THE RECAPS
STORMSEEKER.COM RECAPS! Reality editor Gordon Pepper provides
recaps of each show.
March 6, 2004 March 13, 2004 March 20, 2004 March 27, 2004 April 3, 2004 April 10, 2004 April 17, 2004
It didn't sweep the nation last year, but it got a major cult following and arguably had the second biggest star in the talent searches, as Buddy Jewell was country music's breakout artist of the year. Can they repeat the same success this year?
We see a quick survey of the contestant tryouts from all over the land, and out of the all of the thousands of people chosen, only 20 semi-finalists were chosen to sing for everyone. Nancy O'Dell hosts this show again, and she goes through the rules - All 20 of them will sing. The judges will select 10 of them to move on, while the online public (that's you and me) will select an 11th 'Wild Card' contender. What's at stake? A recording contract from SONY and possibly fame as endearing as Buddy's has been.
Who are the judges? Radio DJ Billy Greenwood, Sony Music's Tracy Gershon and The Warren Brothers (but they both combing as a total of one vote).
The first singer up is George Ganyon, who has been playing country music for 13 and a half years. The Canadian from Alberta is just blessed to be here, and he sings 'Ring of Fire'. He has a nice deep country voice, and although he was out of time with a few lyrics, his voice makes up for it and a nice start. The judges agreed as Billy says that he couldn't have started it any better.
Can Heather Green continue? She wants to double as a singer as well as a model and she croons 'Keep Your Hands To Yourself.' She is not as strong as George, but she does have a capable performance. The judges liked the stage presence, but agreed with me that the vocals were week.
Matthew Lindahl, the next guy up has had all sorts of weird jobs, and he has a weird manner about him, as he pays with a washboard - no not his stomach, an actual washboard. The judges seem to be enjoying themselves with his effort, and I'm sure he;s going to get bonus points for the washboard. Tracy sums it up the best - 'You are a cross between Minnie Pearl and Deliverance.'
Laura Sullivan is fourth, and she reminds me of Heather - the first woman - good stage presence, but the vocals are not as strong as the guys. She picks it up at the end, but I don't think it's going to be good enough.
Here's how this format works - one of the contestants will automatically advance and go to the house on Winners Row, one of them will be automatically eliminated, and the other 2 will be put into a 'waiting pool' of ten total people. 5 of those people will be selected later by the judges as 'Wild Cards' and will advance to the next show. The first person to be eliminated is...Heather, which is to be expected. The first person to advance is...George, which is also to be expected as he cries on Nancy. AwwwwBarf. I would be shocked if Matthew doesn't advance as a Wild Card.
We start the next group of 4 with Stacie Michelle, who plays a guitar and sings a song that absolutely can't understand the lyrics to. The judges are mixed, and BIlly agrees with me, but the other judges really liked her.
Singer #5 is Richie Jones, who's happily married and has a great family. He also plays the guitar, and I can understand him and like what he has to sing. In addition, he shows off a nice set of pipes and I think he's got a great vocal range. The women are ok, but they are getting housed by the guys tonight so far.
That is , until we get to Jennifer Hicks, who just got divorced and who is dealing with her 6 month old child. She not only has the voice that can cut through the background instrumentals, she has charisma as well and she is the best woman that I have heard so far. The judges thought she was being sexy and real - and they thought that she mad the song his own.
Austin Hanks calls himself the California Hillbilly, and he sings decently, but he doesn't do anything for me. The judges would pay money to see him in a bar - but not necessarily his single - which is where the competition is based on.
Elimination #2 time - and the person who will be eliminated is...Richie Jones??? Wha? The audience boos the decision, but he takes it well, saying that's the way that the ball bounces. The judges do redeem themselves as they say that the person who advances is...Jennifer Hicks. She cries and thanks her mom. We'll be having a lot of AwwwwBarf moments, eh?
We start off Group #3 with Eddie Barber, who thinks that he's as country as he can get. He may be, but he is as out of tune as you can get, too, as he is consistently sharp in his song. I'll copy the Warren Brothers here - 'You were real country. but you weren't real good'. Ouch.
Brent Keith really want this recording contract. He doesn't impress me either as he sings a ballad which is also pitchy, but he does have that baby face charisma going on and the judges found him cute, bordering on disgusting because they couldn't find anything to not like about him.
Anessa Andrews is the third singer - and although she got rejected from Nashville Star, she is back for the sequel. She brings her own guitar, and I like her song 'I need a Cowboy', and I'll add that she is the strongest one in the group. Tracy says that she's getting there slowly, but the judges thought that she could be there soon.
Gregory Delang just had a baby girl - and she (yes, Gregory is a she) says that her kid has pipes just like her mom. She selects a very difficult 'Texas Time' song and she nails it. Wow. She was a little pitchy at the end, but she picked a challenging tune and made it sound good. The judges loved her unique voice, and she could move in, too.
There could be a hard choice as who to vote in - but it should be easy as to who to eliminate. That would be Eddie Barber, and he is indeed gone. The person who advances is...Brent Keith, as the baby face does move on - though I think Gregory will make it as a Wild Card.
Lance Miller begins Group 4 with 'George Jones and Jesus'. He's got that pure honky toned voice and he is sounding solid. The judges think that he's already a star and he could be a lock to move on.
Sean Patrick McGraw wants to be a songwriter, and he sings 'Oklahoma Crying', The judges liked the song and I thought he was solid too. This could be a tough group to crack and whoever gets eliminated could wind up with the audience booing the judges.
