A surprise to, well, no one, Melissa Lawson is our new Nashville Star. (Click here to read Whitney Pastorek’s no-holds-barred Q&A with the champ.) In the end, it came down to the mother of five vs. Gabe Garcia, the Hispanic-American former electrician who finally learned how to "turn his Texas on." The evening’s high and low notes:
• Breakout performance: Cohost Katie Cook’s breasts. They’re the only thing that I’m 100 percent certain I’ll remember a year from now.
• Performance we’d most like to forget: Tie between the awkward "(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life" duet Melissa and Gabe were forced to suffer through, and the finalists’ group number with host Billy Ray Cyrus. Was the plan always to use the backup dancers (clones from Jessica Simpson’s "These Boots Are Made for Walkin’" video) just for Gabe’s portion of "Achy Breaky Heart," or did Melissa and third-place finisher Shawn Mayer kindly ask producers to get them the hell off the stage? I wonder…
• Reason Melissa deserved to win: Aside from her pitch-perfect performances of Rascal Flatts’ "My Wish" and Sugarland’s "Something More," the fact that she managed to belt what will be her first single, the inspirational but not-at-all-Idol-schlocky "What if It All Goes Right," while pulling confetti from her mouth and hugging her husband and five boys. That is a pro.
• Reason we’d have been okay if Gabe had won: He finally started showing some personality, singing Brad Paisley’s "Celebrity" (about the inane perks that come with being a reality TV star). He also sounded great on Alan Jackson’s "Gone Country."
• Reason we’re okay that Shawn didn’t win: We love her, but she didn’t do to Miranda Lambert’s "Gunpowder & Lead" what she’d done to Gretchen Wilson’s "Here for the Party." We want Shawn to write songs, hang out with George Jones some more, then give Music Row another go.
So, will you go see the final four (hey, Coffey!) on tour? And will you buy Melissa Lawson’s album, which, like her single, will be produced by John Rich?
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1. Shawn Mayer needs a Spanx Bra.
2. I feel bad for Billy Ray because it must have felt awkward knowing that the only song anyone knows he sang is Acky Breaky, yet his daughter is bigger than him.
Mel was awesome. Congrats! And, yeah Garcia will make Freddie Fender proud.
Yes to the album most definitely!!!
And if the tour comes to Georgia,
most def. yes just to see her perform but I’ll be somewhere else when Coff”ay” is on stage. Ashley should be touring with them, not him.
Face it you guys, Melissa is a powerhouse. She’ll be right up there with Wynonna (who I’ve thought se reminds me of from day 1), Trisha, and Martina. Give her time, she’s already on the right road. And John believes in her so He’ll do great things with and for her.
I’m happy for Mellisa !
And I agree with Rebekah that
Ashlee should be touring with
them, NOT Coff’ay !
I was rooting for Ashlee from the beginning, i still think she will get a recording contract soon !
No to whether I will buy the single/album. While the viewers at least got the most talented two in the final, they are both a disappointment. We need more Carter Family/Jimmie Rodgers/early Hank Williams country music. What I heard on this program aint’ country.
I can’t say that I’m a country fan particularly, but I know talent when I hear it, and Melissa is great! Country, cross-over, pop, whatever. That girl has great vocals and if the first song that she ever wrote and performed is any hint of things to come, she has a wonderful song-writing career ahead of her also. I just stumbled on Nashville Star by accident, but I will watch it every year, if she is an example of the talent in this genre. But they have to get rid of Billy Ray Stiff Man Cyrus as a host! He was the worst part of every week. Isn’t there anyone else they can get?
I was impressed with both finalists. It didn’t look as tho it was killing them to sing. Most singers look as if every note they sing is painful. Melissa, however has the stage presence & attitude to pull this off. Just like Miranda Lambert did. As someone mentioned above Melissa reminds me of Wynona a lot too. Spunk, size & a git-r-done attitude. What if it all goes right is a great song & she does it well. A true pro!
I WAS SO GLAD THAT MELISSA WON. I ENJOYED HEARING GABE, BUT MELISSA WAS MY FAVORITE. I AM PRETTY CERTAIN THAT I WILL BUY MELISSA’S MUSIC. IF THEY TOUR CLOSE TO MY HOME, I WOULD LIKE TO GO SEE THEM, BUT NOT TO SEE COFFEY. I DIDN’T THINK HE WAS COUNTRY AT ALL.
Melissa won! I am so thrilled about it! I heard her sing “Flower in the Rain” and I was hooked. Awesome voice. Yes, I will buy!
I think the right person won and yes I am buying the cd!!! Gabe is going to make it as well I am sure they both have mighty fine voices. Congrats Melissa I voted for you all alog and glad you are the next star of Nashville.
No No No to the album. LOL. Like someone else said – being the best two in this competition isn’t really saying a whole lot. Both are utterly forgettable. I’d be shocked if they had a bigger career than Angela Hacker (the last Nashville Star – remember her?)
