Idol Chatter & Voice Views

I’m still a little baffled at what was going on in last night’s Portland auditions.

We met 10 contestants. Of those, one hailed from Philly, one from Brooklyn, one from New Jersey, one from Boston and one from Clarksville, Md.

What? Did a bunch of East Coast singers all of a sudden decide to take a cross-country trip to Portland to try out for Idol and bypass five audition cities that would have been closer?

And if that’s the case, what is Jermaine Jones of Pine Hill, N.J., doing talking about a New Jersey audition in his road to Hollywood video?

Methinks Idol pulled a fast one on us and slipped in a few non-Portland auditions in last night’s episode.

Regardless, if you’d like to hear more music from singers we met last night — Naomi Gillies, Jermaine, Britnee Kellogg or Brittany Zika — just follow those links. And don’t forget, all the featured contestants from the previous episodes, plus lots of other contestants we should have met, can be found here.

Tonight, the Idol auditions wrap up in St. Louis.

Then it’s off to Hollywood for at least a week of drama, Idol style.

Tonight, Idol starts by showing us old headed-to-the-audition footage of Carrie Underwood, who auditioned in St. Louis some seven years ago. Not a bad way to start off the show.

Johnny Keyser, 22, Pompano Beach, Fla, server at Italian restaurant:  First up is a good-looking guy who’s going to sing “A Change Is Gonna Come.” His parents divorced when he was young, and he was pretty much raised by his dad, who he says “makes a pretty good mom and dad.” The judges are blown away. Jennifer says: “You know you’re going to be a star?”  Oh, and then she called him “sexy” after he left the room. My assessment: Better looks than voice.

Rachelle Lamb, 26, Mountain View, Miss., construction:  Another country singer who says she was held back from pursuing her dreams by her man, from whom she’s now separated. She brings along her daughter. She sings Faith Hill’s “Find Somebody New.” The judges compliment her on her “moxie,” and she’s Hollywood bound, of course.  Decent voice, but I don’t think she’s the next Carrie Underwood.

Reis Kloeckener, 20, St. Louis, student/pizza maker:  This guy came from a private Lutheran school to a much larger high school, where he got bullied because of his size. Joining his high school choir helped turn this around for him. He’s going to sing “Lean on Me.” Hey, this kid’s got a voice. Steven says it was “so beautiful it made him cry” and “get all crazy inside.” That might have been the best vocal we’ve heard this week.

Ethan Jones, 22, Pontoon Beach, Ill., musician: He shows up with a cut on his forehead, after scratching himself from nervousness. He dropped out of school to join his dad’s band. His dad is now in drug and alcohol rehab. Ethan’s going to sing “I’ll Be.” Steven says he “loves” the performance. Ethan says he sings country music, but his heart’s in soul. Like all the other singers featured tonight, he’s off to Hollywood.

Mark Ingram, 28, Collinsville, Ill., hotel auditor:  OK, now one of the hotel workers is going to audition, with part of his staff in the room. He’s going to sing “Overjoyed.”  I doubt the judges are overjoyed by this performance.  He tries singing another song, but it’s no better.  He won’t be in Hollywood, but should you happen to be in St. Louis and visit his hotel, he promises to sing you a song. So what’s the name of the hotel we need to avoid?

 Lauren Gray, 22, Hardy, Ark., singer: She’s trying to fulfill her father’s dream by getting  golden ticket to Hollywood. She’s been performing in her father’s southern rock band since she was 18.  She’s going to audition with Adele’s “One and Only.”  She has a big voice, and more of a bluesy tone that I expected.  Steven loves her “fearlessness” as a singer.  Jennifer calls her “one of the best female voices we’ve heard.” And Randy calls her “incredible.” And she’s Hollywood bound, too.

So, 46 singers got golden tickets, but we only got to meet five of them. Hmm.