Search - Various Artists :: Canadian Idol: Season 3 High Notes

Season Three CD Review

Idol Guy | Canada | 01/20/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Before I begin my review, can anyone tell me why a Season Two CD was not released?????



Anyway, on with the review.



Rex Goudie - This is Rex at his most Rex-like. It's not spectacular, but it's solid and it's got legs to stand on. Rex has a gravelly voice that suits the song perfectly. With a solo album already out, Rex has a chance to be every bit as big as Bryan Adams. Also in Rex's favour, he's MUCH better looking than Bryan.



Ashley Leitao - Very pure sounding. Ashley does a great job with the vocals, but the emotion of the song is oddly not as powerful as it could or should be. I don't know if that's Ashley's fault, or the sort of bouncy production arrangement. As others have said, Ashley should have gone further in the competition. Like Season Two's second-to-go Manoah Hartmann, I feel cheated. I don't think we got to see enough of either of them, and they didn't get the chance to show everything they can do. Being pretty and mega-talented is obviously a curse on Canadian Idol.



Melissa O'Neil - This would make Martina McBride proud. This is a surprisingly easy song to sing, but it could go either way. It could soar, or fall flat. Because of the grim subject matter, there is a risk of it sounding dreary and maudlin. Melissa rises above, and makes the song fly with a maturity and emotion well beyond her 17 years. She makes a few different choices that work well. I heard Melissa's solo album is heavy on the rock though, and that disappoints me. Last year's winner, Kalan Porter was SERIOUSLY mispackaged by his label as a hard-rockin', hair-flingin' wildman, and it clearly does not suit him. Melissa is at her best when singing heartfelt songs, or songs that let her be cute and playful. The occasional rock song is okay, say, something in the vein of "Alone". I hope they don't make her too hard.



Amber Fleury - Vocally, Amber is flawless. At times during the song her voice gives me goose bumps. However, it has been said before, that the emotion on this particular track is somewhat absent. Amber doesn't "step up" in the song, even at the end. Ballads should build to a crescendo, but this one pretty much stays on an even keel. But again, it could have been the arrangement that didn't allow it to properly build. Amber has Jann Arden potential (minus Jann's foul mouth, I hope), to really make a career out of singing haunting, heartfelt songs.



Josh Palmer - I don't understand how this person EVER made it to the Top 100, never mind the Top 10, and this song does nothing to explain it to me. I will say that he sounds better on the CD than he EVER sounded on the show, but pre and post production can make anyone sound better than they are. Oh well, it could have been worse. They could have put his atrocious, cringe-worthy, "Help, I'm being skinned alive" rendition of "Hallelujah" on the CD. Hallelujah they didn't! By trying SO hard to be "different" and "unique", Josh merely comes across as trying to be something he is not. But alas, "alternative" singers such as Josh will find somewhat of an audience for no other reason than that they appear different...just like everyone else.



Emily Vinette - This is a powerful song, and Emily delivers. Emily has a very mature voice for her age. She's clearly got the pipes, and I don't know why she was the first one voted out. There were 2 or 3 others I would have predicted to go before her. Her lower register is nothing special, but when she belts out the big high notes, she nails them. One problem was that Emily did not translate well on television. She came across often as wooden, and devoid of any emotion, spark, or charisma. It was probably nerves, and she is young too, but she will have to work on developing something unique in her personality that will endear her to an audience. But based solely on vocals, if she sounds like this at 17, she's gonna be awesome when she gets a little older.



Daryl Brunt - What an unusual voice this young lad has. All of my non-Idol friends who have heard this song do NOT believe me when I tell them it's a guy. They swear it's a girl singing. That's not necessarily an insult. It just sounds like Daryl's voice hasn't completely changed yet, resulting in some moments in the song that sound a bit screechy and grating. But on the whole, Daryl sings it well, and has quite an impressive range. As for Daryl's future in music, well, he is one of those people that will have his own die-hard fans who love him no matter what. As for mass appeal, and really capturing the public, I don't see it happening.



Aaron Walpole - The song is solidly performed, and there's nothing wrong with it. There's something missing, though, and I couldn't put my finger on it until now. I would say half of Aaron's appeal is in watching him. He is definitely better when he's on stage doing his thing. Hearing him do this song is nice and pleasant to the ears, but Aaron AND his fans come alive when he is performing live. He's a crowd pleaser, and I think he has a definite future in the music business. He's fun, energetic, and really shifts genres easily, and could do anything from musical theatre, to country, to rock. That extreme adaptability could actually hurt him, though, as it would be hard to place him in a musical category and really target that specific audience. But he's likable, lovable, and his fans will support him no matter what.



Casey LeBlanc - Casey is SUCH a good singer, and performs this song VERY well. It has a timeless quality and is almost soothing. But again, there's something missing, and I think it was said on the show several times. Too harshly, mind you...poor Casey took some vicious, unnecesasary battering from the judges. Perhaps it will come with age. Unlike Melissa, who seems to pour her young heart and soul into whatever she sings, Casey just seems to be singing, and not really believing in what she's singing, or really making us believe. She grew tremendously in the competition, and should she choose to pursue music, I think she could. I don't see real break-out star potential, though. She has a similar sound to Season Two's Theresa Sokyrka, only Casey is a much better singer. Casey's vocals are pure and smooth, whereas Theresa's are gravelly, husky, and very unpleasant to listen to. Casey's fan base is also incredibly loyal, which always helps.



Suzi Rawn - This is classic Suzi. It's rock, but not too hard and not too soft. Suzi appeals to even non-rock fans, because she doesn't take it too far. She pushes it just far enough so you know she's a rocker, but shows enough good judgment and restraint as to not be offensive or harsh. Unlike Casey, who grew in the competition, it seemed that week after week, Suzi increasingly had the life and spirit drained out of her, until there was almost nothing left by the end. She started out with a bang, and kind of went out with a whimper. But this Idol format is not easy, as any of them will tell you. It is draining and exhausting, both physically and emotionally. That did show with Suzi. That said, however, Suzi already fronted a band before the show, and like Jacob Hoggard (Season Two) and his band Hedly, I predict Canada will be hearing a lot from King Size Suzi. These band singers are very smart business people. They have begun to realize that the invaluable Idol exposure they receive can very easily propel their pre-existing band onto the national scene. Suzi will be doing this for a long time.



I hope you enjoyed my review. I would recommend this CD, mostly for fans of Idol, who know the performers. but even non-Idol fans would enjoy it, and it could change some perceptions, and make people realize that there is SERIOUS talent in Canada!"