First off, I’d like to give a big giant shout-out to Igrecman who has decided to continue posting video of this season’s Canadian Idol even though his heart really isn’t in it any more. Thank you! The cutting and uploading of the videos in a timely fashion takes tons of organization and work and there are lots of peeps across America and other parts of the world who appreciate your efforts. So, here’s the link to Igrecman’s videos. I’ll post them here as soon as they are up.
The performance show begins tonight at 9 pm ET. Tomorrows results show at 8 pm ET. That appears to be the schedule for the rest of the season. Canadians and border dwellers…carry on! The rest of us will catch up…
Mr Gwen Stefani Gavin Rossdale is the mentor for “Unplugged” week. He’s got some interesting insights.
- Sebastian Pigott - “Lucille” by Little Richard - Gavin tells Sebastian to put in more pain rather than bravado. I don’t think he incorporates the suggestion entirely, but this performance is miles better than what he’s done the past couple of weeks. The judges note the improvement. Zack agrees he improved, but tells him he hopes he goes home tomorrow.
- Earl Stevenson - “Two” by Ryan Adams - Earl plays guitar, and his soulful vocals are a perfect match for this song. Nice to see him sit down and just sing. Nice job. He’s still one of my favs. Zack and I are having a mind meld–he compares Earl to John Hiatt–exactly what I was thinking as Earl performed.
- Mark Day - “Stay” by Sugarland - Mark actually has a half-way decent voice. He sings ballads reasonably well. He’s a little hard to look at when he performs. I don’t think he’s going anywhere yet. The judges are complimentary.
- Mitch MacDonald - “Oh Atlanta” by Little Feat - Mitch performs a cool zydeco-inspired arrangement of “Oh Atlanta”, but I just can’t get past the helium-like quality of his vocals. Zack didn’t like the song choice. Jake and Farley say his performance was safe. Sass likes it.
- Amberly Thiessen - “The Way I Am” by Ingrid Michaelson - “Finally a girl!” says Gavin. I think Amberly’s tone and phrasing are beautiful. Her performance here is engaging, effortless. Love her! Jakes likes her performance better than Ingrid’s. The judges love her.
- Mookie Morris - “Ophelia” by The Band - Eh, I’m not wowed by the song choice. I wish he’d chosen something that showcased his vocals a little more. The band overpowered him at points, which is a little weird on unplugged night. The judges loved it, though.
- Drew Wright - “Sunday Morning” by Maroon 5 - Gavin calls out Drew on the way he mimics styles, rather than making a song his own. I have to say while this choice is a good match for his vocals, like last week, he doesn’t bring anything new to the song. Zach and Farley both think he doesn’t have an identity. Sass thinks it’s “the bomb.”
- Theo Tams - “Weak in the Knees” by Serena Ryder - Gavin has a word with him about his “trilling.” Not that he stopped it. Theo puts his heart and soul into his performances–a very beautiful performance. The judges call it “the performance of the night.”
Video is UP…After the JUMP…
Part 1:
Part 2:
Part 3:
Part 4:
Part 5:
Part 6:
Related Posts
Yay! I’m glad he has decided to continue posting the vids. After much thought and with watching some of results shows of SYTYCD the last few weeks, I started to see where he was coming from and why he might not want to post the vids anymore. When your favorite is eliminated from shows like this, it’s almost as if your heart just isn’t in it anymore. Since like many of the posters here being from America and not living close enough to the Canadian border, I can’t get the show any other way other than through his vids and so I appreciate the time and effort he puts into posting them and thank you mj for posting them here. :)
Thank you so much Igrecman for continuing to post the vids. I was looking forward to them tonight. Thank you MJ for posting it here.
Igrecman, from this Theo Tams-lovin’ American, a million thank yous for your time in posting the videos. I hope tomorrow’s results reflect what the results should be…and not due to regional or teeny-bopper votes.
Let’s hear some pure, acoustic music tonight.
the first thing I did tonight was to check igrecman’s profile to see if he reconsidered. I was so happy to hear he did!
