Sunday, October 20, 2013

Swedish Idol 2013: Friday Finals Week 3 - 11.10.13

The week's theme was Swedish music exports, so potentially lots to choose from.

Erik Rapp: "Indestructible".  Erik took on the Robyn song which proved to be a bit of a misnomer as his song choice took a knock from the judging panel. OK so it wasn't his best performance, but did he really deserve so much criticism?

Sandra Wikström: "Lovefool".  Where Erik stuck to the style of the original artist, Sandra decided to, um, "Sandra-fy" this song, turn it into a big ol' stompy r'n'b diva number.  I'm still not keen on this type of singing, but Sandra finally let go and showed the spark which has been missing over the first couple of weeks. 

George Shaid: "Fade Into Darkness".  Sadly, a prophetic song title and a terrible mismatch of musical styles.  His style of singing doesn't suit dance music and his vocal limitations were exposed here.  He's clearly more suited to ballads and songs which suit his more controlled vocal style.

Matilda Melin: "It Must Have Been Love".  I guess the problem I'm having with this year's Idol is that many of the contestants are still trying to find their own 'style'.  Matilda is one of them, she is just "there" but that's all.  This was a rather dreary version of the Roxette song and the best thing about it was probably the flowers in her hair. 

Kevin Walker: "Poker Face".  "The Singing Footballer" is still making the news of course, and the "Walkiers" are giving the "Beliebers" a run for their money.  This wasn't earth-shattering and the bum notes just keep on coming, but turning the Gaga's classic into a countrified acoustic tune was actually quite an inspired move.

Sara Sangfelt: "Toxic". Restyled like an old-school Hollywood glamour siren, Sara turned the Britney song into a rather dramatic ballad and it suited her voice well.  She is one of the few contestants this year who does have her own distinctive vocal identity

Gabriel Alares: "Reload".  Where George had unravelled in his interpretation of a dance song, Gabriel found it a much easier task although this wasn't as good as his "Sista Morgonen" and if I'm honest he's still a bit "second division" - the backing singer rather than the star frontman.  Oh, and his quiff is getting higher by the week and is well on the way to Jedward proportions. 

Jens Hult: "The Lion's Roar".  So the gravelly old guy trapped in a young guy's body effortlessly tackled the First Aid Kit song.  He won't win this, but he's good for a few weeks yet and has slotted into the role of this year's 'rocker'. 

Elin Bergman: "All That She Wants".  This was horrendous.  She's trying too hard to be too "street", too aggressive in her vocals, and is working the chav look.  All of the things I really can't stand.  This was the sound of Ace of Base being slaughtered by Cher Lloyd.

Miriam Bengtsson: "F****** Perfect".  An improvement on her performance from last week, and as long as they keep her away from the usual regulation talent-show soul-diva songs (we know what they are) it might just give her some space to develop and become a serious challenger. 

Bottom 2: Erik and George, both paid the price for inappropriate song choice.   Bye bye George :(

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