New kind of beat for singing detective

JANELLE KIRKLAND
Detective Nathan Davis' best-kept singing secret is out of the bag, and now he is known as Waipukurau's "singing detective".
Mr Davis topped the 10 finalists in the Waipukurau Local Idol competition at the Farriers Arms pub at the weekend, walking away with the $1000 top prize and a new claim to fame.
The win was a surprise to the family man who says he usually keeps his singing voice to himself. Even singing "Happy Birthday" around a cake is a stretch.
Singing in front of friends and family gets a bit "nervy", he says.
"Their criticisms sort of sting a bit more."
Detective Davis would not have entered the competition if it were not for wife Julie signing him up on the sly.
"She is my best mate. I've sung to her a thousand times. If I can see her in the crowd, I try to blank everything else out and I just sing to her."
His supporters turned out in force in "rent-a-crowd" T-shirts.
They cheered and clapped through his renditions of "soppy old love songs" including Chantilly Lace (The Big Bopper), Amazed (Lonestar) and Unchained Melody (The Everly Brothers) until he was announced winner.
Does his win convince him that he has talent?
"Oh, yeah ... I don't know," he said.
It was a close call between he and last year's winner Sara Field - he scored 2498, she 2380.
"She can sing, that girl," said Nathan. "In the heats she sang like Alicia Keys or Whitney Houston."
Sara's mother, Louise Field, gathered 2335 points to place third.
Joy Cooper of Farriers Arms, who organised the competition alongside Sheryl and Herman Godinet, said the night was a "bit of fun" that attracted some "very, very good singers".
Though the turnout was not as big as last year, the calibre was "fantastic", despite one of the finalists battling tonsillitis.
A similar competition was in the pipeline for early next year. It would include groups as well as individuals.