Because of the lovely igrecman, I have already watched Sebastian go first with a song called “Lucille” which is not the one I know. Thank you, igrecman! And thank you, mj, for helping to convince igrecman.
well my favorites tonite
1. Earl
1. Mookie
1. Theo
2. Amberly
3. Mitch (i just think hes adorable lol)
3 way tie for first cuz i can’t decide which i liked the most
voted as much as my hands would allow
nite all
Thanks so much Igrecman!!! I just finished watching the videos and I’m so thankful you reconsidered.
When I heard Sebastian was doing Lucille, I asked if it was Little Richard, Kenny Rogers, or BB King’s guitar. Thank God he did Little Richard. He does have a bit of talent other than looking pretty with the right song.
Mark ummm no. Probably will always be no for Mark. He’s just too cheesy for me.
Mitch doesn’t do it for me either. I actually liked his song choice…at least when Allison Krause sings it. I usually like his song choice but his voice to me is like the male version of Dolly Parton on helium. I so want to like him though…
Earl is just pretty awesome to me. I had never heard that song but I found that I liked it. I do love alt-country!
Amberly to me has a beautiful voice and I thought that was a perfect song for her. I think they need a female presence for a while anyhow.
Mookie ummm I’m thinking of changing my name to Ophelia so we can wait for the 2nd coming…That was my favorite of the night. The song brings back old memories and I agree with the judges that it’s the best he has sung.
Ummmm what’s his name (it’ll come to me) singing Sunday Morning was nice. He sang it well but he really is forgettable. This is no joke, I can’t remember his name. I can picture him and his holey jeans…OK, I have to go find his name. Drewand seriously I just couldn’t remember it.
Theo is a great singer. It was nice to hear him leave the runs at home. Great, great advice, Gavin!
I think Mitch is on the bottom for me. I thought Drew sounded really nice, but I get their critique of him.
Do they really think most Idol fans have not heard that Ryan Adams tune? Geesh, we aren’t that out-out-touch with the music scene.
My tops were pretty similar to Dancin’s, in that I had hard time between the top 3. But, for tonight it would have been:
1. Theo
2. Earl
3. Mookie
4. Amberly
.
.
.
.
8. Sebastian
Aside from those 4 being the best, and Sebastian being a dead lock for the worst, I’m not sure how to rank them. I was kind of indifferent to Mitch, Drew, and Marks performances.
First off Gavin is a WAY better mentor than Gwen. I use to love Bush, ok that aside, Ben is looking hawt tonight. I like the white shirt and tie. :) Tonight was GREAT, the best theme thus far. I love all the performances, yes even Mark Day. It’s going to be tough but I think Drew and Mitch are walking on thin ice but I could be totally wrong. I don’t know how Canadians vote. If I was voting I would give my votes to Theo, that is one of his best performance next to “Collide”. I love Theo as the piano man, it works for him and he sings better on the piano for some reason. I have to go watch the performance again. Sebastian finally redeemed himself and sound great tonight. So here is my order but really everyone was great tonight.
1. Theo (beautiful)
2. Amberly ( I love her voice in this song.)
3. Earl (I love it when he just sings.)
4. Sebastian (Yes he is back.)
5. Mookie (Just sing it MOOOOOKIE)
6. Mitch (I love the sound and his whole fiddle reference, he sound great.)
7. Mark Day (OMG, I enjoyed that a little.)
8. Drew (He was good but not great so he is in trouble.)
Again GREAT show, I have to go listen to Theo again…:)
Theo and Drew were great (I don’t understand why the judges didn’t like Drew’s performance).
Amberly is getting dull.
Earl disappointed me. I usually love him but that was kinda fake country
I really didn’t like Mookie’s performance. The judges are over pimping him.
Mark was ok.
Mitch and Seb can leave now.
Earl and Mookie FTW! Great song choices and performances!
I hope Sebastian outlasts Mark and the nasally one. I can never remember his name. I like the pretty that is Sebastian. He needs to step it up.
Theo… did you not hear Gavin say stfu with the runs and riffs (okay, he said trills). He’s the David Archuletta of CI. Nice voice if you like that style. I don’t.
Amberly was good.
Mitch was charming.
That’s all I got.
I love Early and Mookie.
I didn’t find it fake. I found it typical alt-country. But then Earl can do no wrong for me.
Yeah, Ryan Adams is considered alt-country. He used to be in Whiskeytown. I didn’t find Earl’s version fake, either. I’m a fan of the genre.
