Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Ranking American Idol: The Eight Best Philadelphia Auditions

Here we go again...

Yep, it's the official start of American Idol season, signaled by the beginning of four long weeks of ear-splitting horrendousness, with a bit of talent and a healthy dose of humor sprinkled in for good effect.

American Idol auditions. Season 7. Wow.

Not much has changed since we last saw the terrible trio of judges -- Simon was his usual nasty self; Randy, as always, had nothing overly insightful to add to the dialogue; and Paula -- well -- Paula was Paula. I think you all know what that means.

I'm gonna leave Princess Leia, chest waxing, and the recapping of the rest of the "bad" auditions to the folks who enjoy it more than I do (although I must admit, James Lewis' basso version of "Go Down Moses" is one of the funniest things I have ever seen. It's true.)

Instead, I'm going to focus on the actual talent that Philadelphia produced (and there actually was some, sprinkled amongst the rest of the garbage.) As such, here is my list of Philadelphia's eight best auditions:

1. Kristi Lee Cook
After the success of Carrie, Bucky and Kellie, you'd think last year would have been flooded with country hopefuls, but there was nary a country crooner in the bunch. Perhaps this year will be different, especially with Kristi, a bit like Carrie Underwood with more of an edge, in the mix. Clearly the producers think she's something special, as they teased this "cage fighting singer" throughout the episode. It was worth the wait -- her gorgeous rendition of "Amazing Grace" easily made hers Philadelphia's best audition. Expect to see this girl in the Top 10.

2. Junot Joyner
Wrapping his silky smooth vocals around Elton John's "The Blues," this guy showed raw talent and lots of potential. Good thing -- there hasn't been a good male R&B voice on the show in a few years now.

3. Jonathan Baines
Showing excellent musicality and possessing a contemporary, folk-y voice, this kid could be the real deal. And he's cute and charming, in a gawky way, which doesn't hurt. Keep an eye on this kid.

4. Joey Catalano
There's an endearing quality to the dorkiness of this former fattie, and he does a killer Adam Levine impression, but is he versatile enough to survive in this competition? And how long until Simon starts telling him his voice is too nasal?

5. Brooke White
There is something sincere about Brooke, as the judges kept saying, and her rendition of "Like a Star" was charmingly lowkey, but what's with the "no R-rated movie" shlock? Gimme a break.

6. Chris Watson
With cheekbones like Chris' he didn't need to sound great, but he went ahead and did anyways. Granted, "Follow Me" is not the hardest song to sing, but he pulled it off with a suave confidence. But does he have a range?

7. Angela Martin
Thank goodness Angela made it through to Hollywood, since she had her friend and her entire extended family waiting for her outside the room. And how about that clips package? Talk about sympathy vote -- how can you not love the single mother with the handicapped child? (The support she gets from her community really is moving, I must admit.) Her delivery of "Signed, Sealed and Delivered" was good, but nothing special -- she never really belted, ya know what I mean? Still, she seems likable, so for now I'm pulling for her.

8. Beth Stalker
This stay-at-home mom crooned "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" in a manner that crossed Barbra Streisand and Fiona Apple -- and it kinda worked. Sure, she's old-fashioned, but there's something about her that allowed her to pull it off.

American Idol 7 Spoilers With Photos and Myspace Pages'

Read 'Ten Best Initial American Idol Auditions of All Time'

Read 'Am I Wrong For Dreading the American Idol Audition Episodes?'

Read 'Daughtry Passes Underwood on Album Sales Chart; Sparks Barely Hangs in Top 50'

Play IDOL MADNESS: THE GAME To Determine the Best Idol of All Time

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Kristy Lee Cook had a recording contract with Arista. They spent 7 million dollars on promoting her and she only sold 700 albums. She was supposed to have been the next "Britney Spears".