Nashville Star 6, July 21: Make It Your Own

Howdy, y’all! Welcome to the one week of Nashville Star that provides something American Idol is too chicken-livered to attempt: original songs night. The five remaining wannabes journey to the center of the country music universe – the Grand Ole Opry – to converse with their mentors about their songs. Can anyone write a radio staple, or will all these songs be less than album-worthy?

By the way, you know that 50-point scoring system I’ve used in the past? Well, I’ve decided to ditch it permanently. You know something doesn’t work when it even confuses its creator. I’ll just be using the tried-and-true 10-point system. No separate categories, no differences in points per category, and hopefully no more confusion on my part.

With that out of the way, let’s get to our first performer of the episode. It is... Coffey! His song is named “Southern Man,” which also happens to be the song he auditioned with. The Opry took his breath away at first, but he found it in time to practice for Jewel. Jewels feels that the song explains Coffey and his story well. Coffey also believes people can have fun with his song.

Jeffrey: I’ve been waiting for this week. I remember you doing this earlier in the season. I wanted to drill you, but you did a good job. It’s kind of novelty for me, though, but I like the way the lyric went down.

John: If you win, you have to get on 200 country radio stations. That song turns on a crowd, but you’ll have a hard time getting that on radio. Great performance, not a great song. (Coffey retorts by calling John the “Donald Trump of country music.”)

Jewel: That song is you. People will vote for you because of that. I’m proud of that.

Tyler: A good singer can make the most inane song a hit, and a well-written song can compensate for subpar vocals. This was the latter. The lyrics were very interesting, although they seemed to try too hard to prove himself country at points. But it needs more range. How many different notes did Coffey use? Three? I have to admire the “fade me out” ending, though. That was pretty clever. 7 out of 10.

Following some chat between Katie Cook and Coffey, then Katie and Shawn Mayer, the next to perform is... Melissa Lawson! She’s very new to songwriting, but Melissa hopes “Ready to Stand” will impress John. It does. Melissa has been knocked down many times in the country music business. This is her moment to stand.

Jewel: One of the great things about writing your own music is that you get to write for your own voice. You did a good job taking advantage of that.

Jeffrey: I’m so mad at everyone on stage because I’m a songwriter who came here ready to critique the heck out of everyone. Great lyric. I love how you delivered the melody. Really great.

John: I’m becoming more and more impressed every week. You need to stay focused. Every performance needs to be as good as that. Everyone knows you’re a powerful singer. That was great, though.

Tyler: As I mentioned above, some songs work more for the vocals than the song itself. While the melody of this song seemed a little dime store, the lyrics were pretty good. Melissa’s voice made the song, however. I preferred Coffey’s song, but I loved Melissa’s performance more. 8.

And now, for the special guests of the week. It’s a medley of hits from three successful singer-songwriters, the Nashville Star judges. Every song lasts about fifteen seconds. Seriously. Let’s move on, okay?

The next contestant in the top four is... Gabe Garcia! Gabe and Jewel meet at the Grand Ole Opry to practice Gabe’s song, “Lost Weekend.” Never saw that movie. Anyway, Gabe wrote this song with a couple of buddies. This opportunity means everything to Gabe.

Jeffrey: You’re ruining all my notes. Great work, great lyric. I liked it. I’m so glad America gets to see this side of everyone.

John: I liked it, too. It sounds like it could be a big old hit. You’re not up against the others on this show, you’re up against the number one artists in country music. You gotta work on your connection with the audience. Your voice, looks, and song are all great, otherwise.

Jewel: The job is to have a radio hit that doesn’t sound too generic. Keep walking that line.

Tyler: Gabe fell between Melissa and Coffey in both song and vocals. The result was a more balanced performance overall. Still, his old stiff habits found their way back to Gabe’s body, and that’s not going to give him the win over Melissa.8.

That leaves us with Ashlee Hewitt and Shawn Mayer. Following some trivial chit-chat between Katie and the bottom two, Ashlee starts with her product-placement song called “Mike’s Hard Lemonade.” Ashlee is excited to showcase herself as artist who’s been writing since she was twelve. She admits the song is a bit naughty, and not because the titular drink is seen so often on Dateline: To Catch a Predator. John asks Ashlee to enunciate more. Will she?

Jewel: I’ve always liked you. I’d like to help you cut a record. That song was great.

Jeffrey: I’m impressed by your songwriting skills at your age. I loved it.

John: Everyone on this table has been told “no” many times. Should you be gone tonight, Nashville would be a fool not to give you a record deal. You’re very stylistic.

Tyler: Okay, maybe it’s not product-placement, seeing as how the drink is the idiot ball in the song. The song wasn’t too bad, but everyone else has topped her thus far. She did sing pretty well, though those enunciation issues John alluded to did surface from time to time. Not a bad performance at all, but it won’t give her a win. 7.

We’re down to Shawn Mayer and her song, “I’m Not Looking Back.” Shawn told herself not to cry when she stepped onto the Opry stage. The song is about the love of Shawn’s life, left behind here in Iowa. Jeffrey is impressed by his last pupil’s writing skills. He believes John is a fool. Can the self-proclaimed longshot shoot to victory this week?

John: In the last couple of weeks, you’ve been taking quantum leaps. The last two weeks have been slam dunks. If you leave tonight, it’s just bad timing.

Jewel: You have a Priscilla Presley thing going on with that dark hair and your eyes. This showed your strong suit. You’re best on your own material.

Jeffrey: I loved the spacing between the words. That song could be by Faith Hill or Martina McBride. Whatever happens tonight, you have a career.

Tyler: For the first time perhaps ever, Shawn sounded recordable. Like Jewel said, Shawn is made to be a singer-songwriter and not a cover artist. The song was well-constructed, and Shawn owned it as she needed to. She made Iowa proud with that performance. 9.

Ashlee and Shawn both wrote and sang their hearts out, but one heart is out for good. Missing out on the final four will be... Ashlee Hewitt. Billy Ray believes Ashlee is a star waiting to happen. Ashlee isn’t disappointed, because this was a great experience for her. John says he never won a competition in his life.

Overall, that was a good episode. Everyone did well with their original songs to certain extents. Next week, the final four will visit their hometowns, and then will become the final three. Also, the final votes will be cast to determine the next Nashville Star. See ya then!

Tyler can be reached at tejayes@yahoo.com. What do you like? What do you hate? I mean, besides confusing points systems.

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