Another Year Of Country Idol, Another Tough Year For This Judge
Last night was absolutely amazing at Vapor for the finals of the Country Idol Karaoke Contest. The place was packed as an estimated 1,000 people filled the nightclub cheering on their favorite singers.
Much like last year, the competition was fierce and made my job as a judge very hard. If it was up to me I would have liked to give all the great talent the $5,000 prize. The mix of talent was off the charts. Some weren't the greatest vocally but knew how to entertain and work the stage. Others were extremely impressive with their vocal abilities. With the score depending on Vocals, Stage Presence and Appearance, I was looking for the total package!
Before the competition, fellow judges Jay Yager, Richie Phillips and I joked on who would be the mean judge much like Simon Cowell of American Idol. I didn't think any of us including our 4th judge Rita Cox were mean at all, but apparently I ended up getting the "mean" tag because I was booed three or four times giving my opinion on some of the performances. Rough Crowd!
All in All, I think all of us judges made the right final decision. Congratulations to Sabrina Gogan! She totally blew us away with her versions of Gretchen Wilson's " All Jacked Up" and Lauren Alaina's "Like My Mother Does" which she sang to her Mom in the crowd. You should be very proud Mom! Sabrina is $5,000 richer and deservedly so!
I gotta say I was totally spent after judging this contest, but it was a fun night and I can't wait for next year. Once again, it was an absolute pleasure listening to all this great talent we have here in the Capital Region.