I am very happy for Melissa. She is an Arlington, Texas girl and that makes her special with me. I thought Gabe was awesome also. He just needs to connect with the audience more. He is on his way. These two were my favorites from the start. Coffey is not that good and I agree Ashley should have beat him out.
no way should Coffey been in the top 4
Ashlee was a way better singer than him and more talented. she should have been in the top 3. I like Shawn but I think Ashlee was better.
Miranda did a great job, but I was rooting for Gabe. He was the only one on the whole show whose voice would make me stop to listen if I was scanning through radio channels. I just like that whole George Strait, Alan Jackson kind of vibe. Miranda has a lovely voice, but it’s definitely that pop-ification of country, which drives me nuts. As to the comparisons with Wynona — if you’ve ever seen Wy in concert, you would know that Miranda isn’t even in the same ballpark.
Melissa Lawson is going to do for Nashville Star what Carrie Underwood did for American Idol. Missy L. can sing! AND she’s got the personality and the stage presence to take it all the way. She’s a true talent.
Ack – I don’t know why I keep calling Melissa “Miranda” – it must just be stuck in my head for some reason! Sorry! Also, does anyone know what’s become of last year’s winner?
Nothing ever comes of the winner. Heck, the biggest star this show has produced was the third place finisher in season 1, Miranda Lambert. Everyone else has either A) Done nothing, like Angela Hacker, Chris Young (so far) and Brad Cotter, or B) Made minor waves before fading away to nothing, like Buddy Jewell and Erika Jo. I predict Pearl heart and Ashlee Hewitt to be the bigger stars from this season.
Oh my god mellissa was so great! I was junping off the couch when they she’d won. Way to go Girl! My best to you and your beautiful family!
Gabe got robbed. Melissa got the pity vote. Wynonna got a second-rate back-woods-bar version of her let loose. Melissa oversings everything to the point of cheesy (like her dancing), but hey, guess alot of you like that i.e. Carrie Underwood. More importantly though, on the night that the contestants performed their solos, Melissa said to the judges, into the micro-phone, that she had help writing her song, but that comment was wisked away and never heard again. So who helped her write the song? Why wasn’t it her new solo? When is the lawsuit coming?
Who cares. Never watched this show, never will. Just bored. I shot my horse, got a deevorce, no remorse, of course. I’m quite a lass with my big fat arse. All the boys say hey to my vajayjay.
Funny how these things turn out. I was just hoping Shawn would come in 3rd and I got my wish. Wanted Gabe to win the whole shootin’ match but he’s a shoo-in for a contract because he has such a “country” voice that can’t be faked. He’ll be just fine down the road. Melissa’s only chance for a career was to win this thing outright so now at least she has a running start. It ain’t at all fair but how many overweight female country stars (and that’s not limited to that genre) are there? I’m just sayin’ what is obvious, folks. Congrats, Melissa and Gabe. The cream definitely rose to the top this time around.
Heck yeah I will buy Melissas first album. I can’t wait!!
Please NBC, change the show next year. Bring Jewel back as the host, get rid of Billy Ray who never smiles, get two new judges to go along with Jeffrey Steele and bring in some real talent this time. Oh yeh, please bring back Katie Cook(* *)
So glad to see this season over. I still find it hard to fathom how NBC managed to completely mess up this show. If it wasn’t the Go-Go dancers, the pyrotechnics or the pop songs the contestants were forced to sing (which had nothing to do with country), it was the caliber of contestants they managed to put though to the final ten. No wonder Melissa won, she was the only who could even carry a tune. My ears are still bleeding from listening to Coffay. Put this back on cable where they don’t feel obligated to American Idolize the format and get back to it’s roots.
Melissa was my pick right from the very first episode. I am so happy she won. She has a beautiful voice and I’m sure she will go far. Can’t wait to buy her first album!
I can’t wait to get Melissa’s CD. I voted for her every Monday night for 2 hours. She deserves it more than anyone. WAY TO GO MELISSA!
I will not buy her album but would have bought Gabe Garcia’s Album
Melissa,
I am so proud!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I couldn’t beleive it last night when you were announced the winner. I have been pulling for you from the start. I jumped up and screamed; I was almost in tears and my husband was. You go girl and take care of the boys.
your #1 fan
Debra Greene
NBC CHANNEL 5 – DALLAS TEXAS…. HOW DARE SPOIL THE OUTCOME OF THE SHOW FOR ME!… 2 commercials prior to the announcement the local news decided to leak the outcome… THANKS A LOT!
I so wanted to like this show. I really tried. Cyrus as host is just a nightmare – only reminding us why he is a one-hit wonder. He shows no personality and no energy. And, John Rich?? Please. I’ve never seen anyone with so much attitude and so little reason to have it. Had he been a contestant, he probably would have been voted off long ago. Jewel and Jeffrey Steele are just fine — great mentors and genuinely talented. Replace Cyrus, replace Rich — and do a better job of finding talent. It looks like someone decided on a Monday to have a show and scrapped up the talent from whomever was on the sidewalk just before showtime. This could be a GREAT show. As it is, it is only mediocre. Melissa Lawson and Gabe Garcia were the real talents on the show – no one else was even close.
im glad melissa won she deserved it i just hope she can handle being away from those boys for long periods of time