Judging talent is a skill I should have mastered after decades of writing about music. But on the set of American Idol on a sunny January day in Hawaii, I found myself at a loss. I had joined the production as part of an “industry” panel for the ABC show’s 24th season, a group that included Kelly Sutton , the first female host of the Grand Ole Opry, and Cheryl Porter , a noted vocal coach and Broadway star, along with six others with social media followings far larger than mine. In all honesty,