'American Idol' Recap - Audition #4

After a pretty dismal show Wednesday night, we have two new cities and two new hours of American Idol. But while I had niggling issues with many of the singers Thursday, they were almost all uniformly better than those who sang in Philadelphia (well, except for hippie chick and professional nomad Blue whose improvised original song left a lot to be desired). Thursday, we finally got a few folks who could make the top 10 later on this season.

I’ll write about the top five auditions in detail, in order of appearance, and list the others who got through as well. When it comes time for live shows, I’ll write and rate everything.

CJ Johnson

Professional musician CJ, 28, sang a tired Hall and Oates cover and reinvented it through some inventive guitar work. There was a really solid, effortless quality to CJ that made me want to listen  beyond the minute or so they showed. While I would love to see him do a more contemporary song next time, he has a natural, rough-hewn quality that made him stand out.

Terrian

Maybe my favorite audition of the night went to Terrian, a one-named teen who actually made me like the over-played, bubblegum commercial jingle that is “Happy.” Making the Pharell tune her own with an assured, gospel-tinged pop voice, Terrian has a bright future on Idol.

Jordyn Simone

I liked Jordyn even before she sang for saying that what she admired most about Tori Kelly was her vocal control. As those who read my recaps might surmise, to me, vocal control is paramount over fancy runs and high notes. Confident and without any kind of vocal affectation, Jordyn could really be a front-runner. There were a few wonky moments in her audition, but with some vocal coaching this mature looking 15-year could really go far.

Ashley Lilinoe

Yes, Ashley’s earth child vibe was perhaps a bit distracting, but it all felt authentic from her bluesy, sweet vocals to her competent but somewhat messy guitar playing. She might get lost in the shuffle, but she was one of my favorite auditions of the night.

Andrew Nazarbekian

This Russian ex-pat brought his own flavor to “Make You Feel My Love,” even if he annoying attributed it to Adele rather than Bob Dylan. On paper, Andrew technically has the best voice of the night – there’s a trained, Josh Groban-like quality to his heavy timbre – even if it was marred by some over-thought phrasing and a few too many runs.

Others who got a golden ticket:

Amber Lynn just missed the top five with her sweet singer-songwriter vibe and richly textured voice.

James VIII was all over the place vocally but did show an intriguing tone and definite musicality in his John Mayer cover.

Ethan Kuntz has the building blocks of a good Idol contestant but his voice and musicality just isn’t mature enough yet.

Mary Williams, the mule-riding champion, had an old school country charm but sang a Tammy Wynette cover that was as bland and forgettable as her name.

Thomas Stringfellow showed a really solid pop voice and good guitar chops but his effected vocals and lack of musical knowledge (there’s a big difference between time signature and tempo, kid!) made me have second thoughts on his Idol tenure.

“Tank” Jackson, (creator of Tank-ercise), is a much better singer than he is a dancer, although his soulful, rich voice contained some alarming pitch problems.

John Wayne Schultz delivered a really pretty, authentic and heartfelt vocal on "The Dancer."

Kassy Levels was only showed in a quick montage but I wanted to hear more, even if the clip they showed made it seem a bit too put on.

Rhea Raj, who was also shown in a montage, displayed a beautifully fragile voice.

Jake Dillon brought an effortless quality to his country crooning but while I don’t have anything to complain about in regards to Jake’s performance, there wasn’t anything to rave about either.

Elvie Shane is rough around the edges in all the right ways and whose power came not from training and technicality but from a well-lived life and honest musicality.