'American Idol': Hurricane Katrina survivor Burnell Taylor says 'I'm Here'

Burnell Taylor - Baton Rouge Audition... by IdolxMuzic

The best "American Idol" audition of the bunch in Louisiana came from 19-year-old Burnell Taylor, a survivor of Hurricane Katrina who now lives in Baton Rouge and who got his musical background from his grandfather.

He chose to sing "I'm Here" from "The Color Purple," which is an interesting song choice -- Broadway sound is generally not what they're looking for. But he wasn't too show tune-y and the judges were big fans.

"I loved it. I can't even -- I felt every single word you sang. Just spectacular," says Mariah. And Nicki chimes in, "That is what we came for. I feel like we've been flying all around this country for that ... that wasn't even an audition, that was just entertainment for us."

Keith adds, "Somewhere there's a spotlight right now waiting for you to walk into it."

What did you think of Burnell, "Idol" fans?