Canadian Idol 4, August 21: A Little Bit Country

Tonight we are back in the Bassett Theater. For those of you not familiar with the detailed layout of downtown Toronto, here’s a little amusing geography. The Bassett Theater is right across the street from the shining monolithic tower that houses the headquarters of the austere and august Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. That’s right, all this screaming and yelling in the Rush Line for a TV show happens right outside the HQ of a rival network! Ha!

Tonight, Sue Brophy warmed up the audience with an energetic version of “Thank God I’m A Country Girl.” One must applaud her gumption.

At various points of the evening, we learned that former contestant Daryl Brunt (now with longer, straighter and browner hair) was in the theater tonight. Also present were about a dozen people from Skate Canada, including many current Canadian champions. One of them was Emanuel Sandhu, who entertained us during one of the commercial breaks with a fine rendition of Prince’s “Purple Rain.”

Add to that NHL Hall Of Famer Mike Bossy and actress Nancy Robertson of my favourite TV show of all, Corner Gas… and you can see why Idol remains the top-rated show in the country.

Awaiting the pre-show activities, I scan the song list. Although I don’t immediately see all the ties to classic country music, I am VERY pleased to discover that I know ALL of these tunes! Maybe this won’t be so bad after all! For the first time in days, I begin to hope that this night holds some promise.

Prelims over! Series host Ben Mulroney welcomes us to the show. He tells us that this week it’s country music time, and that Martina McBride coached the Idols this week in Nashville.

Ben next introduces the judges and asks them the now-traditional I.D.P.Qs. (Incredibly Deep Probing Questions). The first question is for Jake, who is asked what is so great about country music. Trust me, I am on the edge of my seat, waiting for the key to the vault here. He says, “For me, it’s about the lyrics and the sentiment behind them.” All you need to present it is “an acoustic guitar and a great voice.”

Asked what makes Martina McBride a dominant force in country music, Sass says, “She is absolutely beloved by her peers. She’s authentic, the real deal.” Ben asks Farley about song selection, and if country offers something for everyone. He sees country as a combination of R&B, rock and roll and gospel, and he’s looking forward to seeing this diversely talented crowd perform tonight.

Ben asks Zack what it will take to win (this contest). Dressed in what passes for Western Wear in Toronto, Zack says, “Regardless of the theme, you must break through as yourself. You must somehow stay true. Like tonight, I’m honouring my roots and remembering “Bucky One-Leg Warner, the great Jewish cowboy!”

Ben moves on by bringing out tonight’s contestants to much applause. That’s followed by the best Elena Juatco clip of the season to date, about a typical week in the life of the Idols. Here’s how their week went:

• It starts with the elimination, a tough start. Tyler says it’s brutal, a rough night for everyone, no matter your own status.
• Photographers are next – for hours of forced smiling.
• Back to the mansion at 10:12PM
• 7:15AM Wednesday, time to get up and work on the new songs
• This week, there was a trip to Nashville added in. Arriving at Pearson airport at 2:30PM, they arrived at 10PM. Heck, they may as well have driven!
• A couple of hours of fun, but it’s bedtime at midnight
• Thursday starts pre-9AM, with tours and then, meeting Martina at 2PM
• Saturday, at 9:26AM back in Toronto, they pick out wardrobe
• Sunday, it’s a full day of rehearsals with the band
• Then… Monday, and showtime! Phew!

Ben introduces us to this week’s theme, which starts out with B&W stills of nine stars of classic Country music (even I know them all), then turns into highlights of Martina’s career. You see, Martina’s next CD “Timeless” is a retro collection of older country music. If American Idol has a “Classic Country” theme week next season, you can bet this CD will be the first place they turn.

Tonight, Eva Avila is up first. Eva’s song choice is “Here You Come Again,” by Dolly Parton. I assume Eva mentioned being nervous, because Martina Marina tells her the story of having to perform this number in front of Dolly herself at a tribute show!

Martina has some tips of how Eva could alter her intonation in one line. Martina likes it that Eva is putting her own spin on the song and tells her, “You have so much potential; you have a gift.”

During the performance, Eva strides into the audience and stops at the judge’s desk on the way back.

Jake: Jake likes that her playful personality came though.

Sass: Sass was impressed how she “took charge of the stage.”

Farley: Farley says, “A sweet balance between grace and confidence is moving you forward each week.”

Zack: Zack says, “For me, it sounded a little hard around the edges.” He calls it a “Bert Bacharach version of classic.” That’s exactly the phrase I was hunting for.

Brian: Eva’s pop-music interpretation was interesting. I heard the volume drop off a couple of times (for example, right after she returned to the stage), but the pitch was pretty much right on. She looks far more comfortable on stage now, and Eva is quite safe this week. I still don’t get the same degree of Eva-love that so many others do, but it seems improbable she’ll be going home this week.

The second performer is Tyler Lewis, now the last representative of all points west of the 76th meridian. The curly hair is largely back. Martina notes that when he belts it out he sings fine, but gets pitchy in the softer parts. Tonight he’s singing “Suspicious Minds,” sung by Dwight Yokum in the movie Honeymoon in Vegas. Many of us know this as an Elvis song from his “Comeback” era, and Tyler tells us he intends to let the Elvis influence come out.

Sass: Sass says, “That was insane.” She refers to where he slowed the song down and says, “That’s where you could have made it sound like it fell off the back of a turnip truck, but instead you made it sound like sweet potato pie.”

Farley: Referencing that Tyler bobs almost continuously, Farley says that Tyler “finally got a chance to ride that invisible horse.” He says, “I’m no ‘Farley Pride,’ but your kinfolk should be real proud.” Zero out of ten for spontaneity, Farley, that was so-oo pre-planned!

Zack: Zack sees Tyler as a “Road Hammer” type, so this was completely creditable for him. He’s glad Tyler didn’t turn it into a bad Elvis impersonation.

Jake: Jake says, “You did not disappoint, my friend!”