Idol Chatter & Voice Views

He was only on screen for a few seconds Wednesday night, one of a trio of male singers featured early on during American Idol’s Aspen auditions.

But I came away thinking his was the best voice we heard on an episode where the judges seemed pretty easily pleased.

His full name is Devan Blake Jones.  Idol’s blue bar identified him as a 26-year-old hotel clerk from Aurora, Calif.

Perhaps, but this guy was raised in Denver and has been honing his vocal skills for years, according to an interview he did with Denver Westword.

In fact, he says he comes from a family of singers, most of whom started singing in church.  His grandmother’s brother was apparently in a doo-wop band that toured the world.

Devan says he started getting serious about singing in the ninth grade, realizing that “people would respect me for my talent.”

He says he grew up on oldies, jazz and gospel and incorporates those influences into his music.

Oh, and just for good measure, he sings with Atomga Groove Alliance, a 12-piece Afrobeat ensemble.

“The goal is to put out tons and tons of music and be able to look back and say I’ve left a mark,” Devan told Denver Westword.

Here are two pre-Idol songs.  And since you didn’t hear nearly enough of  Devan on Idol tonight, you can head to his YouTube channel for more.

“I Can’t Help It”

“For the First Time”