The second half of the Canadian Idol Top 16 perform tonight at 8 pm ET/CT
Check this link for video around 9 pm ET. I’ll be posting it here, after the jump, as soon as it becomes available.
Canadians and border-dwellers, chat away!
- Mitch MacDonald - “Blue” by the Jayhawks - Great song, love the alt country, yes I do! Too bad Mitch has the personality of a wet dishrag. There’s some serious lack of charisma here. Jake thinks Mitch belongs in the Top 10 based on his unique tone, but thought he made a poor song choice. Sass enjoyed it, and loved his falsetto. Farley liked it too. Zach didn’t love the falsetto, he says, “Nice guy…may not be enough.”
- Gary Morrisette - “House of the Rising Sun” by the Animals - I’m digging this punked out “House of the Rising Sun.” It’s not a copy of the Animals version, and that’s a good thing. Nice guitar work! I’d download this single from iTunes. Sass didn’t like it. Farley doesn’t like the beginning, but liked the arrangement. Zack thinks re-arranging the song was a smart move. Jake says ditto.
- Katelyn Dawn - “Zombie” by the Cranberries - GAH! Weak. Katelyn performs a strictly karaoke version of this song. She’s hopelessly drowned out by the band. It’s bad. Farley thought it was a good song choice. Zack liked the first chorus and saw the potential in moments. Jake thinks she needs choose more melodic songs. Sass liked her attitude. Hm, they must want her to advance!
- Oliver Pigott - “Lean on Me” by Bill Withers - Oliver hits and misses. This is a hit. Great song choice, great phrasing, very heartfelt, very soulful. I’ll be shocked if Oliver doesn’t make the Top 10. Zack likes that he sang with real guts and real glory. Jake compliments him on his blues ability. Sass loves it. Farley says, “Unforgettable.”
- Sebastian Pigott - “Bring it on Home to Me” by Sam Cooke - Oh man, the Pigott brothers are bringing it! This is sensational! Hot and bluesy…not only can Sebastian sing, but he’s got TONS of charisma. Hah, he breaks out the harmonica! Jake hopes there is room for two Piggots. Sass calls him smart and clever. Farley calls him a straight up sex symbol. Zack says he proves it’s not a singing competition. Oooh.
- Earl Stevenson - “Like a Rolling Stone” by Bob Dylan - An odd song choice–it’s not much to work with vocally–but Earl performs with personality and passion. I hope he makes the Top 10. Sass says, “That was dope.” Farley says, “You get into the music, and the music gets into you.” Zack says he’d go see him in a show right now. Jake calls him unique, and hopes the people at home feels the same way.
- Katherine St. Laurent - “Love is a Battlefield” by Pat Benatar - There’s nothing unique going on here, but her vocal is pretty good. Katherine stage presence is very tentative. She’s got some work to do. Farley thought it was a very well prepared performance and that her voice sounded great. Zack says she has the best voice here. Jake says her best performance on the show. Sass says, great song choice, great singing…Top 10 performance.
- Drew Wright - “The Reason” by Hoobastank - I call them “Hoobastink” ha ha…not a fan! Hate this song, but Drew can sing, so he gets a pass. Zack says “Pipes 8, Rockstar 2.” Jake thinks he’s one of the best singers in the competition. Sass said there were some, “Transcendental like Bono moments in that song. I wouldn’t go that far…
Farley loves his voice, but wishes he’d perform a little more aggressively.
Video After the JUMP…
Part 1:
Part 2:
Part 3:
Part 4:
Part 5:
Part 6:
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OMG Sebastian! Everyone else can go home! Just kidding.
But not really.
Sebastien is really just so pretty. I kind of liked his performance in general, though. Not just the hottie factor. And Oliver continues to leave me cold. I have to say, those two have like zero range, and yet they seem to know what to do with the three notes they can reach, so (as Zach the a-hole seems to be fond of saying) good on them.
I liked Earl, whose general appearance makes me think of Hugh Laurie if he decided to go downhome Canadian. Or if Hugh had a love child wandering in Canada.
