‘American Idol’ Denver Auditions: Re-telling the Story of Tori

This final nostalgic American Idol season, producers are trotting out all of the show’s success stories, from Kelly and Carrie to J.Hud and P-Squared. So for Thursday’s Denver auditions episode, they bragged unabashedly about one famous Denver contender from Season 9: pop sensation Tori Kelly, who’s now a Best New Artist Grammy nominee with a top five album to her credit. Hey, that’s great! Idol really does create superstars!

There’s just one problem: Producers eliminated Tori right before Season 9’s live shows… and Season 9 went on to become one of the series’ most hated seasons ever. (It didn’t help matters that, on arguably the worst night in Idol history, four fantastic semifinalists – Alex Lambert, Lilly Scott, Katelyn Epperly, and future YouTube/MTV star Todrick Hall – all went home in the top 16. But Tori’s loss was a big one, too.)

You just gotta love Idol’s revisionist history here. (Or is that hisTory? Sorry.) This show can take credit for many singers’ successful careers, but sorry, Tori Kelly is not one of them.

Season 9’s Larry “Pants on the Ground” Platt got some screentime on Thursday too, however. Idol can definitely take credit for him.

Anyhoo, when not running what seemed like a 10-minute infomercial for Tori’s breakthrough album Unbreakable Smile, Idol producers were on the hunt in Denver (and Little Rock) for The Next Tori Kelly. I don’t really think they found her. But any rejected contestants this season can at least look at Tori’s career and knowing that there is hope after Idol – and you don’t even have to go on The Voice to get a post-Idol second chance.

These were the best hopefuls of Thursday night:

Amber Lynn & James VIII – James, who was “dragged” to the Idol auditions by his BFF Amber and said he considers himself “more of a guitarist than a singer,” now joins the illustrious ranks of David Cook, Ruben Studdard, Blake Lewis, and Colton Dixon – all successful past contestants who never even planned to try out. I could see this outcome a mile away. Of course James was going to get through. But he did deserve that golden ticket? I’m still unsure.

So first up was Amber, doing Allen Stone’s “Unaware” with the man-bunned James accompanying her on jazzy guitar. I thought they made a nice duo, sort of a platonic Alex & Sierra, with James’s licks complementing Amber’s sweet, bell-clear voice. But, while all of the judges seemed impressed with Amber’s performance (Jennifer Lopez told her, “You’ve got a lot of soul,” and Keith Urban said, “I liked that you were in your own world”), jazzbo/musicologist Harry Connick Jr. took issue with James’s guitar-playing. “With a song like that, timing is everything, and you were rushing… you have to give her a foundation upon which to create what she’s trying to create,” Harry griped. Amber got three yeses, but at this point, it looked like she’d be heading to Hollywood alone. At least that’s what the crafty producers wanted viewers to believe.

Next up, solo and centerstage, was James, doing a scatty version of John Legend’s “Suns Comes Up.” He displayed some funk and lot of personality, but his audition smacked of novelty. It seemed like he wasn’t taking the show seriously – which, given the circumstances, was probably the case. His hokey affectations and Jim Carrey-esque elastic facial mugging got old real fast for me. But hey, at least he was memorable. And the judges – even Harry – loved him! Keith, clearly a fan of James’s musicianship, told him, “I like your groove.” J.Lo wasn’t bothered by James’s face-pulling and rounded vowels, reasoning, “Some people are affected and you’re like, ‘Ugh, I can’t hear them sing another note,’ and some people have an affect where you’re like, ‘Wow, that’s supercool.’” (Apparently, James fell in the latter category for J.Lo. Not for me.) Harry had the biggest and most surprising turnaround, telling James, “It’s refreshing to see people that are clearly born to do this.” I guess Harry think James is born to go solo, not play backup for Amber Lynn. I’m still wondering if Amber should’ve dragged James to Denver in the first place, but I’ll see how he fares in Hollywood before I totally make up my mind about him.

C.J. Johnson – This tatted-up professional Memphis musician, who’s been grinding and hustling for 11 years, immediately had my vote when he broke out a little Hall & Oates. (I’ve been waiting for a Hall & Oates Night on Idol since 2002, and I even recall Season 7’s “David vs. David” finale graphics giving me an H2O album cover vibe. That’s how much I freakin’ like Daryl Hall and John Oates.) I’m still not sure how distinctive C.J.’s voice is – he may be a little more Oates than Hall for my liking – but his country-soul acoustic take on “You Make My Dreams” was fun and smile-inducing. I appreciated not only his song choice, but also the personality and originality of his performance. His years of experience definitely showed, especially in a season packed with so many teenage newbies. Keith loved C.J.’s “effortless confidence” and said, “I connect with road warriors so quick.” The other judges connected, too. It was three yeses for C.J., and he finally got the big break he’s been working towards for more than a decade. Perhaps Idol will make his dreams come true.

