Over the past year, American Idol Season 9 contestant Casey James had made an impact on America's top reality singing competition, American Idol. After finishing as the third place finalist of Season 9, the Texas heartthrob, Casey James, has a lot to be proud of. In addition to his singing ability, James is also a skilled guitarist, where many, including judge Randy Jackson, believe that he is perhaps the greatest guitar player in American Idol history.
Casey James in the Audition Process
Initially, when Casey James auditioned for American Idol, his rendition of the John Mayer song "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room" did not impress all the judges. Randy Jackson and critical judge Simon Cowell found it to be an unremarkable and lackluster audition. In fact, had it not been for Kara DioGuardi, and guest judge Victoria Beckham backing him up, James would have not made it past the first of the audition process; however, in Hollywood week, Casey James took two major risks which paid off in the end. He sung the Ray Charles tune "I Don't Need No Doctor," and performed an acoustic cover of Colbie Caillat's "Bubbly" which helped him land a spot in the Top 24 of Season 9.
Casey James' Noteworthy Performances
When Casey James performed in the Top 12 Men Round, his acoustic and tender rendition of the Bryan Adams classic "Heaven," left a mark with the American Idol audience, as well as judge Kara DioGuardi, who was infatuated with James and his talent. He gave a stirring rendition on the unflinching Keith Urban song "You'll Think of Me," which is a substantial indication that if James doesn't make it in the pop and rock music scene, there is always room for him in country music, a genre that may hit home, especially since he is a Texas native.
In the Top 9, James gave a powerhouse performance of the emotional song "Jealous Guy" from the John Lennon songbook. When former American Idol runner-up winner Adam Lambert mentored the Idol contestants of Season 9 during Elvis Presley week, Casey gave a "forgettable, but good" vocal in "Lawdy Miss Clawdy." The pinnacle of Casey James' talent may be seen when Shania Twain was the guest mentor on Idol, and the contestants had to perform Twain's country music hits. James made a stellar selection in his song choice, and delivered a soothing and stunning rendition of the Shania Twain tune "Don't!" which left the audience and judges spellbound, including Shania Twain. After his well-received performace of "Don't!" Simon Cowell remarked to James, "I suggest you come down here and give this one [Shania] a kiss on the lips."
The Verdict
In summation, the future is looking bright for American Idol Season 9 third place finalist Casey James. James has all it takes to make it big in the music industry: good looks, talent, guitar playing, and his personality is nothing short of modest and humble. Most importantly, thanks his appearance on the show this season, he has established a faithful fan base, which includes many devoted female fans.
Markos Papadatos - Markos Papadatos holds over six years journalism experience, authoring over 700 articles, many of which are feature profile interviews.
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