Tiffany Shedd (Cincinnati, OH) was the first to audition.  She chose to sing “Hero” by Mariah Carey and it was truly atrocious.  Her parents had told her she was an great singer (how could they not know or tell her the truth) and she really believed she was good.  Of course, they didn’t put her through.

Joanna Pacitti (Philadelphia, PA) has been trying to make it in the music industry for years and Kara DioGuardi recognized her.  She sang “We Belong” by Pat Benetar and it was pretty good!  She got really emotional when the judges voted her through to the next round.

More after the jump!

Mark Mudd (Coxs Creek, KY) sang “White Lightning” by George Jones and Kara started laughing.  Paula told him that he wasn’t bad but that this wasn’t the competition for him.  As he left, he said “be careful” which the judges perceived as a possible threat.  Yikes!

Brent Keith Smith (Blanchester, OH) sang “Can’t Get Enough” by Bad Company and I really liked his voice a lot.  He’s got a good look and style but Simon didn’t like his song choice.  Kara tried to say something but got mad at Simon’s constant interruptions.  In the end, Simon said yes to him and the other judges agreed.

Irene Angueloba gave a horrible rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow" which was followed by a really odd-sounding (and terrible) audition from Obianuju Omwurah and several terrible male “singers.”  Wow…

Matt Giraud (Kalamazoo, MI) sang “I Don’t Want to Be” by Gavin DeGraw and his voice was definitely unique.  I think he could be a great singer but I agreed with Simon when he said that Matt needs a little more confidence.  The judges put him through to the next round – he’s going to Hollywood!

Ross Bradley Plavic (Crestview Hills, KY) chose to sing “Cara Mia” by Jay and the Americans (?) and, well, it was interesting.  I don’t even know what to say about it.  He said the air was dry and Paula offered him some water but was shocked when he used her straw.

Alexis Grace (21-year-old from Memphis, TN) is a young mother who credits her little girl with giving her a lot of motivation.  She sang “Dr. Feelgood” by Aretha Franklin and the judges were all surprised by her voice (so was I!).  She was given a ticket to Hollywood!

Aaron Williamson (27-year-old from Louisville, KY) was full of energy before his audition and put a smile on my face.  I loved his enthusiasm!  He chose to sing “Have You Ever Seen The Rain” by Creedence Clearwater Revival and it was so energetic that the judges all jumped when he started singing.  It was so noisy that Ryan said “what the hell?” and had to walk into the room.  The judges were cheered up but they couldn’t put him through.  He was so sad.

Rebecca Garcia (Nashville, TN) was interviewed by the local news and Paula actually recognized her!  Hilarious!  She chose to sing “Before He Cheats” by Carrie Underwood and Kara actually thought it was a joke.  She felt really bad when she realized it was a real audition.  Poor girl!  They all rejected her and Simon told her to give up singing.

There was a group of singers that all made it through to the next round: Kris Allen (“A Song for You”), Felicia Barton (“Put Your Records On”), Ryan Johnson (“A Change is Gonna Come”) and Shera Lawrence (“I’ve Got the World on a String”). 

The final audition came from Leneshe Young (18-years-old from Cincinnati, OH) who has had a tough life and grew up moving in and out of shelters.  She chose to sing an original song called “Matty” and Simon really loved her.  They thought it was a great audition and Simon said it was a well-written song.  Kara said that Leneshe is the first girl that stands out as having “her own thing.”  They put her through to the next round – can’t wait to see how she does in Hollywood!

image © 2008 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Michael Becker

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