Two metro Atlantans made the “American Idol” top 20 on Sunday but only one landed in the top 14 the next day.
“Idol” set it up so the top 10 vote-getters automatically made it through. The other 10 had to sing for their lives and the judges chose four of them to move on.
Lovett School senior Slater Nalley received enough votes and automatically made it into the top 14. On Monday, he sang Jason Isbell’s “This Ain’t It.”
Since the show debuted last month, Nalley has received consistent praise from the judges from his initial audition when he sang a song he dedicated to his English teacher’s late son through the Hollywood round, a trip to Hawaii and the live shows. He has a mature growl for his age and his stage confidence shines through, abetted by a lot of time performing on stages in recent years.
“He has proven to be a talented southern rock/country/Americana artist,” said M.J. Santilli, who has tracked “American Idol” for two decades on her MJs Big Blog page, in a text to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Monday night after the show. “He’s versatile. And I keep forgetting he’s a teenager due to his self-assurance. He could be Top 5.”
Alpharetta’s Baylee Littrell, the 22-year-old son of Backstreet Boys singer Brian Littrell, did not receive enough votes. To sing for his life, he chose John Legend’s “All of Me” but the judges ultimately chose not to advance him.
Judge Carrie Underwood, whose career was launched years ago when she won “Idol” in 2005, said that this was his best performance to date and felt it was the first time he felt like a frontman.
“I was nervous,” Littrell told host Ryan Seacrest. But “that’s when you enjoy it the most.”
Santilli expected the judges to pick Littrell and was pleasantly surprised they did not.
She felt that Littrell might have been helped by singing one of his dad’s songs and mentioning that his mom almost died on 9/11. But it did not.
“Of the six who were eliminated, none of them were robbed of a spot they deserved,” she wrote. “And thinking about it more, a fan backlash against ‘nepo babies’ may have kept the panel from choosing Baylee, although he’s been great for buzz. He’s been decent on and off this season, but not spectacular.”
In a poll before Monday’s show, MJ’s readers ranked Littrell as fifth most likely to go home. Those same readers gave Nalley the least likely chance of going home.
‘American Idol’ Top 14
Kolbi Jordan
Thunderstorm Artis
Filo
John Foster
Mattie Pruitt
Canaan James Hill
Brianna Nix
Jamal Roberts
Slater Nalley
Gabby Samone
Josh King – WILD CARD
CHÉ Chesterman – WILD CARD
Desmond Roberts – WILD CARD
Amanda Barise – WILD CARD
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