Country crooner Dan Marshall was among those wowing the “American Idol” judges during Sunday’s episode.
Marshall, 24, belted out Garth Brooks’ “The Dance”, and his rendition of the track impressed fellow country singer Luke Bryan, who called him “one of the best sounding country artists that have been through” on the show.
Lionel Richie said of the Virginia Tech student and former college footballer, “Dan Marshall, you have that storytelling thing, man.
“There’s something you can’t teach and that’s called natural talent and your craft of who you are. I like what I just heard.”
Perry said, commenting on Marshall’s admission that he’d only played a handful of gigs: “Sorry, I’m already thinking about marketing you. You know, I was really nervous when you said you’ve only been doing this for five or six months.
“I do think you have some natural-born talent. I think you’ve had your family members say, ‘Oh, go do it,’ but to come here to see if the world likes it, that’s a huge risk. All you need is support and a little guidance. It’s not there but the foundation is secure.”
Bryan then said: “First and foremost, playing the guitar may be taking your focus away from singing.
“If you make it to the next round, let the big time pros play the instruments. Man, you’re one of the best sounding country artists that have been through, but you’re not doing all of the emotion properly.
“If I had 20 minutes out there to coach you, I could really show you some tricks, you’ll just have to focus on toeing the line the whole way if we’re talking in football and country music terms.”
Casting their votes, Richie kicked things off by saying: “Dan, I like what you did, it’s a yes from me and I’m excited to see where you go with this amazing sound that you have.”
Perry added, “I think you are worth rolling the dice, I think you just need a shot and some support. I’m a yes,” with Bryan also giving him a yes.
See Marshall’s reaction to making it through to Hollywood in the clip above.
