What is it with American Idol?

Despite what people might say, Idol, the grandfather of TV singing competitions, is still the best of the genre. Sure, The Voice is fun and delivers more consistent and (often) superior talent. But despite all of that, the different rounds and teams often cause me to loose track of the talent long before the finale. And, despite all the press, The Voice has yet to have a huge superstar. I'm not even gonna mention the X Factor!

Say what you what about Idol but despite some really bumpy patches along the road (I’m looking at you Mariah!) and a few too many reboots, Idol has produced more than its fair share of genuine music stars. Plus, this year’s panel – Jennifer Lopez, Harry Connick Jr and Keith Urban – are the best judges I’ve seen in a long time. They’re warm, funny, helpful and actually have genuine musical chops to back it up.

But will the winning judges produce a new Carrie Underwood this season or will we get a Lee DeWyze (whose flame flickered out not long after his season)? Only time will tell.

When we get to the live shows I’ll recap and rate each performance, but for now here’s a run-down of every singer who got through on the first night of auditions in Nashville.

Riley Bria
There’s a star buried inside Riley, an uber-likable and magazine-ready country crooner who’s already played guitar alongside Keith. And the comparisons to the Idol judge continue from the long hair, guitar chops and even singing a little known Urban track. Now, Riley’s voice sounded a tad too immature and generic for my taste, but with some experience and coaching he could be a frontrunner.

Priscilla Barker
This 19 year old is cute as her small town accent and as creepy as her mom’s obsession with Keith. The youngest of 10 had a nice little warble in her voice during her take on Tanya Tucker’s “Delta Dawn,” even if it sometimes felt a little too sloppy and nasally. Priscilla had a real nice audition, but because she felt rather green and bland, I’m guessing she’s gonna get swallowed up in the next round.

Cameron Bedell
Cameron showed off his bluesy, gritty voice with a song by bluesy, gritty master Ray LaMontagne. And it was a good, albeit safe, song choice. But here’s the deal, Cameron sounded good and showed an easy confidence, but he seemed more like a terrific coffeehouse singer than a music superstar.

Amber Kelechi Walker
I’m not a fan of reality TV sob stories, as those who read my So You Think You Can Dance recaps (or, as I liked to call it, Shut Up And Dance). So I was worried that Amber’s wrong side of the tracks backstory would overshadow her audition, but Amber’s unique and fierce audition shined through nonetheless. She’s a pint-sized, 15 year old dynamo with the grit and ambition of a soul singer quadruple her age. Yes, there were more than a few sour notes and I hope Amber can learn how to reign in her huge instrument, but it was the most original and surprising audition of the night. Plus, she showed a great attitude towards Harry’s comments, even if her pronunciation of “asked” was a bit Miranda Sings-y.

Kory Wheeler
So a hipster walks into an audition and sings Bonnie Raitt…OK, all jokes aside, I didn’t like Kory as much as the judges. He strained way too hard to reach easy notes (and did that whole “I’m gonna lift my chin up to reach high notes” trick most singers do during puberty and then kick once they learn it’s actually quite vocally harmful). Maybe the energy in the room carried him through, but on camera I wasn’t a real fan. Oh, and by the way, when did Idol start doing the whole Breaking Bad GoPro cam on everyday objects look?

Michael Simeon
Michael’s soulful rendition of “Stay With Me” was smokier than a late night campfire on his family’s farm and smoother than the resulting roasting marshmallow. This country s’more had the notes and style to deliver the best audition so far.
Emily Brook
Carrie Underwood’s “Blown Away” is a big song for anyone, let alone a inexperienced 15 year old but Emily handled it with grace. She needs to learn to get better control over her yodel, but she has some killer pipes and, like Amber a gritty side to her voice that’s far beyond her years.