transformed the song into his own. He added some of his trademark hip hop flavour, and effortless falsetto. The judges of course loved this performance. Farley gushed “you personify soul,” and Sass finished off with “you are the real deal.”

Elena Juatco was the fifth competitor of British Invasion Night, singing “The First Cut Is the Deepest” by Cat Stevens. Although there were some pitchy moments, overall, I felt her performance was satisfactory. The judges were divided. Jake and Farley stood firmly by Elena, while Sass and Zack felt she oversang, and the result was not pleasant.

An almost unrecognizable Joshua Sellar was next to serenade the country with U2’s “Where the Streets Have No Name.” With his curly hair now flat-ironed, and his relaxed jeans turned black pants and leather boots, Joshua stepped out of his infamous “safe zone” and into the Idol competition. He had a few pitchy areas, but I felt the song really suited him. Farley said he “upped the game performance-wise,” Sass said “this is the first time I believed you,” and the other two judges agreed, saying “you showed heart,” and “you’re listening to us.”

Manoah Hartmann continued the competition with the Eurhythmics’ “Sweet Dreams.” Although it was a good song choice for her, her delivery was just OK, and elucidated her unwillingness to take risks. None of the judges had great things to say about Manoah’s performance, which was expected.

Albertan Kalan Porter was the next competitor to sing, with the Animals’ “House of the Rising Sun.” His vocal talent, ability to entertain, and excellent song selection proved him to be the strongest competitor by far in the competition. The judges had nothing but praise to give Kalan, saying he was “brilliant,” “polished,” “unbelievable,” and most obviously “the winner.” I know who I’m voting for!

Shane Wiebe sang Elton John’s “Something About the Way You Look Tonight.” Shane was not my favourite performer because his performance lacked passion. The judges felt Shane stepped up more than he has in the past, and Zack explained, “that was the first time you showed some glimmer of what you could do if you got a little dirty.”

Thursday night we will bid goodbye to one of Canada’s top nine. My choice is Manoah because she is simply not of the same calibre as those competing against her for the Canadian Idol title.

Caroline Colantonio is andPOP’s Canadian Idol correspondent. Check back every Thursday and Friday morning for complete recaps.






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