I liked, but didn’t love, Theo’s performance. Too much vibrato and trilliness (is that a word?) for me. It just makes him sound weak to my ear.
Mookie is my #1 for the night. He just has star quality, I think. #2 is Amberly. Very pretty. (Her voice, I mean, not her looks, although she really is beautiful looking, too.) Then Earl, who has something. When he’s not singing, he looks like his wattage isn’t very high, but when he sings, he’s very appealing.
Okay, this is where I put Theo and Drew in a tie for 4th, because they sounded kind of the same to me. Weak and whiny, a little, although sweet and mostly okay.
Then Sebastien pulls up to 6th place because he is very, very nice to look at and didn’t sound too bad.
Mitch (Look into Marshall Crenshaw, Mitch. I’m not kidding.) and Mark bring up the rear. Mark sounded better than Mitch, but he creeps me out. He just seems so fakefakefake to me.
I would love it if Mark bid us a fond farewell this week, but then, I’ve been wishing that every week and it hasn’t happened yet…
Mookie, Theo and Earl were all awesome.
I really didn’t think Drew was that bad.
Sebastian was better than he has been.
Amberly was…Amberly. I’m not a fan of her, but it was one of her better performances I think.
Mark’s a waste of space, IMO. I have no idea why he’s still there. (stupid regional voting)
And Mitch really wasn’t very good.
First things first - thank you igrecman and MJ for the videos. I really love Canadian Idol. This is my first season and it feels like a totally different show than AI. Secondly, can I just say I love Gavin Rossdale, too. His is a fabulous mentor. His advice was really perfect for each idol.
My favorites tonight are Theo, Earl and Mookie. I hope Toronto (or the rest of Canada) comes through for Mookie. He deserves to stay. The rest were nice, too, but didn’t make me want to pick up the phone to vote, even if I could.
Ok, this is the first time a watch Canadian idol and I like it very much, very different from AI (and I love AI too) but i´m not american nor canadian, i´m mexican :) both shows are waaaay better than Latinamerican idol, the thing i like most about CI is that they sing more contemporary songs and the style of music is my kind of music (think Jason and Brooke) I´m enjoying it, this is the first time i like Theo, that was great; so my order is:
1.- Earl
2.- Amberly (love her voice)
3.- Mookie
4.- Theo
5.- Drew
6.- Sebastian
7.-Mitch
8.-Mark
This is the first time i liked Mark but like someone said, his style is too corny.
Gosh, I really love Mookie. He is just so ridiculously cool! I usually hate it when judges bring up a contestant’s age, but I had seriously forgotten that he was only 18 because he has such a natural and mature musicality. He was my number one of the night, and I really hope Toronto and the rest of Canada votes for him because I’m going to need another Mookie fix next week!
As much as I love crazy Earl and his Earl march, it was great to see him sit down and bust out the guitar again. Absolutely loved everything about his performance, and he came super close to tying Mookie for my favorite of the night. But then again, I am all about Mookie and Earl, so maybe I’m a bit biased, haha.
Amberly’s performance was beautiful tonight. Her voice has a sincerity about it (when she sings the right songs…) that I absolutely love. I hope being the only girl left works to her advantage because I enjoy her performances.
I like how Theo seemed to really take in the advice Gavin gave him. I think the vocal simplification really allowed him to explore the emotion of the song.
Vocally, Drew was good, although there is something in his performances that makes me think he is trying way too hard to please everyone.
Sebastian, Mitch, and Mark were all aight. Not bad, but not really impressive either.
You usually don’t vote at this time in the contest only on this one performance. Having said that, I am a Drew,Earl and Amberly fan. I also like Mitch and Mookie. I really am ready for Sebastian and Mark to leave. CI’s idea of acoustical isn’t mine. I glad to be able to watch CI thanks to igrecman and MJ. I left him a post to that effect. He posted AI also and if I had to miss a show I could always go and find his videos and they seem to be better quality than most.
Unplugged Week always seems to bring out the best of these guys. Same thing happened last year…it was almost like a “game-changer”, to quote from the show that is “Lost”! lol!!
