[Reality-TV-Fanatics] 'American Idol' Recap: Emotional Backstories are at the Forefront as the Auditions Continue

 

How did you like Monday Night? Did you agree with the judges?

  'American Idol' Recap: Emotional Backstories are at the Forefront as the Auditions Continue
Monday, March 19, 2018

Bill King
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV

It took a little bit for the new American Idol to find its footing, but the reboot finally delivered its first legitimate contenders after a mere sprinkling of talent throughout the first two episodes.

Season 16 got off to a slow start, which is somewhat expected since the initial focus is on the new judging panel as Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan establish a rapport and build chemistry. But the franchise that has struggled for years to churn out mainstream artists has finally unveiled some of this season's Top 10 hopefuls.

Sure, it doesn't mean anything long-term, and every season has quality singers who don't pan out like we expect. But Amelia Hammer Harris and the Sposato twins -- and, to a currently-less-dynamic extent, Shannon O'Hara and Maddie Zahm -- are the first reasons to get excited.

 

Toss in blow-your-vocal-cords-on-one-song scream-singers Effie Passero, Les Greene and Johnny White, and we've got a buttload of potential crammed into one episode. So will the trend continue? It's off to Los Angeles, Nashville, New Orleans and New York City to find out. 

 The Good

 Leading off our return to Harry Connick, Jr.'s hometown is goat farmer Trevor McBane, aka the man in black, who calls Johnny Cash "my dude." His 81-year-old grammy is his best friend, and he named his bovine Simon Cow. 

 His rendition of Zac Brown's "Colder Weather" elicits some goosebumps at the start, full of growl and believability, but he falls into the over-singing category. As Lionel says, it's not the right note, but it's the real note. And then everyone gets to meet Nan.

Genavieve Linkowski is the oldest of 10, which sounds like it's just about the worst thing in the world, until you find out that she had to put her dreams on hold at 12 when her mother went into heart failure. She took care of her siblings and Mom pulled through, and now it's back to the grind. 

 The fresh-faced 19-year-old plays piano and sings Jason Mraz's "I Won't Give Up," and like so many before her, the talent is there if she wasn't trying to belt out every note in her register on one song. 

 Still, the judges believe there is "magic in [her] voice," and Lionel compares her raw talent to Celine Dion. Can I tell Lionel Richie to slow his roll? It doesn't feel like I can. But Luke calls it that she's going far in this competition, if she's open to being molded. 

Dominique Posey is a legal secretary for the Jefferson County District Attorney's Office in Birmingham, Alabama, and his rendition of Donny Hathaway's "A Song for You" gives the judges all the feels. He's got chops, power and too many runs that go on too long, but it's all about the emotional connection. 

Self-described "chubby Asian kid" Daniel Ethridge is a 22-year-old country singer, and he's got some soulful grit and is likable enough, despite the weird facial expressions. Katy asks for an original song, and he delivers a heartfelt ditty about his little sister who got picked on for supporting him. 

 

The lyrics are very direct, with little need for interpretation, but it's sweet and wins over the judges. Lionel says it's not always about the big booming voice but rather the storytelling.  

Twenty-year-old Samothias -- or "Sam with the hair" due to his weird little dreads -- plays the piano and slays Chris Stapleton's "Tennessee Whiskey" with heart and soul. Katy feels like she's at a taping of his concert, and Luke tests him with a high note Sam can't really hit. 

 

They warn him about getting too cute with the riffing because he can cut out about 25% of it, but it's all good in the hood. Then Lionel compares him to Prince because this is apparently what Lionel does, along with name dropping all the songs he wrote and artists with whom he's worked, which he's wholly earned the right to do.

 Two for the Price of One

 Taryn Coccia and Payton Taylor are sisters from New Jersey who moved to Nashville, so their accents are quite literally part Jersey Shore and part Southern Belle. The 17-year-old Taryn is more pop and R&B, while the 20-year-old Payton is straight country. 

 

They both perform in the Nashville airport, but Payton is riding sidesaddle today. She's here to offer support, musically and emotionally, and she accompanies on guitar as Taryn rocks out on Jessie J's "Masterpiece." She brings the attitude and I guess it's good, but I don't love it. 

 

Katy whispers to Lionel, asking if the sister sings because she looks like a rock star. Payton offers up John Prine's "Angel from Montgomery," and she's head and shoulders above her little sis artistically. 

 It's a near-disaster after Katy votes for Payton and not Taryn, but the guys come to her rescue and save the day. And two golden tickets mean it's time for a little sibling rivalry.  

The Contenders

 After Katy's puppy-filled birthday party, Cody Martin successfully auditions by singing her "Happy Birthday." He has a real song prepared, but it is deemed unnecessary. 

Amalia Watty is originally from Anguilla, and her musician dad left when she was 3 to move to the US. She always hoped to forge a shared bond with him through the arts, and she followed his path at 17 to reunite families and chase dreams. She only met him once, though, and it didn't live up to the hype. 

 

Now she's hoping to put the pain behind her and take this opportunity to share her truth with the world. Her look is unique and her style infectious, and Lionel is elated that she's rocking the afro he sported from the '60s through the '80s. 

 She puts her own spin on Bob Dylan's "Make You Feel My Love," and it's aces all around, goosebumps from start to finish and one of the best and most memorable of the season. She has at least one more fan after this, and she's my early frontrunner. 

