Seriously, I wasn't very impressed with this lot at all. Half of them either sang off-key or were dismally terrible while the other half (which was also the better half) were just so-so, lacking in the "wow" factor.
I concede that Syed Azmir's cool and confident performance is comparable to that of a seasoned professional, but then, I've realized that he's only done uptempo songs so far in the competition. Therefore, it still remains to be seen whether his uniquely husky vocals can perform credibly in other types of music genres.
Also showing some promise is Irwan, who is a past Anugerah contender (but didn't make it to the finals). Unlike Syed Azmir 's suave-pop-idol material, Irwan is more the old school jiwang-singer type and he even possesses the sheer vocal intensity to hit all the right notes of a rock ballad. However, his kooky fashion sense and his intensity might work against him in the future when the show's themes switch to other genres.
Apart from these two, I don't think any of the rest deserves a spot in the finals but then again, you might never know... However, one thing's for sure; with Samsuri out of the competition (he was disqualified), I think this is going to be one of the dullest Anugerah competitions ever!