Ethan Kuntz – A contrast to C.J.’s veteran professionalism was this 15-year-old kennel worker and Southern rock/blues guitarist from small-town Nashville, Arkansas. (No, not Nashville, Tennessee. Nashville, Arkansas.) Doing the Allman Brothers’ “Stormy Monday” – a surprising and impressive song choice for someone so young – he showed promise, but he sounded so young and so green. He sounded like a 15-year-old at Open Mic Night, basically. Harry told Ethan, “I have no doubt in my mind that you’re supposed to do this,” but said Ethan just wasn’t ready. J.Lo disagreed, telling Ethan yes and saying, “You’re such a natural. This is in your blood.” That left the conflicted Keith to deliberate during the commercial break. Keith too said Ethan was not ready, but of course, being the wishy-washiest judge since Ellen DeGeneres, he said yes anyway. It’s too bad that Idol won’t be on the air in a few years, because this kid would be better suited to Season 20. He won’t survive Hollywood Week.

Mary Williams – This bubbly 23-year-old horse trainer gave a classic-country performance of “Until I Can Make It on My Own” by Tammy Wynette. It wasn’t a powerhouse effort, but it was “pleasing” and “pretty,” as J.Lo said. Keith wasn’t so impressed – being the country expert on the panel, he said singing Wynette is a “tall order,” and he didn’t think Mary conveyed the country legend’s heartbreak lyrics with enough conviction. Harry agreed that Mary’s performance was too “clinical,” but said yes anyway. Keith dissented, but Mary got her golden ticket in the end. This horsey girl has some work to do with her presentation; she may have won a world championship last year riding a foxtrotting mule, but I don’t believe she can win Idol.

Terrian Bass – This girl from a rough Memphis neighborhood had a great sunshiny attitude and was extremely likable, which was why it was so surprising that her performance of Pharrell Williams’s “Happy” fell so flat. (Majesty Rose did a much, much better job with this feelgood anthem in Season 13.) Terrian radiated a lot more energy and positivity when she was speaking than when she was singing, so I was disappointed by her listless and unexciting performance. I wanted to like her a lot more than I did. Jennifer appreciated Terrian’s “mellow style,” though, as did the rest of the judges, so Terrian made it through. But she needs to amp up the energy in Hollywood if she wants to stay happy and get to the top 24.

Thomas Stringfellow – This 17-year-old quirky, adorable coffeehouse crooner and foster child with the cool Bronski Beat haircut and awesomely marquee-ready name reminded me a bit of my favorite Season 13 contestant, Alex Preston. Trust me, that’s a massive compliment. I loved Thomas’s quiet intensity, his earnestness, that little yelp in his slightly British-sounding voice, everything about him, as he covered Ed Sheeran’s “Give Me Love.” As J.Lo put it, “There was a lot going on here that was saying to me ‘artist.’” Thomas seems a little fragile and shy, and it’s possible that – like Alex and Alex’s Season 13 singer-songwriter buddy, Sam Woolf – he could struggle to come out of his shell if he has to perform on live TV. But I am rooting for him. I can already tell that he’s a special talent.

Tywan “Tank” Jackson – I seriously thought this boisterous guy was a joke contestant. I also thought he meant to show up at the So You Think You Can Dance auditions instead. A dance teacher who used to weigh 400 pounds and slimmed down via his own patented “Tankercise” method, Tank entered the audition room boogie-ing to J.Lo’s own “Get Right.” It was fun, but nothing to take seriously. When he later sang the Luther Vandross version of “Superstar,” he was surprisingly decent, but he was out-of-breath, and he definitely was not good enough to get to Hollywood. (Tank is no Luther – and no Ruben Studdard, for that matter.) I was shocked that he got three yeses. Tank may be a superstar in his own way, but he isn’t Idol material.

John Wayne Schulz – “Big handsome cowboy” John was an early favorite in Season 10, but he was sent home during the Green Mile round in favor of fellow country singer Scotty McCreery – who, as we all know, went on to win the entire show and become one of the most successful Idols working today. Five years later, John decided to give Idol one last shot, partially as a tribute to his late mother, who cheered him on in Season 10 and passed away from cancer a few months later. I think this time, John could be the one that wins the show. His performance of “The Dance” by Garth Brooks was like something I’d see on CMT – he looked and sounded like a mainstream country star – and his heartache over his mother’s death lent his rendition grit and heart. Harry called this “a perfect, succinct performance,” and Keith appreciated that John wasn’t a Garth copycat act. This might be THE Idol comeback story of Season 15.

