Whiskey-a-Rainbow, October 3, 2012

Week 3
by Stuart Munro

It’s Sunday night (though I suspect you’re reading this in the future) and, with glass in hand, it’s once again time for Over the Rainbow! This week kicked off with a somewhat lacklustre//// performance of “The merry old land of Oz.” Down to eight girls, the ensemble sounded a bit thin and tired, making me wonder if two of the strongest voices have already been booted off . . . but I digress. Finally, and much to my relief, the girls are singing show tunes this week! Why the girls ever sing pop songs is a bit beyond me. With us again are the handsome Daryn Jones; the “silver spitfire,” Louise Pitre; Daryn’s World of Warcraft avatar, Thom Allison; and Webber’s longtime yoga buddy, Arlene Phillips.

Up first was AJ with “One night only” from Dreamgirls. Despite the ridiculous audition scenario they placed her in, AJ sounded pretty fierce, especially when the song moved into the disco version. I wish they’d given her a little more choreography to rock out with, but this was a pretty strong start to the episode. Louise and Thom both wanted a bit more of a story arch from the song, but Arlene appreciated her commitment. Casandra didn’t really use her crooner abilities to her best on “Maybe this time” from Cabaret, and the performance fell a little flat for me. A bit disappointing from someone I’ve adored so much up to this point. Louise suggested Cassandra be less afraid to be something other than happy, a sentiment I completely agree with. 

I fear too many of these girls lack that inner monologue that makes a song more than a song.

The brunette Colleen sounded fantastic as she sang “Legally blonde,” but I didn’t really believe a word she was singing. Her eyes were a bit dead, and all her actions seemed a little too poised and polished for a girl who’s decided to give up on everything and go back home. Thom wanted to see more emotion come through her eyes, but Arlene wanted to hear the full song. Jennifer’s “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” was a bit pitchy, but her energy mostly made up for it. (If there were a way of blending Colleen’s voice with Jennifer’s stage presence, I’d be a happy guy). Arlene didn’t think she had enough stamina to finish each line, but Louise appreciated her effervescence.

Jessie sang “The rose” and, three weeks in a row, showed just how strong of a storyteller she is. Every thought was sweetly nuanced, and she was able to turn the difficult lower notes into real moments of indecision. The song, which could have been a real cheese fest, was instead a powerful, tender moment. All the girls have silly scenarios to play this week, and I’d’ve liked to see her do a little more actual writing in her diary, but that’s a minor qualm from an otherwise top-notch performance. Arlene wanted to take a bath in her voice, and Thom said that Jessie was, by far, the best actress in the competition so far. Stephanie sounded fantastic on “Flashdance . . . What a feeling,” but her age and inexperience showed in her face and she was clearly just going through the motions. Being on stage is about more than just having a good voice, and I fear too many of these girls lack that inner monologue that makes a song more than a song. There was nothing “wrong” with the performance, but it was uninteresting which just won’t cut it. Arlene didn’t think the execution of the choreography was that exciting, but applauded that she was able to keep up her energy and vocal performance, a sentiment Thom echoed.

For Arlene it was FAB-U-LOUS and expects “corks to be popping” all over Canada.

Julia and Danielle closed the show with “The man that got away” and “Big spender” respectively. Julia appeared to have found some confidence since last week. Her voice, while still rough on the low notes, was full,  rich and a bit higher; she looked focused and committed to the part. Louise felt that Julia was too young to be singing this “sacred song,” but thought she sounded terrific. Thom agreed somewhat with Louise, but thought she sounded great as well, and Arlene admired the way she tackled a difficult song. Danielle (who spent some time working on her walk after last week) started with a really fun and playful performance, and turned it into a top-notch showstopper. Whatever she did to make herself more comfortable in heels clearly paid off as her movement was executed without the slightest hint of discomfort. Despite a few small problems with notes, this was easily one of the top performances of the night. Louise called it “worthy of the stage,” and Thom wanted to throw something at her (this is his way of complimenting the girls). For Arlene it was FAB-U-LOUS and expects “corks to be popping” all over Canada.

So after week three, my favourites are Jessie (for the third week in a row), a strong second from Danielle, and a very close third from AJ. But once again, Canada and I had a difference of opinion. While I can understand how Julia ended up in the bottom two, the fact that Jessie has landed here two weeks in a row boggles the mind. This girl not only possesses a stellar voice, she’s far and away the strongest actor of the bunch (for my money at least). Singing “As long as he needs me” from Oliver!, Jessie clearly out-sang Julia, and her steely demeanor (probably inspired by genuine fear of being eliminated) was far more chilling and moving than Julia’s version. Arlene saw the talent and potential for Dorothy in Jessie and saved her (thank God!), but had some very kind parting words for Julia, complimenting her voice and saying she just needs a little time to grow and mature. Julia sounded very sweet (and clearly heartbroken) as she was forced to go through the ridiculous ritual of removing her shoes and singing “Over the rainbow” for the audience.

This show is a bit weird.

Stayed tuned next week as we see if Canada has it in for Jessie once again, or if, perhaps, she’ll finally be given a show stopper to show her talent on. Also. The Toto competition continues (some of these puppies are adorable, and surprisingly well behaved) and I think it’s pretty cool that they’re considering dogs of all breeds and sizes. For all we know, Toto could end up being a German Shepherd!