Best Karaoke

If Ed McMahon had the gumption to host a Houston Star Search, Spotlight Karaoke would be his headquarters. Bringing in crowds of all colors, all ages and all -- umm, both -- genders, the Spotlight is where countertenor accountants go when they're not crunching numbers and where shower-stall divas go when they're trying to combat stage fright. A good majority of Spotlight's clientele exhibits some voice training, presumably from church choirs or high school ensembles. And these folks are real. No frilly costumes here. That guy sitting two stools down with the Shiner Bock in his hand and wearing the CAT baseball cap can really soar like Johnny Wilder on Heatwave's "Always and Forever." And that older gal in the stirrups and flats, her voice is a dead ringer for Patsy Cline's. Though the techies in charge of the microphone could lay off the echo sound effect a little, they never fail to deliver top-notch sound quality, in a room that's cavernous, clean and fun -- for everybody, not just out-of-work or aspiring musicians.