Week 1 gave us a look at the new team behind the show and truth be told, it's better than ever. The auditions are flawlessly edited and time flies when watching the formerly ever-lasting round. Tonight, Idol heads to Motor City. Will our visit to Detroit prove fructiferous? ... This ... is American Idol!

Recap and videos after the jump ...

Detroit

Keri Lynn Roche - 24 - "I think that coming from Detroit, you are born naturally with a certain amount of grit" she says. She loves JLo, she's kinda shocked. Keri is a waitress. She just decided she's gonna sing "Radioactive". Very nice cover, I can already feel that grit she was talking about. I loved the inhaling part. She's asked to sing without the guitar so she picks "I'd Rather Go Blind", which is cool as well but she goes a little overboard with the runs. She gets 3 yeses.


Julian Miller - 18 - He says he's influenced by Motown. Soulful, smooth sound, super pleasant. Keith thinks he's an artist that's going somewhere, that's on the move.

Samantha Furtwengler (18), Olivia Diamond (22) and Paris Primeau (16) - Samantha always wanted to try for Idol. She believes this is her year. She sounds a little nasal but her country sound has commercial written all over it. Olivia is a big voiced belter. Pink haired Paris has a nice theatrical sound, not exactly what I expected. Unfortunately, not all of them get yeses. Samantha is going home. Olivia and Paris get yeses.


Malaya Watson - 15 - She's a junior in high school and plays the tuba in the marching band. Raw, soulful sound. The girl has natural talent and a charming personality, and with the right mentoring, she could get far. 3 yeses.


Bryan Watt - 29 - This is his first time doing Idol but it's also his last shot. A sweet cover of a Carrie Underwood song which is also kinda boring. His voice could use some grit, that tone is way too clear. Harry thinks he looks like a superhero. He gets 3 yeses.


Khristian D’avis - 22 - The girl has a weird accent. She speaks Italian, her father is Sicilian. A decent cover but nothing out of the ordinary. Keith found it inconsistent. JLo felt her style came from a lack of being able to hold out notes. She competed on beauty pageants and really misses being on stage. JLo says yes, Keith gives her a no and Harry ultimately says yes.


Jena Asciutto - 17 - She thinks it's being amazing growing up in Detroit. She played in a band, which she quit 8 months ago. Huge set of pipes, really impressive. Harry notices she does something with her tongue then wonders what her heritage is. Her dad is Italian, her mom French Canadian. 3 yeses.


Melanie Porras - 19 - Her dad thought her how to play guitar. He raised her by himself. She always watched him play when she was young. Bluesy sultry take on "Fever", very nicely done. JLo felt like she took some safe choices there and asks for something else. She sings "Wanted Dead or Alive" acapella, finally impressing JLo. 3 yeses.


Jade Lathan - 20 - This opportunity means a lot to her. She's ready for something new. She sings an incredibly cool Amy Winehouse cover. She's got a lot of musicality, snapping her fingers, taking risky melodic chances. JLo loved the way the "whistely thing" in the back of her voice sounded. 3 yeses.


Sarah Scherb - 19 - Her voice has a certain swag to it, it's quite interesting. I like this one. So do the judges. Her dad works for Delta Airlines. Harry wonders if she's ever met Deltalina. Her dad has. JLo has no idea who that is and Harry takes the opportunity to tease her. Fun stuff. 3 yeses.


Sydney Arterbridge - 15 - Her pick is "Loving You" which is basically that uber high whistle note. She hits it, impressively. Harry makes her wife do that cause it's cute when she does it wrong. 3 yeses.


Maurice Townsend - 26 - He's a student and a minister of music at his church. He has 4 children. The kids are adorable. He says being a father of 4 feels like being a father of 12. His audition is rather good, another smooth soulful tone. So relaxing. His family comes in and one of his kids hands him the golden ticket. 3 yeses.


David Oliver Willis - 22 - He was cut in Vegas last year. Since last season he opened a coffee shop with his wife. He's singing a very good cover of "Too Close", really passionate. Harry thinks his guitar playing drives his vocals and wonders how he'll be able to perform without his guitar. 3 yeses either way.


Brandy Neelly - 18 - She auditioned before. Harry wonders who JLo can remember that. She sings a lovely cover of Hunter Hayes "Wanted". I like the fact she's able to hit the bigger notes but doesn't perform at the top of her range all the time. Keith loved it. JLo noticed a nasal quality, something Harry wouldn't fix. She gets 3 yeses.


Ethan Harris - 20 - Ketih calls him the "lost Osmond" brother. Ethan is a big Ketih fan. He draw a picture of Keith and asks him to sign it. It's pretty good. So is his singing. His tone specially, which is unusually high pitched. Harry thinks it's cool that he sounds exactly the same way when he speaks and when he sings. 3 yeses for him.


Symphony Howlett (24), Zach Day (19) and Leah Guerrero (21) - Leah has been singing forever. She's chasing something. Her "Stay" cover is great. Zach has a guitar, yet doesn't use it while auditioning. Symphony thinks this is a great opportunity for her. Her voice is stronger than expected. Harry found the way her voice broke annoying. All get 3 yeses though.


Ayla Stackhouse - 17 - She's originally from Detroit but is living in Hollywood right now. Her aunt lives there and asked her if she wanted to move with her to start her music career. Not crazy about the way she sang "Wings" but she's got potential. 3 yeses.


Eric Gordon - 27 - He's from Kansas. Music has always been his passion. His John Mayer cover is rather soulful but a little vanilla. Great phrasing and tone though. Harry thought it was cool seeing influences from all different genres. 3 yeses.


Ryan Nisbett - 24 - Unique looking dude. He used to weight 320 pounds. "I liked food too much" he says. He says that a lot of people has labeled him as a hipster. "I Fit all the qualifications for a label like that" he says. His voice doesn't fit his style, at all. Big theatrical sound, kinda operatic but overall, boring. JLo calls him one of a kind. 3 yeses. He doesn't shake hands with the judges due to a cold.


Marrialle Sellars - 17 - Yep. It's her, again. Not only did she opened the season but she's also closing the episode. She's auditioning for Idol because she's got something to prove to herself and to make her dad proud. Her dad thought her everything he knew and made a studio for her and her sister. He was his biggest musical inspiration. In 2008, her dad passed away. Before he passed away, he left a letter to Marrialle and her three sisters that read, "I've taught you all that you need to know, God gave you this gift, go use it". They are pimping this one hard. She's great but I've seen better.