This season’s penultimate auditions episode of American Idol is upon us. It honestly feels like we’ve been watching these would-bes and wannabes take their shots at stardom before judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie for eight weeks at this point. But, no — only four episodes. So let’s see what all went down on Monday (March 18) evening.
First up, “chill bumps” is the phrase du jour — as in “hearing your voice just gave me chill bumps.” Rest assured, Katy and Luke drive their new favorite saying into the ground by the end of the two hours. There’s also a lot more zig-zagging between New York, Nashville and Los Angeles courtesy of the Idol editing team, but now with added New Orleans for some extra Southern flavor.
The first contestant showcased is 22-year-old Trevor McBane, who wears all black and owns a goat farm. (He’s also got a cow, named Simon Cow. You’ll get it in a moment or two.) Trevor sums up his penchant for dark clothing by simply stating, “Johnny Cash is my dude.” For his audition in New Orleans, he tackles Zac Brown Band’s Platinum-certified single “Colder Weather.” Resident country judge Luke says, “You know, you’re not perfect in your delivery of that stuff, but, man, I believe in ya.” Lionel adds, “It’s not the right note; it’s the real note.” Katy thinks Trevor’s “got a vibe, for sure,” and so off goat guy goes to Hollywood.
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Back in Nashville, blonde hopeful Adreana Bolton, 20, points out that she’s all about “sass” and likes to “risk it.” She then points out, “People compare me to Ariana Grande and Mariah Carey and Christina Aguilera.” Given that bold declaration, surely she’s a fantastic singer, right? Nope. Suck city, I’m afraid. Not even her whistle-register shrieks can extract a single yes from the trio of judges.
Next up, some girl makes the mistake of bringing along her peekapoodle, Coco, which proceeds to relieve itself on the floor every time its owner opens her mouth to sing. This is the moment where I realize I’ve never related so much to a dog in my entire life.
Genavieve Linkowski, 18, hails from Goodrich, Michigan, and is the oldest of 10 children. She plays piano while singing Jason Mraz’s tearjerker “I Won’t Give up.” Katy thinks Genavieve is “impressive,” while Luke tells the teen she has magic in her voice. The country crooner judge then predicts, “Be careful — you’re gonna go high in this thing.” And away Genavieve goes to Hollywood.
Meanwhile, 19-year-old Kenedee Rittenhouse is not only from Carrie Underwood’s hometown of Checotah, Oklahoma, she also had the opportunity to sing with her musical hero when the Season 4 Idol winner visited her old high school eight years ago and called Kenedee up on stage. Needless to say, she chooses to audition with “I Told You So,” a song recorded by Carrie (though originally released by Randy Travis). Kenedee’s voice is a bit sharp in places, and the judges aren’t exactly won over. Katy tells her that she looks like a star, but her personality isn’t shining through. Luke comments that the singing didn’t knock him out of the park. Still, if the past four nights have taught viewers anything, it’s that this panel of judges are complete pushovers. And so after being put on the spot and asked to sing Katy’s 2010 smash “Firework,” Kenedee nails the high notes, and is ultimately sent off with three yeses and a golden ticket.
Others who audition successfully include: 22-year-old Brandon Elder, a construction worker from Arab, Alabama; “American Idol baby” Victoria McQueen, 15, who was born on the very day the show first hit the air, in June 2002; Alabama legal secretary Dominque (a male); and Brooklyn (by way of Anguilla, in the Caribbean) babysitter Amalia Watty, 28, who turns out a lovely acoustic rendition of Bob Dylan’s “Make You Feel My Love.”
Twenty-eight-year-old vocal coach Britney Holmes doesn’t fare nearly as as the above-mentioned contestants when she auditions in Nashville. Her first error: taking on a Whitney Houston song — in this case, “I Have Nothing.” Now, why do they always do it? Never touch Whitney, kids, unless it’s something off later albums like Just Whitney or I Look To You. Bodyguard-era Whitney, though? Door’s that-a-way. NEXT!
Also in Nashville, we see Daniel Ethridge, 22, perform a sweet guitar ballad he wrote for his sister, who also happens to be his biggest fan. The half-Korean country hopeful scores big with all three judges. “It’s not about big, booming voices,” Lionel tells Daniel. “It’s about storytelling in your case.”
And then there’s Taryn Coccia, 17, who nearly sabotages herself by bringing along her sister Payton, 20, to play guitar while she auditions. The siblings spend time singing together at the Nashville International Airport, they explain, but today it’s supposed to be all about Taryn’s shot at Idol stardom. Alas, her performance of Jessie J’s “Masterpiece” causes Katy and Lionel to also take notice of Taryn’s guitar-plucking sister. Payton is asked to step into the spotlight, where she chooses to sing John Prine’s “Angel From Montgomery” for the judges. To Taryn’s surprise, Payton is instantly awarded a golden ticket. Taryn isn’t quite as lucky, as it takes some overall hemming and hawing, a commercial break and yeses from Luke and Lionel only for her to get her mitts on a ticket to Hollywood. Let’s see how nice these sisters play going forward, as they now become competitors.
The fourth night of auditions winds down with 20-year-old Illinois college student Samothias and 28-year-old server Marcio Donaldson from Compton, California. The latter is all about his sister’s adorable son Rashad, who Marcio actually came to be the guardian of when his sister’s life was derailed by drugs. Samothias, on the other hand, is all about, uh, his hair.
Marcio sings Labrinth’s “Jealous” and cries while watching Luke and Katy dote over little Rashad. Samothias plays piano and belts out Chris Stapleton’s “Tennessee Whiskey.” Both are just okay, vocally. No doubt you’ve heard countless others do just as well on this show in the past. It’s the pure charisma each exudes, however, that earns them a respective round of yeses from Luke, Katy and Lionel.
When next we see Idol, on Sunday, it’ll officially be springtime. Plus, it’s the final night of auditions. That’s two causes for celebration.