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It's original song night on Nashville Star! Hooray for no awkward covers! They're performing at the Grand Ole Opry! I really should stop using so many exclamation points!
Spoilers
1. Coffey
Song: "Southern Man"
The musical arrangement could use some work, though it might've been just the mix. No...it's the arrangement. I don't like it. But the song has promise. He did much better than on his covers. Jeffrey Steele has a point that it's a bit novelty, but he thought Coffey pulled it off. John Rich doesn't dig it and thinks it'll be hard to get it radio play. This coming from a man who got famous in part thanks to recording tracks with a Country rapper named Cowboy Troy.
2. Melissa Lawson
Song: "Ready To Stand"
It's got a early Faith/Dixie Chicks quality to it and it's very radio friendly. I like it. The musical accompaniment seems just about as soft as the first number so it wasn't just Coffey. All the judges are impressed.
Before we get to the next contestant, the judges take the stage to kill some time...I mean, perform songs they've written for us. Jewel starts first and she's wearing the highest heels I've ever seen someone playing the guitar wear. She does "You Were Meant For Me" and "Foolish Games." Say what you will about her but she has amazing control over her voice. Jeffrey is next. For some reason I didn't realize he could sing. I never realized but he looks like a cross between the guy who played Ming on SciFi Channel's Flash Gordon and John "Pa Kent" Schneider. He does "What Hurts The Most" and "The Cowboy In Me," recorded by Rascal Flatts and Tim McGraw respectively. John Rich comes on and does one partial song before Jewel joins him and Jeffrey on stage for the second - "Hicktown" and "Save A Horse (Ride A Cowboy)."
3. Gabe Garcia
Song: "Lost Weekend"
This is the second radio friendly song. I'm impressed. He did a good job, though he still needs to step up the stage presence a bit. Jewel gave a good note to make sure he maintains his identity and doesn't sound generic.
Bottom Two
1. Ashlee Hewitt
Song: "Mike's Hard Lemonade"
I think she sounds much better than when she does covers. Yet another radio friendly tune. John's advice in the pre-taped package telling her to make sure she enunciates was good. I like it. If she goes home, it's a good note to go out on. She'll get signed anyway.
2. Shawn Mayer
Song: "I'm Not Looking Back"
It's a great song and a solid performance. I'm really impressed. The notes weren't always, always there but I think she got a little wrapped up in the emotion of the moment. She held it together well. Jeffrey says he can easily see someone like Faith or Martina singing that song and adds, no matter what happens tonight, she's got a bright future. If Martina sang this song, she'd blow the roof off the place.
Can we put a moratorium on unnecessarily long pauses for the results on these talent shows? Anywho, the bell has tolled for Ashlee and it's her time to leave the show. But, like I said, I have every confidence that she'll get a deal out of this.
Did the right person get sent home? Who do you think will be out next week? I was really impressed by everyone's songs. Which were your favorites? Which was your least favorite? Any other thoughts?
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Zap2it Twitter Talk 
Whoever chooses the finalists in this contest (I refuse to believe it's actually decided by the viewer's votes -- America is not this stupid), sure got it wrong this time!
Coffey should have gone home weeks ago, followed closely by Shawn Mayer. Pearl Heart should still be there. Ashlee Hewitt should be in the final two. John Rich is a prick and if his performance had been part of the competition he would be going home next.
"control of her voice?" My husband and I were horrified at Jewel's performance: she croaked through most of it and shrieked through the rest.I still don't see where she gets off critiquing country singers. When she performed at the NASCAR awards banquet a few years ago, she barely got a smattering of applause. She isn't country. Period.
That said, I thought everyone did well last night. Coffey should move on along this time but I was impressed with Ashlee and Shawn who previously had not shown me much.
I like Jewel and think that's she's been pretty helpful as a judge on this show. I admit that her performance was strange last night. She sounded like she was a little sick or something... Her vibrato was KILLING me on "You Were Meant for Me" (so wavery!) and she was a little rough on the build on "Foolish Games". That said, I still pretty much enjoyed the performace; just for the emotional power she brought to it, even though technically, I didn't love it.
Even though I'm a fan, I do wonder what her real reception by country audiences has been like. What are the sales of this country album?
To me, Jewel has always been an artist with a lot of different influences (I mean she made a dance album a few years ago - which I loved btw) and as long as she has a genuine connection and appreciation for the music, I think she's a good enough songwriter to make it "authentic" enough.
Her presence though helped bring me to this show. I doubt I would have watched without some sort of crossover artist I'm familiar with attached to it as I'm not a huge country fan (the episodes where they had to "country-fy" a song really bugged me. It just made the whole musical genre seem like a silly affectation to dress up with). I think I like a lot of country peronalities and their voices a lot more than I like some of the music.
