'American Idol': The San Francisco Treat Auditions with Adam Lambert-esque James Durbin

It's a city known for its incredible rock music and the genre of psychedelia from Jefferson Airplane and the sultry Latin rock/blues sound from the group Santana, but it was also the last city for "American Idol" to hold auditions in. At first I wasn't sure if this would be another waste of my time, because other cities known for their music scene have been less than stellar with its talent.

That was not the case with San Francisco whatsoever. There were a lot of interesting singers, though three stood out for me. One in particular brought back pleasant memories of my favorite season of all time on Idol, Season 8 with Adam Lambert. Alcatraz, the notorious prison, Golden Gate Bridge and Chinatown are San Francisco's famous landmarks while "American Idol" tried to be memorable amongst them. Not a chance.

Julie Zorrilla - She had a lot of chutzpah to sing the Broadway classic "Summertime" in front of Randy Jackson. Season 3 winner Fantasia literally brought the house down with her extraordinary rendition. Julie did a very soulful and unique twist that was all her own. It didn't sound copycat or too theatrical. It was pleasant to listen to. Randy Jackson was very impressed. Julie got the best present of all on her 20th birthday, she is going to Hollywood.

Emily Anne Reed - I agreed 100% when Jennifer Lopez said it was the most interesting voice in all the cities they've auditioned. When I first heard it I actually thought it was one of those jokester auditions, but then her unique voice grew on me. Another thing Jennifer said that is so true. The recording industry is looking for unique voices and she is one of them. In a way she reminds me of a 21^st century female version of Leon Redbone. He was popular in the 1970s by singing old Americana songs and made them contemporary. In all seasons on "American Idol" I have never heard anyone quite like Emily Anne Reed. She sure could play the guitar like no other female I've ever seen.

James Durbin - It was like déjà vu as if Adam Lambert came back to "American Idol" to audition in San Francisco. Coincidentally Adam Lambert did audition in San Francisco in 2008. There are a lot of differences between the two. James Durbin is not theatrical, but his voice definitely comes from his soul. Once again, I never thought there would be another singer to even match Lambert's vocals. I think that has all changed. Durbin's song choices were great. How polite of him to ask Steven Tyler if he could sing one of his songs. This was a great way to close the show and to end the auditions for Season 10. Thursday night is the start of Hollywood week. That is always a rollercoaster ride to watch. Now let's see if some of our favorites make it to the semifinals.

SOURCES:

American Idol - Official Site for Videos, Photos and Community, American Idol.com

Amy Reiter, "'American Idol' recap: San Francisco treats?", Show Tracker - Los Angeles Times