She Could Be One To Beat

Folks is back in style folks. I'm calling it now. Season 14 of American Idol has proved this thanks to some pretty incredible voices that auditioned on Wednesday night. And one of the best unique voices out of the bunch is most definitely Joey Cook. The young 23-year-old walked into the judges room talking about her squeezebox with her blue hair, cute little hat and her very obvious folky look. And the judges looked a little worried about the girl's talent, as in whether she had any or not. Thankfully, she really really did. The server from Norfolk, Virginia, opened up her squeezebox, aka her accordion, and performed "King of Spain" by Tallest Man On Earth and completely killed in a beautifully off-kilter performance.

Honestly I don't think any of the judges, even the resident weirdo (in my opinion) Harry Connick Jr., really knew what to expect when Cook walked in the door. But they were all very clearly pleasantly surprised, actually more than pleasantly as Keith Urban stated proudly that she was "the best voice he'd heard so far." That's quite the powerful phrase to bring out so early in the audition process but it's not like he has nothing to stand on. Cook is very clearly one of the most interesting voices we've ever heard on this series.

So has Joey Cook made it to the Top 24? We don't know 100% just yet but according to the music video that opened the Season 14 premiere and the rumors, Cook has most certainly made the list. And if it were up to me, she'd also definitely make it all the way to the Top 10 at the least. In fact, if she can take Harry Connick Jr.'s advice and make sure her persona does not to teeter over the edge into novelty, I don't know. Cook has the potential to go all the way. How cool would it be to see a wonderfully weird folk singer win American Idol? I'm ready for it to happen already.

Images: Fox (screenshot)