(If you’d like to check out what last year’s Unplugged show was like, igrecman has them posted if you search his older videos under “CI5″ and “Top 8″. I re-posted them as well in a blog at blog.myspace.com/dboutilier)
Mitch and Drew were banished (in my mind! lol!) to the made-up Stools of Shame. One of them should be going home. Mark will stay, not because of votefortheworst.com, but because he wasn’t actually half-bad. Go figure!
Theo, Earl, Mookie, and Amberly were the stars of the evening. Sebastian is where he belongs…somewhere in the middle!
Looking forward to Gavin performing tomorrow night!
Thanks igrecman for your triumphant ‘return’ (and great timing too!)! Thanks also to mj and everyone who got involved in helping igrecman decide to come back to the fold! :)
First things first. THANKS to Igrecman for posting these videos. What a great week! This show is so much more interesting in terms of song selection than the American version. And a hearty thank you to MJ to spreading the love here. I’m starting to care about who wins. It’s too bad the show doesn’t offer downloads of the music.
Earl Stevenson - Back to the mellow Dave Matthews sound emphasizing the voice instead of jumping around. He’s just really good. I am totally unfamiliar with that song but I wanted to hear the rest of it.
Mark Day - Hard (impossible) to compete with Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland. It’s also hard to make fun of his performance this week. No fake tears. No shenanigans. Wouldn’t mind hearing the rest of that around the piano bar.
Theo Tams - Very nice vocally. Did he always have that vibrato? Didn’t blow me away this week with that song. Seemed just a bit too technically perfect.
Amberly Thiessen - Getting a Lisa Loeb vibe from her. Not a challenging song vocally but very nice, sweet vocals.
Mookie Morris - He has his fans. People say he’s cool. Whatever. I don’t get it.
Sebastian Pigott - Most of the judges are back on his bandwagon. Just watch his neck as he strains his “voice.” He’s on first so maybe we’ll see the last of Mr. Sex Symbol this week.
Mitch MacDonald - Gets country and sounds okay. Not my cup of tea but his thin, nasal voice worked with the song. Really just a cute, likeable guy with an average voice.
Drew Wright - I have no idea what type of artist this guy is. He was fine. His upper register isn’t so great for me but he’s always singing high. A nice guy. But he’s no idol.
Mookie and Earl are just awesome.
That’s all I have to say this week.
Igrecman, THANK YOU for posting these videos!
Mr. Gwen Stefani is hawt! Or, at least he used to be.
——————————-The Performers——————————-
Sebastian Pigott - He’s from Toronto and he’s up first, so he’s probably a lock to go home tomorrow. I hope he leaves on a good note. The bravado Mr. Gwen Stefani tried to get rid of is still 100 percent present. However, it’s a pretty good performance–highly entertaining and the singing isn’t bad at all. The Sebastian from 2 or 3 weeks ago is back! I can’t believe Zach basically asked Canada not to vote for him. That’s uncalled for, imo, when you have people like Mitch, Drew, and Mark still in the competition. C
Earl Stevenson - A Ryan Adams song! YAY! I’m glad he’s trying a genre other than rock. Lovely phrasing. It’s not really a singer’s song (so it’s not a totally electrifying performance), but Earl sings the heck out of it. It isn’t as good as “All Along the Watchtower“, which fit his vibe much better, but this is still a solid performance. I guess I was expecting more from Earl. Yeah, my and my insanely high expectations. A minus
Mark Day - What’s with the carpet on the floor? Mark chose well this week, and it’s another boyband-sounding number. It’s okay, not disasterous, which makes it one of the better thing’s he’s done on this show. D
Mitch MacDonald - Dolly Parton on helium. But I think, besides his 3rd week’s performance, this is his best. Can he go home already? OMG, he’s pimping his hometown, which will probably save his ass. Gah! F
Amberly Thiessen - She doesn’t have her guitar and she seems fine. Good for her! The song is exactly in her “wheelhouse” though, so I expect her to do well, and she did. It was beautiful and well sung, but not exactly groundbreaking A minus
Mookie Morris - Nice. Very nice. Probably my favorite or second favorite Mookie performance. It sounds like the studio audience is likin’ it too. A minus
Drew Wright - Mr. Gwen Stefani totally hit the nail on the head; I think he picked up on Drew’s biggest problem, that is, he doesn’t really have a musical identity. So what if he has a good voice? Drew’s a bit pitchy and his song selection is very unimaginative, but it’s probably his best vocal so far. D
Theo Tams - Yesh, Mr. Gwen Stefani is da MAN. No more trilling and runs please, hear that, Theo? Beautiful phrasing and tone–another solid Theo performance. He makes this schmalzy song sound tolerable, but not by much. I’m sure not everyone agrees with me, but I much prefer Theo when he’s reinventing songs like “No Woman No Cry” or “Bubbly.” I find it a little boring when he sings something straight, especially if it’s a ballad. Theo’s the Archuleta of Canadian Idol. But with a better understanding of the songs he sings and a stronger musical sense. B plus
——————————-The Rankings——————————-
The Good
1. Mookie Morris*
2. Amberly Thiessen*
3. Earl Stevenson*
4. Theo Tams
5. Sebastian Pigott
The Downright Ugly
6. Mark Day
7. Drew Wright
8. Mitch MacDonald
*basically a 3-way tie, but if I had to pick, that would be the order.
