Canadian Idol: Mixed Advice From Chantal Kreviazuk

08/15/06 6:00pm

by James Simons (CHARTattack)

Since the 16th International AIDS Conference is currently occupying Canadian Idol's usual venue this week, the chirpy cast have picked up their microphones and Pantene Pro-V mousse (according to a recurring advertorial segment, you could have Tyler Lewis' beautiful curls, too, if you used Pantene Pro-V) and headed to Yonge Street's former Masonic Temple, the current Canadian home of MTV.

Everyone was more than happy to move to the temple. Not only is it a historic concert hall, it's also an incredibly intimate venue. It was the perfect place to watch the six remaining competitors — aided by the guidance of singer/songwriter Chantal Kreviazuk — go unplugged.

Craig Sharpe started the show with a near flawless take on Bon Jovi's "It's My Life." As judge Sass Jordan pointed out, Sharpe's energy wasn't exactly overflowing, but his crisp voice really resonated without its usual electric instrument adornments.

Ashley Coulter came next with a vocally strong version of Roy Orbison's "Crying." But even if it sounded nice, Coulter — dressed in jeans as opposed to her regular sexy superhero/stripper/singer get-up — lacked visual flair.

What's more, judge Zack Werner complained that Coulter's choice wasn't modern enough. Judge Farley Flex, on the other hand, complimented her by saying, "You're certainly evolving at the fastest rate."

Chad Doucette, who has seemed like the weakest link for a few weeks now, actually thrived in the intimate setting. When singing Theory Of A Deadman's "Santa Monica," the Douce's occasionally contrived voice sounded cool and natural. To quote Jordan, his singing was "insanely great."

If Doucette pleasantly surprised, leader of the pack Steffi D was a slight disappointment. As usual, D's song choice, The Cardigans "Lovefool," was perfect. It was modern and poppy, but also unique and theatrical. Unfortunately, Kreviazuk advised D to remove the musical theatre from her performance and — get this — put "the street" in it. Seriously, Chantal-fucking-Kreviazuk told Steffi-fucking-D to put the street in her Cardigans cover! While the artist adequately repped her hood, lying teasingly on the piano, the performance wasn't quite as in-your-grillpiece as earlier ones.

Noting this, Werner contradicted Kreviazuk's advice: "I don't think you have to reign back what you do," he said. "The PJ Harveys, the Bjorks, they really push it. You can push it. You're the bomb."

But Kreviazuk gave Eva Avila some valuable guidance: don't change. Avila has always had a nice face and voice. But for the first time, as she sang Prince's "How Come You Don't Call Me," she was irresistible. Her voice was nicely nuanced and controlled, and her playful facial gestures were immensely appealing. Beware D and Coulter, because Avila might prove to be the most charismatic competitor.

Avila's triumph was tough to top, and Lewis didn't really come close. After a few weeks of givng increasingly mature, sincere performances, Lewis sang Tonic's crappy "If You Could Only See" in a generic growl. Werner summed up the performance best, reluctantly complimenting the singer by saying, "Eight billion Theory-Of-A-Dead-Nickel-Pickle-Back fans can't be wrong."

No, they can't, which is why they're allowed to vote 113 times each week for their favourite artists. With that said, remember to tune in Tuesday to see which competitor the country's Theory-Of-A-Dead-Nickel-Pickle-Back fans will be sending home.