American Idol hopeful Mariah Faith brought a modern country classic to oceanfront property on Sunday night (April 16) with her rendition of Chris Stapleton's "You Should Probably Leave." This week's episodes were shot in Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa in Hawaii.
As her family watched on, Faith spiced up one of Stapleton's finest co-writes with her own country-blues delivery. The vocal powerhouse flaunted her range while mixing in enough subtle changes to drive the song's story home. Through it all, judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan moved to the music as apparent signs of approval.
Even Faith's bohemian country fashion sense paid homage to Stapleton via a black cowboy hat with a feather in it.
It's the third noteworthy country cover so far by Faith. An audition crack at Vince Gill's "Whenever You Come Around" was dedicated to her late stepfather. At the judges' request, she quickly sealed her ticket to Hollywood with an on-the-spot take on Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me."
"I had chills the whole time," Bryan said. "You are on just the edge of greatness. You've just got it all. It doesn't matter if you hit a wrong note, it's still right."
To clinch her current spot the Top 26, Faith made a bigger fan out of Bryan and his colleagues with a cover of Waylon Jennings' 1979 song "Ain't Living Long Like This."
"You made it to this point because you are real," Bryan said. "You are the soul singer that loves the country and sings, and that's a conundrum. That's what makes singers stand out to us with all of these flavors and flairs. But they just are what they are. You sing the country stuff in a soulful way."
