‘American Idol XIV’ video: Shannon Allen auditions to ‘Oh! Darling’
Ready for a new CarterMatt feature? Well, Fox has seemingly given the green light for many “American Idol” contestants this season to upload videos of their audition, and we wonder if the reason for this is to get a more viral following for the show. It is just the latest thing that they are doing differently this time, and it is a choice that we are happy to see. After all, why wouldn’t you want to make viewers more familiar with your artists before the show premieres on January 7?
We’re going to go through these based on last name, or at least to the best of our ability since some new ones could be added over time. Let’s start here with Shannon Allen, who is coming on here with what is undoubtedly a big voice.
Song choice – “Oh! Darling” by the Beatles. A great song. However, it’s a tough one since we have the Haley Reinhart version ingrained in our memory as one of the best covers of it we’ve heard. (Then again, how many cleared songs are there that someone else hasn’t killed over the years?)
The performance – There are good moments, and you can tell that Allen’s feeling what she is singing. You can tell that there are some nerves in here, and she goes too far to try to impress the judges with big, powerful notes. With this song, we feel like it is especially important to simplify a little, and focus on just allowing the melody to shine through. That gets a little lost at times.
Our verdict – We’d say two “yes” votes, and a ticket through to Hollywood. We’re not the harshest judge on audition singers, mostly because you are dealing with a small sample size. If there is talent (and Allen has talent), it seems worth it to give them a chance to take the advice from the audition and try to improve on it.
Thanks to Mjsbigblog for uncovering all of these videos. You will be able to read more of our takes on them throughout the next 9-10 days at the link here. Also, sign up now for some further TV updates on everything we cover at CarterMatt via our newsletter. (Photo: Fox.)