Jordan Simone – The judges could not believe that Jordan was only 15 years old – they practically demanded that she show her ID – and I shared their disbelief. Jordan’s performance of the Jackson 5’s “Who’s Loving You” was the work of a poised old soul. Like J5-era Michael Jackson himself, Jordan was talented beyond her years, and so far beyond most of the other youngsters on this show. (How in the world are Jordan Simone and Ethan Kuntz the same age???) This was an example of a teenager who is ready for prime time. “I think you showed us such a complete variety of skills,” marveled Harry. “You have a special quality… there’s something different there, something special,” mused Jennifer. “Is there anything higher than ‘yes’?” asked Keith. For now, three yeses would have to do.

Jake Dillon – This is a hard-luck guy who really could use a break. He got married at age 18, has two kids under the age of 2 (and he’s only 22 himself), and works 10-hour days as a plumber’s apprentice (a “pretty crappy job,” as Jake said). He’s the kind of contestant you want to root form in the hopes that he could become the next Chris Daughtry (another famous past Denver auditioner hyped on Thursday’s show). But I’m not sure if Jake has what it takes. His “Danny’s Song” cover was forgettable and middle-of-the road; it just slogged along, and his voice was hardly distinctive. “It was good… but good isn’t going to cut it… we’re looking for spectacular, and I didn’t see it there,” shrugged Harry. Said Keith: “I like you as a guy, but I’m so worried that musically you’re gonna get killed out there in Hollywood.” But after all that, Keith and J.Lo still put Jake through. I bet Jake’s time in Hollywood will be a mere week-long vacation from the harsh realities of working-class life before he’s rejected for good. But maybe he will prove dissenting judge Harry wrong.

Ashley Lilinoe – “Black Velvet” by Alannah Myles is one of my least favorite singing-show song selections ever. It should have been retired from Idol after Nikki McKibbin did it in Season 1. And while I found Hawaiian free spirit Ashley interesting as a person, this was a Season 1-level, amateurish audition. Her voice was pleasant enough, but there was no fire in her eyes or delivery; she was way too laid-back and hippie-dippie. J.Lo said Ashley “made some nice choices with the melody,” but wanted more. But Harry liked her originality, and Keith liked her guitar-playing, so Ashley somehow made it through. “I’ve always had the golden ticket of life; now it has just materialized and manifested into physical form,” Ashley drawled. OK, then.

Andrew Nazarbekian – This New York-born, Moscow-raised torch singer’s cover of the Bob Dylan/Adele ballad “To Make You Feel My Love” featured some odd and awkward phrasing, and his accent and Broadway affectations could trip him up going forward. But there was no denying that he’s a strong singer, as well as a unique and compelling presence. He certainly made the judges feel his love. “You sang beautifully,” said Harry. “You’re in your own lane,” said Keith. “You have a naturally beautiful voice… it’d be interesting to see what happens with you,” said Jennifer. I too am intrigued by this guy, and I too want to see more.

Elvie Shane - This likable hat-topped longhair and reformed bad boy sort of reminded me of Cole Vosbury from The Voice Season 5 (who I loved, so that’s a good thing). And he had a wonderful backstory: He quit drugs when he fell in love, and now he’s raising his wife’s son from a previous marriage as his own. Aw. But forget about all that sweet stuff. This guy just wailed on “House of the Rising Sun,” and he had the judges clapping and hooting along like they were at a honky-honk bar on a Saturday night. Elvie was the real deal. “You have this quality that is ‘music first, worry about the details later.’ I love examples when that really works. You have a real gift,” said Harry. “You have a spectacular voice… it just cuts through the whole entire room,” gushed Jennifer. “I love that you love to do this; it’s really contagious to watch,” raved Keith. And then Elvie got his golden ticket as – in another welcome, if revisionist, bit of Season 9 promo – the underrated Lee DeWyze’s “Silver Lining” played in the background.

So next week, the final Idol auditions – ever – will air. Wacky Fox teasers indicate that the week will be heavy on old-school-style joke contestants, so expect more Larry Platts than Tori Kellys. This troubles me, since I am not sure if there have been enough stellar singers so far this season. This week was, frankly, weak. But I still hold out hope that Season 15 can at least be better than Season 9. See you next Wednesday!

Parker out.

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