Nashville Star – Episode 1 Recap

How did Taylor Swift ever get a contract? That girl cannot sing.

Taylor Swift must appeal to the young Country fans who have an
ear for that off key sound. Kellie Pickler can out sing her in my
opinion, but then I am not the Country fan who buys the record.
I’m probably AI biased too !!

I didn’t care for Taylor Swift either ,Kellie can sing better I think too.

I can’t believe this, but, I told my daughter the same thing when Taylor Swift came on. I said, “I’d rather hear Kellie Pickler.” At least she can sing. I’m like the rest of you, how in the world did she ever get a contract? Blah! Is American tone deaf?

This is my first time watching Nashville Star and it just may be my last. There is one big reason for that and it has nothing to do with the talent. And no, it’s not because Billy Ray has been over-rated since he came on the scene in the 80′s. It’s the sound dude! He/she needs to find a new job because sound mixing is NOT their talent. I wouldn’t judge Taylor Swift so harshly yet. I could hardly hear her and actually gave up trying and made a phone call.

One more thing, was it just me or did it look like they were going to take out a few contestants with the pyro in the beginning?!?! WOW!

I am 35 years old and Taylor Swift is one of my favorites. So no she isnt just appealing to young teeny boppers. Her and kellie actually have a similiar tone to their voices.
Songs are more important then a voice in moist genres of music. No she doesnt have a big booming voice but who cares. I think she sings fine and she is an awesome song writer. 3 million albums says it all.

Taylor doesn’t have a booming voice, she doesn’t have a voice at all, IMO.

I do, however, like Gabe Garcia so far.

Taylor Swift’s album has sold because of her songwriting ability (which I agree is great) and a little thing called “studio magic.” Not because she can perform live, because every. freaking. time. I’ve watched her perform live, she’s been so off key it makes my ears bleed. And I’ve seen her perform live on these kinds shows at least 5-7 times.

Taylor Swift does suck live. Her songwriting ability is part of it. The other part of it is that she’s a cute blonde. My nephews love her.

Oh, come on Sarah. I know you’re dying to watch Celebrity Circus.

True, pj. There are already 4 (5 if you count Jewel) blonde bombshells in country music these days. For that reason alone, I’m already rooting for this Melissa chick. She could learn to control her big voice a little better though. But I like her. She’s got sass.

Celebrity Circus? WTF is that?

ETA: Of the ones I’ve seen so far – Gabe was good, but I wasn’t blown away. Ashlee was good but so freaking affected. Justin is hot, but he sounded terrible. Melissa was good, but needs some work on controlling her voice a little more. The others I saw (Charley and Alyson) left no impression on me whatsoever. Probably why they were bottom 2, I guess.

The best of the show tonight was the last contestant, Melissa Lawson. Taylor Swift take a clue from this woman – that’s how you lay it on the stage,a nd, sing!

I’m not a reality show junkie, but, I do love the talent contests.

I’ve got my 3 favs….

Guys: Coffey
Gabe Garcia

Gal: Melissa Lawson

Taylor swift isnt going to sing like that last woman because she doesnt have a big voice like that.

I loved Coffey and Melissa. I also liked Garcia and the two friends who sang “Stand by your Man.”

I was disappointed in the guys who did Elvira. I loved that Oak Ridge Boys song when I was a little girl. LOL. That Justin guy is pretty.

I feel like I have seen Coffey somewhere before. Anyone else reconize him from another show? I can’t seem to put my finger on it.

And I think they sent home the wrong person. I thought that woman’s eyes were going to bug right out of her head.

son.of.a.bitch.
AI has totally spoiled me. These people sounded like total crap. The only 2 I could even tolerate were the 2 bff’s and the one bigger girl. Sorry I havent gotten any names down yet. No way any of these *ahem* singers would have made it past Simon. The “you are my brother” guy sounded as good as some of these fools.

lol pj, I thought of you when Justin sang that song.
That was the only song I liked that Ace sang and that was
the one you hated. Gaston (pronounced Gastone, here) is
a little Cajun cutie patootie.

jbrad, I feel like I’ve seen Coffey somewhere too.
I agree, I feel the wrong person was eliminated.

bigmjfan, the point is not that she doesn’t have a big voice. The point is that EVERY TIME I’ve heard her live, she sounds like shit, singing HER OWN SONGS, which she should be able to sing pretty well.

lol pj, I thought of you when Justin sang that song.
That was the only song I liked that Ace sang and that was
the one you hated. Gaston (pronounced Gastone, here) is
a little Cajun cutie patootie.

