Idol Chatter & Voice Views

American Idol introduced us to nine more Hollywood-bound singers Sunday night.

Here are my picks for the top five auditions.

1. Tristen Gressett, 17, Pell City, Ala.: Hands down my favorite of the night. He played the guitar and harmonica simultaneously, then put his own spin on Billy Joel’s “Piano Man.” Was the performance a little over the top, as the judges implied? Perhaps. But here’s some advice for those judges. After a season in which one finalist bowed out because wasn’t comfortable with the competition aspect of the show and another wouldn’t raise his cowboy hat or baseball cap high enough to see his eyes, I suggest Idol embrace contestants ready to embrace the spotlight. Everything about Tristen’s audition suggested he’d be one of those guys. Check out a profile of Tristen here.

2. Dakota Hayden, 17, Fordsville, Ken.: He’s a Luke Bryan fan and delivered one of the strongest male country vocals we’ve heard. Those vocals sounded even better when he sang his audition song — “When It Rains It Pours” by Luke Comb — a cappella. Lionel Richie liked his aw shucks persona. Katy Perry liked his authenticity and said he’s “Top 10 material.” Check out a profile of Dakota here.

3. Cadence Baker, 18. Muscle Shoals, Ala.: The third generation musician started her performance of Whitney Houston’s “I’m Your Baby Tonight” a bit shaky, perhaps because of nerves. But once she settled in, with her dad playing guitar by her side, Cadence started to hit all the right notes and showed off a lovely lilt in her voice. She earned a well-deserved standing ovation from the judges. Luke called it one of the best auditions he seen and labeled it “awesome, awesome, awesome.” Check out a profile of Cadence here.

4. Abigail Brooks, 21, Castle Rock, Col.: Singing into a broom someone delivered to set (because Abigail apparently sings into a broom a lot at her job as a barista), this Barbra Streisand fan might have delivered the night’s best pure vocal. She auditioned with “Vincent” by Don McClean. It was quite theatrical, perhaps too theatrical for Idol, the judges warned. But they were also right in sending Abigail to Hollywood with a unanimous “yes” vote.

5. Mark Osborne, 26, Bedford County, Va.: He auditioned as a birthday gift for his mom, who always loved to sing herself. And he left the audition room with a golden ticket as a bonus after impressing the judges with his earnest performance of “Stone” by Whiskey Myers. Lionel Richie said it best: Mark’s a guy who doesn’t need vocal frills to impress. That gruff voice will do it all.

Other Hollywood bound singers we met included Ryleigh Madison, Emily Faith, Dontrell Briggs, Sam Finelli