Jamal Roberts Pulls Out All The Stops With “Tennessee Whiskey” Cover On “Idol”
Jamal Roberts delivered a soulful rendition of Chris Stapleton's "Tennessee Whiskey" during American Idol's Showstopper round. (Photo credit: American Idol/YouTube and Terry Wyatt/WireImage via Getty Images)
Jamal Roberts wowed the American Idol judges with his soulful cover of “Tennessee Whiskey” during Sunday night’s Showstopper round.
American Idol‘s Season 23 Showstoppers are underway and have brought some jaw-dropping and unexpected performances. One of those performances was a “Tennessee Whiskey” cover by Jamal Roberts.
Roberts, a teacher and father of two from Meridian, Mississippi, first wowed the judges during his audition with a cover of “Mary Jane” by Rick James. Judge Lionel Richie told the 27-year-old that he has a voice and knows how to tell a story. Luke Bryan agreed, saying that he loved the “real southern soulfulness” in Roberts’ voice.
That soulfulness came out in full force during his “Tennessee Whiskey” cover during Sunday’s episode (April 6). Prior to his performance, Roberts said his cover would be “different” since he’s not a country singer. “I’m stepping out of my comfort zone.”
“I hope they can see that I have the potential to be the next American Idol. So I’m pulling out all the stops here,” he said.
Jamal then took the stage to bring his own rendition of the Dean Dillon-penned hit. He earned a standing ovation from the audience and the judges, something that he hopes is an indicator of his fate in the competition.
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There are currently 62 American Idol hopefuls still in the competition.
During last week’s emotional two-night Hollywood round, the field of 144 Golden Ticket recipients was narrowed down to 62. Those 62 each had a chance to sing one more time in hopes of earning a spot in the Top 24.
What makes the Showstopper round stand out from previous audition rounds is that the contestants perform with a live band for the first time. The band element, combined with the pressure of competition, caused problems for several contestants, as seen Sunday night. Some were thrown off and forgot words, while others sailed through without any issues.
“Showstoppers is really the ability for them to set themselves apart from the pack,” Luke Bryan explained. Lionel Richie added that it showed the judges if the contestants can deal with pressure. “I’ve seen great, great singers crumble during Showstoppers.”
“Can you hold your own with a band? Are you ready for it? Are you going to shrink or are you gonna be a lead singer? We’re gonna find out,” Carrie Underwood said.
At the end of Sunday’s episode, four hopefuls were chosen to move directly into the Top 24, 18 were sent home, and 40 were told that there was yet another round of competition for them before the live rounds. The four who automatically advanced were platinum ticket winner Canaan James Hill, Gabby Simone, 15-year-old Mattie Pruitt, and Zaylie Windsor.
Lionel Richie informed the remaining 40 that they had to pick a partner, choose a duet, and be ready to perform it in less than 24 hours. The Head to Head round would lead to yet another brutal elimination as half of them would be sent packing.
It was during this announcement that the judges introduced this season’s artist in residence – Jelly Roll. The singer’s job is to help the contestants navigate the highs and lows of competition and to be there as a support.
Tune into American Idol Monday night, April 7, to find out if Jamal Roberts’ performance was enough to move him on to the Top 24.Â
