We’ll Be the Judge of That! – Canadian Idol 2, September 1

We’re down to the Final Four – and that means two performances each! You’ve already seen the show (or maybe you haven’t) and read Paris Cosby’s full recap (you definitely should have). So now our Foxes On Idol judges tell you what they think!

Theresa Sokyrka, "It's Only a Paper Moon" & "Dream a Little Dream of Me"

Yasmin: A lovely first performance from an utterly lovely performer! My only real criticisms of Theresa's first outing are the things I usually harp on - posture and stage command. I feel some of her personal ticks, such as the shoulder shrugging and crouching, have become bad habits that distract from her presence on stage. That being said, though, she made this performance look natural - it was like she was born to sing in front of an orchestra.

While I thought her second performance was absolutely charming, I have to say I thought Zack Werner was right on the ball with his comments on this one - there's just a tiny little piece of something missing, even in Theresa's best performances, that separates her from true greatness. Whether it's the confidence needed to truly command a stage or simply an innate trust in her vocal instrument, she needs to find that final puzzle piece to complete the classy, understated jigsaw she's been building since the start of this competition.

Brian: Wow! What a great start! Theresa croons and scats this tune like it truly ought to be heard. She’s so natural, so at home. I believe Theresa totally gets this theme, and also that the live audience totally gets Theresa! No point-one deduction for not wearing her sexy glasses, because the right-shoulder bounce is so way cool!. Score Theresa an 8.8.

The second is not as good as the first, there were some missed notes. But, here’s just a lot of delightful stuff for my ears. There’s some beautiful vocal parts, where she’s beautiful, sexy, inspiring, humble, sweet. Even with the standard point-one deduction for no glasses (she told me post-show, she’d be wearing them tomorrow), I score Theresa at 8.2. But I still love her!

Rob: Theresa’s first performance tonight was just incredible. She looked beautiful, was comfortable on stage and clearly in her vocal element. This song was made for a person like Theresa.

Theresa’s second song followed in the same tradition as her performances have for the past several weeks – strong and well chosen renditions. Zack’s comment was completely irrelevant to Theresa’s performance tonight, because she was right in the element of where she wanted to be. No one needs to hear power vocals on a song like this. Well done again.

Kalan Porter, "Moon River" & "The Way You Look Tonight"

Yasmin: The first thing I must say is that television did not do Kalan's performances justice! His voice was nothing short of stunning in both his outings tonight, and none of the volume issues that seemed to present themselves when watching it back on tape were at all evident in the theatre, even with fans screaming throughout the performances! Kalan took a classic and presented it with a wistful sincerity that left me speechless. This was possibly the first time all season that I felt spontaneously moved to leap to my feet in a standing ovation before he'd even finished singing.

As for his second performance, dear God, can I gush for a second here? I think this was one of the most adorable things I've seen in my entire life, and yes, I mean that in a good way! The vocals were bang on, he looked like he owned the stage, and his ear-to-ear grin made it seem like he was loving every second of it. This boy is a star, and if he doesn't win this competition, my fellow Canadians must have faulty hearing.

Brian: Kalan starts slowly, almost uncomfortably, and volume is M.I.A. But halfway through, wham! Tonight’s performance highlights a different, softer side to Kalan (which is good) and still shows off the pure tones we’ve come to expect. Andy Williams still has the definitive version, though, but the on-site Kalanadians loved it … 8.3.

The second is Kalan’s better effort tonight, this performance has zip, flash, pizzazz. He seemed to feel the soul of this song much better. He reminds us, he has am amazing range of vocal talent. With the big finish, it’s so very Vegas-cool, I’ll score him at 8.9.

Rob: After a less than Kalan performance last week (read: perfect), Kalan brought it back this week. His vocals started off a bit weaker than the music coming from the orchestra on Moon River, but he quickly corrected this and nailed the performance.

There is really only one word to characterize for me Kalan’s second performance – and it is one that Simon Cowell likes to use frequently. That would be superb!

Jason Greeley, "I Won't Dance" & "It Had To Be You"

Yasmin: Shock of shocks, Jason actually semi-impressed me with his first performance! He sounded... decent! I have to say I was expecting him to fall flat on his face singing the standards, but he gave it his best shot. However, aside from the decent vocals, he was up to his usual tricks, snapping his fingers, pointing at the audience, completely lacking sincerity.

This key problem with Jason's performance style was even more evident in his second song, in which he was slightly under pitch throughout and therefore didn't have solid vocals to cover his obvious schtick. If you hit the mute button on your TV, the two performances were almost identical, right down to the timing of the pointing at the audience! Zack's right again - one of these things just doesn't belong here, and I think it might be back to Newfoundland for that one.

Brian: Jason shows he has other dimensions that just “rocker.” In lieu of dancing, he goes for a finger-snapping “Rat Pack” presentation. That’s not so bad, but vocally, there were several weak points. You’ll have to trust me, this performance was much better live than it came across on TV. Ergo, score him at 7.9.

Oh, dear, so many missed notes in his second song. Note also, Jason too often has the mike right in his face, we can’t hardly see him or those dimples my wife assures me are so captivating. There was some promise in the first number, but he just doesn’t seem comfortable here and doesn’t even sing out like he usually does. Well, tonight, I must score him (kindly) at 6.0.