Season 8: Audition Rounds Episode 4...here comes the sun

Boy, I feel rejuvinated and satisfied after the Louisville auditions. The Bluegrass State provided us with loads of promising talent. There must be something in the water there. I was beginning to think that Season 8 would be a bust...but the sun is shining again!

Joanna Pacitti - I really like her voice, and she is so pretty. It seems like her desire for a singing career is genuine. I guess the producers decided to flip things around and actually just come right out and tell us when contestants have had previous record deals. I must say, it's a little refreshing. I think we'll be seeing more of Joanna for sure. If you want to hear another sample of her music, CLICK HERE

Brenth Keith (Smith) - I think Brent had a really good audition. I like his voice. He also has some previous experience in the industry: he was a contestant on Nashville Star a couple seasons ago. With Brad Pitt looks and a Brad Paisley voice, I'm sure he'll sail through Hollywood week. He had a song on the "Dale" soundtrack, you can watch the video for it if you CLICK HERE. By the way, Simon called him Busker-ish. I had to look that word up because I had never heard it before.

Busker -
noun
a person who entertains people for money in public places (as by singing or dancing), usually while asking for money.

Hmm...seems to me that everyone on American Idol would be a busker then, right? If you use the term more broadly, I guess even Simon would be a busker in that he entertains people in public for money. Interesting.

Matt Giraud - I really like his unique voice. He has a certain unassuming grace about him. Like he's cute and talented, and you want to get to know him better...but he doesn't know any of that about himself. Simon is right, Matt's voice does sound a lot like Elliot Yamin. Hopefully he'll have as much success as Elliot did on the show. I sincerely hope we hear more of Matt later on because he's one of my favorites so far. CLICK Here if you want to see his audition video again. And by the way, if you've never been to a dueling piano bar before, I would highly recommend it. They're a lot of fun if you go early in the evening.

Alexis Grace - Wow. I was blown away by her soulful voice. I was really surprised when she started singing because I was expecting a Jordin Sparks "pop" voice to come out, but instead it was jazzy and cool. Did you notice that Simon told her she has a very commercial face, and then Kara told her to stop wearing pink? I think the judges definitely want to see a makeover happen...and they're hoping she'll stick around. If you want to see a refresher of her audition, CLICK HERE.

By the way, I really appreciate that Kara has constructive and meaningful things to say to the contestants...Randy, on the other hand, rarely offers an opinion unless it's obvious if the person is good or bad. He'll often say, "Well, I don't know, dog, I'm on the fence on this one." or "I don't know, Simon, what do you think?" I'm getting tired of it. Maybe instead of replacing Paula, Kara should get Randy's job. I'd be okay with that.

Aaron Williamson - Ok, so this guy didn't make it, but I want to say something about him. THEY PUT THROUGH STINKING BIKINI GIRL AND THEY DIDN'T GIVE THIS KID ANOTHER CHANCE?! I actually thought that, aside from the shouting, Aaron's energy was charming. And you can tell by his audition video, that he really does have a nice, unique sounding voice. Oh the inhumanity!

CLICK HERE for the audition video of the next 4 contestants.



Kris Allen - Kris chose to sing "A Song For You" made famous by the aforementioned Elliot Yamin of AI season 5. I love that song, but I didn't hear enough of Kris's voice to have an opinion.

Felicia Barton - She sang "Put Your Records On" by Corrine Bailey Ray. I really thought that song choice was a good one. Her voice sounded phenomenal, and she's gorgeous...so I'm sure she'll make it through Hollywood week. CLICK HERE to see a video of her performing an Alicia Keys song...very well.

Ryan P.A. Johnson - Ryan sang "A Change is Gonna Come" by Sam Cooke (a good song that should be graciously laid to rest by American Idol because it seems like at least one performance of it happens every season). Ryan is part of a Christian band called In Stereo. Check out their Myspace page CLICK HERE. I think his voice is powerful. It was showcased much more in that 10 second video clip on American Idol than it is with his band. But I guess it's the style of music.

Shera Lawrence - Shera sang "I've Got the World on a String," and I thought it really suited her jazzy voice. She seems very sweet. I don't know if she'll stand out enough to survive Hollywood week, though.

Leneshe Young - I think Leneshe is really cutesy. She likes to pose for the camera and be adorable. That kind of annoyed me, but then I realized that this was probably her first time in front of a camera, and I think she'll eventually grow out of that. Aside from that, she has a lot of promise. I loved the sound of her voice, and I think her original song was good. I think we'll be seeing more of her after Hollywood Week. CLICK HERE if you want to see her audition video again.

I don't know how many more audition episodes remain, but I'll be glad when they're over....although Louisville was the bright spot so far this season.

Currently Listening To: Here Comes the Sun by the Beatles