‘American Idol XIII’ video: Jordan Grizzard has awesome name, awesome voice

The first thing that we have to say here about Jordan Grizzard is really pretty simple: This is a guy with an awesome name. This is the sort of thing that we would use if we were a WWE superstar, and we wanted to intimidate the living daylights out of anyone and everyone who came into the ring. At least he has something resembling a beard; if he didn’t, we would question the last name altogether.

This guy also has a great voice to go along with the name. We heard about Grizzard courtesy of the “American Idol” audition below from the upcoming 13th season (premiering January 15), and there are a couple of things that we like about the Dallas worship leader:

1. An effort to be artistic – “Ain’t No Sunshine” is one of the more overdone songs in the history of the show, and he seemed to understand the right places for notes to go. (That’s one of the good phrases that Steven Tyler used as a judge.) He did more than just sing to us; he performed it.

2. Experience – It’s clear that he’s been in front of an audience for a while and although that has its disadvantages, it does ensure that you are going to be less intimidated if you make to the live shows.

3. Personality – There’s nothing more frustrating than someone who just tries to act like the token talent show contestant in front of the cameras. We don’t get that here.

If there is one thing that we’d advise Jordan on moving into the next round, it is to work a little bit on the emotional side of the performance. We find that with a lot of church singers that they often smile often during performances, mostly because when you’re singing worship songs, many of them are uplifting and it comes somewhat naturally. But that doesn’t quite match the sort of somber tone of this song.

Do you like Jordan’s audition, and what would you tell him as he inevitably gets the “yes” votes he needs to go to Hollywood Week? Share below.