The NGH Report - American Idol 18’s Auditions Pt. 3 - “Shoe-wee!”

[thenghreport]

The NGH Report - American Idol 18’s Auditions Pt. 3 - “Shoe-wee!”

 

The third audition episode begins with a bang, but it did feel like some of the talent tidal waves we have seen have begun to recede. Yes, there were some strong singers in this episode, but it didn’t have that viral “can you believe that?” moment that the others have had for me. Also, as someone who has auditioned for this show, and had to sit thru the cattle call round for hours to be seen, and then advanced to the Producers and the Judges rounds… watching a girl just camp out in front of the taping and circumvent three separate auditions to be seen by the judges was INFURIATING. Every single person in this competition had to wait in that crazy cesspool of insanity to finally get to this stage… and you just show up on the 1-yard line ready to score a touchdown? Get away from me with that.

 

Here we go!

 

Kimmy Gabriella

• 17 years old
• FL
• “Let’s Hurt Tonight”
• Kimmy is a pretty standard Idol trope these days. She’s a 17-year-old wunderkind who has a great instrument, but has absolutely zero artistic identity. She can be molded, but it feels a bit old school for what Idol has become.
• Katy asks her if she is fluent and can sing in Spanish. Kimmy does. Katy is impressed. But… why? Why do these judges get so impressed at Spanish-speaking singers having the ability to sing in a language they can speak? It’s not magic. It’s just another language. What a weird obsession.
• The judges predict Top 10, which sounds pretty good to Kimmy, but typically the judges predict Top 3, so this is actually an insult to poor Kimmy.

 

8/10

 

Amelia

• 23 years old
• AZ
• “Yesterday”
• Quick clips by three contestants!
• This is a great rendition of “Yesterday” and Amelia has an awesome smokey tone. I wanted to hear much more about this contestant.

 

8.5/10

 

Erin Kirby

• 16 years old
• GA
• “Who You Are”
• Erin has a very strong upper register, but doesn’t seem to be a confident guitar player. We hear maybe five seconds of her performance.

 

8/10

 

Jordan Jones

• 26 years old
• AZ
• “Lovesong”
• I’m going to be honest… I don’t love this rendition of Lovesong. It’s far too minor and his tone is washing away all of the complexity in the number.
• He proposes to his girlfriend after he gets sent through and she says yes.

 

7.5/10

 

Lauren Mascitti

• 27 years old
• TN
• “If I Can Lose You”
• Can we talk about the very old elephant in the room? Lauren’s fiance is Shawn Camp, a famous songwriter, who is 53-years-old! He could literally be her father. 26 year age difference! I don’t know… feels like a yikes to me.
• Her tone is very pleasant and her songwriting ability is confident and assured.
• She is mature enough that she knows her identity and could do very well.

 

8.5/10

 

Courtney Timmons

• 22 years old
• GA
• “Rise Up”
• Unfair! Please refer to my earlier comments.
• Courtney is fine. She has a voice, but she seems far too laid back to be competitive enough to actually win this thing. It’s all just a bit too bland.

 

7.5/10

 

Lauren Spencer-Smith

• 16 years old
• Canada
• “What About Us”
• Lauren delivered one of my favorite vocals of the episode.
• The tone, the size of her voice, and her ability to phrase the song in a way that is pleasing and unique feels effortless.
• She seems well beyond her age in her ability.

 

8.5/10

 

DeWayne Crocker Jr.

• 23 years old
• FL
• “Don’t Worry Be Happy”
• This was a fun laid back version of this song, but it doesn’t really match the intention of the lyrics. So, creative, yes, but not really coherent.
• The voice though is pleasing and big. If he can open his personality up a bit more, he could stand out in a good way. We haven’t had many strong R&B male singers as of yet. There’s a spot for him.

 

8/10

 

Dillon James

• 26 years old
• CA
• “Make You Feel My Love”
• Dillon receives one of the longest backstory packages of the episode. He suffered from drugs and alcohol and struggled back from a very dark place. I mean, if someone has a full body Jesus tattoo inked on their body… either they are part of a Mexican cartel or they have seen some things.
• He’s got a haunting quality to his voice. Luke mentions a comparison to Chris Isaak which feels dead on to me. His voice is unique and discernible. I’m not really sure if I am into it or not, but my interest is certainly piqued.

 

8/10

 

Geena Fontanella

• 27 years old
• CA
• “Don’t Want You Back”
• Geena comes dressed like Billie Eilish, I guess?
• The verse feels contemporary and is lyrically fine, but then we drop into the chorus and hook and it is the most repetitive thing I have ever heard in my life. Then the judges start singing with her and I want to jump into one of the circles of hell.
• I’ve already forgotten about her, which is odd because she was literally peacocking throughout that entire audition.

 

7.5/10

 

Shannon Gibbons

• 20 years old
• NY
• “I’d Rather Go Blind”
• This is always a big song for people to undertake, but Shannon does better than respectable with it.
• It’s a very soulful rendition that is well beyond her age. You really have to have gone through some darker times to connect with this type of material and it’s clear it is an honest audition.

 

8.5/10

 

Genevieve Linkowski

• 20 years old
• MI
• “How Am I Supposed To Live Without You”
• As per usual, we end the night with a sadder story. Genevieve returns to audition for Idol after two years, but since then she has lost her older sister in a car accident. She’s had a very rough few years and is back for her sister.
• Vocally, I don't really remember this contestant, but when I went back to look it doesn’t seem like she has grown much since then. Perhaps the improvement is that she has a bit more purpose beneath her.

 

8/10

 

See you next time!

 

NGH