Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Gotta admit, I cringed a bit when Eben Franckewitz said people tell him he looks like Justin Bieber during Idol’s Pittsburgh audition episode.

That’s because I think Idol would be much better off with less focus on finding the next young teen sensation and more focus on pure musical/vocal talent.

That said, Eben was likable during his audition, and he comes across as very likable in his golden ticket interview.

More important, he sounded great singing “Ain’t No Sunshine” during his audition, perhaps the best 15-year-old voice we’ve heard so far this season.

The lad from Loveland, Ohio, advanced with three yes votes from the judges.  Randy Jackson proclaimed that he has “a God-given gift.”

Eben says he first sang for an audience at his church at age 6 and has gotten a rush from being on stage ever since.

And he’s been on stage a lot, mostly theatrically, based on this story at Cincinnati.com.  He apparently played the role of one of Bob Cratchit’s kids in “A Christmas Carol” at Playhouse in the Park in Cincinnati for several years.

Last year, he snagged the lead role in the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park production of “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.” He has also performed in “Peter Pan Jr.,” “Mulan Jr.” and “Les Miserables

“Scotty (McCreery) showed even a young person can come out on top,” Eben says in his golden ticket interview. “I’m young, but I’ve got experience, and I’m ready to kick butt.”

Here’s Eben’s audition.