It was a special show last night on American Idol fans as former contestant Adam Lambert filled in for Keith Urban. Oh, and there were more great performers hoping to become the winner of American Idol 2015.
Let’s take a look at the standouts:
Sal Valentinetti, “Fly Me To The Moon.” I like this guy. He’s a great presence and lovable. His voice is good for like a lounge singer job, but I’m not totally sure about American Idol. I agree with Harry on this. He’s not exactly right for American Idol. Harry says no, but JLo and Adam say yes and he’s off to Hollywood.
J. None, “My Prerogative.” I didn’t really feel this guy, but the judges did. So for some reason he’s off to Hollywood.
Jax, “I Wanna Hold Your Hand.” First of all, she was brave for drastically changing a Beatles song. Secondly, there’s that weird, fake girl voice I can’t stand. I mean she has a good tone and good technical skills, but I’d never want to listen to her on the radio if she were to make it. I did like that she plays the piano. She gets three yeses and is off to Hollywood.
Najah Lewis, “Payphone.” Unlike Jax, Najah has an unusual singing style that actually works. It doesn’t seem forced. It sounds like something that is more natural or at least developed well. She’s definitely a natural. She gets an easy golden ticket to Hollywood.
Shi, “Valerie.” This girl is a mess. I mean she can sing OK, sort of, but she’s very spazzy and I don’t know if she really knows music or just tries to sing like Amy Whinehouse sang. I’d say no, no, no, no. But she makes it though, so there must be something there that I didn’t see. I’ll re-evaluate my thoughts on her during Hollywood Week.
Eric Lopez, “The Show Must Go On.” This is an interesting guy. His vocals are there but need a little honing, but his excitement and weirdness is worth another listen. He gets two yeses and that’s enough to get to Hollywood.
Maddie Walker, “Suitcase.” Maddie is back after not making it last season and she’s polished her act. She’s still a little timid for superstar status, but her tone is great and she’s pretty commercial.
Qaasim Middleton, “Sir Duke.” This guy was great. He did some scatting and beatboxing and his conformable and just fun. I can’t wait to see him in front of a band. Luckily he gets his pass to Hollywood and we’ll get a chance to see more of him.
Adam Ezegelian, “Born To Be Wild.” I wasn’t sure what to make of this guy. I was like this is going to be a total joke. But then he breaks out this powerful audition and oddly enough, not unlike Adam Lambert. When he compared himself to Adam I laughed, but there were definite similarities. I could actually see this guy having some fun on the show. He gets his golden ticket to Hollywood.
Katherine Winston, “If I Didn’t Know Better.” Talk about a natural singer. This girl is so solid they actually used her audition as the backing music to a montage of people who didn’t make it to Hollywood. So it’s no surprise she got a golden ticket to Hollywood herself. Fantastic artist.
Travis Finlay, “Stay.” I loved this audition. Not only was it an interesting song choice for a guy, but the way he pulled it off was remarkable. He’s got a unique sound and this control and this look. He’s a great guy and it’s a no-brainer that he gets his pass to Hollywood.
Yanni G, “The Cup Song.” She’s got a sweet voice and this unusual presence that would really work on American Idol and the music industry in general. I do wonder what she’s actually capable of, however, because this song didn’t show much of a range.
Nick Fradiani, “In Your Eyes.” This is Yanni’s boyfriend. And his audition was better than hers. He’s a total natural. He might just be another WGWG, but he’s got this marketable sound and this look that screams American Idol winner. It would be crazy to not send him to Hollywood…
She gets a no, but Nick gets a yes.
Hollywood Anderson, “My Best Friend (an original).” I wasn’t sure about this guy, but since he’s the last audition of the night, I figured out he wasn’t going to be bad. And he wasn’t. He was really good. And the song was actually really good. It could easily be on the radio right now. Of course this guy gets his pass to Hollywood.
I loved Sal. IMO he is what Michael Buble is shooting for [Ratpack x2] but Buble will never have that vibe that Sal put out there. And he really looks so much like Adam Lambert he could be his baby brother.
Jax will get a lot of buzz, but she only copied Chris Colfer’s version of IWHYH from Glee.
I’m not in love with any of them yet, but have hopes that Sal and Cody Fry don’t get cut in Hollywood.
Nick sounds much like Chris Daughtry.
the best part of the show was adam recreating his audition