I also liked Gary and Drew (Rocking the guyliner? In Pimp Position? Hokay… Didn’t see either of those coming.) but the rest can happily go home and I won’t care.
Mitch does nothing for me. His voice seems (as Simon said once) girly. Katelyn does nothing for me. She needs a new hairdo. Oliver and Sebastian are both working the hunk thing, because neither really has a voice. Katherine is okay, but sounds like (and maybe worse than) a million other pretty girls who want to be vaguely rocky.
I think Mitch will definitely be going home from this group, but I fear Gary and Drew will be the other two. My choice would be Mitch, Katelynn and Oliver. Zero chance of that happening, however.
I still am sooo liking Earl and Drew was pretty good tonight .Sebastian is better than his brother imho .
It was a much better show overall than last night’s. Not only does this group sing better, they perform better as well. It’s too bad that the groupings seem lopsided. I’d like one, maybe two to leave from this group and half of last night’s group to leave. Maybe they will surprise everyone by sending home the people who really got the lowest number of votes of the entire 16.
Sebastion just has IT. He may not have perfect vocals but he uses what he has really well. It’s not enough to just have a great voice - you’ve got to have the whole package. I think his brother might be in trouble. Besides his James Dean vibe, he also reminds me of a young Chris Isaak.
My second favorite is Earl. He does not ooze sex appeal by any stretch but his voice does. I could listen to it forever. I hope he stays around for a long time.
I like both of these girls better than Marie-Pierre.
My least favorite is Mitch. I laughed out loud when Zack said he sounded like one of the chipmunks. I thought that very thing last week. Even though there are moments of great sound, the rest just makes me wince.
I don’t know people, I really kind of like Oliver more than Sebastian in terms of singing. Sebastian is definitely hotter. I like both, even though they’re being pimped.
Despite their popularity with the judges, I think they’ll cancel each other out and Earl and his magic leprechan choreography will come out on top. I think his comment was even more amazing than his performance. I love it.
Katelyn sang a song that I love and have completely forgotten about, so if she stays, I do not mind, but she’s not going to win at all.
In general, I’m loving the different song choices in Canadian Idol…not all of them, but when a song like Zombie just pops out of nowhere, it makes me smile.
Sebastien Piggot, Canadian Idol…that just has to happen.
Because if he wins, this show gains access to a whole new market and gains some much-needed credibility.
A mature male who has got IT.
Limted vocal range, but who cares. There is just a tone to his voice that is so distinctive with that warmth and sense of conviction.
Add in the other elements, and he is a star.
I was totally blown away by that performance tonight.
My rankings tonight:
Drew, he’s not my fav, but did the best. I get the feeling he is trying to be Canadian’s *Cook*, heh.
Sebastian who is my fav right now. I think Sebastian will beat out his bro in the end.
Earl (reminds me of a cross between Dobbie Gillis & Gilligan. Goofy, lumbering, awkward however he does have a good voice.
Oliver.
My last spot would go to Gary only because he was better than the others.
I get that Sebastian has sex appeal (although I find it a tad silly, i.e. campy, at times), but isn’t the winner supposed to be a recording artist? I need to go back and just LISTEN to all the performances because, as entertaining as some of them are as performers–and I agree they need to be able to perform in addition to sing– they need to be able to sing more than five notes, don’t you think? Or am I missing something?
Mitch has never wowed me, and I’m tired of Gary’s voice. I love me a rocker, but he’s got to have some actual singing ability, and I’ve never been convinced Gary does. I’m tired of the growling–a little goes a long way and pretty much all he does is growl.
I still think Drew has one of the better voices; too bad we can’t dub Sebastian with Drew’s voice (although I personally prefer Drew’s style to Sebastian’s). Oliver was good tonight, but I don’t see a lot of originality in him. I thought what he did was pretty close to a straight cover of Bill Withers’s original.
I like both of the girls better tonight than either of last night’s, but in a lot of ways they’re interchangeable for me.
And Earl? I just don’t get it. He reminds me of Taylor Hicks in too many ways (and that’s not a good thing in the long run). Would love to hear what Simon Cowell thinks of him! Again, close your eyes and listen to the vocal. Would you buy an entire album of that? Not convinced.
