The judges found potential frontrunners in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo property of 19 Entertainment, FremantleMedia North America and FOX)
By: Jacob Elyachar
The American Idol crew traveled to Randy Jackson’s hometown of Baton Rouge, Louisiana to try to find the next batch of superstars.
Did the talent impress the Dawg and his fellow judges: Mariah Carey, Keith Urban and Nicki Minaj? Read on to find out….
Megan Miller, the current Miss Greater Baton Rouge, was the first contestant to perform in front of the judges. Before her audition, she was in a car accident and decided to postpone her surgery until after her audition. Megan showcased her strong Christina Aguilera-like vocals as she delivered an excellent cover of Etta James’ “Something’s Got A Hold on Me.” Randy stated she was a natural and very entertaining while Nicki added that she was an “undeniable superstar.” All four judges gave her Baton Rouge’s first “Yes” and she headed straight to surgery with a smile on her face.
One of the biggest surprises of the night came from Charlie Askew. This formerly social awkward teen used music as his escape from everyday life. He surprised the judges with his Chris Colfer-esque cover of Queen’s “Breakthru.” The “Super Bass” singer stated that she was pleasantly surprised and liked his spirit while Keith stated that he loved his tone and Mariah added that she could identify with him by music as an escape. He received the second Golden Ticket of the day.
Randy traveled to New Orleans to surprise Maddie Assel, who was nominated by her grandmother to perform in front of the judges. Her cover of the Beatles’ “Oh! Darling” would remind Reality T.V. show lovers of a hybrid between Haley Reinhart and The Voice’s Juliet Simms, because of the unique growl in her voice. She will be joining Megan and Charlie in Hollywood.
Unfortunately, the tide began to turn as the judges had to endure dozens of bad singers. Luckily for the judges, Paul Jolley was able to turn things around after delivering a powerful rendition of a Rascal Flatts song. Nicki stated that she liked Paul’s texture to his tone while Mariah liked him a lot. Another singer that impressed the judges was Dr. Calvin Peters, who delivered a stunning cover of a Maxwell song and received a Golden Ticket to Hollywood.
The final audition of the evening belonged to Burnell Jones. The New Orleans native came from a musical family but he did not find his voice until the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. He astonished the judges with his strong interpretation of “I’m Here” from The Color Purple that received a standing ovation from Randy, Keith and Mariah. Burnell made Mariah cry and Nicki stated that he was exactly what they were looking for. He earned the final Golden Ticket of Baton Rouge.
Next week, the show heads to San Antonio and Long Beach. California for the next rounds of the auditions.
