Harry Connick Jr. made his debut as a regular judge on American Idol Wednesday night alongside returning judges Jennifer Lopez and Keith Urban.

Harry Connick Jr.'s 'American Idol' Debut

After last year’s tense quartet of judges, of which Urban is the only one to return to American Idol, the new group had to prove they were worth lapsed fans returning to the singing competition show. Without a doubt, reintroducing Lopez, returning Urban, bringing Connick on board and saying goodbye to Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj and Randy Jackson was a good choice by producers. Instead of constant tension, there’s some camaraderie.

Connick’s dry humor was a welcome addition to American Idol, especially when a couple of the contestants had trouble remembering who he was. One of the contestants that claimed to be a huge fan of the jazz singer got some special attention. “If you blow us away with your first song, I’d like to pick you up like a baby and hold you,” Connick told Munfarid Zaidi.

Connick Cradles Contestant

Sure enough he wowed the judges with a rearranged version of Adele’s “Crazy for You.” After Lopez encouraged Connick, saying, “I see a cradle coming on, “ the Hope Floats actor stayed true to his word and picked Zaidi up. That second song ended up being “No One” by Alicia Keys.

One of Connick’s other favorites of the night was 17-year-old Florida native Sam Woolf. The shy guitar-playing teen took on Ed Sheeran’s “Lego House” and stunned the judges with his sped up version of the folky rock song. "My daughters are going to go absolutely crazy for that kid," Connick told his fellow judges after the performance.

Singer-songwriter and guitarist Savion Wright could be the one to beat, according to Connick. Singing an original song titled “Hiding in Fear,” he won high praise from all the judges, but especially from Connick, who told him the one thing he had to work on was being nice to his fellow contestants. Why? “The other competitors are going to be very intimidated by you,” said Connick.

American Idol audition rounds will continue Thursday night on Fox at 8/7c.

– Chelsea Regan

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