I remember, NOLA. Ha! I still cringe at Ace showing off his scar.

Coffey Anderson……..

Anderson has acquired fans not only in his native Bangs, but also across the state and nation, since performing on “American Idol” five years ago.

http://reporternews.com/news/2008/jun/08/bangs-native-coffey-anderson-looks-to-outshine/

Ive heard Taylor on tv live numerous times, and believe me, tonight was her best performance. A singer, shes not. Cute and a tween songwriter, yes. When I heard she was the act tonight, my first thought was, what a way to introduce noncountry fans to country music, eek! Ive watched NS for 4 seasons, and based on tonight, the talent is way subpar to other seasons. The last 2 seasons had superb singer/writers but the record company didnt promote them so they basically disappeared. Of tonight, the only one I liked was the last one. She was great! However, John Rich is always looking for a latino or a black country singer cuz he likes to think “out of the box”, thus his muzic mafia, as he calls them. I think the Garcia guy may have a bit of an inside track with him anyway. Jewel hosted it last year and was, at times, combative with the judges opions, as she was tonight. She needs to let them finish their thoughts instead of butting in with her opinions, when they differ. Can You Duet singers, imo, are wayyyyyyy better then the NS bunch. Also I just read on cmt.com that Maureen McCormick, Bobby Brown, Carnie Wilson are filming a bed/breakfast reality show for cmt debuting in August. Those 3 were the big draw on Gone Country. Definitely looking forward to that show as they gave me a lot of laughs on the other show.

That guy was on AI? I can see why he I never remembered. I am hatin and I know I will watch again, b/c I am a glutton for punishment (I watched Rock the Cradle too). But after tonight’s eppy, I just wanted those 2 hrs of my life back. Cookie singing SBB tomorrow will make it all better tho. =)

I would prefer Taylor Swift SPEAK(talk it out) her poetry.

I likesED—-Gabe,,Melissa,,,,girlFriends,,,,,,,Coffey

Prettiest contestant…Gaston from LA.

Some don’t like country music (I do), but NS has the right idea in terms of backstory and humanizing the contestants. Nigel, take note.

NOLA, you and I have the same 3 faves, with the 2 girls from Ohio coming in at 4th. Melissa Lawson has the eye of the tiger, and, I hope she wins. I know its early, but, she was the best. I, too, think the wrong person was eliminated tonight. I didn’t care for that red head woman at all. She’ll probably go next week.
Here’s a video of John Rich from Access Hollywood. He slams Simon & Paula for what their judging on AI, and, Paula for what she did to Jason:

I had a hard time judging them, because they all seemed so incredibly nervous. I’m giving all of them a pass until they calm down a widdle bit. I liked the judges, ’cause they seem to say actually helpful (and blunt) things. The middle guy, whom I don’t otherwise know, sure seems full of himself, but I’ll give him a first-time pass, too.

I thought it was kinda fun, and I’ll watch again. (Didn’t watch Taylor.)

I’m confused about a couple of things that I didn’t hear explained. The judges kicked one person off, and now the voters kick somebody else off? So, two will go?

Also–are the judges more involved than Idol judges? They made it sound as if they advise and work with the contestants before shows.

For some reason, I can’t edit my posts??? Here’s the link:

http://video.accesshollywood.com/player/?id=261306&__source=nav

I thought it was pretty blah, really. A couple of people were good, especially the last woman, but I compare it to top 12 on Idol, and there were several standout performances. (I’ll give these contestants the fact that they hadn’t had the televised semifinal rounds to work out some of the kinks.) Nashville Star usually has some really strong people on it, like Miranda Lambert, so I was surprised that this wasn’t a better group of folks.

Yes,the judges actually mentor the contestants, much like they do on the X-Factor. On Idol they hire old stars to mentor. The judges, I think, chose one to go home tonight, but, from here on out, its up to the audience votes.

John Rich is a little bit pompous, but, from what I hear, he’s an ok guy. His dad is a minister.

Thanks, skylight. So the judges must have already had a pretty good idea which contestants were doing poorly. They also would have known which contestants are better than their performance tonight.

