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A Dose of Reality: Nashville Star - Episode 2
by R.J. Carter
Published: March 17, 2003
It's more than just the country music equivalent of American Idol. Oh, sure, there's the whole "there can be only one" ending as week by week a contestant gets winnowed from the diminishing pool of hopefuls, each competing for that Sony recording contract that goes to the winner.
But there's also an element of The Real World, or perhaps more appropriately, Tough Enough. The contestants are all living in the same house together, sharing rooms. It's too soon to know what kind of drama might develop out of living in close quarters, but in this first week these folks seem to be getting on more like a family than like competitors, even working together on collaborations.
This week's special guest star is Nashville Star's own creative consultant, Clint Black, who had encouraging things to say about each of the contestants. But Clint's not one of the judges, so let's move onward and see what kind of comments our judges had about the performances they saw tonight.
 Contestant: Miranda Lambert
Song Choice: Honky Tonk Blues
Critique: This little girl can sing country. She's not flashy, she's not overboard. Just her and a guitar and a great voice.
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What The Judges Said |
Tracy Gershon
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Charlie Robison
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Robert Oermann
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You made Texas proud, and we're proud that we put you in this competition. |
Wonderful job. |
If you're this good at 19, it's scary to think of what you're going to be like at 30. |
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 Contestant:Buddy Jewell
Song Choice: Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye
Critique: He's got the look of a Travis Tritt, and a very mature voice--but I'm not sure the voice is strong enough to get him the Nashville Star contract. He bears further watching.
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What The Judges Said |
Tracy Gershon
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Charlie Robison
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Robert Oermann
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You're like a neon sign, a cold beer, a sawdust floor. You are country music. You sing your butt off. |
The song choice fit you well... you just sang the hell out of it. |
Some of the greatest names in country music have sung that song, everybody from Eddie Arnold to Glenn Campbell. I've never liked it better than I did tonight. |
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 Contestant: Brandon Silveira
Song Choice: Act Naturally
Critique: A goofy-cuteness aptly describes Brandon's look. It's an unusual one for a country singer, but it could catch on, and it matches his outgoing personality--he seems to radiate "good time" vibes. A little weak on the opening, I thought, but he recovers nicely.
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What The Judges Said |
Tracy Gershon
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Charlie Robison
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Robert Oermann
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Why did the A&R executive get hit by a train? Because she didn't hear it coming. You won me over this time. |
You're not a part-time punk, you're a full-time punk like me and that's a good place to be. |
I love your innocence and your joy up there, and I love it that you're a born ham. |
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 Contestant: Anne Louise Blythe
Song Choice: Poor Poor Pitiful Me
Critique: Seems rushed to me, but she hits the notes well. Her attempts to continually work the audience between verses might indicate that she isn't doing enough with the song itself.
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What The Judges Said |
Tracy Gershon
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Charlie Robison
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Robert Oermann
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I think you have grown so much. I think you're effervescent, I think you're bubbly. I love your stage presence. |
What I'm looking for is a uniqueness that is all your own and I just didn't see it quite come through right then. |
My biggest problem is that country music's women have taken all of the black humor out of this song. That's nothing against you--somebody ruined it before you. |
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 Contestant: Travis Howard
Song Choice: Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain
Critique: Travis reminds me of a younger Garth Brooks--this guy keeps you entertained! But to put that much pep into what's supposed to be a sad song... a daring choice. We'll see if it pays off for him.
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What The Judges Said |
Tracy Gershon
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Charlie Robison
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Robert Oermann
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I think it's great that you took that song and made it your style. We need more outlaws like you. |
This song is one of the great melancholy songs of all time, and it just doesn't fit your performance. |
Roy Acuff would be spinning in his grave... and that's a good thing, because I'm not looking for the past of country music, I'm looking for the future. |
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 Contestant: Brandi Gibson
Song Choice: Walking After Midnight
Critique: Finally a Pasty Cline remake that doesn't sound like Patsy Cline is singing it. Nice vibrato, but almost lost it on that strong ending; just a bit of vocal strain.
