Let's face it: American Idol auditions aren't exactly a good judgment for great singers. In fact, having a person sing a capella in a room with good acoustics is entirely different from singing with a microphone on national TV with a back up band. Nonetheless, American Idol was able to capture a few good auditions in its first week.



Backtracking a little bit, last year's good performance was that of Sundance Head. However, Sundance wasn't able to keep up with the national stage due to a set of terrible songs coupled with a tendency to sing out of tune. Sanjaya Malakar was also good, but then there's Blake Lewis and Taylor Hicks who initially got only two out of three judges' votes but made it far. Sort of.

This year, we picked three best performances in American Idol's first week of auditions. First up is Angela, a single mother whose child suffers from a rare disease much like Cerebral Palsy. Of course, that little fact squeezed in kind of tugs our heartstrings, and makes her competition a little bit interesting. Some may find it annoying that the producers need to add in a little of that sentimentality, but we all guess that it's really how reality TV works. Anyway, Angela seems to be a great singer, who is fully supported by her friends and family. Aside from being a kindhearted person, she sings for a living, showcasing her strong and powerful voice. A down side to her audition came in the form of some level of cheesiness in her performance, after she ad-libbed "Simon" in her song. Advised by the judges to scrap that, she may as well be on her way to the top 24.

Next up is Kady Malloy, who isn't just a great performer, but also looks like a pop star herself. Oh, and that Britney Spears impression earned her a little bit more points.

Lastly, there's Pia Easley, who is the most exciting, atypical personality who has been on the audition so far. She sings well with her deep, bluesy voice, and boasts of a career as a model and musician. Stepping into American Idol may be a big leap for her, and may as well be her grand entrance into Hollywood .