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Nashville Star
Up to Par?
Although the ratings for "Nashville Star" are higher then when the show aired on the USA network, ratings have dropped 18 % since the first week it premiered. I have to wonder, is it due to shows airing on other channels in the same time slot or could this years talent not be up to par?
"Nashville Star", my most anticipated talent show is really letting me down. From the talent, or dare I say lack of, the host Billy Ray who seems to be reading every line he says, to the judges, who for the most part insult these very same contestants that they put on this show. On a positive note, "Nashville Star" has added Katie Cook, a current CMT correspondent to the show. I would love to hear what her opinion is of the finalists chosen for this season. Katie has a wide range of knowledge in this field and I am sure she would have some very interesting things to say. I have to say that when they announced on the show that all of the contestants would be split up into categories, I had a feeling this wouldn't be good. The judges are now becoming "mentors" and the finalists will be split into three groups, the men, the women (or girls) and the groups. Jewel gets the guys, John gets the girls (those poor poor girls) and Jeffrey gets the groups. None of this makes sense to me. If you look at it from a logical point of view, wouldn't John be better mentoring the groups since he is part of one? Jewel with the girls, hey, she is one after all and has that sweet country voice like the majority of the girls on the show and Jeffrey, well he is just an all around talent but I thought he should have the guys. Let's get right down to the performances of the night shall we?
Laura and Sophie-these two sweet girls are just in way over their heads. While they have such sweet voices, they are just missing that "it" factor. Perhaps it is their age but they lack the ability to perform. This performance sounded flat and they just seem to be holding back. I think they really just need a lot more experience before they are comfortable in front of crowds to really let loose. I do like them, they harmonize great together, they are just not ready for this huge step.
Ashlee-she did a fantastic job with a classic oldie singing Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire". She has the vocals, the looks and that something special when it comes down to classifying her as a folk/country singer. I think with the right coaching, this young girl definitely has the ability to go far in this industry. Watch out Taylor Swift!
Justin-what can I say other than someone is really playing a dirty trick on the viewing public. Was he hired for us to look at or to see how many people can mute their TV at once? If anyone can get past the first 15 seconds of him singing, I give them a lot of credit. Why this guy was placed in the top 12 is beyond my wildest dreams. And the judges critique of him, I will be surprised if he has the nerve to even sing next week. Jewel was the only judge that tried to find something positive to say but she was really grasping.
Alyson-I have to say that I cannot stand the Police. However she took their song "Every Breath You Take" and made it sound like a song I want to hear over and over again. She is the one that should have recorded this song, IMO. What a difference a week has made for this performer and my how my opinion of her has changed! She did incredible, looked great, kept her eyes from popping out of her head and even had stage presence. She is a beautiful girl with a beautiful voice, she just has to keep her showy performance in check like she did on tonight show.
Pearl Heart-I really love these girls. Ok, my nice comments are done now. They sang Bon Jovi's "Who says You Can't Go Home". I don't think this performance will send them home next week but I really did wish they would come out and just belt a great song out of the park tonight. Unfortunately they didn't deliver for me. While their harmonizing was really good, they took a song that is just so much bigger than they are. They don't have the power to sing a song that just required so much more than were able to give it. They didn't feel it, they just sang it. Again, I think their age comes into play here and how uncomfortable the lead singer looks as she is performing.
Tommy-this guy wins the bold move of the evening award. Singing "Save a Horse, (Ride a Cowboy)" a song that judge John Rich owns was definitely a ballsy move on his part. For me, some songs should just be left to the original singers though and this is a perfect example of that. This is one bad ass song and Tommy just doesn't fit the bad ass bill. Bad bad song choice Tommy boy.
Gabe-Now finally, a contestant that I am feeling confident in saying has been consistent for two weeks in a row. I am really loving his vocals and he has had two great performances in a row now for me. He chose to sing Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" and did a bang up job doing so. I even wanted him to sing another song!
Shawn-talk about bold moves! She sings George Jones' "He Stopped Loving Her Today." I guess she was thinking if she's gonna go out, she better make it memorable, and that she did. While I don't see her as the next great country music star, I have to applaud her guts by taking that song and making it her own. She felt what she was singing and took a huge risk!
Coffey-WOW! And I don't mean that in a good way! He was terrible and it was painful for me to watch and listen at the same time. He sang John Mayer's "Waiting on the World to Change." I was waiting for the singer to change. While some may find his voice unique in the country industry, I find it lame and girly. We get a welcomed break in the performances and are treated to a song by Trace Adkins, singing "You're Gonna Miss This". Now that's what I'm talkin bout! This is what country music is about people! This guy represents and I could only hope he had some words of wisdom to offer the contestants, especially the men that seem to be singing like girls.
So now it is down to the last two performances of the night, Melissa who did an outstanding performance last week and Third Town who I thought should have gone home. Did America really have a say in this voting? Why was Melissa in the bottom two? I guess I can't argue as I didn't vote but that is only because the voting is closed by the time I watch the show. So these people now have to perform before America knowing one of them is a goner. Yeh, I would be a little nervous.
Melissa-she sang one of my favorite songs "Natural Woman" so I was hoping she would sing it well and put in that country edge. I thought she did a really good job, not great but just really good. One word of advice though, that little nose twitch thing is not cute, please stop. If she is once again in the bottom two next week I will really be surprised.
Third Town-Sorry boys, you may be successful in your home town but I don't see you ever making it big in the country music industry. They sang Alabama's "Mountain Music". I closed my eyes for a moment because I just knew I heard this voice before. Yup, it was Alvin. You know the one, from The Chipmunks. I hated their voices and their rendition of the whole song.
Third Town is sent home. No tears, these guys will do great performing in the local bars and they all really have such good attitudes which is a great thing to see. They recap Third Town's stay on the show with the song Trace sang "You're gonna miss this" which was just perfect for their exit. So there are ten finalists remaining. Next weeks theme is "Pop goes Country". As a true fan of country music, I just ain't feeling it. Let the singers sing what they know and love and not try to make a pop song what it was not meant to be. I rarely find success with any song that takes that leap. My question remains, is there a star amongst these finalists? I'm just not having high hopes for this season. To visit the famous TVGrapevine Forum click HERE Don't forget to check out the Reality TV Village
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