Nancy is back at the holding center, where she speaks to Gregory, who blames her goofiness at the end to seeing her baby on the video that was being played. I thought that she was going to get in without the kid excuse - but the explanation couldn't have hurt.
Sheila Marshall confirms my feelings on this tough group. She is also strong and has the presence to boot, but I don't think that she was as strong as the other group.
Brad Cotter rounds up this group, and he makes this even tougher as he sings strong as well. The judges thought that he was the coolest person in the group and he thought that this was going to be brutal to judge.
Sure enough, the boo birds come out when the person eliminated is...Sean Patrick McGraw, who I thought would probably win the second group. The winner is...Lance Miller, and he is shaking like a leaf. Buddy was shaking too - could that be foreshadowing?
We are shadowing the final group, starting with Marty Slayton. She has a nice voice and she is another solid contender, but her voice doesn't cut through the songs as much as the other women have. The judges think that she's real and they like it.
Rachel Williams is sick of working at Cracker Barrel - and she wants more out of her singing. This is an interesting clash - her voice is much stronger than Slayton's, but she is not as good technically or on pitch as Slayton. If Matti Leshem was one of the judges, he'd like her a lot, but the judges give her more of a mixed bag.
The judges seem to be more unanimous on Brennan Leigh - and that is that her voice isn't strong enough. I'll have to agree - though I liked what she did, there are too many people who can do it better and stronger - and although the washboard worked earlier, the small ukelele-type thing she was playing didn't do it for me.
The last singer of the night is Mal Rodgers. An Irishman who sings country? He sings 'Just To See You Smile' and his voice sounds more country than many of the country singers. He may be one of the people to beat, because he blew me away. The judges seem to be blown away, too, and I would be shocked if he didn't win this group.
I am not shocked - he wins this group easily. I am also not shocked that Brennan Leigh is the person eliminated. That leaves us with 10 people left - five of which will now be selected into the group in the form of Wild Cards.
But we are not done yet - we get to hear from last year's winner, Buddy Jewell. The audience, many of whom are entranced, go nuts when they hear him sing. He thanks the audience for all of their support - and the audience will cheer for him some more ad Tom Grady presents him with his first gold record. The crowd goes nuts and it seems like Buddy could break a tear or two.
After we bring out the 5 people who the judges first picked out, we find out the other 5 Wild Cards that the judges selected. The five people that the judges select are (in order of groups) - Stacie Michelle (which surprised me, because I thought she should have been the one voted out), Sheila Marshall, Matt Lindahl and his washboard, Marty Slayton and Gregory Delang (which I think was well-deserved).
That leaves 5 people who are in limbo - Laura Sullivan, Austin Hanks, Anessa Andrews, Brad Cotter and Rachel Williams. These are the 5 people that you, the audience will vote on - and one of the five will be the Super Duper Audience Wild Card Choice. I would select Williams, but that's just me. The result will
be announced on next week's show, where the eliminations will start again. Fade to black.
My take? Well, this is what you get when you search for true talent, and you don't let age, status or ability stop you. With the exception of 2 or 3 people, this group was not only solid, but capable of generating some monster country hits. This group is very talented, and by far the most talented crop of singers in the current music talent competitions - and this is coming from someone who is not a huge country music fan.
DId the talent take a huge step upwards? Yes they did. Did they do the same with the field of 11? Tune in next week to find out.
We have our 10 singers that the judges selected. We will now make it 11 as we get the results from our internet voters across the world as they make their first decision this season.
But first, we see everyone's first night in the house. We get quick peeks of everyone enjoying the house, including Gregory DeLang, who brings her kid in there for an extra unexpected participant.
Nancy O'Dell tells us all that there will be one more expected participant in the house. After Anessa Andrews, Laura Sullivan, Rachel Williams, Brad Cotter and Austin Hanks are brought out, the 11th, and final, participant is...Brad Cotter! We have the traditional exchange of hugs and then Brad tells the audience that he couldn't have done it without us.
He's not going to go any further though, unless he gets the approval of the judges, and Billy Greenwood, Tracy Gershon and The Warren Brothers are there to rate everyone. Here's how tonight's performance works - all 11 singers will be performing. The judges will eliminate someone and then us, the internet audience, will eliminate someone else, which will leave 9 people left.
Brad Cotter starts off tonight's theme - Country's Number One Hits. Brad sings 'Who Wouldn't Want to Be Me?' It seems like he wants to take full advantage of his second chance, and he gives a solid, if not unspectacular, effort. He also plays it smart by asking the audience to clap along with him - and that should earn him charisma brownie points. The Warren Brothers think that America made a wise choice, calling him a modern Pat Boone. He seems like a lock to advance to next week.
Singer #2 is Jennifer Hicks, who doesn't want to pack up her singing dream. Her song reminds her about her son. She also sings well (and unspectacular) but the judges think that she will be a star. Tracy - 'Anyone who can play a guitar in 5 inch heels deserves a lot more credit than she is given.' We show Jennifer's
number that we need to call to keep her around - and then realizing that they never showed Brad's number to vote, they bring him back out and show us the number that we need to call to keep him around. Oops.
Singer #3 is Mal Rodgers, who sings 'She's Gone County', which is weird coming from an irishman. He's got a nice cutting voice that goes through the song - but the judges aren't as convinced as I was. Tracy says that it's going to be a tough night - and she didn't think that Mal picked the right song (though I disagree - I thought his song selection was good). The Warren Brothers miss the mohawk - and tell him to not change.
