Tuesday, January 21, 2014

American Idol 13: Austin and San Francisco Auditions

It's the Austin/San Francisco Auditions. Once again, we witnessed a couple of rather strong singers and I have to give the producers a big thumbs up for finally editing together quick speedy audition episodes that focused primarily on the good singers and not the freak show train wrecks we had all become so accustomed with. Sure, it might hurt them a bit in the ratings, but big deal, grow up America.

Oh, and Harry Connick Jr. is absolutely fantastic as a judge. I know. I know. The audition phase is heavily edited - see, Ellen DeGeneres and Steven Tyler - but he's been very good at giving useful critiques to these hopefuls. I didn't agree with him most of the time, but at least, he has a clear point of view.

Let’s see how the contestants did in Austin and San Francisco!

Jesse Roach
Do Ya
After watching her audition, I vividly remember what was missing in last year's crop of finalists: a voice with a good rock edge much like Allison Iraheta, Amanda Overmyer or even James Durbin. Jesse has that raspy tone that's quite distinct. Not sure how much fans she'll be able to win over the course of the show - they usually tend to be very polarizing - but I'm excited. 7.5

Megan Miller
Last Night
She's the one who auditioned on crutches last season! I remembered liking her, but not so much this time. I don't know. She has a good powerful voice if a bit generic, if you know what I mean. 6

Spencer Lloyd
Never Gone
I get it! Spencer is a gorgeous man and while his voice wasn't the most spectacular, I was a bit baffled that Harry Connick Jr almost didn't put him through when they let people to Hollywood who were much weaker. It's not like he can't sing - in fact, I found his tone quite gorgeous if a bit common and his pitch was on point. 7

TK Hash
My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark
TK, to me, was all sorts of ready for this competition. He managed to pack all of his talent into fifteen seconds of singing. Good strategy. 7.5

Tristen Langley
Santeria
WHOA. Nikki McKibbin - American Idol Season 1 Finalist - has a son that's old enough to audition for American Idol. That’s how long this program has been in our lives!! Ha. Tristen chose a refreshing song for his audition, and his voice wasn't actually bad. He sounded nice with a good pop inflections here and there. 6.5

John Fox
Make You Feel My Love
Vocally, John is in the running for one of the most talented male contestants we've seen this season. He has rich tone and he connected well with the material. I'm a bit iffy though about his presence. There's just no star appeal to him yet. 7

Rachel Rolleri
Stay
She may have been inconsistent with her vocal delivery with a couple of hiccups here and there, but she has this smoky and sexy voice that's very appealing. If she could just pull herself together in the next coming rounds, she'd be unstoppable. 7

MK Nobilette
If I Were Your Woman
Watching her was a bit perplexing, but I can't deny the fact that she has a pretty voice. Her transitions were sublime and she has enough spunk to be relevant in this competition. 6.5

Caitlin Johnson
Somethings Gotta Hold On Me
Caitlin seemed to be exactly what the producers are looking for: beautiful, young, female. Her voice was solid for the most part, but a little too affected and average which can be dangerous when you need to vary your tone from song to song. Let's see. 6.5

David Luning
Original Song
I get what Harry was saying about David being way too dark for American Idol, but that's what I love most about him. He's different. Not everyone has to gush and smile and whatnot like its a beauty pageant. Haha. 7.5

Selena Moreno
Try
It was nice, but there was something hollow about her voice. 6

Briana Oakley
Stay
So, Brianna was possibly one of the best we've seen so far no? Amazing ability, ridiculous control, and awesome pitch. She has great vocal power and charisma, much like Jordin Sparks when she auditioned in Season 6. She could be really dangerous. 8

Aranese Turner
Pure Imagination
Great control, great phrasing, great tone. I hope she does very well in this competition. 7.5

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