As my post 'Am I Wrong For Dreading the American Idol Auditions?' illustrates, I'm not the biggest fan of the initial audition round of American Idol. Having said that, there have been some truly fantastic initial auditions, and I thought I'd pay tribute to those now.
Please note, this list only includes auditions that were televised during the original season. Thus, auditions like Kelly Clarkson's, which were not originally shown, are not included.
Here we go...
1. Frenchie Davis
What a force of nature! There was no full-figured divas in Season 1 of American Idol, so when Frenchie walked in during Season 2, no one knew what to expect -- or how Simon and co. would respond. They had no choice after her tour de force delivery of "And I Am Telling You...", which simply blew the roof off the place. If Frenchie hadn't been disqualified from the competition, we very well might be referring to her as American Idol Winner Frenchie Davis.
2. Justin Guarini
The sad truth is, Justin was never as good as this first audition. Smooth, sexy and confident, he sounded fantastic, wooing both Paula and the audience.
3. Clay Aiken
Paula was "away" during Clay's Idol debut, and what she missed is the stuff of legends -- a ridiculously strong voice coming from a dweeby white kid. It threw the judges for a loop --Randy didn't know what to make of it, and even Simon had to acknowledge the power of this kid's voice. Amazing.
4. Jennifer Hudson
Apparently the producers didn't think highly enough of the future Oscar winner to include her with the rest of the auditions -- she was shepherded off to the "Best of the Rest" special. No matter -- she stood and sang, and I was instantly in love.
5. Melinda Doolittle
The first time timid back-up singer Melinda opened her mouth to croon "For Once In My Life" it was clear she had something special. It was also the first time we saw her modest "Who me?" expression, catapulting her to instant frontrunner status.
6. Katharine McPhee
She looked a little rough (and insecure), but Season 5's second place finisher sounded spot-on and showed enormous control singing "God Bless the Child." Fantastic.
7. Kimberley Locke
She would go on to sing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" several more times throughout the season, but it was this first rendition that was the most impressive. Simon called it a "master-class in singing." I'd agree.
8. Jordin Sparks
She was a bit too sweet for Simon's liking, but the growl she whipped out in the middle of Celine Dion's "Because You Loved Me" gave a hint of the vocal prowess she would later display.
9. Tamyra Gray
Coming in like a spitfire on Red Bull, Tamyra was the first girl on Idol to really show some pipes. The judges took notice -- and so did the audience.
10. Ruben Studdard
Like Frenchie, the judges didn't quite know what to make of the big guy, who showed effortless charm crooning "Ribbon in the Sky." His style (and smile) didn't change much over the course of the season, but who cares -- he's the Velvet Teddybear!
Honorable Mentions:
Josh Gracin
Fantasia
Diana Degarmo
Carrie Underwood
Chris Daughtry
LaKisha Jones
Taylor Hicks
Constantine Maroulis
More American Idol Best-Of Lists
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Ten Best Initial American Idol Auditions of All Time
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6 comments:
Gotta disagree that Justin was never as good. "Let's Stay Together" was all that and more. Also, his post-Idol concert performances emulate all the things that were great, but only those who find them on youtube or see him in person know that truth.
Katharine's audition is the #1
You forgot the best audition of all time: Paris Bennett's. And I'm not even a fan.
My personal favorite was Anthony Fedorov's rendition of "Angel" by Jon Secada. It was so beautiful, and I've been a fan of his ever since that audition. LL Cool J even called his performance "slick." :) I loved that.
What are you taking about? Justin Guarini wowed throughout the show. One of the best ever to be on AI. That first audition sure was a major WOW moment though.
Honey, you missed a big one.
Ace Young's audition and Hollywood round were the sounds that changed my life forever.
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