American Idol Milwaukee Auditions: Those Cheeseheads Can Sing!

"American Idol" continued its greater focus on talent in the Milwaukee audition rounds, and it really paid off in the land of cheeseheads. After a tour of nice, competent contestants in New Jersey and New Orleans, Milwaukee gave us a greater variety of vocal styles, genres and personalities than we'd yet seen. We got a real taste tonight of what we love about "American Idol," of being taken by surprise by a contestant's voice and presence, and imagining how they'll wow us over the coming weeks if they get the chance.

The judges' table was more subdued in Milwaukee, with a few less bon mots from resident crazy Steven Tyler and perhaps a little less flirting. Jennifer Lopez seems to be more comfortable ending the "American Idol" dream for tuneless and tone-deaf contestants, and Randy attempted to offer some real critiques, often after the decision was already pretty evident. I don't know what this dude's issue is. After all this time at the "AI" judges' table, he still seems unsure of himself. He's a successful producer, so he has knowledge of music and the industry. When he does finally articulate his opinions, he's usually right on the nose, and it's a bummer when he relents to the stronger personalities on the panel.

The main criticism for tonight was the overdose on young teen "American Idol" wannabes. I seem to recall that after last year's debacle with young, unprepared kids drowning in the pressures of the competition, most viewers called for upping the age limit, not lowering it. At this point in the "American Idol" journey, we get dazzled by "and they're only 15!" when a teen comes on with a mature voice and obvious talent. As the weeks progress, however, a lot of these young contestants will reveal their immaturity, inexperience and limited range. "AI" seems determined, however, to land us with a whole bunch of "High School Student, Aaron Kelly" moments again this year.

Let's get to the contestants:

Scotty McCreery: "American Idol" made a joke of the fact that many of the Milwaukee contestants weren't from anywhere near Milwaukee. Scott McCreery was first up in Milwaukee, imported from North Carolina. This old school country crooner had a fantastic deep, rich voice that reminded me a bit of Randy Travis. After a lovely rendition of a Josh Turner tune, "American Idol" judge Steven Tyler asked for more, trying to ascertain if McCreery would fit into a modern pop idol show. McCreery lightened things up with some Travis Tritt and the judges were unanimous in granting McCreery a golden ticket.

Joe Repka: With our first "hell, no!" vote of the night, "American Idol" wrung a little too much mockery out of this 19 year old aspiring DJ. Joe Repka apparently had been practicing his appealing announcer voice on his favorite station ID "Toledo K100" way more than he'd practiced actually being interesting on the air. A lot of people give "AI" host Ryan Seacrest a hard time, but when you see someone do radio talk/TV hosting badly, you realize what a master he is. Repka attempted to sing Billy Joel's "The Longest Time;" Randy and J-Lo agreed with Steven's order of "Don't sing into the mic, talk into it." In other words, "Don't quite your day job."

Emma Henry: We were supposed to find it endearing that 15-year-old "American Idol" auditioner Emma Henry drove her family from Colorado to Wisconsin on her new driver's permit; all I was thinking was how unsafe it was to put a new driver in charge of a cross-country trip on high-speed highways. Emma had a surprisingly gravelly voice, which may have been due to a cold. Despite the illness and some hefty nerves, she managed to display a sweet and distinctive tone in her vocals that held a lot of promise. Randy wisely thought the competition would "swallow" Emma up, but after her tears and Steven voting yes, Randy caved and Emma won a golden ticket to "American Idol" in Hollywood.

Naima Adedapo: A Milwaukee Summerfest employee, "American Idol" contestant hoped to move from janitorial staff to featured performer. A pretty and energetic contestant in bright colors, a brilliant red flower tucked into her dreadlocks, Naima was one of the standout Milwaukee hopefuls both visually and vocally. Naima busted out a Donny Hathaway number, "For All We Know," and her vocals were the clearest and strongest we heard all night, close to inspiring the chills an amazing performance by Whitney Houston used to inspire. The judges were in love, and Jennifer Lopez channeled Kara by praising Naima for being the "whole package" as an artist.

