Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Scarlett Lee, 26, London, “Clown” by Emeli Sande: Scarlett has a surprising deep, soulful tone and flashes quite a bit of range too. Every season of Idol needs a big-voice female and Scarlett is flashing that sort of potential. She’s singing big and she’s doing it with control. She gets a standing ovation from the judges. Lionel calls her audition “so well rounded.” Luke loves her personality too. Katy likes the fact that she’s fun and funky, but has a voice that must be taken seriously. Scarlett is in tears over getting the opportunity.

Max Dasher, 18, Black Mountain, N.C., “Rock, Salt and Nails” by Utah Phillips:
Max seems a little overwhelmed by the situation when he walks into the audition room. But he certainly recovers when he starts singing. You know a male country artist is going to do very well on Season 22, and he shows the potential to be that guy. Katy says he has “that sparkle” and “an undeniable authenticity.” Luke says he’s got “a little bit of magic.”

ALSO MADE THE SHOW

Laela Dasher, 20, “Angel from Montgomery” by John Prine: Dang, Max’s sister Laela has a nice soulful tone. Both are pretty powerful vocalists. Katy says the singing talent is in the DNA. She asks if they perform together and they launch into a song called “River and Roads” by The Head and the Heart. Lionel gives Laela a yes. Katy gives Laela a no. But Luke casts the tie-breaking vote in Laela’s favor, so she’s off to Hollywood too. No idea what prompted Katy to cast that “no” vote. Laela sounded awfully good to me. And, trust me, these two sound great together!

Aniston Pate, 20, Dalhart, Texas, “Hummingbird,” an original: A country artist from a small town in west Texas, Aniston performs an impressive original written about her mother. Luke calls it great. Lionel says he was thinking Dolly Parton by the second verse. Katy said she thinks she’s a great songwriter, but thinks her vocals need some work. Still, she gives her a yes. So do the other two coaches. It was well deserved. That was a great original.

Jennifer Jeffries, 17, Starkville, Mississippi, “Change My Ways” (an original): She sent in an audition to Idol never expecting for it to be seen. She’s the youngest of nine children. And look at this, she’s auditioning with an original. It’s a song she’s already released. And she has a unique tone. This is a really impressive Christian single. Luke calls her voice “amazingly unique.” Katy calls her voice “so raw” and “so Mississippi.” She breezes through with three yes votes.

Nick Connors, 22, Pasadena, Texas, “Easy On Me” by Adele: Hey, there are some great voices on tonight’s edition of Idol. Nick is doing an impressive job with an Adele song. Katy is looking for more dynamics from Nick. Luke says there’s some “magic sauce” in his voice. Katy says he’s potentially one of the show’s best vocalists. Lionel likes his natural sound, saying he “loves it.”

Madai Chakell, 22, Springfield, Mass, “I Kissed a Girl” by Katy Perry: She does voices. She’s apparently performed on Broadway. But her performance is a little all over the place. And loaded with sass. Apparently, Katy agreed. She asked Katy to sing “Happy Birthday” minus the flair. Lionel and Katy give her “yes” votes. Luke votes no, but it makes little difference.

Kimi, 25, Brooklyn, N.Y., “Heal” by Tom Odell: He’s a native of Kosovo and used to watch Idol there with his mom. His mom had a beautiful voice, he says, and people tell Kimi his voice reminds them of her. Kimi shows off a nice, emotive tone, but the judges think he was holding back. They have him call his mother and have Kimi sing something in their native language. Luke says he has a “cool, nice voice.” Katy encourages him to always sing from his heart. And, of course, he advances to Hollywood.

CJ Rislove, 22, nomad, “The Astronaunt and the Rock Star” (an original): He travels the country in a school bus called the Jazz Wagon; he bought it when he was just 17. He writes part of a song every day. So the Idol judges ask him to sing the song he wrote the day before. Katy calls his audition “interesting.” Luke thinks he’ll be in a tour bus instead of a school bus at some point. Lionel praises his performance too. Then the judges tour his bus.

Kyra Waits, 23, Berea, Ky., “Up to the Mountain” by Patty Griffin: Kyra’s mom was a bluegrass singer for 15 years. Kyra says she inherited that talent and has been dreaming of being on American Idol since she was young. She’s auditioned the last five years. The stay-at-home-mom displays a strong, soulful voice. Her performance earns a standing ovation from the judges. Katy calls the audition “great” and says she’s got a “huge voice that just needs some shaping.” Luke loves the cry in her voice.

See also …
Week 1 recap
Week 2 recap