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Idol salvation in Salt Lake City
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Rose Flack gets noticed for her free spirit
When the Idol train pulled into Salt Lake City, Utah, Paula had a positive outlook concerning what sort of talent they would find. Thankfully, her feelings turned out to be more like premonitions, and the show found seemingly their largest well of talent yet.
I was impressed, albeit a bit concerned, from the time the first contestant took the screen. David Osmond, twenty nine of Utah, is, indeed, one of those Osmonds. Why would this man need American Idol? Being the son of Alan Osmond, wouldn’t he have connections in the music business? However, it cannot be denied that this member of the huge family has inherited their gift for singing. The judges, however, didn’t seem as automatically convinced as I did. They criticized David’s choice of a group song, saying that this meant he was more used to singing with a group than as a soloist. However, David is far from the only contestant to ever sing a group song, and no one else has been criticized for this. Besides, wasn’t he singing it as a soloist now, in front of them? After some extra hemming and hawing, the judges finally decided to accept David into the competition. I can’t understand why they gave him such a hard time, while they let others who don’t have nearly his level of talent in without question. Is it, perhaps, because he is an Osmond and therefore should be held to a higher standard?
Who knows how the mind of an American Idol judge really works?
Frankie Jordan of California was the next contestant to receive a Golden Ticket. A split second before this young mother opened her mouth, it crossed my mind that she looks quite like Amy Winehouse, which made the fact that she chose to sing one of Winehouse’s songs quite ironic. She did it very stylistically, sounding similar to the artist herself, and the judges lapped her up. She hasn’t quite proven herself to me yet, not showing that she has any true power in her voice, but she has potential.
Megan Corkery was another young mother that the judges sent through to Hollywood. Her song choice was “Can’t Help Loving That Man of Mine,” which she did in a much faster tempo than the song is usually heard. While I didn’t agree with the arrangement, since it did away with the opportunity to show off her ability to hold a note, it suited her very 20s style voice. Simon told her that she would be one of the more memorable auditions, perhaps because, as Kara said, she had a glow about her. I’ll be interested to see how well her voice fares on more contemporary pieces of music.
Austin Sisneros was another contestant who had some unexplainable likeability about him. He walked into the room, and I thought, “I like this kid,” without really being able to explain why. He’s seventeen and president of his senior class in a Utah high school. As his first selection, he sang Train’s “As I Look to the Sky.” Once more, it seemed obvious that this young man was filled with talent, but the judges didn’t see it right away, again based on his “poor” song choice. Ever the smart politician, he asked the judges if they wanted him to fail or succeed. This reverse psychological type of question led the judges to give Austin a second chance. This time he sang “It Takes a Village” by Raffi. Though they still thought his song choice to be odd (Simon told him that he needs to “become young,”) they finally let him through, saying that they, just like me, liked something about him. Let’s keep an eye on this young man. I can see him going pretty far.
A young woman from the islands, Taylor Vaifanua’s parents recognized their daughter’s talents and moved to Utah so that she and her siblings would have a better chance at stardom. Taylor is noticeable enough, as she stands at five feet, eleven inches without heels, but her voice makes her stand out even more. Her rendition of “Joyful Joyful” was simple and pure. Randy was moved by her “natural potential,” and another young hopeful made it through to Hollywood.
Finally, there was Rose Flack. This seventeen year old Idaho native was a true free spirit, wearing her hair in many messy braids and ponytails. She seemed perpetually happy and a bit zany, though not in an obnoxious way. Rose was recently orphaned, and though she was moved by the deaths of her parents, she did not want to let herself be permanently down because of these events. She brought her aura of happiness into the judges’ room with her as she presented them with her smoky version of “I Feel the Earth Move.” Though she didn’t have the best voice, she was another Idol hopeful who had something about her. She was also one that the judges, and the television audience, will not soon forget.
There were still some contestants who fell short of the mark – Tara Matthews, Goth extraordinaire, Chris Kirkham, who’s friend dressed up like a bunny rabbit and distracted the judges from fairly judging Chris, and Andrew Gibson, who was convinced his voice was full of soul, but it wasn’t. However, for the most part, Salt Lake City brought the level of talent that Idol’s judges have been looking for this season. It was a city full of happy, positive people, and perhaps it was this attitude that seemed to permeate almost every contestant, that got a larger amount of hopefuls through to the next round.
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