American Idol 7 Episode 2 had some talent, from country singers Jessica Brown and Alaina Whitaker to singer impersonator with a great voice in her own right Katie Malloy. The biggest performance of the night, however, was arguably Renaldo Lapuz, a Simon worshipper who sang an original composition, We’re Brothers Forever. Oddly enough, I agree with Simon about this song, though. I could see this actually being a hit record. Of course, William Hung managed to sell 300,000 albums, so anything could happen.
Next stop on the audition tour is San Diego, CA, with a crowd of over 12,000.
Tetiana Ostopowych (that may or may not be spelled right) is up first. She sings Someone to Watch Over Me. Simon says she’s not as good as she thinks she is but lets her through. Pretty girl with a decent voice but forgettable.
Perrie Cataldo is there with his four-year-old son. Their wife/mother died about a year ago. He sings Boyz II Men’s I’ll Make Love to You. Simon’s very impressed.
Michael Johns, originally from Australia, is up next. I’m not sure what this song is he’s singing, but he’s got a great voice. Simon says he’s like a white soul singer.
Valerie Reyes is a big Mariah Carey fan, and she loves laughing at the rejects on American Idol. It’s pretty obvious before she even starts singing she’ll suck. Simon says it sounds like Mariah Carey’s CD having been left out in the sun for a year. Randy thinks she has potential if she stopped trying to copy Mariah.
Simon thinks three different people dressed Monique Gibson today. She sings Whitney Houston’s I Believe in Miracles. It only takes about one note before we realize how bad this will be. Simon doesn’t believe in miracles. She insists she can sing and will be back. Her friend Christopher Baker, also singing Whitney, isn’t any better. He can’t take the hint either. Both of them are still singing out in the hall, yet still have no talent regardless.
Samantha Musso, the last contestant of the first day, thinks Simon is really hot. Ryan Seacrest isn’t happy. Simon invites Samantha’s sister to be a judge, too. She wanted to meet him, along with Oprah and Obama. What it comes down to, though, is singing, and this chick has a great voice. After the audition, Simon gets a hug from both of them.
Blake Boshnack has auditioned in at least 10 cities. He was the statue of liberty from season 5 in Chicago. They give him a chance to actually sing this time. He sings Stand by Me. Not necessarily a bad voice, but it’s obvious he’s a goner before he even walks in. Hopefully next year they don’t show this guy again, as he’s gotten enough attention already.
Alberto Hurtado, with a flower in his hair, a big fan, and a sparkling eagle on his shirt, has made his own song called Live. This isn’t even… interesting. Simon suggests it’s probably the most depressing song he’s ever heard and calls him the equivalent of a storm cloud on a sunny day.
16-year-old David Archuleta had problems a few years back with a paralyzed vocal chord. He didn’t want to have surgery because he was scared it would impact his singing. He sings Waiting on the World to Change by John Mayer. Not sure how far he’ll go, but he’s got a good voice. I remember this kid (well, mostly I remember the name, but there was some quality talent in those finals) from when he won Star Search in 2003. After the jump is a clip of him at age 12 singing And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going to the American Idol 1 contestants. Kelly Clarkson’s sure impressed.
Carly Smithson was disqualified previously because her Visa fell through. She sings Whitney Houston’s I’m Every Woman. Simon tells her it wasn’t as good as two years ago, but she’s still easily through to Hollywood.
Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of American Idol 7 episode 4, which airs Wednesday at 8/7c on Fox.