voices worthy of a golden ticket, week 1

The 10th season of Idol finally commences once again and the lack of a Simon Cowell in the panel becomes really apparent. To make things worse, the two judges are falling short of the expectations. Steve Tyler is acting like a rock star which means hitting on every girl who auditions (minors included). J-Lo on the other hand, seems a little lost in all this. Well, I guess she's a newbie. But she's really nice to look at so.. :) Randy is just being the dawg he's always been. But I bet he's missing Simon and Paula. I mean who doesn't? Hehe! But my fascination with Idol is not based on who's behind the judging table, but the amazing talent waiting to be discovered.

In the New York and New Jersey auditions, there were some promising talents, especially the young ones, but they didn't really took hold of my ears. In the New Orleans auditions, however, four voices stood out.

SARAH SELLERS, 28. I was thrilled that she chose "Make You Feel My Love" and sang it with a very Adele-ish style. She has a nice, sultry, and well-controlled voice. I like her personality.

BRETT LOEWENSTERN, 16. He's one of the many casualties of high school social culture in America. What's surprising about him is that his speaking voice which was really high-pitched and unmodulated (I think his voice box failed to develop for some reason), sounds very differently from his singing voice.

JACEE BADEUX, 15. He's 15, but he looks and sounds like a 12-year old kid. But nonetheless, he has a very sweet-sounding voice. His unassuming demeanor and innocent aura make him really likable. I hope he can take all the pressure.

PARIS TASSIN, 23. She has an inspiring story to tell. When she got pregnant with her daughter, the doctors diagnosed her baby with hydrocaephalus and advised her to terminate the pregnancy. She refused. Her baby developed hearing loss as a complication, and now Paris sings for the future of her child. Who wouldn't root for someone with a story like that?