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The first week of auditions is over on the eighth season of American Idol. What did you think? Any favorites emerge for you?
From the Phoenix tryouts, I liked the following people the most:
- Emily Wynne-Hughes (age 21) of Los Angeles, California sang Heart’s “Barracuda” and did an excellent job. She had great control which is saying a lot since the song is hard to sing.
- JB Ahfua (age 16) of Taylorsville, Utah stunned me when he sang Idol-winner Ruben Studdard’s “Flying Without Wings.” I loved the tone and quality of his voice. I’m hoping things go well for him in Hollywood.
- Arianna Afsar (age 16) of San Diego, California sang “Put Your Records On” and, while I loved her voice, I hated her timing. I hope it was just a one-time thing because her tone is great.
- Stevie Wright of Phelen, California sang “At Last” and it was one of my favorite auditions of the night. Did she remind anyone Liv Tyler (in looks)?
- Michael Sarver (27) sang “Thank You” and became one of my very favorites this year so far. I really love his look, his personality and, of course, his voice.
- Deanna Brown of Louisville, Kentucky (age 25) sang “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay” and I really, really loved her unique voice.
- Alex Wagner Thugman (age 19) of Studio City, California gets my vote because I love the element of surprise. I wasn’t expecting much from him but when he opened his mouth and sang James Ingraham’s “Baby Come to Me,” I was positively floored. Plus, he was really bright and you gotta love someone with brains.
- Scott MacIntyre, a 23-year-old visually impaired songwriter from Scottsdale, Arizona sang “And So It Goes” and, while it wasn’t perfect, it was definitely good and you’ve got to love a story of a man who overcomes adversity and goes on to succeed.
From the Kansas City auditions, I liked:
- Ashley Anderson impressed me when she sang “Footprints in the Sand.” I thought it was a really good audition despite the fact that she jumbled the words a little bit.
- Casey Carlson, a 20-year-old bubble tea maker from Minneapolis, Minnesota sang “A Thousand Miles” and the personality she put into her voice offset the imperfections.
- Von Smith (22 y.o. singer from Greenwood, MO) sang “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and, while it looks like his nerves were getting to him, he delivered a great performance. I really like his voice and his style. I want to see more
- Lil Rounds (23 y.o. customer service rep from Memphis, TN) sang “All I Do” and I just loved it! Her voice, her look and her name are perfect for the industry. She reminded me of modern artists (like Mary J. Blige) with some older influence (Dionne Warwick). Very nice. I hope she does well in the competition.