‘American Idol XIV’ video: Kory Wheeler auditions to ‘I Can’t Make You Love Me’
Can you believe that we are only two days away from the premiere of “American Idol XIV“? It is crazy in a way that it is so close, but yet, here we are! That means that only have time for a few more contestant previews, but today, we feel like we could have a solid contender here in Kory Wheeler.
While we have a little less to go on here vocally, there are some signs that Kory is going to be much-loved by American already. He has a down-to-earth job working at a coffee shop, he is that prototypical singer / guitar-playing guy that viewers seem to love, and he also has a pretty good tone … at least enough to give Jennifer Lopez “goosies.” (Quick note: Can we retire the term “goosies” forever? We have a terrible, visceral reaction to the term.)
With all of this being said, let’s get to the preview.
Song choice – “I Can’t Make You Love Me” by Bonnie Raitt. Hardly the most innovative song choice in the world, but it’s a lovely song. We should note here that contestants are probably given a list of a certain number of songs they can choose from, and this is one that just happens to be performed a lot.
The performance – Kory’s voice reminds us of a combination of Marcus Mumford and Chris Martin’s, since he has that low, gritty voice with some of Martin’s emotional fervor and longing. He can interpret a song very well, since he doesn’t seem intent on giving us a straight-up cover. This preview doesn’t show off the difficult parts of the song, but he hits all of the notes well from what we can tell.
Our verdict – Without a doubt, Kory is advancing. J.Lo’s reaction is all you need to know. He’s going to have a good chance of making it as far as the Green Mile, but from there, it will be all about what he does in Hollywood Week.
What do you think about Kory’s audition? Let us know in the comments, and head over here to see some of our other spotlight articles right now! Also, sign up to get some other TV news worth singing about via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: Fox.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z09bu5utoL8