American Idol 9 – Auditions: Altanta, GA
American Idol’s next Stop was Atlanta, Georgia, home of the peach state and this time, the special guest Judge was iconic R&B artist Mary J. Blige. I don’t want to post the you-tube videos because I want to save time for myself. So, let’s start with these Atlanta Auditions.
Dewone Robinson – This guy sang an original song called “Lady, we’re not together anymore”. Simon says it was one of the worst original songs we ever heard. To me, he sounded very annoying. As he argues with the judges, he refuses to leave, trying to sing more, but the judges just tell him goodbye.
Keia Johnson – She is a beauty queen who won the title of Miss. Congeniality. She sang a song from the movie Titanic. She appeared to be nice, as Mary J. Blige claims she can sing very well. Simon likes her, which means something to Keia. She is put through to Hollywood.
Jermaine – This guys is a church vocalist who cares for his sick mother. To me, he was very excellent singing “What If God was one of us?”. Kara says it was very good, as Randy calls him the real deal. He was very soulful, and could make for a very good Gospel Soul singer.
Kristy Marie – This woman is a TV Show and Producer to a local show called Georgia 411. I thought she sang with a bit of passion, but Kara and Simon say it won’t work out. At least she’s a host. Simon actually says her show should be called the 911 (U.S. emergency number).
Vanessa Wolfe – Next we see a small town girl Tennessee girl who jumps off on bridges into water (a small distance between, though) as a hobby. I personally say she is okay, because her accent is very thick. Kara says she’s authentic, and Simon says she could work on being more self-confident. However, she is accepted into Hollywood.
Jesse – This is a guy who had a very low, soft voice when speaking, and of course, it was heavily southern. It probably took him about five minutes to ctually start singing, he was indeed nervous and extremely shy. He was not very good, and the judges rejected him. Simon says he should keep his welding job.
Holly Harden – This girl calls herself a Human Guitar, simply because she dresses like a guitar, calling herself Guitar Girl. She sang decent, for a country singer, in my opinion. The judges didn’t go for the guitar outfit, but Holly says it’ll be no problem losing the outfit at Hollywood. While Randy and Kara say yes to her, Mary says no, leaving it up to Simon, who end up saying yes.
Mallory – This girl sang, and Kara commented to Mallory that Mallory knows who she is. Simon calls her fearless. Randy says to Mallory she’s very beautiful, and Mallory is put through to Hollywood.
Antonio Wheeler – This is a guy who goes by the name “Skii Bo Ski”. To me, he sounded pitchy. He ends up comparing himself to something worth a dollar anda dollar store, which to me, is very bad, and is a complete turn off. Simon says he’s horrible, and won’t say yes to him. Kara and Mary say he has a good voice, so they say yes to him. Randy, the deciding vote says yes, and he is through to Hollywood.
Carmen Turner & Lauren Sanders – These guys are friends from 3rd grade, and they are best friends, or BFF’s. I thought Carmen was good, but Lauren was deferentially not as good as Carmen. Simon says they make a hysterical comedy duo, but says no to their singing audition. However, Randy, Kara, and Mary say yes to Carmen, but no to Lauren, so Carmen goes to Hollywood without her BFF.
Bryan Walker – This guy is a police officer of his home town. To me, he sounded okay at the start, and maybe got better. Kara says he was great, and Rany says he sounds different in singing than he looks. He is acceptesd through to Hollywood.
Lamar Royal – This guy is a Mary J. Blige fan, eager to ding in front of her. He claims he can take constructive criticism well (just wait, you’ll see). When he sings, Randy and Kara didn’t like him. They claim he’s not a good listener, or good at taking the criticism when Lamar continues to sing. As he continued to sing horribly he gets security to remove him from the audition room. He begins cursing up a huge bitter storm, dissing Kara and dissing Mary J. Blige, someone he says is an idol.
Larry – This guy was clearly the best of the worst. He’s a 62 year old guy who sings his own original, satirical, catchy song called “Pant’s on the Ground”, with a memorable line going as: “You look liek a fool, with your pants on the ground. He had the judges laughing. However, when Larry tells Simon his age, 62, Simon says he’s a little over the age limit, 28. I swear, he would’ve made it to Hollywood if he was 28 or under.
Jermaine was really the best standout in this audition episode, probably because the other successful auditioners were mostly country or R&B-type. Keia would be my second favorite. Here is my LLNMD list of the Successful Auditioners I saw of the week, including the ones from Atlanta and Boston.The Boston people are more at the top, where there is one at dislike, the worth-a-buck Skii Bo Ski guy.
Love: Maddy Curtis, Leah Laurenti, Keia Johnson, Jermaine
Like: Amadeo, Ashley Rodrigez, Mike Davis, Katie Stevens, Justin Williams
Neutral: Bosa Mora, Holly Harden, Mallory, Carmen Turner, Bryan Walker
Meh: Tyler Grady, Joshua Blaylock, Vanessa Wolfe
Dislike: Antonio “Skii Bo Ski” Wheeler