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What The Judges Said |
Tracy Gershon
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Charlie Robison
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Robert Oermann
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I just have one thing to say: You go girl! |
It's impossible to make a Patsy Cline song your own. You did it. |
It took a lot of guts to go up against Patsy Cline, the greatest of the greats, and you got over the hump. |
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 Contestant: Prentiss Varnon
Song Choice: Hey Good Lookin'
Critique: The shy cowboy sits up there looking all 'aw shucks', but just doesn't show enough flair in this song to get me excited. Then again, he is rooming with Brandi and Kristin in the Nashville Star house...
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What The Judges Said |
Tracy Gershon
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Charlie Robison
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Robert Oermann
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I'd like to see a little bit more Prentiss, but you're the smartest man in show business because you're living with all those women in that room. |
You remind me of George Strait before he got big. |
We've got a whole lot of guys like you, and we'd like you to stand out from the pack a little bit more than you did. |
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 Contestant: Amy Chappell
Song Choice: Son of a Preacher Man
Critique: Okay, this is one of my favorites, and she sings it well. I like a little bit more of Dusty Springfield's force and 'umph' in a performance of that song, and Amy is a little too soft and sweet for this one. Apparently Tracy agrees with me on this one.
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What The Judges Said |
Tracy Gershon
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Charlie Robison
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Robert Oermann
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There's something about you that is so endearing, but... I don't think that was the best song choice for you. |
Dusty Springfield should have come to Nashville a long time ago. I think you did a great job and I loved it. Good job. |
I've always that that was a country song, and I think you made it a country song. |
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 Contestant: Kristin Kissling
Song Choice: Heartbreak Hotel
Critique: I get the impression that Kristin is trying to be another Shania with her fashion choices--and there ain't nothing wrong with that! But she just didn't do enough to make this song of The King's her own. She's my choice for the first cut.
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What The Judges Said |
Tracy Gershon
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Charlie Robison
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Robert Oermann
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I was going to wear that exact same outfit. I think you have great stage presence--a little pitchy at time, but a great stage presence. |
I wish my kindergarten class had shapes like that to play with. |
When Elvis... That treatment just took all that out of it for me and I kind of missed it. |
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 Contestant: John Arthur Martinez
Song Choice: When You Say Nothing At All
Critique: Very soft tones, perfect for this song, and I love the segues into Spanish. This good ol' boy in the double-wide will earn that home on a foundation if he keeps this up--but maybe not from the Sony contract awaiting the winner of this show.
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What The Judges Said |
Tracy Gershon
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Charlie Robison
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Robert Oermann
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There's something so honest about your music and so compelling about you. |
We need more Mexican-American country singers, and you're the guy that should do it. |
After last week's show, you're my brother's favorite of the twelve, and he's six five... I'm not going to argue a bit. |
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 Contestant: Tasha Valentine
Song Choice: Your Cheating Heart
Critique: I'm not sure what the lady with the Bettie Page bangs did to this classic. There's way too much warble in my opinion. But I'd like to see her move forward just to see more people imitate her unique fashion sense.
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What The Judges Said |
Tracy Gershon
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Charlie Robison
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Robert Oermann
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You did a great job. I need to see a little more Tasha than Patsy Cline. |
It was a little too close to Patsy Cline. I can't wait until the next song that I hear you sing. |
You belong on that stage, I don't care what anybody says. You know how to work it. |
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 Contestant: Jamey Garner
Song Choice: Two More Bottles Of Wine
Critique: With a bluesy harmonica intro, Garner made this song so much his own I didn't even recognize it until he hit the chorus. Ending was just a little over the top, vocally.
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What The Judges Said |
Tracy Gershon
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Charlie Robison
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Robert Oermann
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You're an artist, you'll make a great record. |
Kick-ass, dude. |
The main reason to do an oldie is to make it new, and that's exactly what you did with that classic. |
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JUDGES DECISION:
 Poor, poor, pitiful Ann Louise. I thought she did a passing job on that song--but perhaps there was more behind Robert's statement when he said that someone had already ruined the song before Ann Louise. She should take heart that she beat out hundreds of others to become one of the twelve finalists, but there's none of them that wanted to be the very first to go. Bye, Anne Louise.
Check out more Nashville Star links at Sir Linksalot's Nashville Star page.
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