S2BC's Top 20 All-Time Australian Idol Performances: No. 4

4. Anthony Callea, "The Prayer" (Season 2, Top 7)



The appearance of this song in the countdown might be coming a little early for some die-hard Anthony supporters, but let's be clear (or callea, if you will): despite its much-lauded initial reception and the record-smashing success of the subsequent single, this performance is not the best in the show's history. It's precisely 3 places behind that honour, as we will see.

That being said, however, it is still a phenomenal and memorable piece of television, and thoroughly deserving of a Top 5 finish here.

Whether you adore this tiny, stumpy-fingered, over-polished little outer suburban gay or prefer to will all evidence of his existence from your lives, there are some irrefutably amazing qualities on display in this performance: a mind-blowing vocal, with everything from strong, beautiful tenor tones through to a rare (for him) falsetto; ingenious song selection, showing careful insight into his own strengths and a skilful understanding of his target market; a brilliant arrangement, marrying what was previously a bilingual duet into a seamless unit; the sheer emotion Anthony manages to wring from the song, building it unforgettably to two killer pay-off notes in particular, without resorting to the wet, soapy, mannered histrionics which marred every one of his performances before and after; and the way he keeps most of his off-putting performance idiosyncracies at bay, investing instead in the song's sentiment and channelling the operatic elements which made the Bocelli & Dion original such a success.

Anthony didn't win, and for good, just reason. But boy, this performance is still a cracker, and I'd be lying if I said it still doesn't give me goosebumps.