I’ve never watched this show before, but I think I almost like the setup better than AI…the judges are actually halfway truthful, and at least they admitted they were at the rehearsals. Lol. I’m still an Idol junkie though…

John Rich is a singer, songwriter, and producer. He’s worked with a bunch of country stars. He’s also part of the duo Big & Rich (“Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy” is one of their most memorable songs ). Here’s his wiki page.

ETA: I think the judges WILL mentor the contestants, but I don’t think they have started that yet. However, they’ve been there through the whole audition process, so yeah, I’d say they probably know who was having an off night, etc.

I kind of really like Billy Ray Cyrus. Mainly because my niece’s husband is related to him, and he shows up at their family reunions like a regular guy. He isn’t full of himself. I think the talent this year is subpar, but, maybe they’ll get better. I still think the very first winner they had, Buddy Jewel was the best. My nephew, (who is a brother to the niece, I just mentioned) is a good friend of his. My nephew lives in Nashville, but, my niece lives in Kentucky. Is this too confusing? LOL

Favorite was Gabe, beautiful voice seems like a great kid too! Also doesn’t hurt that he sang a George Strait song, love me some GS!

Did not see Coffey. (I remember him from AI). The Lawson girl was good too.

Check out Coffey here……

http://youtube.com/watch?v=-9fgfxqp94A

I would have sent the redhead home from the bottom two instead of the guy. She had the Kristy Lee Cook crazy eyes during her song.

I’ve never watched NS before. Most of them seemed really nervous like they were trying too hard.

Do not remember Coffey Anderson at ALL from AI Season 2 (how far did he make it?) but I picked him out tonight as the winner. Something about him…

I reserve the right to change my mind, of course.

is Jewel really country? I don’t know much about her but I seem to recall thinking she hails from Alaska. Is Alaska the new Nashville?!

I also liked those sisters– Pearl Heart. Their harmonies were luscious.

They need to give Billy Ray Cyrus something more exciting to say than “Wow! That was awesome!” after every performer.

Nashville Star has a recap of the show…

Melissa Shines in the Season Premiere

We don’t get this show in my country but maybe I’ll follow it here.

Ok so people I really liked were:
Pearl Heart
Shawn Mayer
Third Town
Gabe Garcia

People I couldn’t listen to it all:
Tommy Stanley
Justin Gaston
Ashlee Hewitt
Taylor Swift

So maybe I’ll even watch it on real telly sometime…

Oh that reminds me.
Taylor Swift.
And she is famous … WHY?
And people pay to hear her “sing”?… WHY??

What a piece of croopola!
Now you know judges on these shows are given pre-fabricated scripts because there is no way this sniveling, off-tune, screechy talent-free, boring person deserved applause or a glowing review. The judges’ praise of Swift makes me more suspicious of their critiques for the contestants.

She was beyond awful. Embarrasingly awful.

I tried watching this show tonight just because I’m having Idol withdrawals but let me tell you, 2 hours of country music is hard to take! Not to mention almost all of them were pretty awful.

I hope this show improves because I need something to entertain me now that Idol is over but I’m not sure this show is going to do the trick.

I hate to admit but it gets awfully empty without AI, and David Cook, on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Hey, skylight…..my husband is related to Billy Ray also, wonder if your niece’s husband is related to my husband, lol. And you’re right, Billy Ray is very much a “regular guy.”

I’m liking NS, but then I like country music. My favorites were Garcia, Melissa.

oh, and LOL moody at “the Kristy Lee Cook crazy eyes.” I agree!

Too bad Charley Jenkins was voted off. He’s from my hometown. Performance was off last night – nerves play such a role. He is from a quality family, nice guy.

Taylor Swift was absolutely awful. This type of artist just ticks me off! She’s got the moves and poses beautifully, but can’t sing worth a flip! How she got so big is beyond me. If she writes, let Kellie Pickler sing her songs!

I think Gabe’s voice is beautiful. His lack of performance skills will hurt him though. Hopefully he will improve.

I thought Pearl Hart sang beautifully as a group, but the lead singer doesn’t have much charisma.

Melissa Lawson kicked butt, good voice, great performance.

I like Sophie and Laura, but whoever was the lead (S? P?) should be a solo artist. No need for the harmony.

Charlie Jenkins is totally gorgeous, but he has no voice. (hmm. How unusual for a reality singing competition.)

Coffey is pretty and has an okay voice. I’m amused he was on Idol and I don’t remember him.

