Episode Report Card Joe R: B- | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Act Your Age, Not Your...On Second Thought, Don't Act Your Age
By Joe R | Season 6 | Episode 1 | Aired on 01.15.2007
Inside, Rachel is amazed to find that the judges are "so cute." ["I loved that. She's a sweetheart." -- Sars] They make her run down her vitals once again: 21, Army reservist, husband in Eye-rack. She's got a photo of Daniel in a wallet-sized sleeve that she wears around her neck, like a backstage pass made of love and sadness. She's very rambly, which leads to slightly uncomfortable moments like Randy cutting her off in the middle of talking about how excited Daniel is for her to ask what she's going to sing. She sings "His Eye Is On The Sparrow," which is a gospel song, I gather, and one that's been covered by, among others, Mahalia Jackson, Lauryn Hill, Barbara Mandrell, and Jessica Simpson. That's going to be one awkward table at the AllMusicGuide Christmas party. Rachel's voice is very pretty, and while not really power-house, it's more powerful than you'd expect coming from her. I'm not sure about her. I thought she was the best voice we heard tonight, up there with Denise, but I'm not sure we're going to see anyone from Minneapolis make it to the semi-finals. There's a cute moment when she stops singing and Randy's like, "Uh, you just stopped," and Rachel says that's the point at which "they" (the pre-screeners, I'd assume) usually tell her to stop. Heh. Good little soldier. The consensus from the judges is that she started off well but got inconsistent at the end there. Jewel, as she's been all night, is not only kinder than Paula, but more musically astute than Randy (or at least able to communicate that astuteness using a variety of word combinations that sound precise rather than vague and catchphrasey), explaining that Rachel's voice has a "pretty quality" but she "started floating between keys" at the end. She doesn't come close to out-Simoning Simon, but she doesn't need to right now, because Simon sees the deep reservoirs of likeability in Rachel and wants to see her in Hollywood. So say they all. Rachel is so excited that she breaks ranks and gives each judge a warm handshake. Like Colin Farrell in Tigerland, this one. She enthuses to Simon that she "just loves" him, loves his personality. "You have to go through boot camp to like Simon's personality," chirps Jewel, completely unprompted, words unmangled. Score one for Jewel! Hell, score a couple for Jewel. She's on fire tonight.
Outside, Rachel celebrates with her gaggle of supporters, who are either studly-looking dudes or ladies in deep need of advanced hair care. Off in her own private interview, Rachel enthusiastically smooches her husband's photo and tells "him" she made it. She smiles to us before switching gears and deadpanning how the photo never seems to talk back to her. Seeing as a good portion of tonight's auditioneers wouldn't be able to say the same about the inanimate objects they keep around them, I'd say Rachel is well ahead of the curve. More smooches and more cuteness, and I'm really hoping Hollywood treats her right.