I love that Mitch did some alt-country…only he fairly sucked so I don’t like that he didn’t do my favorite genre proud. Gary totally rocked when he got going (great arrangement for sure) but he isn’t good at singing pretty, or maybe singing at all. But I loved his performance. I’ve never understood the Oliver love, he really doesn’t do it for me and I totally hate the song he sang. Sebastian on the other hand sang one of my all time favorite songs and totally owns the camera. He’s a movie star (probably not a singing one) for sure. I think Katherine did a great job with Love is a Battlefield but I can’t seem to care. I don’t really see much personality I guess. Drew has a great voice but there again, I don’t much find myself caring. Which leads us to Earl. I totally love him. He has a good (not great) voice but he’s Earl and to me that equals amazing. Sorry, I forgot Katelyn, why doesn’t that surprise me.
So overall tonight was so much better than last night. My picks for bye bye are Mitch, Katelyn and Gary or Drew but I don’t particularly want to see either leave.
First off I want to say, as an older viewer with somewhat ecclectic taste I am enjoying C.I. compared to A.I. overall. I think half the performers on C.I. are not stepping up compared to the auditions.
That said, sadly a lot of my favorites are just screwed. Adam C. for me is twice the singers of th piggy brothers, especialaly pretty boy Sebastion…who is a joke to me. Thanks Zack for keeping it real. He’s far funnier then Simon. Drew was also badass and so he’s probably screwed and we’ll be stuck with the marginally talented and totally posuer pigfaces….sigh.
Personally, I was thrilled to hear that Jayhawks song, and so huge points to Mitch for bringing that song to C.I. Sadly he’s maybe too nice for this show, but I hope he’s not fodder and Canada votes him into the top 10.
Then there is Earl…lol. He’s becomae a parody of himself and could be VFTW superstar, but most likely Canada doesn’t get the joke and thus he’s gonna be gone. I do like him being a goof…and hope he stays. It’s gonna be intereting to see if he hangs around.
The girls really are getting the shaft though. So few represented, but there is some talent. That said hearing and viewing a couple cookie cutter blonde girls sing a couple great song and do very little with them performance wise. It makes me long for Dilana from Rockstar who took Zombie to places I never thought possible.
I’m curious as to who makes top ten…or if they play a switheroo and make it a top 12.
I guess I’m in the minority but I thought that Drew seriously sucked, my ears hate me for listening to that.
Sebastian’s voice is limited but atleast he can sing on key.
This was a tab bit better than last nights group. I need a cold shower after watching Sebastian perform, good lord, that’s all I have to say. Oliver was a bit boring to me. Mitch is a sweetheart but he is too girly, but I do like him. The girls both sucked in my opinion, forgettable. I have that Cranberries cd and I saw them live in 94′ when I was in high school, lol. Dolores is WAY WAY better! Katelyn ruined that song for me. She should of sang “Dreams” or “Linger”, it would be better for her voice. I don’t see what all the praise is about with the Katherine girl, I have heard that song sung a million times better by many many other artist. She is horrible in my opinion. Earl was just a little weird toinight for me. I like Earl when he is sitting down and singing with a guitar. He reminds me of David Schwimmer from Friends, lol. Gary was too much. I like Drew’s song choice but he didn’t put his all into it. He is a cutie-pie though.
Ok the best tonight was Sebastian, most memorable, then Drew and Earl, the rest can go home. I think it will be Gary, Mitch and Katelyn going home but maybe Oliver, who knows. I want old Earl back and better song choices, pleazzze. Yeah the AI contestants didn’t have a choice to pick different songs because of the format this season, with that said the AI singers were way better vocally than CI this year. Of this whole group, Theo is the only one with the vocals. It’s fun to watch anyway. They do sing well as a group though. It will be interesting to see if Mookie, Theo, Earl, Amberly or Sebastian will take this whole thing?
