We'll Be The Judge of That! - Canadian Idol 4, August 21

How did the Idols perform? By now, you’ve read the recap over on RealityNewsOnline, so you know what Jake, Sass, Farley, Zack, and Brian think. But what do our judges – Heather Mitchell and Ed Hampton - have to say?

Eva Avila, “Here You Come Again”

Heather: That was stunning, and I’m not just talking about Eva’s dress. That was a very polished performance for Eva this week. My only complaint was that I was having a hard time hearing her at the beginning when she was singing in her lower register. That’s just being picky on my part because this week Eva hit another one out of the park. I think Eva just keeps getting better and better with each performance. Great Job.

Ed: Since Eva was first up I had a good feeling the show would give me a good feeling… and it did. Eva really arrived last week and with Country music I thought it could go good or bad but to my surprise, it went great. Eva handled this like… well, she wrote it. Every note on pitch and she exuded a confident feel and aura. And just how beautiful is this girl? This was a great, great, rendition of this Dolly tune. Like last week I felt I was at the Eva concert. And yes, I liked it better than Dolly’s. Grade A+

Tyler Lewis, “Suspicious Minds”

Heather: Oh dear, I’m not sure where I start with this one. I guess from the beginning, the first thing I thought was “Is he having problems singing into the mike?” He seemed to be having some volume problems and I can’t help but think it was because he was bouncing around so much that he was missing the sweet spot on the mike. Also, he was flat and had poor phrasing, sliding up to notes. Can I finish out on a good note? Well, his twang was perfect. Just ok for me this week.

Ed: Any time anyone sings this I expect to hear Elvis. While Elvis didn’t rise from the dead here I thought Tyler did an admirable job. He went off pitch a couple times but still did well. Somebody does need to get the ants out of his pants before someone calls his performances “The Legend of Tyler Bobbing”. He really looks like a Country star. Not as good as a couple times before but still good enough. Grade B+

Craig Sharpe, “Always On My Mind”

Heather: I’m not a big Craig fan but I really bought his performance this week. He was not only technically perfect but the emotions were there too. He was soft and sweet and I was really impressed. I don’t have much else to say because that was pretty much perfect. Excellent Job!

Ed: Craig is not my normal cup of tea but tonight he was Earl Grey. For me this was the best I have ever heard or seen him. I actually believed this performance. Very good tone and pitch. And it’s as if he understood what he was singing about. I’m not sure how many Country fans there are in Canada but they surely will like this. Craig’s back on track. Grade A

Steffi D, “These Boots Are Made for Walking”

Heather: That was so much fun, after this performance I had a big fat grin on my face. As always, the fashion critique comes first. I loved Steffi’s pink bow, her pink scarf and the pink socks. BUT, most of all I loved those boots and how she worked them into her performance. Steffi is such a great entertainer and I’m so glad she is still here; I love watching her every week. Her singing may not be the best but she has the best all round package of the five left. Great Job.

Ed: Leave it to Steffi to find a song she can do her thing with. I can’t think of a song better suited for her in the “Country” genre. This song is just barely Country. Steffi’s voice as usual soared and was pure. She put her boots into it and owned the stage. I loved it but I’m afraid Canada won’t. Steffi is still one of my faves. Grade B+

Chad Doucette, “If You Could Read My Mind”

Heather: I liked the way Chad sang this song, it was some of the best singing we have seen from Chad all season. However, I almost felt like he was trying too hard to emote. He shouldn’t have been sitting on that stool throughout the entire song, I think if he stood up at the end of the song I might have felt the urgency that needs to be portrayed there. It was good but not good enough. I have nothing else to say but, Good Job.

Ed: If Chad could have read my mind he would not have done this song. I guess it’s a good thing he didn’t because for me this was his best ever performance. Another in a long line of not wasted pimp spots this season. Kalan killed this song in season 2 and it’s one of those songs that should not be attempted unless you can match or surpass the aforementioned song killer. Color me freaked out because (here goes some Idol blasphemy) I think he out sang Kalan. This was great. I think I liked this better than (here goes some Canadian icon blasphemy) Gordon. He is no longer the hanging Chad, because that just kept him in another week.

Final Thoughts

Heather: Surprise, surprise, I am born and bred Calgarian and I am not a big country music fan at all. But, that being said, I was pleasantly surprised with the performances we saw this week. The performers that are left are showing each week that they are learning from past experiences and are growing. This is one of my favorite things about any Idol show I have seen thus far.

If there was an encore tomorrow night, á la Rock Star, I would like to see Craig up there and Tyler sent home. But I don’t always agree with the rest of Canada, so tune in tomorrow to see what happens.

Ed: American Idol 5 has been touting the record number of this and the record number of that since the season ended. Well Canadian Idol broke a record with this show I could only hope AI6 can equal. There have been six top ten shows and not one of them has sucked. Not one! Those are the kinds of records I’m interested in. And this Country show didn’t even seem like Country… and that’s the way I like it. Everyone did great and for me, it was the best Country night ever on any Idol. I just wish they would sing more than one freaking song. Well… next week.

The best of show were Eva and Chad. The alpha and omega. The worst. There was no worst, there was only “not quite as good as the others” so picking the bottom two will be a great challenge. I fear for my Steffi again and I do believe Tyler Bobbing will see his first pass to the seal. With sadness Steffi exits stage left. But the fact is Chad, Eva, and Craig were on top of it this night. Three cheers for the night!

Conclusion: It seems like Tyler deserves to go this week. But until the eliminated singer is announced, keep it locked on RealityNewsOnline and FoxesOnIdol for all the latest!

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