So interesting to read what appeals to different viewers.
I thought Theo’s performance was awesome, and I am so glad Gavin told him to lose the trills. He doesn’t need that extra fluff–it just takes away from his beautiful vocals. That performance really wowed me.
The other two I thought were stand-outs were Earl (who I’ve been ambivalent about in the past) and Mookie, who, for me, just has that “it” factor.
I actually thought Mitch was good tonight, and I haven’t been a fan in the past. And for the life of me, I don’t get why he’s dissed for taking no risks, but Amberly is praised as the Best. Thing. Since. Sliced. Bread. when she didn’t exactly do anything remotely challenging either. She has a lovely voice and I like her taste in music, but she seems just like a lot of other singer-songwriter types (Feist, A Fine Frenzy, the list goes on). I don’t really get what sets her apart. She hasn’t impressed me with her vocal range either (not that she has to be Mariah Carey, but come on, even folkies belt and wail now and then). I hope she stays, though, because she was good and I can’t bear the thought of no female contestants this early in the competition.
All in all, a great night and not a dud among them. Props to Igrecman (whom I thanked on his site) and MJ for making this happen. Really enjoying CI!
Well, I had a feeling that Sebastian would go first tonight. I was surprised that any of the judges liked him. Zach really has it in for him. I thought he did all right.
Earl, I think I may have finally “got” him for the first time… still not really my style but he’s fascinating somehow. I like to think that I can recognize when someone is just good, no matter the genre.
Didn’t watch the Mark Day clip….
Thought Mitch did well. I agree it was safe and I have never thought of him as someone who could win this, although I have enjoyed a few of his performances.
LOVED Amberly. She had better be safe this week!
I have yet to enjoy a Mookie performance. I guess it’s just not my thing. I wouldn’t say he doesn’t belong on the show.
Drew - sang it well, but felt a lttle awkward to me. He is trying hard to look at ease up there but it isn’t quite working for me.
Theo - I feel like I should like him because all of the ingredients are there, and yet I don’t feel the appropriate level of excitement. Maybe too predictable?
My order of preference based on tonight’s performances:
Earl (can’t believe I liked Earl)
Amberly
Sebastian
Theo
Mitch
Mookie
Drew
Mark
Just finished watching the show. I thought it was a very solid night with everyone doing at least decently.
#1. Theo - For me, he totally dove into the song and sang it from the inside out. Beautiful.
#2. Mookie - Very strong performance
#3. Earl - Brought it again.
#4-6:
Amberly - For me, she stamps each song with her imprint, not necessarily feeling the songs but playing at feeling them. I usually hear a version of Colbie Caillat there - as though she’s conscientiously shooting for that sound because it’s popular.
Sebastian - Very good job with the song. Believable, while heavy on the harmonica.
Mark - Sure it had a high caloric value, but very well done, nonetheless.
#7: Mitch - Just don’t care for his tones.
#8: Drew - I think he’s an example of the kind of Idol contestant that tries to sing what he thinks people want to hear versus what his inner muse calls for. I don’t think he’s even very familiar with that muse (”Drew, meet your muse.”). Therefore, I don’t find musicality or interest in his performances and I believe it’s time for him to go.