————————General Comments————————
1. No pre-package interviews?
2. No one completely sucked tonight.
————————The Performances————————
Mitch MacDonald - I can’t get over the fact that he sounds like a little kid….but I disagree with the judges and thought it was a good song choice. He does seem like a nice guy. C
Gary Morissette - He has problems staying on pitch when he isn’t “rocking out.” Great guitar solo; not so great vocals. He sounded strained, like he was forcing it. But I kind of like Gary anyway. D
Katelyn Dawn - Her camera face sucks. Creepy. D
Oliver Pigott - Great song choice. He actually sounds soulful and in his element. This is probably the first time I like Oliver. I think this is the type of vibe he should go with. B
Sebastian Pigott - Probably the best performer tonight. I’m not convinced Sebastian’s the less-talented brother and the weakest vocalist in the Top 24. In fact, I think he’s the stronger performer of the Pigott bros and I love his voice. His voice is one of my favorites, and the judges certainly don’t like it as much as I do. A
Earl Stevensen - LOL the Earl dance is back again this week! I wish he would just sit down and sing, because while he doesn’t have the sex-appeal of the Pigott bros, he has the best voice hands down. There is so much character and weight in his tone. I LOVE EARL. And his interviews are as fun(ny) as Jason’s. B
Katherine St-Laurent - The song is WAY too big for her. I’ve seen it sung so much better. If she can’t rock out like the original, she needs to change it up like Brooke did. I COMPLETELY disagree about her having the best voice here. I guess I don’t really see her appeal. C
Drew Wright - Pitchy at the beginning because it was too low. I don’t see him as a rocker, so I’m a little baffled by his song choice. I do see what he was going for in terms of the performance, but it didn’t really impress me. He may be one of the best vocalists, but he hasn’t shown that yet…or at least, I haven’t seen it yet. C
————————Quick Rankings————————
The Good:
1. Sebastian
2. Earl
3. Oliver
The OK
4. Drew
5. Mitch
6. Katherine
The Downright Ugly
7. Gary
8. Katelyn
Earl, Sebastian, Oliver, and Katherine are in. Mitch and Katelyn should be going home. So I guess Drew and Gary will fight for the last spot.
Mitch MacDonald - I thought he did better then last week…few off moments..but good
Gary Morrisette - I didnt like it…he can do better and hope he is given the chance….annoying when they keep looking at their hands while playing..which causes them to miss the mic when singing
Katelyn Dawn - also didnt like her performance…didn’t fit her and didn’t sing it well
Oliver Pigott - His voice suited the song…looked a little awkward..i thought it was great…especially since he had no guitar …and it seems like every other perosn has to perform with a guitar or instrument…whatver happened to just singing?
Sebastian Pigott - holy superstar looks…decent singing….great performance
Earl Stevenson - the guy is goofy when not holding a guitar…the others may be as awkward if they had to go sans instrument…..i didnt like this at all
Katherine St. Laurent - ive been saying she has massive potential…she showed some of what she can do tonight…..impressive
Drew Wright - he was great during the group showcase…but solo…ive seen nothing but failure…he is like Adam castelli…..great arrangements…but when it comes to performing what they think of…they just fall short…..i think the only reason he is getting votes is cause he looks like ryan gosling in the notebook
who I think will make top ten in no particular order
Oliver, Sebastian, Theo, Mookie, Katherine, Amberly, Earl ,Drew, Adam, Marie
If the top 10 Canadian Idols did a tour, this is how I think it should work.
Theo and Amberley both do solo accoustic sets at the beginning.
Sebaston and Oliver Piggot take the stage with a full band behind them. Mookie and Earl are both playing guitars.
Drew, Katherine and Katelyn sing harmonies in the background.
Everyone gets to sing a song or two.
That’s only nine. So Gary Morrisette opens the concert with a real high energy song. Not a great voice, but with him the electric guitar is a huge part of his act. For one number, he could bring the house down.
I liked Sebastian the best, so much that I watched his performance twice. Next was Drew, Oliver, and, Katelyn. What in the world was that “dance” Earl was doing? Stomping cow patties or something? I can just imagine what Simon would say about that performance. And, in no way, shape or form, does he remind me of Taylor Hicks.
Oh yeah, can we swap Sass for Paula? Pretty please?
