Kolbi Jordan Says ‘Amen’ with “Amazing Grace” on American Idol Easter Special
On Easter Sunday, American Idol Season 23 revealed the Top 20 in a three hour show that ended with Platinum Ticket recipient, Kolbi Jordan closing the night with a classic religious song, “Amazing Grace,” that fit perfectly with the show’s first ever “Songs of Faith” night. (Read our Recap)
However, the theme was fairly open as about half the contestants took on religious songs and the other singers connected the songs back to something in their lives.
The Tulsa native in her small pre-performance package, stated that she has been “inspired by the fierce woman” who raised her. Kolbi opened the song with a breathtaking vocal. The band played a church driven arrangement with what sounded like an organ. Whereas some of her other performances felt like she was oversinging, here it felt like she was deeply connected to the performance. Even with all the bells and whistles, everything felt like it fit. She sang with a choir backing her and hit a few intentionally dissonant notes, resulting in a chill-inducing, excellent vocal. She closed it all with a big-voiced “amen.”
Carrie Underwood called it “amazing,”, pointing out the “camaraderie” of the entire cast while each other performed. Luke Bryan called it “breathtaking.” Lionel Richie remarked, “Who knew that for this Easter celebration, that we were going to create the church of American Idol.” Kolbi was overwhelmed with joy, About host Ryan Seacrest calling her to the stage last, Kolbi reacted that her heart raced while she waited to hear her name called.
The night offered big moments and surprising eliminations
Some other singers had big moments on Sunday as well. Breanna Nix continued to be a strong vocalist with her rendition of “Up To The Mountain.” Jamal Roberts’ passionate “Forever” and Thunderstorm Artis’ artistic “Reckless Love” proved why the two are still considered front runners. Gabby Samone showed some sheer power in the latter half of her “I Am Changing” performance. And although “You Are So Beautiful” was somewhat of an odd song choice, Josh King had his best performance to date. It was overall a solid night.
MKY leaving on Sunday night was a bit of a shock especially since both non-American contestants (the UK’s CHÉ Chesterman and Olivier Bergeron from Canada) made it through without homegrown fan bases who are eligible to vote. Grayson Torrence, Kyana Fanene, and Penny Samaras also left the competition.