I left Canada last week to start work overseas, so I can’t vote for Earl and Mookie anymore…and boy would I have this week! I think it’s time for Drew to call it a day. He’s got a great voice but really doesn’t seem to know what to sing. Mark could also leave any day now, but he’s not bugging me as much anymore. Mitch is interesting, and has great instincts and picks great songs, so I have nothing against him. Theo seems set to win, but I would (if I could) vote Earl and Mooks til the bitter end!
I have never ever watched this show, not even any of mj’s clips, but I saw Ryan Adams listed so I had to play the Earl clip. I thought he did a really nice job of it, I agree with the one judge’s comparison to John Hyatt. I love Ryan Adams beyond measure, and I’m still pissed that when Blake did Stars Go Blue on AI it was referred to as a Tim McGraw song. AI morons.
Anyway, for those of you who never heard of Two, if you liked this song go find some Ryan Adams (or Whiskeytown). He’s extremely prolific and has about a kabillion songs out there.
And go Earl.
My rankings of them for last night:
1 - Theo Tams
2 - Drew Wright
3 - Mookie Morris
4 - Earl Stevenson
5 - Amberly Thiessen
6 - Mark Day
7 - Sebastian Pigott
8 - Mitch Macdonald
Projected Bottom 3: Mitch, Sebastian, Mookie
Should go home: Mitch
Will go home: Sebastian
There were two clear stand outs for me last night - Theo and Earl. I didn’t know either songs, but both performers gave me chills and made me want to go check out the original songs right away. Mark was better than I expected, and it was his best so far. Still not a fan of his, but it seems he’s listening to the advice he’s given and getting better. Sebastian was kinda back to himself last night - I thought this was his best in a long time! I love him doing that kind of music, and that harmonica playing, hip swiveling thing was hot. He does not have the strongest voice, nor the best range, but he does have talent - trust me, I saw it in person! It seems to not translate well at all on TV tho. Mookie, Drew, Amberly and Mitch left me quite indifferent this week.
I think Seb and Amb will be in B3, with perhaps Mitch or *gulp* Mark. I expect Amberly to leave, althought it should be Sebastian, even tho I really love him.
As a Canadian who is immensely proud of the talent we have here, I love coming to this site and reading your responses to the show. You also give me some great show content with your comments! Thanks!
I missed Mark Day’s performance last night and I haven’t yet watched it. Guy can sort of sing well but he’s boring.
I thought Theo was fantastic last night. Love that song and loved his version.
Why can’t Canadian Idol release studio versions on iTunes like AI? I would love to have full versions of everything Theo’s done.
Mookie is just crazy good!
And I nearly died when I hear Earl was doing Ryan Adams. Adams is my favourite artist and I’m very happy his song got featured on the show. Earl did a fantastic job. I’m pretty sure I stood up clapping in my living room.
And it’s true, a lot of the Canadian Idol audience wouldn’t know Ryan Adams. In fact, most people I know don’t know him! Even the ‘music snobs’.
All hail Igrecman!
1. Theo - Beautiful
2. Sebastian - Loved it!
3. Mookie - Didn’t love it, but it’s Mookie so I guess it’s ok
4. Amberly - I thought it was the perfect song choice for her, if a bit boring.
5. Drew - This was really copycat, and he was really trying to “force” a personality on stage. If you don’t have it, you don’t have it. Sorry.
6. Earl - Still do not understand his appeal (as a singer, I think his personality rocks), I feel like he’s constantly singing in monotone yet everybody is raving about it so maybe I’m wrong.
7. Mitch - Dang this was painfully bad to my ears, but then I guess I just can’t stand his type of voice.
8. Mark - Sure, he can sing, but I don’t like it one bit.
I think Seb is gone for sure, I agree his vocal range is limited, but I’d rather listen to him any day over numbers 5-8 on my list.
Someone posted the Pigotts singing “Dream” on youtube with some other videos, these bros just need to go out on the road together, totally awesome.
Dream
3 way tie - Mookie, Big Earl, Theo !
I like Amberly; but I sure couldn’t listen to a whole CD of her voice.
Earl & Mookie my favs. Theo, yes VERY talented but I just find him kinda boring. Disappointed in Sebastian…he needs to RELAX and do some blues and stop trying to be whatever it is he’s trying so hard to be..he’s got a great blues voice.