I’m so pleased that I’m not the only one who thinks Taylor Swift’s live singing sucks. God, it’s annoying. Every time she sings live she’s off key. Every time.

Oh crap. I meant Justin Gaston re: gorgeous. LOL

To whoever it was asking about Jewel being country. To make this short, basically she is now. And she’s been dating former bull rider Ty Murray (sp?) for years. Not that that makes you country, but I guess it doesnt hurt. =)

And to whoever, upthread said Can You Duet is way better, I could not agree more. I dont know if I’ll watch NS anymore, it was so bad. But the CYD singers are REALLY good!

Justin=Hot! Maybe he will sound better next time? Here’s hoping!

Kristy Lee’s crazy eyes – I like Kristy’s singing better though! That girl was a combo of Haley Scarnato and Kristy Lee’s worse traits!

Coffey has a nice voice, so does Melissa – it was a “Let’s Give Them Something to Talk About” with attitude.

I loved the “Stand By Me” with the best friends, the entrance and their voices!

I think the guy should have stayed and Crazy Eyes should have left.

I tried watching this show tonight just because Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢m having Idol withdrawals but let me tell you, 2 hours of country music is hard to take! Not to mention almost all of them were pretty awful

I’ve got to agree- afriend called me and told me to watch. I made three attempts and didn’t last through each song. I thought they were terrible. Admittedly I am not a country music fan although some stuff that passes as country today is really not so I thought I’d give it a try.

I’d rather watch Two And A Half Men reruns.

Can You Duet is definitely much better.

Anyone else get a kick out of when John Rich told Jewel she has pitch problems too and she said if you could hit half the notes I could…LOL, I thought there was going to be a throwdown. I was all set to get my popcorn. I much prefer these 3 judges to the Idol ones. Not to say that they don’t have faults, but most of their critiques had some substance and were meant to help the performers.

I think Melissa Lawson blew all the other contestants out of the water. Like Jewel said, she had the attitude and the voice to back it up. I also think that Shawn Mayer and Ashlee Hewitt might have more talent than they showed last night. Maybe it was nerves but I saw potential there. Garcia seemed to have a good voice but I sorta tuned him out a few verses in, I’m not a fan of George Strait. None of the rest really had a memorable first showing for me. To quote Randy, it was just okay for me I did like Tommy Stanley’s energy but he doesn’t have the voice to back it up but I suspect he’ll last a bit longer than he deserves by the way they were working that military card last night.

As for Crazy Eyes…did anyone else think she was going to go for the judges jugular if she was picked off? Man, she really did have crazy eyes.

Oh, and Justin Gaston…he’s quite pretty. I’d like to keep him around for decorative purposes, lol. Hell if it works for Taylor…

Only caught the last two contestants.

Justin Gaston was pretty but awful.

Melissa Lawson rocks.

That is all.

The problem with NOT having an audition round, is that it skips that whole weeks-long period of getting acquainted with the contestants. Jumping right in to watching performances from contestants we aren’t familiar means they may not grab us right off the bat.

I’m going to give it a few weeks before a make a decision on whether I think this is a good crew, or not.

MJ,
If the format holds to previous seasons, the elimination will happen right before the last performance next week.

The host calls the contestants to the stage in random order to perform, those who are called are safe. By the end of the show, there’s two who haven’t performed. The host then announces an elimination…the bootee doesn’t perform (which is unfortunate since they rehearsed a new song all week then never even get heard). Then, the person who just survived elimination (not necessarily even in the bottom two) performs last to end the night.

If they keep the same format as the last three seasons, that’s how it’ll go.

I watched starting with Shawn Mayer – she was eh, the trio of boys was a little OTT and then when Coffey came on I decided I couldn’t take any more. He sounded like a sheep with all that vibrato. Baaaa

Not only was Coffey on AI-2, his audition episode showed him being whisked to the hospital for the birth of his new daughter. This young lady looked a bit older than 5 or 6, but what do I know? Maybe he has more than one child. I hope he gets more of a chance than he got on AI.

MJ,
If the format holds to previous seasons, the elimination will happen right before the last performance next week.

Ok, come to think of it, that’s how NGAB did it and it makes sense, because it holds the suspense until the very end.

Thanks!

Kristy Leeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s crazy eyes – I like Kristyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s singing better though! That girl was a combo of Haley Scarnato and Kristy Leeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s worse traits!

