Alabama’s Laurel Taylor is one step closer to a win on Season 21 of “America’s Got Talent,” along with her duet partner, Luke Michael.
Taylor, born and raised in Montgomery, is one half of the Nashville country duo Butter & Grit — and she has a strong advocate in Mel B, one of four judges for the NBC reality series.
The former Spice Girl chose Butter & Grit for special attention this season, bringing them to her home in England for a phase of the competition known as the judges’ callbacks.
Each judge — Mel B, Simon Cowell, Howie Mandel and Sofia Vergara — selected five or six acts for this round, to give them another shot at making the live shows.
All the acts had successful auditions on AGT earlier in the season, but the judges weren’t 100 percent sure these hopefuls were ready to advance in the competition and perform for viewer votes.
The callbacks were, in essence, a high-profile way for the judges to give these acts some one-on-one guidance, and then make a second evaluation of their talents.
Extra attention, extra screen time and personal attention from Mel B? Butter & Grit were determined to make the most of the opportunity, and on Tuesday’s episode, their efforts paid off.
The duo decided to perform “God Knew,” an emotional ballad that’s very different from their catchy, high-energy audition song, “Sweet South.”
“Our first audition, we brought the fun,” Michael said. “Now we want you to see our heart. It is a risk, but we want to prove that we’re equally as entertaining when we are telling a story.”
“The song that we’re doing today is about our friendship,” Taylor said. “It shows a very raw side of us. … It’s special singing with him. And sometimes I believe that a soulmate doesn’t have to be your actual, like, partner. I feel like he’s my soulmate.”
Mel B (formerly known as Scary Spice) recruited a friend from the entertainment business, Emma Bunton (aka Baby Spice), as a second pair of eyes for her callbacks round.
The two seemed touched and enthralled by Butter & Grit’s rendition of “God Knew.” (“I felt really emotional,” Bunton said.)
And when it came time to decide the fate of Butter & Grit on “America’s Got Talent,” Mel B was firmly in their corner — even if she did try to fake them out a little and amp up the suspense.
“I just want to say to you both, what you did today was incredible, but the competition is huge,” Mel B said. “We’ve got so many amazing singers. … I’m taking you through.”
Taylor and Michael responded with jubilant hugs and relieved tears, celebrating their inclusion among the acts that will perform in the live shows. (Early episodes of Season 21 were filmed in advance.)
Typically, 44 acts compete in what’s known as the quarterfinals, performing for viewer votes and a spot in the semifinals. The quarterfinals start on Aug. 18, and will continue for about four weeks. In previous years, 11 acts have performed each Tuesday, followed by eliminations on Wednesday.
Alabama now has two acts with state ties in the Season 21 quarterfinals of “America’s Got Talent”: Butter & Grit and Pynk Beard.
Pynk Beard, a singer and songwriter also known as Sebastian Kole, was confirmed for the live shows after wowing the judges on a previous episode. Simon Cowell, an enthusiastic advocate for Pynk Beard, said the singer was a “no brainer” for the live shows, and the other judges agreed — no callback round required.
Alabama’s never had a winner on “America’s Got Talent,” but Season 21 could change all that, if Pynk Beard or Butter & Grit goes the distance.
Also, fans in Alabama who want to see Pynk Beard and Butter & Grit perform live have a chance to do so on Thursday, Aug. 6. The performers are set to appear at a free pop-up show at Bar Sebastian, 1525 First Ave. South in Birmingham. Music starts at 7:30 p.m.
