In a battle of originality and personality at the final Canmore Idol performance, the most important instrument of all turned out to be the most basic - a strong, clear and consistent voice.
The final five contestants dueled it out on the last night of the singing competition at the Canmore Legion, Saturday (March 26) with the top prize of $2,200 going to the strongest vocalist, Jesska Brewin.
Brewin was the sole contestant from a karaoke background to make it to the final five and the only one not to play an instrument or perform an original song throughout the night.
“I was at a big disadvantage,” she said. “The only thing I have is my voice and it has gotten me this far.”
Second place and $1,100 in prize money went to a true crowd favourite, Justin Hill, who impressed everyone with his singing and songwriting abilities.
Hill said he was happy to just make the top 10 and never expected to do so well in a vocal contest.
“That means a lot to me,” said the up-and-coming musician.
The 18-year-old said he will be taking a bit of a road trip with a portion of the prize money, but the rest will go into furthering his burgeoning music career.
Third place and $850 went to Joe Todesco, while Lisa Baskin was fourth and won a $500 helicopter ride with Kananaskis Heli Tours. In fifth place, with a prize of $350, was Drew Elderkin.
The competition is judged on a point system with judges giving value to vocals, stage presence, originality and personality.
At the end of the performances, total scores from all three judges are tabulated.
Todesco said he was happy with his performance overall, having travelled every week from Edmonton where he goes to school.
“I am happy I did as well as I did,” he said. “I didn’t know what to expect coming into it, but even getting constructive criticism from the judges was worth it.”
He said for him the competition has been a focus on local music.
“Canmore Idol is more than anything a celebration of local music and the local music scene,” Todesco said.
Brewin performed Faith Hill’s “When the Lights Go Down”, Sandi Thom’s “I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker” and Guns ‘n Roses “Sweet Child of Mine”.
The G’n’R choice not only showcased her voice, but included several awkward instrumental sections.
“You have the best voice out of the competition,” said judge Ric Proctor. “That was a great choice for you except for all the quiet parts.”
Judge Jo-Anne Belvedere said Brewin did well with the breaks and engaging the crowd, but there were too many quiet parts in that particular song.
“At the end when you went wild and blew us away… I want to hear more of that,” she said.
Belvedere noted the second song, performed without a backing track, was a huge risk for the singer, whose voice she compared to Dolly Parton’s.
Hill began the night with an original song, “Rain Part Two,” followed by an Xavier Rudd cover and another original, “Flying”.
Judge Joe Ernewein said Hill has something about him that is nothing short of charismatic, calling him a “wandering miserable minstrel.”
“You probably don’t have the strongest singing voice, but it doesn’t matter,” he said.
Belvedere noted Hill’s lyrics are far beyond his years, making him a prototypical singer songwriter.
“It is not hard to sit in front of you,” she said. “You are a true artist.
“Week by week you have pulled us into your head and heart… Wow, is all I can say and it has been great to hear you perform.”
Proctor, however, was critical that Hill may have smoked too many cigarettes before his performance and gave him some words of advice.
“Everything else about your performance and what you bring to the stage is completely amazing,” he said. “You never seem to be the same guy twice, which confuses the hell out of me.
“The biggest challenge you have in front of you is to stay true to yourself when you become really popular.”
Tedesco began with an original song, “Fearless”, followed by Cold War Kids’ “We Used to Vacation” that impressed the judges while his last, a mash-up of Snow Patrol’s “Open Your Eyes” and the Black Eyed Peas, was a crowd favourite.
“I am very impressed by the fact so many of you are doing original tunes,” Belvedere said. “If you are going to be a singer, you might as well sing about what you believe in.”
Baskin began the competition with an original song, “The Road,” which she unfortunately messed up at one point.
“I stand by my opinion you have a gorgeous voice and then there is the unfortunate forgetful part,” said Belvedere. “I love your style and how you move in a way natural.”
Proctor and Ernewein echoed that Baskin’s voice and stage presence work well for her.
Baskin followed up with performances of Jewel’s “Who Will Save Your Soul” and “Me and Bobby McGee.”
Belvedere commended Baskin for not letting her previous falter affect her further performances.
“You exercised mind over matter and you did not let emotion take over,” she said. “It honestly takes really seasoned performers to pull that off.”
Elderkin also began his three-song final Idol appearance with an original called “She Dreams,” followed by Rod Stewart’s “Forever Young” and Bryan Adams’ “Heaven.”
Belvedere commended him for his guitar work and chord progression while Proctor noted the song choices were better to showcase his voice.
“It is draining to listen to you because you put so much into it,” Belvedere said.
Ernewein said the song blew him out of the water and commented that he hears Dave Matthews in everything Elderkin sings.
“I hear that as part of the sound you have and I love it,” he said.
