Canadian Idol: Second Group Improves

For some reason, the second group of Canadian Idol wannabees continues to be stronger each week, and Tuesday night was no different. Judge Zack Werner said he was hoping the show would present itself as an old-school hockey fight and expose blood and guts, since he shared fellow judge Jake Gold's opinion that Monday night's show was "lame." I agree that the first eight contestants failed to entertain, but blood and guts? Unless you can rock like Gwar, skip it.

Mitch MacDonald started the night by singing The Jayhawks' "Blue." It was sometimes a struggle to hear the nice boy's vocals over the back-up singer. While I wouldn't go see a MacDonald concert, there are definitely worse contestants on the show. The judges think he's top 10 material, so his chances of being safe on Wednesday night seem better than others.

"The House Of The Rising Sun" can't be traced to a single writer or singer, so there's really no "correct" way to sing it. But I much prefer The Animals version to Gary Morissette's. Still, his performance proved that he understands musicality and can leave his heart on the stage. It was the first fight of the night for Werner.

Katelyn Dawn brought the show back down a calibre or two. Her performance of The Cranberries' "Zombie" wasn't painful to listen to, but it wasn't easy either. I wouldn't want to listen to her even if she was on stage while I was getting loaded at a random pub. In fact, there's a good chance I might even heckle her before I moved on to the next bar.

Then came another flip-flopper: Oliver Pigott. Bill Withers' "Lean On Me" is one of my favourite songs, which is why I wasn't so cool with Pigott changing the opening arrangements. But as his performance progressed, so did my enjoyment. His strongest moments came with the a cappella section. Werner pointed out the performance as the second fight of the night, saying Pigott performed with "real guts, real glory."

The second Pigott brother was next. I didn't love how the lineup was carefully calculated to intensify sibling rivalry, but what can you do? Sebastian proved he knows what he's doing, no matter where he was placed. His performance of Sam Cooke's "Bring It On Home To Me" has to be my favourite of the season. The stage was set with a stark, empty spotlight. With the first beat of the song, Pigott stepped into the light with his shirt slightly unbuttoned and bow tie undone, and exuded coolness. He was a genius of musicality. Some other Idol critics don't approve of this Pigott brother because they feel his voice isn't strong enough. Werner drops similar comments from time to time, too. Bob Dylan has the voice of a sputtering weed-wacker, but he's a legend for his originality and insight. While I would never dare compare Pigott to Dylan, I'm just saying that textbook vocal chords don't always produce the best talent.

The next contestant was harder for me to judge. Earl Stevenson performed my favourite song from any musical canon: Dylan's "Like A Rolling Stone." I'm usually a huge Stevenson fan, but I wasn't on Tuesday. This song is angry and dirty, but Stevenson made his version lighter. This is fine, but it didn't really do it for me. I should probably admit, though, that I still caught myself singing along. And I agree with Werner that Stevenson is one of the two Tuesday contestants that I'd go see perform (Sebastian Pigott is obviously the second).

Katherine St-Laurent failed to impress again with Pat Benatar's "Love Is A Battlefield." Maybe it was because I'm not a St-Laurent fan or a Benatar fan (or both). But her performance was a self-fulfilling prophecy for me. Send her home.

Last but not least was Drew Wright, who sang Hoobastank's "The Reason." His performance of this oh-so-popular song was well-paced and controlled. He did a pretty good job, but certainly didn't blow me away. And if you have a guitar on stage, you should probably use it.

The final 10 contestants will be revealed on Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. ET.