Bon Jovi Coaches Idols In The Final Face-Off

09/11/07 6:00pm

by Moya Dillon (CHARTattack)

It all came down to two on Monday night when Canadian Idol's remaining finalists squared off to see who could sing their way into the top spot on Tuesday's season-ending show.

Brian Melo, the 25-year-old rocker from Hamilton, Ont., and Jaydee Bixby, the 17-year-old country crooner from Drumheller, Alta., performed three songs each. One was chosen by the contestants from Bon Jovi's songbook and performed after a coaching session with Jon Bon Jovi and his guitarist sidekick, Richie Sambora. The second number was "All I Ever Wanted," which will be released as the debut single of Tuesday's winner. Finally, each young man performed a song of their own choosing.

Bixby chose Bon Jovi's "Who Says You Can't Go Home." During his videotaped coaching session in New Jersey, Bon Jovi praised Bixby's ability to sing "in tune and with confidence," but added that he needed to find his own voice. Sambora mostly just grinned and nodded energetically. The judges agreed that Bixby's mechanics were good, but were unimpressed with his delivery.

Melo tackled the Bon Jovi ballad "This Ain't A Love Song" and earned general praise from Bon Jovi, who admired his ability to sing "soft and sweet," while still maintaining his hard edge. There was more enthusiastic nodding from Sambora. The judges were all in agreement that Melo's emotion made the delivery more believable than Bixby's.

"Brian Melo — one," said Jake Gold. "Jaydee Bixby — no score."

Next up was "All I Ever Wanted," a generic pop ballad reminiscent of Idol singles from years past.

Bixby reeled in his country twang for a more straight-forward delivery, but the judges remained underwhelmed.

"Everybody relates differently to pressure, but right now you are cracking like a bad egg," Zack Werner told a visibly nervous Bixby.

Melo delivered the tune with a slightly harder rock edge, which earned unanimous praise.

"Pick up your heart off the floor and walk backstage," judge Farley Flex told Melo. "Because that was unbelievable."

For his last number, Bixby chose Tom Jones' "It's Not Unusual," and succeeded in giving his first energetic performance of the night. He even walked into the audience to shake hands during the song. The judges all admitted to enjoying the rendition, with Sass Jordan calling it "really cool" and Flex telling Bixby he did a really good job. Gold thought Bixby's swagger was "a bit amateur," and Werner offered a back-handed compliment.

"For those people who think Branson, Missouri is a centre of entertainment, you are an absolute superstar. I've got to say, for the cash, if I had a choice of managing one of you, I'd choose you, brother."

Melo closed the show with Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah." All of the judges were blown away, with Werner even rendered speechless — almost.

"There's a time when art transcends what this show's about and there's no need to judge it," he said.

"That was touching," said Flex. "You're just a really good person and that's what comes out."

The winner will be chosen on Tuesday night's show, which will feature performances by Bon Jovi and Avril Lavigne.