'American Idol' Season 18: Arthur Gunn steps it up with refreshing take on Creedence Clearwater Revival classic
The latest episode of 'American Idol' was telecast on Monday night, March 23, and we're still midway through the grueling Hollywood week. Having survived his Hollywood Duets round, the talented Arthur Gunn aka Dibesh Pokharel was now busy preparing for his solo performance.
The young throaty singer-songwriter has already come a long way, having first fallen in love with bluegrass and country music since moving to Wichita, Kansas from his native country Nepal. After securing his spot on 'American Idol' with a thrilling audition, where he performed Bob Dylan's 'Girl From the North Country' and Creedence Clearwater Revival's 'Have You Ever Seen The Rain,' Arthur was hoping to recreate some of that same magic in Hollywood by doing an indie rearrangement of 'Have You Ever Seen The Rain'. He wanted to shake things up a bit by showing the judges a fresh take on a song they had already seen him perform. It was certainly a risky selection, but it would pay off hugely if he could deliver on his promise of breathing new life into the song. But young Dibesh was, unfortunately, already running into a bit of a snag with his song choice.
The show's official backing band was struggling to keep up with his new arrangement and with limited time at his disposal, Arthur decided to stick to his guns and perform the song completely solo, without the safety net of a backing band behind him. To fill out the empty spaces in the arrangement, the band's keyboardist accompanied him discreetly and Arthur took the stage, knowing this was his make-it-or-break-it moment. He needn't have worried, however. If you're blessed with a bluesy, soulful voice like our 'King Arthur', you could sing a diner's menu and it would still sound amazing. His new take on 'Have You Ever Seen The Rain' was just as he'd promised - fresh, exciting and inspiring - it sounded like something a contemporary singer-songwriter would have written today, despite the song's vintage status. Arthur's voice never sounded better - it was raspy, powerful, and cut straight through to your soul.
The judges were floored by his solo spin on the CCR classic and gave him another standing ovation, something that Arthur will probably be receiving for the rest of his career. After an agonizing wait for all the contestants, it was announced that Arthur had made it through to the next round, joining a select group of 40 'Idol' aspirants who would be performing in front of a live audience in Aulani, Hawaii.
Social media was also really pleased with Arthur's performance. "Arthur Gunn, I could listen to you on a continuous loop. You truly are an amazing artist," said one excited fan. Another enthusiastic viewer gushed, "Arthur Gunn got me watching #AmericanIdol after almost a decade lol. This guy already should be a multi-platinum record selling artist. What are we doing, America?"
You heard the man, America!
You can catch more 'American Idol' episodes on Sunday and Monday nights at 8 pm ET on the ABC network.