Half of the 24 contestants auditioned for the viewing public last night at the Disney resort on the island of Honolulu, Hawaii and, honestly, it was just OK for the first 30 minutes or so. Now to be fair, all of the singers have talent. They’re certainly light years ahead of me and so for that, they should all be so proud to have made it this far. They’re good. It’s just that some of them are so far beyond good that the good singers will get left behind. Not like the “Left Behind” books, the OK singers aren’t going to Hell, calm down! I just mean that when a pro gets up there on stage, it’s clear who the imposters are. Let’s start with the point in the show (30 minutes in, like I said) where Simon Cowell would’ve said, “Now the show has started.” A few contestants had come and gone. Forgettable. Then Gabby Samone took the stage with a Celine Dion song and this right here is the first singer of the show that went beyond singing and connected with the audience.
The episode continued to get better and better as it went on. Better singers, better performances, and it ended with two guys that will comprise part of the final 5 contestants (just in my opinion, of course). That is, Slater Nalley and Jamal Roberts. Oh, throw Breanna Nix in there, too. So the best of the night were Gabby, Slater, Breanna, and Jamal. Everyone else ought to start packing their bags.
Slater Nalley channeled a little bit of his inner David Gray in his rendition of “Over the Rainbow.” But his overall tone is so gritty, growly, he stands alone in this competition. I’d still love to hear his falsetto… I think it would be mesmerizing. This song had a few places he could’ve hit a higher falsetto and maybe used a little less of the scream/yell type delivery but at the same time, we want singers with grit, with a story to tell, don’t we? Sometimes passion is loud and I’m ok with that. He’s my pick to win it all.
Breanna Nix had a bit of the “mom vibe” going on with her wardrobe, nothing that can’t be refreshed as the season goes on. While she might have appeared to be a little bit orchestrated on stage (go here, then go there, raise hand, go here, look at crowd), she can sure sing. She’s solidified herself in the Christian music lane with this powerfully-delivered performance of “Still Rolling Stones.”
Jamal Roberts… In spite of my pick for #1 being Slater Nalley, Jamal continues to remind me that sometimes I’m wrong. He has an incredible voice, stage presence beyond any of the other contestants in this episode. Plus, who doesn’t love where he’s coming from as a loving single father and an elementary school P.E. teacher? And don’t forget he’s got the best smile this season, or as Jelly Roll put it– a smile for days. Top 3, at least.
There’re 8 other singers in this episode and I have no idea who they are. In other words, it’s clear who should be eliminated this round and I’m sorry to say that one is a person the judges seem to love (baffling!) and the other is offspring of a famous boyband singer. Before I went to sleep last night, I couldn’t help but rewatch one of the best Idol moments in history. Remember Jessica, Candice, and DeAndre singing “I Guess It Doesn’t Matter Anymore”?
-Out of the Wilderness
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Out of the Wilderness 