Music / Nightlife

Sinking ratings.  Heavy competition for viewers.  Hissy diva judges.  Meh male contestants.  Cancelled tour dates.

It’s been a rough 12th season for American Idol, the dowager queen of TV singing contests.

But as the national tour of this year’s American Idol finalists premieres on Friday, at the ShoWare Center in Kent, don’t blame the 2013 winner for Idol’s stumbles.

Candice Glover, who hails from Beaufort, South Carolina in the heart of the picturesque South Sea Islands, is a real discovery, the kind of hidden gem Idol searches for.  Her agile, wide-ranging voice, her ability to blur the lines between jazz and pop and R & B, and her creative arrangements justifiably earned her the top spot.

Also worth a closer listen are the husky, heartfelt country crooner Kree Harrison, who placed second, and third-place finisher, pop-friendly vocalist-pianist Angie Miller.You can check them out at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the ShoWare Center, 624 W. James St., Kent.  $33.50-$66.  (www.showarecenter.com; 866-973-9613)