Wihtout a comment on the quality of their performances, the Pigott brothers and Earl Stevenson were the only singers that were memorable. They should make it to the top ten.
Mitch MacDonald - Like Adam Castelli, appealing looks and personality but just isn’t a very good singer.
Gary Morrisette - Not quite hitting the low notes at the beginning. Again, not a very good singer.
Katelyn Dawn - Her attempt to rock out didn’t really suit the song. I’m alone but I see potential in Katelyn. She hasn’t really been good but I sense better things lurking just below. Needs some help with song choices
Oliver Pigott - Certainly knows how to stare at the camera with faux emotion. This is actually the first time I could stand him.
Sebastian Pigott - Painful. Not a singer at all. But he’s got his looks and all his votes, at least in part, will hinge on the physical.
Earl Stevenson - After an opening week of channeling Dave Mathews, he’s been content to be a spazz for two weeks. You barely notice that he’s a good singer with all the superfluous stuff. I said the same thing about Taylor (who was better).
Katherine St. Laurent - Just isn’t a rocker at all. Pure karoake version of Pat Benetar classic. The best singer in the competition according to the judges. I don’t hear it.
Drew Wright - Nothing special and high notes out of his range. Can barely remember him from week to week.
Mitch Macdonald - Just don’t like his voice. It’s pretty high.
I like Maroon5 though, so, could just be Mitch. So agree with Zack, definitely sounded like Alvin and the Chipmunks.
Gary Morisette - Certain parts where I couldn’t understand what he’s singing. He should stop looking at his fingers while he’s playing, it’s distracting. Wow, Jake agreed with Zack :D!
Katelyn Dawn - The original is so much better. This is like a very watered-down version. They must really want her in the top ten cause I was not impressed.
Oliver Pigott - His best performance so far but that’s not saying much. I don’t particularly like Oliver, but I did like this performance.
Sebastian Pigott - Nice set-up. A different side to Sebastian. So that’s why Oliver didn’t do the harmonica. Is this a case of whatever his brother does, he does as well? However, what I like about Sebastian is, he never bores me. I wish he’d sung more though. Agree with Farley, he’s an entertainer.
Earl Stevenson - He should not dance or move around, at all. This was just weird. He should just lug around his guitar. I can’t even comment on the singing because his movements are so distracting. Unlike the judges, I’m not feeling this. I wonder who else Zach likes.
Katherine St. Laurent - I like this better than last week. She should do rock instead of ballads :). She’s not boring this way.
Drew Wright - Is he wearing guyliner? This was a boring performance. And the guitar was pretty much useless. What is Sass on? Bono???
I so love that Canadian Idol has performers who are more into rock than ballads.
wow. I haven’t been a Piggot brothers fan, but they may have started to change my mind today…. Sebastian’s performance was all kinds of hot! His singing and harmonica playing were def. sexy, and Oliver’s performance was my favorite of the ones he has done so far (the first one was scary and last week’s was overpraised).
Earl got automatic points just for picking one of my favorite Dylan songs ever and singing it well….and, though I don’t like it nearly as much as the Mook-walk, the Earl march is starting to grow on me, haha.
i don’t get the piggot love at ALL they are boring to me especially oliver
i love earl ..he’s big , he’s goofy but most of all the boy has an amazing voice.. just wish he’d stop the dance… mookie has that covered so much better lol
i have mini luv for mitch mcdonald also .. cuz when he sings he makes me smile.. makes me feel something.. unlike so many of the others
i like katherine’s voice and think in time she will be great
drew.. good voice just something missing for me
the rest are just there as filler for me…
Just to clarify: I didn’t mean Earl looks like Taylor or sounds like him, just that I think a lot of what their respective fans like about each of them is that they’re both very entertaining on the stage. The singing seems secondary to me and that can be disastrous when it comes to record sales.
I guess where I’m going with this (and I feel the same way about Sebastian) is you look at someone like Carrie Underwood, who was not a great performer at all on AI-4, but she could, unquestionably, sing! I think you can learn to perform, but I’m not convinced your voice can improve all that much just because you have a lot of money invested in you. I’m sure Earl and Sebastian are both safe, though, so time will tell.