Tears for Years

 

Closing out the show is 28-year-old Marcio Donaldson and his adorable son/nephew, Rashad. Marcio grew up in Compton, and he and his sister ended up in the system after social services removed them from their mom's roach-filled apartment. 

 

Music gave him solace and hope for a way out, but cycles repeat, and his sister also had a child young. Drugs played a role in her deciding to give him up, and authorities showed up at Marcio's door with a 1-week-old boy and a question: take him, or he goes into the system. 

 

He wants to show Rashad what a man can do when he steps up to the plate, and his take on Labrinth's "Jealous" is an emotional affair for all parties. He has a smooth tone and a solid range with a top-notch falsetto. While it's not technically perfect, that's not what this is about. 

 

I have no idea where he goes from here because it's so difficult to separate the voice from the story. But he's earned the golden ticket and the chance to show what he can do. He ends by saying Rashad gave him a purpose, that he always sounded good, but now he has a reason to sing. 

The Yeses That Should be Nos

 Carrie Underwood has some hometown competition in the form of 20-year-old Kenedee Rittenhouse, and the duo sang together several years ago at Checotah High School when Kenedee was in fifth grade. This time, she's paying homage with Carrie's "I Told You So," and it's pretty terrible with a couple notes that prompt outright grimaces. 

 She looks like a star, though, and Lionel is concentrating on what he can do to develop her because the quality of her voice is "right there." Katy thinks Kenedee is as sweet as country pie, but the voice lacks personality. She can get there, but she has to carve out her niche. 

It's also a no from Luke, until they make her sing "Firework" and change their minds. It's better, for sure, but certainly no threat to Carrie. I'm looking forward to seeing her again. But she'll have to change my mind on being excited to hear her. Oh, and her name is Kenedee.

Brandon Elder is still working on his confidence because he only started singing a year ago, and the 22-year-old is performing his original song "Gone." It's a tribute to his adopted mother, who passed away two years ago after a long fight with breast cancer. 

 His birth mom traded him for a car when he was a baby, and that person was also not equipped to take care of a child. It led him to Ms. Elder, who worked two jobs to raise him as a single mother. 

It's a well-written tune, and the emotions are raw and real. But even though it's sweet and he's genuine, you can tell that he's a newcomer in the vocal department. The backstory gets him to Hollywood, and the judges vow to help his voice out moving forward. 

American Idol was born on June 11, 2002, which conveniently was the cut-off to be eligible for season 16. And 15-year-old Victoria McQueen is a legit Idol baby, meaning she's officially the youngest in the competition.

 

She tackles Stevie Wonder's "Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing," a capella, and even with the chops, it's way too big for her and a bit all over the place. The judges, though, are listening to something different, and they love her. She hasn't even grown into her body yet; she's just not ready. 

 

The No That Should Be a Yes

 Britney Holmes strolls out looking all Jordin Sparks mixed with Ugly Betty when she's being pretty, so America Ferrera but with Ugly Betty's style. The vocal coach makes the bold choice to sing Whitney Houston's "I Have Nothing," and it's goosebumps before the big notes get too big.

 Katy likes her style but felt no connection, and Luke tells her that she needs to figure out what makes people cling to her voice. Lionel doesn't believe she has a trigger and lacks fire; she's all teaching and not enough feeling. 

 

It's a no, which is bothersome after all the jabronis above made it to Hollywood. It wasn't perfect, but she was damn good. If she had a sick mom or didn't have a dad, she'd still be singing. And that makes me feel gross. 

The Rejected

 Over in Nashville, 20-year-old uber-hottie Audriana Bolton (pictured at the top of the recap) is a bit overconfident describing herself as an Ariana Grande/Mariah Carey/Christina Aguilera hybrid. She claims that she's won state championships and mastered the elusive whistle note, but she sounds like a frog-throated Kristen Wiig character when she attempts to tackle Aretha Franklin's "Natural Woman." 

 

Bolton kicks off a montage of terribleness that includes a gal named Bree who really likes cats, a guy named Schimmelfennig, and a girl with a peekapoo that can't stop pooing every time she tries to sing. Seriously. A triple plopper.

Four Down, One to Go

 Only one audition episode remains until we make the trek to Hollywood for some amazing performances and some painful eliminations. Amalia Watty was my takeaway from this one, and I'm genuinely looking forward to hearing her sing again. Oh, and the guy who sang "Happy Birthday." I can't be sure, but I think he's great. 

 I'll definitely remember Marcio with the kid and Sam with the hair, but other than the older sister, I'm not sure too many contenders came out of this one. Either way, I think we can all agree on the most memorable moment: the puppies. Happy birthday, Katy Perry, even though it was nearly six months ago!

Who were your favorites and who do you think is a possible American Idol? Do you struggle to separate talent from the backstory and do you agree that Britney Holmes got the shaft? Sure, the song was terribly big for her, but the talent is better than the three hacks who actually got to advance. Finally, is Amalia Watty the one to watch? Are you as excited about her as I am? (We'll find out soon enough, as the auditions come to a close and the real competition begins.) Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

 American Idol season 16 airs Sundays and Mondays at 8/7c on ABC. Want more news? Like our American Idol Facebook page.

(Image and videos courtesy of ABC)

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