Jerome Bell: All three "American Idol" judges were enraptured by wedding singer Jerome Bell, who slid up and down every scale for his version of "Let's Get It On." I think Bell had a good voice, I'm just not a big fan of obliterating a song's melody for the sake of vocal acrobatics. Clearly the judges felt otherwise, as J-Lo labeled Bell "soft, sweet, cute" and declared he covered all the "-isms." This led Steven Tyler to claim he had "none of the -wasms." Two points to Steven.

Thia Megia: If you thought you were experiencing deja vu on "American Idol," let us help you out. Fifteen-year-old Thia Megia was also a contender in the 2009 "American's Got Talent" competition. Megia performed "Chasing Pavements," and as before, displayed a deep, bluesy tone that should only get stronger as she grows up. Steven Tyler enjoyed the "muster, smoke and heat" of her voice. J-Lo rolled out the "total package" label again, and it was three yes votes for Hollywood.

Nathaniel Jones: The focus on this Civil War reenacter was another of the "American Idol" segments that makes you feel more uncomfortable than anything. Jones showed up in uniform, with his dad who resembled a member of ZZ Top. Jones' human interest angle was about everyone asking if his dad was a "hippie" which offended Jones for its sexual connotations, and then it got way too personal. There was a small glimmer of hope that Jones might have talent at the sweetly sung beginning of his audition number "The Lion Sleeps Tonight," but then he slipped up into a very, very bad falsetto. Steven Tyler tried to be gracious and simply labeled it as "not for American Idol." When Jones asked what he could do to convince them, Randy laid the hammer down with "We got the measure of what you are." Ouch.

Molly DeWolf Swensen: "American Idol" contestant Molly DeWolf Swensen is the kind of girl you love to hate. Tall, blond and pretty, Swensen graduated Harvard and won a White House intern gig after applying on a whim. And yes, she can sing. Perhaps the universe keeps things in balance, because Swensen's introduction to the "AI" experience in Milwaukee was getting accidentally punched in the mouth by a high-fiving Randy Jackson. Swensen didn't need the pity vote, however, as all three judges loved her smoky-to-sweet rendition of "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay."

Tiwan Strong: His intensity about winning "American Idol" and his all-white outfit launched a few red flags for a bad audition about to happen, but Tiwan Strong snapped his fingers through a solid, old-school style "Twisting the Night Away." His voice was nice and smooth and he's got plenty of enthusiasm, and the judges voted yes.

Steve Beghun: A tall, nerdy CPA auditor who made corny puns about his name and said his job meant "I don't have many friends," Steve Beghun seemed a hopeless case when it comes to "American Idol" pop star potential. Then he mentioned singing at both weddings and funerals, and there was a small beacon of hope that someone paid to sing might actually have a little talent. Turns out Beghun has plenty of talent, singing "The Man Who Can't Be Moved" by The Script with a sweet, sweet voice in a high tenor voice. Steven Tyler called it "disturbingly great, weird and compelling," and Beghun got 3 yes votes for "American Idol" Hollywood.

Vernika Patterson: Tackling Minnie Riperton's classic "Loving You (Is easy 'cause You're Beautiful)" is tough enough for those with natural vocal talent, but it becomes impossible for someone with a limited range like contestant Vernika Patterson. Patterson became defiant at the "American Idol" judges' polite rejections, declared herself better than "half the people here," and blamed it on the fact that she wasn't as skinny as the other girls. When she finally stalked off, Randy deadpanned, "I think she took that really well."

Albert Rogers: "American Idol" hopeful Albert Rogers claimed he'd been compared to Ruben Studdard, Luther Vandross and occasionally Usher. Rogers tried "Stand By Me" with the passionate gestures and emoting of a star, with none of the vocal talent necessary. Once again, Steven Tyler was the softie, using some strange analogy about "vanilla fudge," but Randy was ready to be mean. Despite Steven's objections, he labeled Rogers' performance "terrible and a joke."

