American Idol previews yet another small town country teen. Hannah Everhart is from Canton, Mississippi, and right off the bat the singer declares that she has “no filter.”
She rides horses, eats gas station barbecue, wears a cowboy hat. You know, all those stereo typical country things.
She feels a little like a fish out of water in Los Angeles. “It’s not home,” she says. Her flight to California was her very first.
And through it all, this simple country girl is constantly told she looks just like…judge Katy Perry. “Maybe it’s the eyeballs,” says Hannah.
When she’s finally in front of Katy, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie, Katy wants to know if Angie is the “country version of me” and if they were separated at birth. (That would be difficult, considering Katy is literally twice Angie’s age!)
Angie sings “Wayfaring Stranger” by Johnny Cash, and it’s a little stiff. Luke stops her, and advises that she quit checking out the judges reactions. She starts over. Katy demands more energy. She’s got some pitch problems and lacks connection, which could be a function of her age. She’s a 17 year old high school student. She needs to experience the world a bit first.
When she confesses to the judges that she planned to sing “At Last” by Etta James, but then decided to play it safe, Katy demands Hannah sing it. It’s a better performance, but Katy is coaching her heavy duty. She finally hits a strong note, and delivers some emotion.
We’ll have to wait until Sunday, Feb 21 at 8 pm on ABC to learn if she nabs a ticket to Hollywood or not. It could go either way, I think. The producers may have advanced her to the judges round JUST to do the whole “country Katy Perry” shtick.
