Idol Chatter & Voice Views

American Idol saved one of its best female voices until last, introducing us to Lauren Gray as the show-closer in Thursday’s St. Louis audition episode.

Time will tell whether Idol struck gold again in St. Louis.  After all, that’s where the show discovered Carrie Underwood, as we were reminded in the show’s opening segment.

And Lauren appears to be entering the competition with more experience than Carrie.

Twenty-two at the time of the auditions, she’s been performing with her father’s southern-rock band since she was 18, appearing regularly at the business her family owns in Hardy, Ark.

Her family runs the Creekside Loft, a chapel, banquet room and theater, and Petals and Lace, a wedding planning and floral shop.

Lauren performs at the former and, according to the performer bio on the family’s website “has been walking around with a microphone in her hand since she was 2 years old.”

She sang backup on her dad’s last CD, the bio says, and is now a lead singer, specializing in the blues.

Lauren made reference to that during her Idol audition, saying she has more of a bluesy type voice.

That was instantly apparent when she began singing Adele’s “One and Only.”

As for that voice, to say the judges were impressed would be an understatement.

Randy called her delivery “fearless.”  Jennifer said she had “one of the prettiest female voices we’ve heard.”

Steven Tyler called her delivery “the sexiest thing on the planet.”

And when Lauren said getting the golden ticket was the biggest thing that had ever happened to her, Jennifer promised that “bigger things” would happen.

Welcome to Hollywood, Lauren Gray.

Now, here’s some more of her music.

“Walkin’ Away”

“Need You Now”