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Nashville Star - What happened this week? - March 29, 2003 Pop Goes Country | |
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March 29, 2003 was the date of episode 4 for Nashville Star. So far, three contestants have been voted off, and tonight the results from last week's voting are revealed. Again, the contestants faced the screen and watched the video of their photos displayed. The last one revealed is the one to pack up. That person was Travis Howard.
Barbara Mandrell was announced as this week's celebrity guest.
First performance was from Amy, who sang "We Belong To The Night."
Charlie: "Amy, I gotta be honest. When I saw the song, I was like, I dunno how she's gonna do this. But I mean, golly. That was great! How the hell you made a Pat Benatar song, not one of my favorite songs in the world, but man, you made it one of my favorites. Good job."
Second performance was from John Arthur, who sang "Some Kind of Wonderful."
Robert: "Two things, John Arthur.. number 1, if you'd have told me last week that you could do Grand Funk Railroad, I wouldn't have believed you, and number 2, I love you in that jacket, buddy. You are stylin'!"
Third performance was from Buddy, who sang "Please Come To Boston."
Tracy: "Buddy, unlike Samson, you got stronger when you cut that hair off. Let me tell you, you're looking and singing and acting more like a star every week."
They asked Barbara for her thoughts, and she replied that she thought every performer was extraordinary. Then, she said hello to the dependants of the 101st Airborne in the audience.
We also got a peek at the contestants singing one of their original songs at Roberts in Nashville. This was very interesting. Besides bits of the performances, you saw what the Sony reps told the contestants about their performances.
The fourth performance was from Jamey, who sang "Faithfully."
Charlie: "Hey Jamey! You stuck out for me so much before, but tonight it seemed, it sounds like there was so much style over substance in the whole thing, so I didn't buy the performance as much as your earlier performances."
The fifth performance was from Brandi, who sang "Every Thing I Do (I Do It For You)."
Robert: "I'm sorry Brandi. You're not a victim! You're a real live woman and you shouldn't be singing that co-dependency shit." (Brandi replied: "Was that a compliment or an insult?" Robert replied: "No. I don't like you being a victim. You're a strong woman, and that's not the song for you."
The sixth performance was from Brandon, who sang "Here I Go Again."
Tracy: "Alright, Brandon. You do this one thing really well. So, you do this Buck Owens meets Ramones punk cowboy thing really well, but you're kind of a 'One Trick Pony' for me. And until I see some more versatility, and until I see some more vocals, I'm not ready to sign you on. So show it to me."
They asked Barbara Mandrell for advice for the contestants, and she replied that it doesn't happen twice for any two people, and that the Nashville Star show was a marvelous opportunity for the contestants. Her three points of advice:
The final performance was from Miranda, who sang "Hurts So Good."
Charlie: "Hi sweetie. You did what I was looking for tonight. You took a song and made it your own. You did a good job. Plus, I love those pants."
My thoughts?
Who do I think will get eliminated next week? I'd say it might be Brandi. I don't know how her crying will go over with voters. But then, I gotta say that John Arthur's performance reminded me of Elvis. The way he sings and how he was moving his hips. You know what happened to the last two contestants that sang Elvis songs (Kristen, and Tasha, so we shall see.
I'm looking forward to hearing the contestant's original songs. So, next week should be interesting.
Robert: "Yeah, I'm impressed too. You know, Pat Benatar's not one of my favorites. You really did the assignment, which was to make a pop song country. You did that exact thing. I think you're a dark horse in this. You were not a favorite of mine from the beginning, but every week, you just seem to be getting better and better... man!"
Tracy: "I classify you as a singer/songwriter, so you need to show me the songwriter side of you. I've seen the singer, and that's what I'm waiting for."
Tracy: "I was hopin' that you'd kick in some energy, 'cause that was my problem, and you did. You could use a little more, but you're on your way."
Charlie: "John, you know I love ya, and you impress me every week, but I think that everything I've seen you..you do different songs, different ways, but I think you kind of took that song in a pretty predictable way, and I think for you, as creative as you are, could go a little bit more."
Charlie: "I think you did such a good job. I mean, I was right in the middle of writing something down, and I thought, I was just like "Gimme Three Steps," what a better... I wanted to see you rock a little bit more this week, and then you just let go, and I was like 'Good God!' and your voice was so... yeah."
Robert: "Buddy, you're a coward, though. That was already a country song to start with. You didn't do a pop song country, you took a country song and make it countrier. Coward! Coward!"
Tracy: "Oh, I disagree. I disagree. First of all, good for you for getting rid of the safety zone of the harmonica and showing us that you can sing. I did hear a bit of pitchyness. But still, a good job."
Robert: "I'm kind of in between. I just think it wasn't very country. That song, Lorrie Morgan does it in her show, and I don't understand why country stars like that song. Bad choice."
Charlie: "I gotta say, in the pop area, that was just great. But it's about taking the song and making it your own. That was a great pop performance, but this is making it a country song." (to this Brandi replied that she was sorry, but they wouldn't let her sing the song she wanted, and she started to cry.)
Tracy: "Hey, Brandi baby. First of all, y ou took good notes. You learned to use... you listened to us, this week you showed us a different side of Brandi and I love that."
Robert: "Boo! What do you know. You record labels turned down Garth Brooks and Randy Travis!" (Tracy replies: "Not me!") Robert continues: "Brandon, that was a revelation. I hated Whitesnake, and you made that song for me. It was great."
Charlie: "All I gotta say is that Kid Rock has half your talent and he's making a million dollars."
Tracy: "I keep looking at you and saying the more country the better. Don't let this girl go pop. You're wonderful!"
Robert: "The only thing I miss is I love that you're a guitar slingin' gal, and you lost the guitar tonight, and I miss that." (Miranda replied: "I'm showing versatility." and Tracy stated: "That's right. She got out of her safety zone, and good for you. I'm proud of you."
Overall, I thought the performances were weaker this week, than in previous weeks, with the exception of Buddy and Miranda.
I enjoyed seeing the different things the Sony reps suggested for the contestant's makeovers. With Amy, they pretty much let her stay the same, but brightened up her wardrobe a bit, and gave her highlights in her hair. With John Arthur, they took him to Manuel, who designs beautiful coats and pants such as Porter Wagoner wears, with lots of rhinestones, etc. They got him a great looking red jacket, which was what Robert commented on. With Buddy, they convinced him to cut his hair, and he lost about 4 inches worth. While he kept the hat, he got out of the black duster and they put him in a tan jacket instead. With Jamey, they pretty much did nothing. He picked out basically the same things he was wearing before, and they did nothing with his hair. For Brandi, they gave her a nice angled look top and jeans. She said they tried to get her to wear an $800.00 coat, but she said "No way. That's not me." For Brandon, he, like Jamey really didn't change. Same hair and outfit is pretty much the same punk-look he always had. Prentiss too was pretty much the same, hat, jeans and dress shirt. Miranda also kept the same basic look, but they took her to Manual for some great looking light blue leather pants.
Feel free to vote for your favorite below.
I'll include polls with the current contestants in my updates each week.