One of the more original auditions the American Idol judges heard in New York came from a performer known as Jax. The 18-year-old sat behind a piano and delivered a slowed down, soulful pop version of The Beatles’ classic, “I Wanna Hold Your Hand.” And her performance drew rave reviews, not to mention a unanimous…
We didn’t really meet Katherine Winston during the New York audition episode of American Idol. Which is a shame, because when I was researching contestants rumored to do well this year, her original music was among the most impressive. Particularly a song called “Black Rose,” which she posted to SoundCloud last spring and which I’ve…
Gotta admit, the first time I listened to Kat Robichaud’s new album, I wondered what the heck she was doing. Two listens later, I had my answer. She was delivering a delightfully different album, one of the best and certainly the most unique we’ve gotten from a former contestant on The Voice. She’ll have you…
And tonight, we’re off to New York on American Idol. That would be Jennifer Lopez’s stomping ground, though a man residing in the home where she used to live doesn’t seem to have any idea who Jennifer Lopez is. Hmm, surprised that wasn’t edited out. It’s also the city where Adam Lambert took Keith’s spot…
My question for Ellen Petersen: Where was the hot pink banjo? Ellen, 22, of Branson, Mo., walked into the Idol audition room carrying a banjo that looked pretty darn traditional. Then she launched into a rendition of “I Wanna Be a Cowboy Sweetheart,” displaying perhaps the best voice we heard during the Kansas City audition…
Through American Idol’s first three audition episodes of Season 14, we saw several singers advance to Hollywood by 2-1 votes. In every case but one, Harry Connick Jr. was the guy casting the “no” vote. Alexis Gomez, 22, of Dayton, Ohio, is the gal who got Harry to say “yes.” She auditioned with a spirited…
Anyone who followed Season 13 of American Idol saw a very familiar face during the Kansas City audition episode. Casey Thrasher is back for another go at Idol, after enduring one of the cruelest cuts in the show’s history last spring. I say that because Idol advanced 30 singers to last year’s semifinals, then cut…
Hmm, did American Idol hang out a sign for Season 14 that said: Amateurs need not apply? I just checked back over the 17 Hollywood-bound singers we met in last Thursday’s episode. Eight identified themselves as musicians already; two called themselves actors or actresses. Even some of the “students” entered the audition room with quite…
Turns out the very first Hollywood-bound contestant we met on American Idol Season 14 has a central Pennsylvania connection. Riley Bria grew up in Lancaster and spent two years performing in a contemporary country band, first known as Headstrong, then as Levi Road. The band consisted of Riley, brothers Jaden and Spencer and friend Josh…
The very final contestant we met during American Idol’s combined Nashville-Kansas City audition episode was the talented Jess Lamb. While the first two episodes of Season 14 featured lots of talented young singers, the 28-year-old told us she’s been playing music — mostly Motown and soul — around the Cincinnati area for 10 years. “For…
