Home'Nashville Star' recap: Britney & Rihanna get countrified!
Jun 24, 2008, 12:12 PM | by Lisa Raphael
Categories: 'Nashville Star', Country Y'all!, Music, Reality TV, Television
Confession country buffs: If I had to whip out my iPod right now and construct Lisa's Country Playlist, it would contain little more than the obligatory Gretchen, Carrie, and Shania. (Would it be too much of a stretch to include "Sweet Home Alabama," too?) But even though I'm no country connoisseur, the more I've read about Nashville Star through Mandi Bierly's weekly posts and your astute PopWatch comments — sexual harassment allegations? excessive butt shots of a talentless pretty boy contestant? Billy Ray Cyrus' facial hair? — the more I've contemplated adding it to my DVR lineup. And with Mandi on vacation this week (and a pop-goes-country theme in effect), I decided it was the perfect time to test the waters.
Although John Rich kicked off the show with a physical threat to the contestants, he generally kept the sleaze factor at a respectable "cross the street when you see that guy walking toward you" level. Now let's get right to the lowdown on this week's performers:
Gabe Garcia: To be fair, I lost power for a very frantic minute and missed the first part of Gabe's song, but when I did tune back in, I was unimpressed by the contestant with the most votes. He lacked the same quality as most of the top 10: stage presence. Maybe Gabe does need to "turn the Texas on" or flirt with the lay-dees, but I didn't hear enough passion in his take on Ricky Martin's "Livin' La Vida Loca," which is already a pretty corny song. And no amount of extension-enhanced hair-flips could make me vote for him.
Pearl Heart: I really really wanted the young, sisterly trio to kill with the B-52's "Love Shack." Yet while their voices and harmonies were beautiful, they needed to practice what they sang and "knock a little louder, baby!" For such a fun song, I felt way too nervous for them throughout the performance, a feeling that didn't go away with John Rich creeping all over them and their Limited Too garb.
Alyson Gilbert: I'm with Mandi on this one: It's not that I love or hate her, I'm just bored. Alyson's rendition of "I Think We're Alone Now" would've worked better if she's sped up or slowed down the tempo, but as it was, her performances ended up sounding like karaoke. Even worse, Jewel dropped the critical adjective made famous on that other musical talent competition: "pitchy."
Ashlee Hewitt (pictured, left): "Drive Me Crazy" by Britney Spears? As an unrepentant fan of Ms. Not-That-Innocent, I say, "Gimme, gimme more, gimme more, gimme gimme more!" But beyond her excellent song choice, I truly thought that Ashlee did a good job, infusing the number with a guitar edge and a little bit of twang. The way she hung onto those notes -- like butt-ah! She and the judges kept saying how hard it was to turn Brit country, but maybe they didn’t get the memo that Britney Spears is from Kentwood, Louisiana and no stranger to the word "ya'll?" Miley's dad made a head-shaving joke, which made me think that Hannah Montana probably can't watch this show without shouting "DaaaAAAAddddd" and hanging her head in horror.
Coffey: When I heard Coffey (fey-fey-fey) was going to sing
"Umbrella" I was just waiting for someone else to bust out "SexyBack" and complete the Britney-Rihanna-Justin trifecta of this Top 40 lover's dreams! Although the daughter
dedication was adorbs, and I could feel The Coff's heart and soul
all the way from Tennessee to my little Ikea couch in Brooklyn, the way-too-low register and the
sporadic cheerleader-at-halftime shouting fell flat.
Laura & Sophie: These
girls were stiff and nervous as they began their performance of "P.Y.T." (Michael Jackson, country-style? Really?) And although I've missed previous seasons, I can completely understand the PopWatch
comments that this season's cast is most decidedly not the most talented in Nashville Star history. Also, not to start rumors (okay, let's do it!) did anyone else notice
Tommy singing his heart out during this song? Anyone wonder if his interest in Laura and/or Sophie goes beyond the music?
Melissa Lawson: I liked Melissa a lot better during the group rendition of "Like a Prayer" than in her solo attempt at "True Colors." No doubt, she's got a beautiful voice, but her performance was ultimately forgettable. Letting the audience in on her personal journey -- 67 pounds lost, you go girl! -- might lure in some more votes for her this week, and at least she wasn't stuck in the bottom two again.
Shawn Mayer: There I am hoping for some JT and — bam! — Shawn delivers a little Bye Bye Bye." So what if it's N*Sync, I'll take it, especially considering Shawn is one of the few contestants with terrific stage presence. Yeah, she probably should have limited her choreography to the subtle fist-pumping action at the start of her number, and avoided devolving into clunky Darrin's Dance Grooves routines. But that aside, Shawn rocked, and more importantly, she did what I thought the contestants were supposed to do: Take a beloved pop song (or a New Classic as we say around these parts) and put a country twist on it, revamping it into something equally as downloadable.
Tommy Stanley (pictured, right): The choice of "Maniac" sounded crazy on paper, but I loved the way Tommy aimed for his lower register on "floor" and "before," instead of hurting our ears with flat high notes that were too far out of his range (like he did on the opening group number). Tommy seems to be missing some teeth in those profile shots, but, hey, no one's perfect. And you can tell that he wants to be there and will probably work really hard to make sure he's not in the bottom two again next week. Plus, I think I'll tune in again just to see the blossoming romance between him and Laura/Sophie…
Justin Gaston: So even with all the judges' "most improved" kudos, our singer/model/actor in question is sent packing with a farewell montage that made Billy Ray and his uncomfortably tight jeans heavy with sorrow. Although he'll have to fight Chase Crawford for the hair spray and eyelash curlers, I'm hoping Justin will find a happy home as a new Gossip Girl cast member. The Upper East Side could use an acoustic guitar and some Southern charm.
So ya'll, did you think that "pop goes country" was more country than it's been so far this season? Is Danity Kane a healthy guilty pleasure? And who has the dreamiest eyes now that Justin is gone?
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