Singer #4 is Sheila Marshall, who sings 'Who's Cheating Who' as a tribute to her mom. Her voice also is strong, but she was pitchy at times and I wasn't thrilled with the performance. The Warren Brothers likes how she pulled it off but Billy and Tracy both agree with me and tell her to tone the voice down, while Tracy is wondering if she is not enough country and too much rock and roll, which gets a showering of boos.
'When it comes to thinking about my girlfriend, their ain't anything about her that doesn't do something for me'. That AwwwwwBarf comes from Brent Keith, who sings 'There Ain't Nothing About You.' He's really grooving with the beat, and the stand-alone vocalist, who gets a hearty crowd applause, gives out the strongest effort of the evening. 'You disgusted me last week, you disgust me this week - I love you too.' says Billy. Lots of love to be going around here...
And there's even more love to Montgomery Gentry, who says that the key to winning is to keep trying, as there are plenty of competitions that he's won and plenty that he's lost as well. That's a good piece of advice and hopefully 10 of those contestants who will be on the losing side of the ledger will remember it well.
How much love will there be for the next singer, Stacy Michelle? She is blown away by the talent and he hopes that she can hold her own on her song, 'Welcome to My Crazy Life'. I think she can, and the Warren Brother, although they love her bluesy rendition of the song, tell her that Billy will criticize her on that. Sure enough he does. and sure enough, under Tracy's coaxing, they boo Billy.
Matt Lindahl just wants to share his music with everyone as he gets into 'El Paso'. He plays a more conventional instrument this week, going from washboard to guitar, and he has a nice Opry/crooning combo - to go with his overalls. The judges think that he would make a great opening act for Mr. Montgomery Gentry, which is nice - but when you think about it, they are looking for stars, not openers, and I wonder if they only think that he would be a lightweight.
The next performance comes from Gregory DeLang as Nicole thinks that the judges will be having a very hard time to decide who gets eliminated. Gregory makes the judges job much easier as she mangles her lyrics for the second straight show and she is pitchy. I love her voice, but she is very uncomfortable up there. 'I think you kick ass in the coffee house, but I don't think you are a Nashville Star.' Ouch. Tracy sticks up for her, but she gets the harshest criticism so far - and she gets it from two of the judges, so I think her train may be leaving the station.
Lance Miller sings 'Behind Closed Doors', and he is also shaky vocally, but he does recover and hits a nice high note at the end. Tracy thought that he sounded better, but he sounds like a Merle Haggard. He still has the butterflies - and he better be thanking his stars that Gregory turned in the effort that she did, but he still has to get past the voting audience in order to perform next week.
MArty Slaton says that she is competing more against herself than against everyone else - and she says that she wants to continuously improve as she sings 'Blame it on Your Heart.' She has improved, though she is a little pitchy. She recovers to finish the song well and the judges really seem into her. Despite Tracy wanting her to show off more personality, the males say that they love her singing and that they'll see her next week.
The final singer for the evening is George Canyon, who sings 'Kiss an Angel Good Morning' as h dedicates it to his wife. He almost cracks up during the song, but his nice voice and charisma - and the fact that he looks like Buzz Lightyear - makes him the total package. He doesn't mind the nickname 'Marlboro Man' either, and he wants the Americans to vote for the Canadian, because the Canadians can't (the Canadians can't vote? Wha?)
After a botched Green Room segment (which was so bad that it's not going to get any mention here), the judges come back with their elimination verdict - and to the surprise of probably no one, they knock out Gregory DeLang. She tells the audience that she loves everyone and that her baby was with her all the way. Gregory gets a standing ovation as she walks off the stage.
The judges have spoken, now it's the audience's turn to speak and say that they are smarter than the American Idol audience, If you base this on the performance for tonight, this is pretty easy - Lance was by far the weakest performer this evening. You never know with audiences though, and that's what makes this competition fun - and maddening. Tune in next week to see how mad this wacky audience is.
When we started off the last show, the audience was giving out good news to one of five potential stars. Now that we are starting off this show, however, the audience has some bad news to give out to one of the remaining 10 singers - one of them has been eliminated.
But before we get to that, Nancy O'Dell introduces today's theme - songs of love and heartbreak. She also introduces the finalists to us. Here's how the elimination will work - there will be a video montage on the wall of all of the remaining singers. The last singer in the montage is the person who has been eliminated. The finalists turn around as the montage begins, and we see...Stacy Michelle is the person who is going home. She thanks the housemates - and especially contender Sheila Marshall, who's crying in the back. AwwwBarf.
The sadness for now is over, and now we will be going to the singers...who will also be singing about heartbreak and sadness. Hoping to add some happiness to it is our special guest tonight...Joe Nichols.
We start the love fest with the aforementioned Marshall, who sings 'My Baby Loves Me'. Apparently, the tearful goodbye took it's toll, she is not as dynamic as she has been and she is a little flat continuously through the song. The judges think that she's good - but is she good enough to stand out from the pack? Billy thinks so - but he's the only one to do so. Sheila also is upset that her mom couldn't make it live - but she's sure that mommy is watching at home.
Matt Lindahl just got engaged on Valentines Day, so he will be singing 'I'm a One Woman Man'. As we see his girlfriend in the crowd, he croons out a nice rendition of the song and this is probably the best that I've heard him - though he completely mangled one of the high notes at the end of the song. The Warren Brothers agreed with me, but Billy still thinks he's an opening act while Tracy has to show him that he's more than that and a novelty act. We get boos showering to both Billy and Tracy and I sense that he's safe this week in the audience voting part of the show.