LOL I hope she doesn’t come out next week in short shorts singing something patriotic.

that’s right, I remember now….

Everyone will sing next week until it gets down to the final
2. That’s when we find out which of the 2 got the least amt.
of votes and that person departs.

If she writes, let Kellie Pickler sing her songs!

I read that Taylor Swift is doing a duet on Pickle’s next album.

Actually, we get to know the contestants a little better as the season progresses. I’m just glad they didn’t eat up time with hours of bad auditions. This is my 3rd season watching, not necessarily in order, and, I kind of like the show.

Seems most are in agreement, that Taylor Swift can’t sing, Buggy eyes should’ve gone home, the pretty boy needs to pack his underwear, and, get out of Dodge, and, Melissa Lawson threw down the gauntlet last night.

This Friday night is the finale of “Can You Duet.” I think its a 2 hour special. They are down to 4 groups, and, guess they aren’t going to prolong it over the next 4 weeks.

John Rich is so full of it. On Gone Country he emphasized over and over you had to be true, blue, authentic country then picked Julio Inglasius, Jr. as the winner. The fans were outraged and the message boards lit up. He also ripped Diana DeGarmo apart for R&B riffs and runs in her country song which he said country songs dont have. Now on NS, he praises Coffey who had runs all over the place, and didnt sound country. The pretty boy was horrid but not voted off. It seemed to me they voted the 2 with the worst performance skills as the worst of the night, not the worst singer. John Rich is now working with Diana on an album which she will shop around in Nashville. In my opinion, he appeared not to like her at all but said on the show she had the best voice. I guess the fans reminding him of that and threatening to boycott his records put a little fire under his behind. Last years NS winner, Angela Hacker and the year before, Chris Young were fabulous. If AI had gotten hold of Chris, he wouldve been huge. Great looks, voice, personality, and great song writer.

If AI had gotten hold of Chris, he wouldve been huge. Great looks, voice, personality, and great song writer.

I agree. I saw the week that they did original songs and his was about 3 heads and shoulders above everyone else’s. It’s really a shame that his career hasn’t taken off. I’m hoping they’ll have some of the NS alum back to perform this season. That would be GREAT!

I’m not sure John Rich ripped Diana apart for doing runs, but, she actually did sing her song in a pop style. She can hit notes not even invented. But, I think he had plans all along to sign Julio, because he’s always trying to break into the Hispanic market. However, Julio’s song sucked, and, even the country stations wouldn’t touch it. John knows he laid a big turd where Diana was concerned, so, he back pedaled. BTW, Mikalah Gordon will be part of the next “Gone Country” show. That should be interesting.

I don’t know…Someone at the top said they didn’t like country music but listened anyway and didn’t like it..well, you did not hear any country music…you heard some type of pop trying to pass for country…Melissa didn’t even do country,,that was Bonnie Raitt for Pete’s sake…

Is this really the best country singers they could find? I hear much better at my local karaoke bars..much better. I feel about this season of NS the way I felt about season 6 of AI last year….I’ll watch but I doubt I will have a favorite. So far, Gabe and Melissa seem the most authentic..but I’m still not jumping up and down.

I’m sort of liking it because it is not just country music.
And there are six acts there that show talent or at least show the potential of having real talent.
The judges are great. When jewel was a guest judge on Idol she really didn’t say much, but here she seems musch more at ease in this format because this show doesn’t take itself all that seriously, well not as seriously as AI anyway.

Gosh, Taylor Swift can’t sing live, but I enjoy her CD. Pretty darn good songwriter.

Tommy gave me an Eilliott vibe- beautiful voice, but needs to work on his delivery and performance. This performance was just a mess, but I’ll give him a pass because I do like his voice.

Gabe Garcia wasn’t as good as I had expected after reading the comments here.

Coffey seems more R&B than country to me. And no, not because he’s African American, but because of the darn runs and falsetto.

I would imagine Ashley Hewitt making a Taylor Swift-like album. She certainly beats Taylor in the vocals department, but she doesn’t have as much star quality, in my opinion. She doesn’t meaure up to Miranda Lambert, that’s for sure.

Melissa Lawson was the best vocally, but not one of my favorites.

Nashville Star contestants don’t have the vocal prowess of Idol contestants, but I like how NS includes instruments and songwriting. Maybe I’ll change my mind about the NS contestants being terrible when I hear their original songs.