Andrews – The Blue Stage’s “elite 8” in round 7 of “Andrews Idol” was almost heaven and a little hell-bent, with everyone walking away crowned a winner in their own right.
With three sets each, the eight contestants blazed into the spotlight with nothing even close to stage fright, only rock-solid performances, proving the region has a wide-ranging talent pool from which to nurture, pluck and harvest.
In pre-performance interviews conducted in concert with resident videographer Kent Maxey, each contestant expressed their views on their experiences during the last two months. Consensus maintained that the atmosphere at The Blue Stage has been one of professionalism, even in the midst of seeming setbacks, and one of camaraderie, networking, lasting friendships and a discovery of new talent that each entrant will carry into the future as they continue to pursue their musical careers.
Andrew Cody stuck to his magic blend of two country standards and one rocker. Starting with Hank Williams Jr.’s “Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound,” Cody got the crowd ready to rumble with his perfectly pitched rendition of the outlaw country standard.
Keeping true to that feeling, Cody then belted out Merle Haggard’s ode to being raised right, knowing better but ultimately choosing wrong, “Mama Tried.” True to form, that signature hat was absent in the final set for his blistering, head-banging, fist-pumping take on Billy Idol’s “Rebel Yell,” which had the audience screaming for more, more, more.
Emily Franklin glittered from her silver guitar to her sparkly boots and brought her country girl glam front and center with all-female set-list. Warning those ladies against the dangers of finding a “Cowboy Casanova,” Franklin did American Idol season 4 winner Carrie Underwood’s tune more than justice amid much agreement from ladies in the audience.
Next, Franklin took on pop-country-crossover princess Taylor Swift’s “The Best Day,” but not before getting a little help from Nathan Melton to help fix a broken guitar strap proving the song’s title true. Franklin closed her night with a truly inspired version of Adele’s “When We Were Young,” showing the audience once again what got her to finalist status.
Filling in for Gage Hill due to a scheduling conflict, Randall Griggs along with Sam Stewart took the stage, grateful and humbled to be back for a finalist round.
The duo led off with that well-favored staple “Wagon Wheel,” which only served to remind the audience that repetition is not always redundancy. Their second selection was “Perfect,” Ed Sheeran’s profoundly touching also-ran unrequited love ballad.
Lastly, Griggs gave another astounding solo performance of his earlier round 4 show-stopping “Hallelujah” from Leonard Cohen.
Colton James’ easy demeanor lent well to his slowed-down low-key version of the John Denver staple “Country Roads,” which flowed as smoothly as Shenandoah. Sticking to Southern terrain, James next sang Old Dominion’s tale of searching for love, finding the one and hitting the road with “One Man Band.”
James then brought the twang and jangle-langle-lang for a sizzling version of The Georgia Satellites’ “Keep Your Hands To Yourself,” which had the crowd in a moment of pure Southern-fried ecstasy.
Trading in his tried and true Alabama setlist, Kevin McCall took us to the pitch-perfect “oom poppa oom poppa mow mow” and set our hearts on fire for The Oak Ridge Boys’ 1980s mantra “Elvira.” Next up was McCall’s exquisite baritone doing justice to Chris Stapleton’s cover of “Joy Of My Life” which had many a couple in the packed house hand-holding and moonily eyed swaying in rhythm.
Southern legend Lynyrd Skynyrd’s anthem “Sweet Home Alabama” gave McCall that final down-home moment to whip the crowd into a toe-tapping sing-along. A Southern man don’t need much around anyhow.
Soul-man sensation Nathan Melton began the night with a spine-shivering version of Jellyroll’s recent Grand Ole Opry smash “Son of a Sinner” much to the crowd’s delight. Next up, Melton brought home his abundant South Carolina roots with a take on Marcus King’s tear-jerking and guitar-heavy “Goodbye Carolina.”
Closing his night with his usual pick of an original tune proved his signature hat-trick with a heartfelt dedication to his single-father raising him to be a good and solid man, with the song “It Was Him.”
Allen Walker’s spirited rendition of two of the Hall & Oates of country, also known as Brooks & Dunn, brought tears to almost every eye as he sang to us about “My Next Broken Heart” and how “She Used To Be Mine.” Walker kept up the pressure to grab tissues with Keith Whitley’s tender and forlorn “Don’t Close Your Eyes.”
If the crowd got to almost heaven earlier in the night, Rebecca Woodard took us even closer with her version of The Chicks’ “Cowboy Take Me Away.”
Woodard gave her signature takes on contemporary Christian hits, including a season 5 American Idol contestant’s song. Using Mandisa’s “Overcomer,” Woodard worked to bring the audience to a pinnacle moment by encouraging us all to find our one path to victory. Being led by the Spirit, Woodard then proclaimed the gospel before her last song of the evening, launching into a particularly moving a cappella version of Matt Maher’s canticle “Lord, I Need You.”
The winners of round 7 advancing to the “final 4” are Emily Franklin, Colton James, Kevin McCall and Nathan Melton. The finalists will each perform four songs during four different sets at the finale this Saturday night, Sept. 2.
The winner of “Andrews Idol” season one receives a $1,000 prize along with a full-day recording session at Emanant Music in Atlanta. Each contestant placing from second to fourth will also receive monetary prizes.
Season two of “Andrews Idol” will be held in the fall. The deadline to enter is Oct. 3. Details: thebluestage.com/andrews-idol.