Flashback - at the end of the last show, all of the singers got to perform at the Houston Rodeo, which is considered a major event for country singers. They take two nicely stacked buses, and they proceed to...a firehouse/saloon a few blocks away from the rodeo. Heh. They had 24 hours to fill up the saloon to 350 people. The potential stars do what they can to fill up the place, which includes canvassing the outside area of the Houston Rodeo and singing and taking pictures, and getting television and radio interviews. Sheila Marshall gets what she thinks is a group interview - only to find out they they will only interview her. Oops.
With an hour left before the performance, the singers look into the audience to see that out of the 350 people they need to fill up the place, they have gotten...90. Double Oops. With 40 minutes left before the performance, Sheila gets a phone call from Larry Paragis - who is the head of SONY and who gave them all the third degree. They realize that they are close to failing the challenge. Triple Oops. We don't hear why this challenge is so important - besides the fact that it's a huge ego destroyer.
So what happens? We'll find out later, but right now, we get to listen to Brad Cotter sing 'Let Your Love Flow'. He sings nice enough, but I'm going to critique him that way that Simon does in American Idol. So What? He's nice, but he doesn't stand out. The judges think that he is solid, but none of them say that he has any star quality to him.
How much star quality will there be in Marty Slayton? As she sings 'Let me Let Go', I think that like Matt, this is the best that I've hear her as she really gets into the song. Tracy is looking for personality and the judges have to see her emerge as a fore-running singing. That has to be frustrating to the person who is bleeding with personality - Lindahl - as he was called an 'opening act'.
Joe Nichols is definitely not an opening act - and he talks about the music industry. 'The worse you hurt, the better you are.' He says that you need to hurt to really get into the music and he is impressed about the talent - without mentioning who his favorite singer is. Even the country music shows know how to implement and utilize space filler.
Jennifer Hicks wants to be better than space filler as she sings 'I Never Promised You a Rose Garden.' She sounds good, but she wasn't emotionally into the song. Tracy wants to see her be more into the music, while Billy and the Warren Brothers want to see a better song. Uh-oh. 3 negative reviews for Jennifer, and she better hope that in this very strong field that someone pulls Stanford and screws up or chokes.
George Canyon doesn't want to be that screw-up, as he sings 'The Long Goodbye'. That's not the screw up that Jennifer wanted as he was probably the best performance of the night. All three judges agree and this guy could very well be the man to beat. 'God willing, if my wife sticks with me I won't know anything about heartbreak, but since I am deeply into it with her, I know plenty about love.' AwwwwBarf.
Flashback to the challenge - and the contestants feel like barfing. They do some last minute campaigning to get the final number to...216, which isn't bad, but that doesn't match the 350 that they were required to get. And 75 of those were people that Sheila Marshall brought with her. When Jennifer Hicks performed, all of the singers sang with her and Matt Lindahl closed out the show. They did enjoy it but Matt sums it up perfectly this way - 'This is a weird dynamic where your on a team that's working together - but you're competing against each other at the same time.'
The competition continues with Mal Rodgers, who sings 'Two of a Kind...Working on a Full House.' The mohawk makes it's reappearance as he sings - but so does his Irish accent, which I haven't heard that strongly until tonight. He sounded the most emotional song, but he wasn't as good as he's been before. The judges agree with me, but before Mal leaves, he thanks his brother, who sold his house to get Mal a ticket to audition. He sold his house for a ticket? Wow - now that's love.
'That's The Way Love Goes' is the song that Lance Miller sings - no, not the Janet Jackson version..and no, he doesn't expose his breast either - but he does expose a very pitchy effort at the beginning of the song. Like Sheila, he never gets the pitch problem corrected in the song. The Warren Brothers agree with me, and Tracy wants to hear less of Merle Haggard and more of his own style, but Billy says that it's the best that he's heard him - and that could save his bacon this week.
We finish this week with Brent Keith, who sings "Lovin' All Night.' He picked the perfect song - upbeat and tempo, matching his boyish personality. The judges likes his comments, as is The Warren Brothers, but they give him this advice - 'You need facial hair, a broken heart and a drinking problem.' - which should probably be ignored.
As the judges are tabulating, Joe Nichols tells the contenders that whoever gets voted off shouldn't look at it as a setback, but as a change of direction. True, but to one of them, unfortunately, the direction change will be backwards. Nancy O'Dell asks the audience if they are ready to hear the judges decision, and the audience screams back 'NO!'. Heh. The audience definitely does not want to hear the name of the next person eliminated, which is...Mal Rodgers. Based on what we found out about his life earlier on in the show, THAT'S real heartbreak.
Well, if you base it on the performances, I would have to agree with the judges - he was not as strong as he has been while others have raised their game. Mal thanks the audience and his brother, and he tells him that he will get to the top, regardless of what anyone else says. As far as the voting goes, I still think that Lance is in trouble, but I'll also stick Jennifer Hicks right next to him.
After the recap of who to vote for, we are done with the show. Next week - the singers impress us with their own work and we see them open up for Montgomery Gentry and the U.S. Troops. We'll see them perform in 7 days - and we'll see of them get discharged.
