Nashville Star 6, July 28: Last Chance Saloon

Howdy, y’all! Welcome to the last week of voting for the sixth season of Nashville Star. This week, the final four return to their hometowns for some celebrations, memories, and other cool stuff. After the four perform once more, one will leave and the other three will perform their final pleas to the audience. Then, it’s all up to America. Who could win, and who’s shot is already gone?

First to go is Iowa girl Shawn Mayer, who has been sneaking past elimination for a few weeks now. Shawn returns to her hometown of May City, the only one not in Texas. And Shawn is excited to go back to her 45-large town, which now boasts a sign of her on the city limits. A large crowd awaits Shawn in a nearby city’s mall, who all ask for autographs. Later, Shawn leads a pack of motorcycles to her concert. A huge crowd appears for her there, making it the largest concert ever in May City, as Shawn proclaims. They were there for the party, and now Shawn sings “Here for the Party.”

John: At the beginning of the season, I said, “Don’t ever sing a Gretchen Wilson song.” You’ve come so far, you made that sound like a Shawn Mayer song.

Jewel: You’re stepping into your confidence and starting to shine. With great fame comes great responsibility.

Jeffrey: I missed that high note at the end. I know you’ve got a wisdom tooth issue. You were a real pro through all the pain. Give your last performance your best shot.

Tyler: Shawn’s back to her old self. It was a good live performance, but it’s not the kind of song that you want to rock to on the radio. Still, if there’s one reason that Shawn’s still here, it’s her skill with live performances. That could get her to the top three, but no farther than that. 7.

Now, let’s kick things off for the Texas trio with Lytle’s Gabe Garcia. As soon as he turns a corner, he runs into a crowd of his family and friends. He heard there would be a parade, but what he got was “the wildest parade Lytle has ever seen.” Gabe receives the key to the city, but he dedicates it to his late father, who served on the city council for fourteen years. Ten thousand fans showed up for his concert, but he’ll need many more votes than that for his performance “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere.”

Jeffrey: A little shaky at the beginning and end. You’ve been sick, too, fighting a cold. Your last performance needs to be your best.

John: There’s a huge void in country music. It needs an artist that can span the gap between country and the Hispanic community. You have a great chance at winning.

Jewel: It’s a great feeling to have your whole town come out for you, but the work is just beginning.

Tyler: Zzzzzz... This was Mr. Garcia’s most boring performance yet. Whether it was the cold, Gabe’s usual performance issues, or how Gabe made the song hard to believe, I didn’t enjoy it. As I’ve been saying, Gabe is a record producer’s dream, but if he doesn’t turn in his last live performance, he may not win. 5.

Two down, two to go. Coffey is next, returning to his hometown of Bangs, Texas Los Angeles. Since his daughter Savannah is in L.A., he has to go there. Needless to say, Savannah is very happy to see him, and the feeling is mutual. On his way to talk to the youth at his church, he finds out that the crowd is much larger than he expected. Coffey also receives the first Dream Center star, which looks just like the Walk of Fame variety. As great as that is, the talk with the church youth is the best part for Coffey. The crowd is just as large at his concert, and he even gets a visit from Patricia Heaton. Though he’s from California via Texas, Coffey sings “Sweet Home Alabama.” Is that a mistake?

Jeffrey: This was pretty good. You’re in your best element when you’re not overdoing the songs. You’re a great showman.

John: You have incredible charisma. You are a star, but I doubt you’re a Nashville star. America will decide

Jewel: Charisma can’t be taught. There is a difference between singing live and for a record. Keep moving forward. Good job.

Tyler: Coffey has the flair to be sure, but his voice is still as goopy as ever. You know, goopy. Not solid, not smooth. Just goopy. I agree that Coffey probably won’t win, nor should he, but he can be a good concert draw with enough effort. Otherwise, this was just an okay performance for the last voting round. 7.

That leaves just Melissa Lawson to show us what happened back home. By home, Melissa means Arlington, Texas. Her first stop is at her home, where her two sons hug her so hard, it becomes hard for Melissa to breathe. Later, the family rides in a passenger van to their engagements around town. First stop, the high school. Melissa never was a popular person, but now that she’s close to winning a nationally broadcast reality show, they all love her. Naturally, she plays and signs autographs for them. In return, she gets a key to the city. Melissa hits us with “Hit Me With Your Best Shot.”