Prudence and Madness

Audition passers in Miami (in order of appearance in the video posted here): Robbie Carrico, Ghaleb Emachah, Corliss Smith, Brittany Wescott, Suzanne Toon, Ramielle Malubay, Syesha Mercado, Natashia Blach, Ilsy Lorena Pinot.

Certainly, Miami auditions produced a lot of talents for the Hollywood part of the auditions.

Robbie Carrico is another rock singer-type of contestant. A competitor for David of Omaha Auditions? Maybe so. But I still kind of like David.

It’s quite a mystery how Ghaleb Emchah got in. Yes, he could sing, but Simon is right in saying that the thick Mexican accent is getting in the way.

It was fun watching best friends Corliss Smith and Brittany Wescott audition together. But, of the two, I liked Brittany Wescott better. Her voice seemed suited for contemporary songs more than that of Corliss’. Or maybe it’s just because of Corliss’ choice of song, as I’m not too familiar with it.

With looks and voice, Suzanne Toon would be a hot contestant if she gets into the Top 24.  Even if Simon favors her, I still think Ramielle Malubay, a Filipino-American, did a better audition and will perform better in the Top 24.  She’s got charm and confidence, even if she’s petite.  I hope she’ll work on her stage performance as I want to see her do good in the Top 24, if she gets in.  I think she’s even better than Jasmine Trias.

I’m not too crazy about Syesha Mercado.  Sure, she could hit the high notes of the song, but there’s a screeching quality to it that I find it almost annoying to hear.  When I Katharine McPhee sang that song, I didn’t hear that screeching and I think her version of the song was the best among those who got in AI.

Natashia Blach is quite interesting.  I’d say her voice sounded so warm you’d want somebody to cuddle with when you listen to her sing.  I’m just not sure though if I’ll still warm up to her when she’s performing or fall asleep.  We’ll just have to see that in the Hollywood auditions.

Ilsy Lorena Pinot has got my attention.  Beautiful and sultry, I think she’s the Melissa McGee of this AI Season, if she gets in the Top 24.  She’s got a better voice, too.  Great choice of song.  And what a smile!  I’m going to watch out for this girl.

And so, another week of AI auditions was over.  Looking forward to more of my AI dose next week.  There are rumors that the Top 24 had leaked to the Internet (and so the secret is no longer a secret).  If you don’t want spoilers, then, obviously, don’t search for it.  I’m not easily annoyed by spoilers, though.  So maybe I’ll go look for it :-).  Can’t wait to see which of my favorites got in the Top 24.

If I find it, do you want me to post it? 

I think I’ve got new AI favorites from the auditions held at Omaha, Nebraska.

Jason Rich is cute and he’s got a good voice.  A major turn-off, though, was that he forgot the lyrics of the song he sang, “When You Say Nothing At All”.  I hope that he overcomes that during the Hollywood auditions so that he’ll land in the Top 24.  If he’d be able to do that, he’s going to be a chick-magnet on the show.

Samantha Sidley isn’t exactly the spectacular performer-type of a singer but I like her voice and the Norah Jones’ song, “Don’t Know Why” suited her.  If perhaps she could give something new in the show so she wouldn’t be constantly compared to Norah Jones (like sing more lively, perhaps?), she can stay on the show for long.  But I don’t think she’ll be in the Top 3, though.

Elizabeth Erkert chose an appropriate song for the audition, which is “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” by Marvin Gaye.  I felt like joining Paula and Randy in dancing.  Hehehe.  I like it that you can feel the beat, even if she’s just singing a cappella.

Michael Sanfilippo isn’t exactly that good-looking, but, when you’ve got a voice like that, he’s almost a prince. 

In this batch of audition-passers, Angelica Puente, I think, the power singer.  I’m just a little puzzled with Simon’s comment that she shouldn’t have sung it that way, because it was like a Celine Dion imitation.  Maybe it’s because I can’t imagine how else somebody can sing the song, “Power of Love”.  Oh, but then maybe Simon meant that Angelica must let some of her own personality shine through her song.  She isn’t exactly distinguishable from the other power singers.  But, if perhaps she could be a little more confident, she’d do well in the show.

David Cook is one of my favorites in this audition.  I don’t think he’s another Chris Daughtry wannabe.  In my opinion, I think he has an advantage over Daughtry because it seems to me that his voice can able him to sing songs from different music genre, from rock to ballads.  It has been a problem of Daughtry during his time (he was able to sing, “What a Wonderful World”, though), as noted by Simon, who advised him to show other sides of his performance (but really, who would care now about that now when people love him for being a rockstar).  Hopefully, David Cook can surpass that and have a voice of his own.

Leo Marlowe has got a very good voice, too, which I think would really sound very well when you heard it playing from a CD.  I’ve got one question, though: is he gay?  I think he’s a little softie.  Hehe.

Anyway, we’ll be watching out for the next auditions tomorrow.  AI’s the main reason why I don’t go out on Wednesday and Thursday nights.  Hahaha.