We have 8 pretty singers, but I only have 7 photos..oh wait, wrong show. But the singers so far have been picture perfect. Nancy O'Dell states that because of a phone glitch, no one is getting eliminated. In addition to that, the judges won't be eliminating anyone this evening either! But before you start thinking
that this is a good thing, (and that USA will be more than happy to add another episode of the shot to the schedule), we find out that the polling will be twice as important - the bottom TWO people will be eliminated next week.
The special guest for the evening is Rodney Crowell, one of Country's most revered songwriters. He is introduced, as well the other judges. The theme for the week is 'Original Songs', so it should be very interesting to see how the vocalist's variety shines through.
There could be no one with more personality - and not a more appropriate choice to start the show - than washboard playing Matt Lindahl, who sings 'Jump Off The Bridge', which is a song that he wrote while touring around with his buddies in his RV. The song is just like him - very wacky and sure to be a hit with the crowd - but I'm not sure if it sheds his 'opening act' label with the judges. The Warren Brothers and Tracy likes her - but Billy Greenwood continues to slam him, adding that his song would never make it to the radio.
Jennifer Hicks slows the tempo down, as she sings about love in her song about finding someone special. It's a nice song, but to me, it borders on generic. Tracy calls her a 'song stylist', and both Billy and the Warren Brothers thought that it was a much better effort than last week.
George Canyon, who's friends lost one of their kids right before he went down to audition, sings a song about enjoying the simple pleasures of life. Like Jennifer's song, 'Looks Like a Good Day To Ride' is good enough, but it didn't blow me away. In addition, he wasn't into it as emotionally as Jennifer and it was his weakest effort so far. The Warren Brothers partially alluded to it, but they all love him and call him the next George Strait. He was still good - but I thought he wasn't as good this week and I want to see him do better next week.
Sheila Marshall sings 'Should Have Said This', which is a bit more upbeat and quirky about lost moments in a relationship. The song for me is just OK, but she brings a feeling and an atmosphere to singing it that George didn't bring to his song, in my opinion. The Warren Brothers - 'It wasn't my favorite song, which means that Billy would play the crap out of it.' Ouch. 'You have a great voice, but I could tell that Rodney Crowell didn't co-write (the song) with you.' OUCH. To add more fuel to the fire, Billy wouldn't play it on the radio and when asked if she had any comments for the judges, Sheila took the high road and declined - not that I can blame her.
It's Montage Time, as the group goes to WSIX to promote the show that they will be performing with Montgomery Gentry to honor the armed forces. They perform at the Wild Horse Saloon, and unlike last week, the place is packed for this week's concert. We get clips of all of the singers performing - and then in a touch of class, the singers bring up some of the armed forces people to the stage to sing along with them.
After the montage, we get to talk to Rodney Crowell, who says that believeablilty, relatability, a good melody and a good rhyming scheme is necessary for a good song. What's vital as well is for each singer to put a piece of himself in each song.
Brent Keith says that he put a little of himself in himself in his song 'The Cold Lonesome Sound', which is based on cheating, as he has been with friends who have been devastated by his partner's infidelity. This is the best song of the night so far, and this is by far his best effort. Tracy loved that he really put himself into it. Billy and the Warren brothers weren't blown away, but I thought that he was solid.
Marty Slayton wanted to have a solid song, as she writes a song with Al Anderson called 'Just About Every Night.' I wasn't nuts about the song, though I thought that she sang it well. Billy agrees, but Tracy thinks that she did a much better job this week. The Warren Brothers think that she can be a star - if she gets one of those Janet Jackson Wardrobe Malfunctions. OUCH!
Lance Miller was told be his friends to loosen up - so he sings the song 'Beer's Not Just For Breakfast Anymore.' I don't really think that it's a lighter song as we talk about alcoholism, but it's certainly a better (if not more unorthodox) song than half of the other singers. I'll predict that the Warren Brothers will love it, Tracy will be impressed with his improvement, and Billy will savage the song. I was right about the first 2 - but Billy was also pleased with what he did and that performance could have saved him (which I never was really into) from being dropped into the bottom two.
Montage Time - Part 2. Montgomery Gentry comes out to the happy people - as does one of the pre-show comedians who waves his arms up with a microphone to tell the audience to applaud louder. Oops. Well, Montgomery did sing well, and he had all of the Nashville Star SIngers perform with him at the end.
After the performance, Matthew Lindahl had top sign a lot of autographs, while Marty Slayton listened to the stories from the soldiers who would be leaving in a few short weeks. All of the singers left with the knowledge of how important the audience is and how it's truly special to entertain whoever you are performing in front of.
Brad Cotter showed up for work - but his mind wasn't there because he got an unexpected visit the night before from his ex. He creates a song based on that experience, and he sings it while he was playing it on his keyboard. The song itself didn't do anything for me, but he put so much of himself into it and he was so emotional when he sang it that you have to give props for that - and the audience did just that. Tracy calls it the best song of the night, Billy said that he would play that song on the radio and the Warren Brothers loved it as well. Brad says that he is still single - and Nancy implores the single women to e-mail him. Heh.
Rodney Crowell goes to the Green Room to talk to the contestants. He tells them that in order to get better, they have to keep writing. In order for them to keep playing on air, the audience needs to vote. As a reminder, the 2 people with the fewest number of votes will be eliminated. Next week, we'll be there for double the fun - and double the trouble.
The good news for the singers last week was that no one got eliminated. The bad news today is that two of them are going home - and we'll be finding that out shortly. The theme this week is the songs of Willie Nelson - and Willie himself is the special guest, much to the audience's delight, as they give him a standing ovation. He doesn't disappoint, either, as he sings one of his songs to start off the show. He may be 150 years old, but he can still play a mean guitar.
