Tonight is all about personal stories firefighters and grandpas and how Jennifer gets thegoosieswhen people sing to her.
Outside of Jennifers goosies, this opening sequence shows just how much cultural currencyAmerican Idolhas.
Remember Pants on the Ground guy?
Credit: Ray Mickshaw/Fox
He was so great.
Tonight isnt about failed previous contestants.
We kick things off in Denver withJames Grey Dawson, a.k.a.
James the VIII,andAmber Lynn(Anne Boleyn?).
Amber actually forced James the VIII to come because he doesnt even identify as a singer.
What do you think will happen and how royal do you think it will be?
Amber opens with Allen Stones Unaware.
After Amber finishes, Harry critiques JAMES for rushing the song via guitar.
Her performance, by the way?
If we didnt figure it out from her ironic flat-bill hat, shes a definite singer-songwriter punch in.
James VIII follows with a John Legend song.
I honestly have no idea what happens to me during episodes ofAmerican Idol.
Its a strange contest between Amber and James because theyre both just…incredible.
The contest doesnt matter though.
Both of these Denver hipsters are going to strum their way to Hollywood.
He is from Memphis and goes by CJ.
Hes a professional musician, which is crazy ambitious unless youre, you know, successful.
He chooses Hall & Oates You Make My Dreams, and its everything you hope it will be.
He has this Memphis barbecue style to his voice (run with me, here).
Its dry and authentic in a way thats hard to explain.
And whats great about CJ is that you want to root for him.
He gets three thumbs up.
Did you guys even know we switched to Little Rock?
I swear it just…happened.
It might have happened with CJ, but itsdefinitelyobvious with Ethan.
Ethan Kuntz, 15, is from Nashville, Ark.
His song choice is Stormy Monday by the Allman Brothers.
Harry and Keith agree, but Jennifer steps up to fight for Ethan.
Honestly, hes a wonderful kid, but for a career in the blues, ihes justnot ready.
And Keith, regardless of his gut, gives him a pass.
Shes from Belfast, Tenn., and has the best twang.
I immediately throw my weight behind her because Tennessee girls gotta stick together.
She chooses Tammy Wynettes Til I Can Make It on My Own.
Its ambitious, admittedly, but she manages to produce an admirable performance.
She got Jennifer and Harrys votes but a no from Keith.
Mary will have another chance to win over Keith because shes headed to Hollywood, too.
I get nervous because I feel like I watched an episode ofDr.
Philabout kids addicted to huffing canned air, but I cant remember.
While we pray for these miscreants, were introduced to Xavier.
Xavier Soller, 26, is an in-game host for the Denver Nuggets.
He amps Jennifer up with a fun mini-basketball game.
In a surprising turn, he chooses Garth Brooks Friends in Low Places.
Hes not bad, but hes definitely not good.
He promptly gets dismissed.
He tells everyone he had a great time, and he heads back to the court.
We quickly move toTerrian, 18, from North Memphis.
She chooses Pharrells Happy.
She has vague Janelle Monae undertones but is not quite as strong as real Janelle Monae.
Although she could have shined more brightly, she gets all yeses and heads to Hollywood.
We jump back to Little Rock to meetLeAnn Blue McIsaac, 23.
Shes wearing all blue and has blue hair and a super cool septum piercing.
Shes artsy like WHOA and refers to herself as a singing nomad.
Keith chooses family, Jennifer chooses love, and Harry chooses music.
Somehow, it strangely comes together like a religious chant.
The judges, lovingly, tell her to go travel the world and do her business elsewhere.
He gets three big yeses from the judges.
Its a dancing exercise that has helped Tank lose 40 pounds.
My only complaint is that I think Tankercise got in his way of giving his best performance.
Superstar is one of those audition songs that throws you back to seasons 2 and 3.
Its just a classicIdolhymn.
The songs end begins to fall off, but Tank holds his own, even without breath.
He gets a pass to Hollywood, wipes his brow, and trots his way out the door.
She says that shes going to be the next Britney Spears, which is an interesting musical aspiration.
The judges dismiss her, and she just doesnt get why.
But then theresJordyn Simone, 15, who walks in looking all of 25.
She chooses the Jackson 5s Whos Loving You?
As I suspected, she completely owns the song with an effortless vocal.
Thats what happens when you decide to be yourself and not be Britney.
Jordyn is going to Hollywood.
Leah (and I) will be performing Lucky with no audience.
And then theresRhea Raj,19, who chooses Whitneys How Will I Know with a piano backup.
She skates through, as well.
His song though is Kenny Loggins Dannys Song.
America breaks into a full sing-along, but the loudest voice is Jakes.
To be honest, the voice isnt that remarkable, but every word is sincere.
Little harsh, Gretch.
We get a nice backwoods shot as he plays guitar and talks about his past drug use.
He talks about his wife Mandy, who iswaypretty.
She had a 5-year-old son, and now theyre a family!
How nice is that?
I bet he can sing, too.
He chooses House of the Rising Sun, which was done pretty wonderfully just yesterday byGianna Isabella in Philadelphia.
I like his audition, but Gianna set The Animals bar REALLY high.
And thats it for Denver.
God bless, Elvie and the judges and all of you.
God bless us, everyone.
Next week, we jump into another week of auditions, but do we need it?
Have we found this seasons winner, or are they holding out on us?
Take some time, mull it over, get some Tankercise in, and Ill see you next week.
Our journeys not over yet.