Anyway, this show was great! It made me wish they could have sung their own music long, long ago. They all sounded so much better and more confident.
I agree that Ashlee started to come into her own a little too late. She was good last night and no doubt, will get a recording contract.
I think I'm rooting for Melissa Lawson to win (like I said, I love voices), but I sort of appreciate that they told her to keep competing like she hasn't won the show yet (even though I don't think she has behaved that way).
I can't understand why Coffey is still here. He can't sing and his acting like he's for sure going to win, turns me off! He's way too show-offy and over-confident. I enjoyed all of the others and they seem to be good song writers. Was very sad to see Ashlee leave. She has a wonderful voice and a great personality. We could have done without the judges' performance. Good song WRITERS maybe, but please, sing only in the shower! I'm rooting for Melissa.
Anyway, when are we going to hear Billy Ray sing? Now that is talent! Both singing AND song writing. Easy on the eyes too.
coffey's voice has been strange to me too, but the last 2 weeks it's grown on me. less trilly. but ashlee leaving before coffey or shawn is sad. or even gabe. i wanted a melissa ashlee final. regardless, melissa and ashlee will get contracts, so will purl heart. and i loved jewel's singing. and i loved all the original songs but wasn't as crazy about ashlee's. despite nbc picking the 'idols' i'm enjoying the show now that laura and sophie are gone gone gone.
I turn on the show late and I saw what looked like Jewel singing but that couldn't have been her.
Shrieking is an understatement in the above post. She had so many pitch problems especially her vibrator was killing me that I stuck my fingers in my ears and my hound dog started howling. I thought she was a contestant.
Wow, she was way worse than the current batch of contestants which doesn't say much for the contestants. Jewel should just slink off the her judge's seat for the remainder of the show. She nor the audience would miss much. LOL
Too bad, I missed John Rich singing.
Ashlee and Shawn were easily the best yesterday. Cof-faux was silly again ("novelty" was a good description) and Gabe was again yawn-inducing. Neither deserved to advance. The worst was Melissa, starting with some scary low growl and ending by screeching. I can't understand what the judges and the voters see in that woman, who should have been long gone by now.
I've enjoyed seeing Jewel in concert several times over the years, alone on stage and with full bands, but I was VERY disappointed in her performance. She's great when she simply sings, but her tendency to "baby voice" sometimes or do the vocal acrobatics she used on this show are unbearable.
With Ashlee unfairly gone, I have to root for extreme longshot Shawn. I would never care to hear the other three ever again.
Original song night is my favorite thing about this show! Imagine if American Idol ever tried to make its contestants write songs....
Anyway, I'm sad to see Ashlee go. She has a lot of potential and she acts mature for her age. Her song was a lot of fun.
I've got to say, though, that I loved, loved, loved Gabe's song! That's country top 40 stuff, right there.
OK, an admission. I am radio, so I can at least comment on who's "radio-friendly."
Coffey is at best a country novelty act. The song he did last night might get airplay, but it's doubtful.
Melissa can sing, but just doesn't have the right package to be a star. She's kind of one-note, but she obviously is resonating with a portion of the at-home TV audience. It's more than just singing, and there's nothing to indicate she can do more than sing. Radio will balk at her being the "Nashville Star."
Shawn is not a great singer, but she did write a decent song. She also has that slow eye thing going on. I don't see her as a "Star" either.
Gabe might be OK, but he has to play to the George Strait vibe, and that's a tough niche right now. He needs WAY more confidence - a lot more than he shows right now. He obviously has less experience in front of a crowd. He might make it.
And they zapped the one real star in the bunch. Ashlee might have been green, but she's an artist. Good looking, young, Typical Nashville Star - fire Miranda Lambert and keep Buddy Jewell...
I was very impressed with the songwriting - but Gabe's song reminded me of a couple of country songs popular in the last year or so. One was "Redneck Yacht Club," and I can't quite place the other one... but I didn't think it sounded truly original.
Can y'all imagine what Laura and Sophie would have written?! "I've got broccoli in my braces and my Hello Kitty's gone; I dropped my phone at lunch and now my signal's gone....." Would have been interesting, to say the least, since most songwriters draw on life's experiences and they haven't had a lot of those.
Thought everyone did well; Coffey should go bye-bye. Ashlee showed her stuff too late, but she'll be fine.
Jewel's "singing"? OMG! If a contestant had given that performance, she'd have been all over them (rightly so) for pitch problems, shrieking and sounding like they'd swallowed gravel. I honest-to-goodness covered my ears.
Billy Ray needs to move on along to his next gig. Love his singing, he's an awesome songwriter ("Some Gave All") but as a host he brings the show to a screeching halt every time he speaks. Mumbles. Whatever. Just drag him away, please.