Love, loss, and Tina Turner at week two of CGT!

Junior CGT had it all on week two of the competition as shockwaves have already ripped through the contest. The field has narrowed a little with both nerves and illness getting the better of some of the contestants but the Imperial doctor has called time on the sick notes as the stakes are just too high with a mind blowing €5,000 prize fund to be won in just four weeks' time. Sixteen-year-old Vanessa Brady opened the show, singing 'Torn' by Natalie Imbruglia. A confident performance, although Vanessa suffered a little with a few pitching problems. Vanessa has a strong voice but maybe didn't chose the right song for her - unfortunately she found herself in the bottom three alongside two strong competitors and it wasn't to be her day. (7, 7) Ballyhaise's Anthony O'Hanlon (10) still had Valentine's Day on his mind as he blew the judges away with an "angelic" version of 'The Power of Love' by Jennifer Rush. "You must record that song!" was the instant comment from Judge Vanessa Cooney Smith. A complete contrast to his song choice of Rhianna last week, Anthony once again hit amazing notes in a performance that was practically flawless. (10, 9) It is amazing that in a show where the competitors are so incredibly young, many of them chose songs that dated back to the '60s, '70s and '80s. Twelve-year-old Hannah O'Reilly went back to the Beatles for her song of choice with 'Can't buy me love'. An interesting and brave choice the Mullahoran lass once again put her own twist on a classic and got the crowd going as she strummed her guitar and looking more confident on stage than in week one. (8, 8) And indeed what a difference a week can make as 11-year-old Aimme Thunder from Cavan proves. Singing 'Wings' from Little Mix. A difficult task for a solo artist to take on a number originally performed by a four piece. Aimee worked every inch of the stage, as her personality really came out a lot more this week. She lost her way a little midway but found her way back and the crowd made her feel very at home. ( 8, 9) Cavan found its very own Olivia Newton John on Sunday when Phoebe Kearney (12) from Kilnaleck performed 'Hopelessly Devoted To You' from the classic, Grease. The most talented performers in the world only become famous because people go out to buy their albums and travel to concerts to watch them perform on stage, without an audience no performer gets the opportunity to become a star, and Phoebe Kearney is a star, it is just a tragedy that she found herself in the bottom three and the judges had an unenviable choice to make. This, I'm confident, is just the very first rung on the ladder for Phoebe, keep singing and grow from the experience. (10, 9) The pocket rocket from Ballyhaise, Emma Guilfoyle is certainly making a name for herself in this competition. Dressed in luminous pink, this tiny 10-year-old took on a song from one of the biggest artists in the world, Tina Turner. Singing 'Proud Mary', Emma put a smile on every single face in Vision Niteclub on Sunday evening. With the slow beginning to this song one feared this was just too big an ask for a little girl but once the track kicked into full Tina Turner mode this kid worked the stage. the audience went wild and she had the room on its feet! (8, 8) Hip Hop Diva Shannon O'Dea from Laragh looked stunningly dressed in army combats and ready for any dance floor, a wonderful addition to the show, Shannan executed her routine flawlessly. The only disappointment for the judges was that it was possibly a little too short, but nonetheless a great conclusion to the first half of the show. (8, 8) Alanna Donohoe (12) opened second half proceedings with the stripped back piano version of Lady Gaga's, Edge of Glory. This Lacken girl has a gift for delivering a song, and her performance seemed effortless. (9, 10) Cavan's Caoimhe Sexton brought us theatre as she was part actress, part singer on the Imperial stage. Singing 'Hallelujah' Caoimhe is a born performer and worked the crowd. Junior CGT trumped Justin Bieber as having made it through week one, Caoimhe ditched her tickets to the teenage heart tromb in an instant in order to vie for her own place on the stage in week three. (9, 8) Bethany Smith, (14) from Ballyhaise produced another solid performance. Singing 'Unfaithful' by Rhianna, Bethany has quite a unique voice and has grown in confidence in the week. Not an easy song to sing she brought her own personality to it. With more experience on stage, she could certainly be one to watch. (8, 8) Leon Jermyn owned the stage as he performed 'Moves like Jagger' from Maroon 5, and he certainly showed us he has some moves of his own, Leon worked every inch of the stage. We must remember that this is only the second week for these kids and already many of them have grown in leaps and bounds - a difficult task to move and sing at the same time, he was a little flat at times, but gave it 100%. (8, 8) "You will travel the world with your talent" gushed Vanessa after Caitlin Boyce's performance. Caitlin's journey was very nearly cut short as she found herself in the bottom three. Saved by the judges, Caitlin gave another quirky performance on guitar with her version of 'Payphone' - another Maroon 5 number. "You are beyond your years" said Judge Louise O'Reilly, but without more support from the public in the coming weeks, Caitlin will find the final of Junior CGT beyond her reach. (10, 9) Chloe Bannon (12) sang 'The Climb' by Miley Cyrus, a lovely performance, she looked comfortable on stage. Although a little flat in places the Ballyconnell lass has an excellent vocal range, and like all the others, just needs to be careful with her song choice for the coming weeks. (8, 8) An apt song to end with as week two has been a huge climb for all of these kids. They all deserve a great deal of respect, unfortunately not all made it all the way over the edge, and as it is a competition with a huge prize fund, it is not in the gift of the judges to save more than one each week. So they need your support and your votes to ensure they don't end up in that position. Week three beckons, so show these kids the support they deserve and head to the Imperial, Cavan this Sunday, Doors 3.30pm; show starts at 4pm. With lots more great photos from the show check out both the Cavan's Got Talent and Junior Cavan's Got Talent facebook pages to see what you missed.