I missed last year but Netflix makes the 2019 series available to us here in the UK I shall take a look and see how it progresses, reporting here on the good, the bad and the ugly. OK, not the ugly.
Three new judges came on the scene last season in the shape of Katy Perry, Lionel Ritchie and Luke Bryan. Luke may not be a familiar name in the UK but he's hit #1 on the American Billboard charts a couple of times and has written a pile of hits for several artists, although I don't believe he's made the charts here. The guy seems to know what he's talking about, though, and there are usually a pile of Country boys and girls on this show. Some even win! So a good number will certainly make the Live Shows!
Katy is pleasantly mad and unscripted. The camera likes her and she acts up for it too. She's pretty honest and you'll see that she doesn't hold back on what she likes. I'm not so sure about what she doesn't like but maybe we'll find out one day. Luke is pretty quiet and kinda goes with the flow, not exactly setting the show alight with his commentary so far. Lionel is pretty much as you'd expect the big star to be. Full of self-confidence and, with little to lose, he messes around and has some fun while seeming to like everyone but, so far, is the only judge who ever seems to say 'No.'
If you like God and all American style then you'll certainly enjoy this first show which is very clean and nice and, well, pretty much something you could have missed without affecting the rest of the series. I don't see any of the acts making much by way of the Big Time. One might make it through to the Live Shows but that's about it, I'm afraid.
Ryan Seacrest is there, as ever, doing a first class job but, for now, mostly behind the scenes. It simply wouldn't be Idol without him.
We start with Walker Burroughs. Why on Earth they chose him for the first audition we see I do not know. Maybe it was the red hair, spotty complexion and glasses - doing something to tick some minority boxes and all that jazz. He's OK. He does a more confident version of Lionel's Hello on request but really the judges are way OTT. Jeez, we're 12 minutes in already and he's taken up 8 of them.
Johanna Jones comes in and it's all about crisps and burgers. She has a nice character and could be amusing TV. A gentle song, nice enough audition but pretty forgettable if it hadn't been for the crisps.
We get a few 'No's and then meet Kai The Singer. I am not usually fond of the background reels where we hear all about grandma or someone but this one did get to me. This girl is still living in a pretty poor way and the church paid for her guitar and trip here. She gets a lot of admiration and tears flow for sure. Her song is My Girl but she switches it to Music and that sort of works. She's good TV and we'll see some more of her but I'm not convinced she'll make it that far.
Lionel and Katy lay on the God stuff a bit heavy with her but I guess that's the way this show's going to go with them in charge.
Tyler Mitchell comes on and looks about 7 foot six but is actually just 6 foot 4 and it's everyone else who is small. He is the classic good-looking All American boy and gives us a nice, gentle country number. It's not spectacular but people will like him.
Volkillz is some joke act doing nasty death voice stuff. He's one of those worrying people who give you a little black bag without any explanation. As it happened it had some pendant for Katy but it was a cringe-worthy moment I wouldn't have included in the show. Weird guy. weird singing. Not AI stuff at all.
Margie Saunders burps and is a bit mad. She's a fun person - a sort of cartoon character in many ways. Hers was a cool audition of some country style song. Her performance was a bit flawed in places but she was interesting and may make it a bit further. Entertaining, at least. But not in the league of someone like Kelly Pickler, for example, and you need to have that level of talent and personality to make a mark. or, at least, I hope so or it's going to be a dull few months.
I like the way the bad acts have been cut right down to a few shots. They used to get far too much airtime and still do on X Factor.
After a few more 'No's we meet Myra Tran who came over from Vietnam just a year ago. No-one mentions the war. She is easily the best so far, no accent at all in her rendition of a Jennifer Hudson number and which she did, in my view, just as well. An excellent singer but I am not so sure about how this young, innocent-seeming girl is going to do when it comes to getting real emotion across. There have been several youngsters I can recall from past shows who have been brilliant singers but have simply had zero experience of anything approaching relationships, love and feelings that relationships and attraction and physical contact bring. She'll be back, though, for sure.
Uché has a really long name, which includes Walter. He's a cool-looking guy. God loves him, he says, which tends to put us off, however true that may or may not be. In fact, we get told that God loves everybody anyway so that seemed a pointless thing to say but it gets the judges on his side and they reckon God loves him too. Let's get on with the talent show, OK?
He's a good performer but that's all. He'd look good on an album cover but as no-one has album covers any more that's all he had going for him and I can't him going far after Hollywood.
If i hadn't already mentioned it, yes, all the above except the death voice bloke get through to Hollywood. As do the next few.
Lacy Kaye Booth is a country singer, blonde, dark-eyed and with an interesting voice. It sounded like she was nervous but it may actually be her sound. Her parents were just 17 and 15 when she was born but no-one seems to have been arrested. Her dad appears to have gone and then returned to take her on the road when she was old enough. Odd relationship there which may not be something to think about too much. She's good and, as I said, interesting but will have to work harder to get far.
Nick Rogers is a pretty young lad - the first of the 'boyband' type and he is pleasantly modern in that he comes out with a modern song and raps too. He could do well but still is no more than average and isn't going to set the charts alight without a lot of help.
Tiffanne Lemay is a good singer and could go far with the right songs. She's still only a bit better than average, though, but gets a Lionel signature on the album cover which she brings in! Nice.
Nick Townsend is the last up in this first show and it's a pile of tears again as we get told how he lost two of his brothers at an early age. Very sad. Then we find out that Luke also had the same experience which makes you wonder just how many more we're going to here about and who, seemingly, God wasn't doing as much for as he should.Not that anybody mentioned that this time. He's an odd fellow. Nick, not God, although god probably has to be when you think about all the stuff he does. Nick sings in a strange way that I don't see having much appeal in the wider market but he's good enough to get through for now.
That was not the most exciting show I've seen, I have to say. None of the acts really showed much more than average talent, although the judges seemed to be blown away several times. No idea why. Might have been something in their contracts which requited them to be super-enthusiastic.
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