Soul was a commodity at this Tuesday evening’s Canadian Idol performance show. Few had it, but all desired it. Zack was hard to please and the pressure mounted to a new level as each Idol embraced the musical styling of Stevie Wonder. However, only a few of these young singers could please the judges and follow Stevie’s words, “I think singing with soul means singing with feeling. So if you sing with soul and you sing with feeling, you are a soul singer.”

Casey LeBlanc was first up with “Heaven Help Us All.” While her performance was better than last week, she was stretching vocally and emotionally. The judges commended her for her improvement, but Zack remained skeptical.

The second competitor was Josh Palmer singing “That Girl.” With Josh, the voice isn’t the main attraction but the trademark stylistic approach is, and his approach was bold as always. Farley, Jake, and Sass loved Josh’s performance. Zack once again had his reservations. He seemed grumpier than usual. The 70s and 80s must bring back bad memories for Zack.

Amber Fleury was the next to sing with the ballad “Lately.” Amber once again treated the audience to her smooth tone, and certainly didn’t disappoint her fans. The judges collectively agreed that Amber needed to “step up” and try something funkier but praised her “gorgeous tone” nonetheless.

Daryl Brunt sang Wonder’s “Superstition.” Brunt’s performance was notable as he seemed to sing naturally and fall perfectly into his groove. The performance left the judges divided as Sass and Farley commended Brunt for his efforts, leaving Jake and Zack to criticize him as safe and soulless.

Ashley Leitao was the fifth performer of the evening with the song “Sir Duke.” She pranced and sang full of energy and enthusiasm, but her vocals seemed to be lacking. Ashley sounded strained as she pushed her voice, although it was clear that she was enjoying herself on stage. Jake and Farley liked the performance, while Sass and Zack felt the opposite, calling it “casino.”

Rex Goudie rocked the house once again with his performance of “Pastime Paradise.” Full of passion and as cool as ever, Rex proved he has what it takes to win this competition. Three of the four judges sang their praises to Goudie, but Zack stubbornly disagreed with them, once again standing alone.

Melissa O’Neil was the next singer to perform with “Living for the City.” She looked like she was trying too hard to fit into the style of her song, and the emotion behind the lyrics was lost. The judges recognized her for her efforts, but weren’t overly impressed.

Aaron Walpole stormed the stage, singing the political piece “You Haven’t Done Nothing.” His performance was strong and soulful and the judges were full of compliments. While Sass voiced a personal distaste for his “theatre” tone, Zack said the performance was the best of the night and possibly the best of the top ten.

Last but not least, Suzi Rawn sang “Higher Ground.” Her performance was captivating and certainly a highlight of the show. All four judges agreed that Suzi was excellent. Farley called her “a star,” while Zack simply said “Boom!”

Suzi and Rex were the most “Wonderful” idols this week with Aaron not far behind. The idols brought their individual styles and talent to the performances they gave this Tuesday evening, but we saw it isn’t easy to sing Stevie Wonder. Which singer will be eliminated on this week’s results show? While Casey was lucky last week in escaping the bottom three, can she remain a “Cherie amour” of Canada? I think her fate may be sealed this week. She lacks the vocals and the charisma of the other eight remaining finalists. Melissa may also be in danger because of her less than stellar performance. However, the power to end the journey of one competitor is in the hands of Canada and it is impossible to predict whom they will send home this week.






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