Ricky Braddy's Valentine

I have fully admitted I have a bit of a thing for Ricky Braddy. It is something about his voice that just works for me, and I hope there are great things to come from that young man. However, he performed at a recent fundraiser for Haiti, and did a live version of the song Love Me Like LA. I really love that jazz feel in his voice, the ease of his range, and the warmth of the tone.



Ricky performed another song, Blame It All On Me. It is another jazz tune with R&B overtones, and again, Ricky delivers with style. I am telling you, I would buy whatever music this young man puts out without even thinking twice.



You can check Ricky out on MySpace here and on Twitter here.

Prep for AI9 - Ricky Braddy

With American Idol kicking off season 9, I remember how much I dislike the audition rounds each year. For one thing, I can't say I always see what the judges see in some, and miss in others. One of my favorite contestants from season 8 [last season] didn't make it to the Top 13, and I am still wondering why that happened. Ricky Braddy, the quiet guy from North Carolina. He had that geeky boy thing going on I like. He made the cut to the Top 36, and sang A Song For You.



But with little backstory or screen time, he was passed over in the semifinal, and brought back for the wildcard. To answer some of Simon's criticisms about song choice, he came back with Stevie Wonder's Superstition. Paula was again in his corner, and Simon again was not.



I also found this track on YouTube, and it established my Braddy-love even more. Give me a low-key, jazz-tinged album, Mr. Braddy, and I will be yours for life. This is Love Me Like L.A.



From what I can tell, Ricky packed his bags and headed off to Nashville, still working on his music. You can check Ricky out on MySpace here. I know I still listen to those three songs on my iPod, which is more than I can say about the other contestants from that season.