After the performance, the contestants come out to meet Mr. Nelson. After pleasantries are exchanged with everyone, Nancy O'Dell, the hostess of the show, escorts Willie back to his seat. He will be watching 6 of the 8 contestants sing while two of them will be eliminated. Instead of the opening montage which will reveal the 2 eliminated singers, the eliminations will be done 'Fame' Style, where the names will be announced and then the performers will sing right afterwards.
I can't tell you how much I hate this format. It stunk on Fame, and it reeks here. The quality of the performances clearly suffered when the Fame singers had to sing right after they were announced - and that could have cost the show valuable ratings and the winner, Harlemm Lee, his career. I hope we don't recreate the same thing here. Why do people have to create drama at the expense of the value of their singers?
The first singer to perform is...Lance Miller. Whoa. Based on his efforts so far, I would have surely pegged him as one of the people to be leaving this evening. Lance will be having a chance to get hie bearings while we get a montage about how all of the singers wish to be Willie Nelson's Game Show Hussy.
We get to see the judges (Don't forget to buy the Warren Brothers new album, which is released on Tuesday!), we hear Lance Miller, who will be singing arguably the most popular of Willie's songs - 'On the Road Again'. He does a good job at the song - and possibly the best that I have heard him, but when you are only down to 6 people, good isn't going to be good enough. Tracy enjoyed it, as did the Warren Brothers, while Billy, who thought that he was the most improved, didn't think that Lance would be around at this point of the competition. Lance - 'Me neither.' Heh.
The second person to sing is...Matt Lindahl, who I figured would be a no-brainer, as he his brooding with charisma. He sings 'Uncloudy Day' and he implores the audience to sing along with him. His trademark overalls are gone and it's been replaced with a dark suit with a blazed insignia on the jacket's lapels. He sang well and that may have also been the best that I have ever heard him. Billy actually gives him a good review and the Warren Brothers congratulate him for being diverse.
Flashback Video - The singers are invited to SONY offices for their Hot Spot challenge. Waiting for them on a conference call is NASCAR Driver Jimmy Johnson, who invites them to sing at the NASCAR race in Bristol. They have to sing in front of (potentially) 160,000 fans. They perform a little outside of NASCAR, where they meet fans - and then it hits them that they do attract people and are popular outside of TV. The first part of the flashback ends when the singers, not on the track in Bristol, are staring at all of the people who are awaiting them to sing.
NOTE TO AMERICAN IDOL PRODUCERS - Now THIS is the sort of filler that is actually ENTERTAINING and ENJOYABLE to watch - and it's much better than to see your potentially next new pop star dressed up in various food items singing a bad jingle from a corporate sponsor.
The next person who doesn't have to worry about being dressed up as a piece of cheese (for right now, anyway) is...Brad Cotter. That seems like a stable choice, as Brad has been stable throughout the whole competition. He sings 'The Last Thing I needed' because that's one of the songs that he enjoyed when he was growing up. He plays the country-gospelish song on his keyboard and he carries over the emotion from last week. That gets him another standing ovation and front-runner accolades from the judges. Tracy - 'I would watch the coffee in the morning, because if I was a front-runner, I'd try to poison it.'
The fourth singer is...George Canyon. Well, that's a no-brainer. He's been the man to beat so far, and e wants to keep the spot by singing '7 Spanish Angels'. He doesn't do anything to hurt himself, as he sings very well. My only quibble? Around 80% of the performance, he was singing with his eyes closed - which doesn't do much in terms of making love to the camera. That being said, he did do a great job, which prompts the Warren Brothers to say - 'If SONY gave you a couple of million dollars, you could probably give them a couple of million listeners.'
Nancy talks to Willie Nelson, who says that he's glad that he's not judging this competition. I have to agree with him - this has been the best week as all of the performances have been solid. I would hate even more to be a female - as all three remaining ones are still in the Green Room...
...but it's time to see a green flag as we flash back to the NASCAR event in Bristol. The competitors sing 'America the Beautiful' to the throngs of screaming fans - and they sound decent (though not as good as their performances tonight). They also stayed there for the entire race as they got the best seats in the house to see the race. 'The show has changed to get in, get the job done' says George, and the other contestants realize what sort of jobs they will have ahead of them if they win the competition. Again, I can't stress how these filler segments are so much better than the dreck we see on AI.
We FINALLY get a female singer, as Jennifer Hicks is the fifth person selected. Jennifer wants to cry - but she can't because she now needs to sing 'Mama's Don't Let Your Babies Grow up to be Cowboys.' She sings the song well, but emotionally, it pales in comparison to what we have gotten from the guys so far tonight. Still, I see her sticking around because she is one of the only females left - and maybe the only female left if Brent Keith gets the final singing spot. Jennifer is shaking like a leaf and crying when she is speaking to Nancy - and that can only increase her appeal.
Will she be the only female left? We bring out Mr Keith, Sheila Marshall and Marty Slayton to the stage for the final set of eliminations. The first person that America has eliminated is...Sheila Marshall. The next person's name who will be read is the person who will be singing next. That person is....Brent Keith. Wow. The men have been stronger than the women, but all 5 guys remaining moving on to the FInal 6? Wow.
While I am stunned about that, Brent Keith sings the final song - 'Good Morning America'. He is also solid, and the fact that he was in the emotional pressure cooker for the past hour didn't seem to faze him at all. Unlike George, Brent does make love to the camera and the judges liked that he was listening to their critiques from last week.