I love this show so much better than AI.
I see Theo and Mookie battling it out for the win.
P.S. Oliver sings circles around his cutie patootie bro, IMO.
I’m waiting until top 10 to watch, except for Mookie and Sebastian. They are a must. :-)
Much better show overall. My ears didn’t bleed a single time. It’s too bad only 5 from this group are advancing.
Mitch MacDonald (The Jayhawks - Blue) - I really like Mitch and I respect that he’s being so honest and forthright with viewers about the type of album he would record. He’s certainly got a new fan in me. However, for the sake of lasting on the show longer, I wish he’d pick songs that were more familiar to the CI audience. How about some Blue Rodeo or John Mayer?
Gary Morissette (The Animals - House Of The Rising Sun) - Not a fan of the Lukas Rossi screamo style of singing but he did do what he does very well. He’d be better as a lead guitarist in a band than as the main vocalist though, much like Dwight d’Eon last year.
Katelyn Dawn (The Cranberries - Zombie) - Perhaps her best song choice and performance so far but is it too late to connect to enough viewers for her to survive the big cut?
Oliver Pigott (Bill withers - Lean On Me) - I think he sang quite well but his voice and tone are just not my thing. I’ve heard this song performed by others with much more, imo, vitality and colour. By comparison, Oliver’s version feels somewhat flat and dull. But he did hit all the right notes.
Sebastian Pigott (Sam Cooke - Bring It On Home To Me) - I never expected to enjoy one of Sebastian’s performances so much but he did everything right with this number. The previously noted vocal limitations were never in evidence here. The vitality and colour that I felt were lacking in his brother’s song were front and centre in this performance. Even just listening to the audio only was enjoyable.
Earl Stevenson (Bob Dylan - Like A Rolling Stone) - My first impression on seeing this performance was WTF? However, after listening to it a few more times, without Earl’s distracting “leprechaun dance moves”, I actually quite like it. It’s not a tight vocal, but that’s not his forte anyway.
Katherine St-Laurent (Pat Benatar - Love Is A Battlefield) - I thought the band was a bit too loud at times but overall, this was a very strong performance. Essentially, she did a straight-up cover of the original, though her voice didn’t have quite the grit of Pat Benatar. The judges over-praised her though because they obviously want a Quebecer in the top 10 (and Marie-Pierre Bellerose is unlikely to make it).
Drew Wright (Hoobastank - The Reason) - He seemed to be trying too hard to project a rock star image (too much eyeliner, next-to-useless guitar). The song choice was decent but the vocal, to my ears, was merely adequate. I’ve liked Drew since the Top 200 but I’m not sure if this performance was enough to make the top 10.
Best Performance:
Sebastian Pigott
Good Performances:
Katelyn Dawn
Oliver Pigott
Katherine St-Laurent
Ok Performances:
Mitch MacDonald
Earl Stevenson
Drew Wright
Gary Morissette
I would love to see a Pigott brothers final showdown.
So who’s likely to advance and who’s going home?
On the surface, it would seem like the Pigott brothers are splitting their core home fan base but I think they have broader appeal than just home town fans.
Gary M, Earl S, Katelyn D, Katherine S-L, and Mitch M are the sole representatives from B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Quebec and the Maritimes, respectively. Hometown support is a given but they’ll all need outside help. Drew W is from small-town Ontario and needs to attract broad fan support from all over, I think.
No one here is a sure-bet but based on their performances to date and their likely geographic supports, here are my predictions for tonight:
Most likely to advance:
Sebastian Pigott
Oliver Pigott
Earl Stevenson
Katherine St-Laurent
Fighting it out for the 5th slot (5th and 6th if there’s a Top 12):
Gary Morissette
Katelyn Dawn
Mitch MacDonald
Drew Wright
Wouldn’t Earl also be a Saskatchewan pick as well?
When I was living in Lloyd, people there actually consider it like they lived in Saskatchewan. Except when the eighteenth birthday rolled around…
Sure, there is only fifty people living in Saskatchewan ( I’m joking…), but who else would they go for?