Scott Dangerfield: J-Lo and I have a new favorite. This preppy boy in glasses, a button-down shirt and shorts reminded me of a "Some Kind of Wonderful"-era Eric Stolz, which is a very good thing. When Steven Tyler asked if his ruby lips were natural or lipstick-enhanced, Dangerfield wiped at his lips and claimed he'd been "kissin' girls backstage," which was just the sort of answer Steven could appreciate. Dangerfield then tossed his shampoo-ad ready hair and launched into "Dreamin'" by Amos Lee. His voice was clear and sweet, casually creating cascading waves of notes that seemed to hang suspended in the air after he was done. Jennifer had one of her "WOW" moments, declaring him her favorite so far, and told him to "keep the hair and the glasses." The guys agreed and it's on to "American Idol" Hollywood.

Megan Frazier: Milwaukee had to display its cheesehead reputation at some point, and Megan Frazier supplied that. Dressed in an American flag print shirt, running crazily through the contestants and getting them to do a wave for the Green Bay Packers, Frazier was the epitome of the blond, brash, beer-drinking Wisconsin Packers fan. She performed Justin Bieber's "Baby" in opera style, straight out of an Ana Gasteyer/Will Ferrell "Saturday Night Live" sketch. No. Just no.

Alyson Jados: If all else fails, play the "I love you!" card. Die-hard fan of Steven Tyler, Alyson Jados tempted Steven into nearly making an inappropriate remark, and earned her a hug from the pervy rocker. Jados gave her best deep, forceful rock vocal performance to The Beatles "Come Together," and then had Steven back her up with the high notes on a "Dream On" snippet. Steven didn't think she was quite there yet, and Randy agreed. When it came down to the vote, however, Steven couldn't turn down a fan and added his yes to Jennifer's to grant Jados a trip to "American Idol" Hollywood.

Chris Medina: "American Idol" saved Chris Medina and his disabled fiance Juliana Ramos for the end of the show. I'm torn with how to feel about yet another focus on backstory instead of singing, and shades of Danny Gokey levels of exploitation. Ms. Ramos, a victim of a brain injury after a car accident shortly before their planned wedding, did seem aware of her surroundings and hopefully gave her consent. Most contestants bring their loved ones with them to "American Idol," but I don't like how these stories create situations where voters are thinking, "What's more worthy of a vote, brain injury or throat cancer?" Chris Medina performed "Breakeven" by The Script and was somewhat wobbly at the beginning, but gradually worked his way into a smoother tone and well placed high notes. The judges voted yes and we'll be seeing Chris Medina on "American Idol" in Hollywood.

Highlights: It's always entertaining when contestants pick "American Idol" host Ryan Seacrest up and twirl him around like a rag doll. The man is an endless good sport about being manhandled, abused, yelled at and cried on. When Jerome Bell's mother said her son "sings for the little people," Ryan hilariously chirped, "that's me!"

Bad "American Idol" singers in Milwaukee included a woman in what looked like lingerie and a long black robe, and a 54 year old guy dancing around with a giant toothbrush, but the highlight was a guy who asked Randy for a hug and a sip of his Coke. There was a huge, awkward pause and then Randy, eyes wide, said, "Um, no." Although this somehow turned into an ad for Coke Zero, it seemed too bizarre to be staged.

Luckily the good outweighed the bad for "American Idol" in Milwaukee. The Midwest wins so far for outstanding talent, and I'm hoping we see several of these folks again. My favorites tonight match the judges, with Scott Dangerfield on the boys' side and Naima Adedapo on the girls' side. Two hours is still too long of a night for auditions, but it was made more tolerable by the high quality of Milwaukee performers.

Watch "American Idol" on FOX, every Wednesday and Thursday night at 8/7c. Check local listings as times are always subject to change.