My take? Lance and Matt may have seriously improved their stock this week, but they are still chasing George, while Brad may be making a serious run as a dark horse. Jennifer is the last women left, so she should be safe for awhile. I thought Brent was good - but I'm not sure that he raised his game to the level that everyone else did and I see him and Lance competing to get out of last - and the eliminated - spot.
Since they seem to be in vogue these days (and because Chico set the bar by doing one), Here is my list of who I ranked.
1. George
2. Matt
3. Brad
4. Lance
5. Jennifer
6. Brent
We get the montage of the singers' performances as well as their corresponding phone numbers to call. Next week - Lynyrd Skynyrd will be making a performance - and someone will be free to leave the show. Tune in next week to find out who.
The women have been getting picked off - will the last one left survive? Or will there be nothing but men left on the show? We will find that out shortly - but in the meantime, we will see the contestants interact with Don Imus - and we will see a performance by Lynyrd Skynyrd. They sound nice, but why are they playing? Well, that's because the theme is 'Southern Rock', something that Lynyrd Skynyrd exemplifies as they sing 'Sweet Home Alabama'. The 6 contenders give them a standing ovation, but one of them won't be sticking around for the reprise.
We now get to the Hot Spot Challenge as the contestants take a plane to New York to visit the Don Imus show. They were like fish out of water - man 'Where did you leave your horses?' Matt Lindahl - 'We parked them around the corner' Man - 'Around the corner - you're going to get a ticket.'
Welcome to New York.
They get a very rude awakening at the Imus Show, where they had to face people that didn't like country music. As Brad Cotter sings one of his depressing trademark songs, one of Imus's co-horts says - 'That's the kind of theme song for someone to if they put a double-barrelled shot gun and blows their frigging brain out.' Brent Keith is up next, which gives the same guy saying this - 'I thought we only had one girl here in the competition.'
As I said, welcome to New York.
Fortunately, the country folk don't have to sing tonight's song in New York. The finalists kick things off with the first Nashville Star Medley - and they sing it based on country rock songs. The guys sounded decent - but they were being overpowered by the band. Jennifer sang over the band and so did Brent - but you were hoping that the band would overpower them. Yes, I'm serious - they were NOT in tune at all. That being said, the medley, for the most part, was good, and they get a standing ovation from Lynyrd Skynyrd.
But all good things must come to an end. It won't be over for....Matt Lindahl, who starts it off by singing with his washboard. As he desires to climb in a tree in Central Park (good luck, Matt), this may have been the most serious - and the best - that I've heard him. If he can continue with the serious and more mature repertoire, he can be a dark horse to win the whole thing. In the words of Billy Greenwood, 'Matt, you've changed me from a doubter to a believer.'
The second person who gets to believe - that they can win the whole thing - is waiting in the green room, where Nancy O'Dell hangs out. Nancy gets to tell...Jennifer Hicks that she is next to perform. That keeps some of the women intact. Or does it - Jennifer Hicks' microphone doesn't work at the start of her song, so she gets a redo. When they restart her, the microphone works fine - but she still sounds muddled and it clearly shook her. Nancy thinks that she had a great recovery, but I can't help but wonder if the audience will take off points for that.
Next up is...Brad Cotter! Brad was up all night in the city that never sleeps, and he wants to spend much more time up there. His mike works as he sings an incredibly upbeat number (yes, I know that I haven't been writing down the song names, but it would help f they would SAY WHAT SONGS THEY ARE ACTUALLY SINGING - ESPECIALLY FOR SOMEONE WHO TRADITIONALLY DOESN'T FOLLOW COUNTRY MUSIC!). Well, whatever he did, he sang very well and I enjoyed his versatility of it. The judges agree - and they are happy that Don Imus didn't like him, because they know that he isn't too old. Ouch.
Speaking of which - back to Imus. Brent is up next - and he gets a 4 for being too pretty. Lance sings 'George Jones and Jesus', and he gets a 'too twangy' 3. George Canyon sings 'Letting Go' - and he gets a 10 - but a 4 from the same guy, who calls the song too depressing. Jennifer is worried about what they are going to do to her as we take...
...a break...
...and then we come back to the live studio, where we have three singers - and 2 slots left. One of those slots will be going to...George Canyon! George, who was involved i police work, went to visit Ground Zero, and then incorporated it into his own song. He's saying and doing the right things, isn't he? He gives a solid effort, and even though it isn't as good as he usually is, it's still nice to listen to.
Nancy talks to Lynyrd Skynyrd, and they are enjoying everyone. I have to agree, this has been the best overall night for them. The best night definitely wasn't for Jennifer Hicks, who gets a bizarre look from everyone - but she gets a 7 from the '4'4 guy, so she was happy. Matt Lindahl, the last person up - and he turns on the comedic charm and gets a 10 out of it. He may not be impressing the judges, but Matt is charming the socks off of the audience - and that may be a sign that Matt will be around for awhile...
...but either Lance or Brent will not be. The audience has decided that the last performer to sing tonight is....Lance Miller. Brent thanks everyone for their support - and I realize that I finally get an eliminated singer right! Yay me!
And Yay for Lance, who sings 'Ramblin' Man' (Yes, THAT one I know), It was a decent song, but he sang it safe and generic, and at this stage of the competition, safe and generic will not win you the contract.
We have heard them all - and here is my ranking -
1. Brad
2. Matt
3. George
4. Jennifer
5. Lance
Lance may have been saved last week, but I don't think he gets saved this week. I think he is the next person to go. We get to contemplate this as Lynyrd Skynyrd sings us out with 'Red, White and Blue'. We'll find out next week who will really be singing the blues.
Last week - I actually got one right! Let's see if I can get a second straight one right and see Lance leave the stage. Will I be right? Or will someone else leave?
Nancy O'Dell tells us that tonight is duet night, which is really going to be hard to do with 5 finalists. Speaking of which, they are here, and we get to hear another (shudder) group medley. Now this is the sort of medley that works - each singer gets their own little part, the choreography is smooth, there are no annoying vocal clashes and it all sounds nice. It's funny that these shows all came after Idol - because, in the words of Simon, the production is raising their game while Idol really hasn't.
So this is the formula for the evening - as usual, we will be revealing singers, ad the singer not mentioned will be eliminated. In addition, the four remaining singers will be singing a second song - a duet with either Terri Clark or Trace Atkins.
The first finalist to be singing is...Brad Cotter! Much to the shrieks of the audience. We get the introduction to the judges and then we hear Brad - solo, without a keyboard, as he sings 'Drift Away'. He's much happier, and I can't help but think that he sounds much better with a keyboard when he is focused. The judges still fawn over him, and he was good, but I can't help but think that he sounded much better.
We are up to the latest Hot Spot challenge - and this week, the challenge, heard on Don Imus's program, has the artists perform a benefit for the St Jude's Children's Hospital. Lance Miller is heart struck that he meets a kid that looks like his sister, while Jennifer Hicks is awestruck and George Canyon calls the process humbling. They brought down as many kids as were possible as the country singers spent a whole day with the kids - and they all sang Happy Birthday to Matt Lindahl. 'I never had it sang more meaningful with the warmth in it than today.' said a tearful Lindahl. AwwwwBarf.
After a quick props to the Nashville Star band, Nancy goes down to meet the remaining people. The next person to sing is...George Canyon! Canyon goes to get ready while the other singers talk about how ready they are to perform. Well, duh - do you really think that any of them would say, 'No, I'm not ready, please eliminate me'?
George Canyon doesn't want to be eliminated, and the spark that Cotter didn't have is blatantly evident in Canyon's performance. He sang like he really wants to win this and he gave the better performance this evening.
Joining the two of them as a possibility to sing in the duet is....Lance Miller! Well, so much for me being right for 2 weeks in a row. He actually sings the best that I have heard him, but I just don't like his tone and if Matt gets eliminated, it's looking like a 2 man race between George and Brad. The judges, though they were very good in critiquing earlier, are all saying the same thing on how wonderful he is. I will say this for AI judges - at least they critique the singers down to the end. I am not going to put in any more judges commentary unless they have anything meaningful to say.
This leaves us with Jennifer Hicks and Matt Lindahl, who now join up with Nancy. Either one of my favorite will be knocked out of the box, or we will have a final four consisting of all guys. The person who will be singing will be...Matt. Jennifer, the last woman, is eliminated, and even though I don't think that Lance is as strong as she is, I think America made the right choice. The women just were not as strong as the guys this time around. Jennifer, who had her bags packed every week, thanks the audience for her having be around for as long as she has been.
So as Jennifer leaves, Matt returns. He sings 'Chug-a-lug', and what the judges have consistently have hit me - but in a different way. The judges have consistently said that he will be a great opening act - but not a star. I don't think that he will always be an opening act - but he sings the same type of songs and I haven't seen him grow as a singer at all. I agree with Tracy Gershon as she says that he does deserve a contract, but until he gets more experience and grows, he doesn't deserve one now for this competition. That gets her a shower of boos and a rebuttal from the Warren Brothers - 'The fact that you are here is proof that America wants to have some fun.'
We had a second hot shot as the singers finally get that benefit the St. Jude's Children's Hospital. The singers get together for an outside mini-concert with some of the singers from last season's Nashville Star. They raised $10,109.03 for the St. Jude's Hospital.
Speaking of group performances, it's time for the duets to begin! Terri Clark and Brad Cotter perform 'Easy on the Eyes'. It was a nice performance, and it seems like the duet is more to emphasize the special guest with the contestant as the complimentary voice. If that's the objective, then Brad did a good job. If the intent was for Brad to be the star - then it was not so good.
Next up - Trace Atkins with George Canyon, singing 'I Must have Left Something Turned On at Home.' This performance just accentuates to me how 'On' Canyon has been tonight, If this was the finals, he wins it, hands down. George blesses everyone and says that he could use the audience's help.
Lance Miller sings 'I'm Trying' with Trace Atkins. Lance had much more or a presence then Brad and I think he does a better job than Brad in the duet competition, but I still don't think he's in any of the singer's leagues.
Finally, we have Matt Lindahl and Terri Clark, as Matt's warbling even cracks Terri up. They sing 'I've Got Better Tings To Do', and we have seen the best and worst of Matt in that effort. The best of Matt was that he actually sang a mature song, The worst of Matt is that his vocal tone and pitch was exposed - it seems like the reason why he used the humorous songs was to mask the fact that he is not in anyone else's league, vocally.
Here's my ranking on this week's performances -
1. George
2. Brad
3. Matt
4. Lance
I think that Lance finally gets eliminated next week. Am I right? You, me, and next week's special guest Sara Evans will all be on hand next week to find out.
