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Nashville Star - The Finalists - Various Artists | |
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Reviewed by Matt Bjorke
In the wake of the success of "reality" shows like "Making The Band," "Pop Stars" and the smash hit show "American Idol," it was only natural for some TV producers to head to Nashville and create a reality show to discover the next "star." Taking the title of "Nashville Star," this new show is currently airing on the USA TV Network (CMT in Canada).
Mixing some of the elements of "American Idol," and other reality shows like "Big Brother," "Nashville Star" pits twelve contestants against each other for the goal of being the last person standing. The show’s winner will receive a recording contract with Sony Music Nashville (the Columbia, Epic, Monument, Lucky Dog labels).
The Twelve finalists, selected by judges Charlie Robison, journalist Robert K. Oermann and Sony A&R Consultant Tracy Gershon, run the gamut from traditional country, to outlaw country to pop country. As of this writing, one contestant was ousted by the judges while the fate of another is in the hands of you, the fans.
This album simply called, Nashville Star: The Finalists, is a great way to introduce the contestants into a studio atmosphere and give fans a better glimpse of the artists themselves. Each contestant was paired with a song they felt "comfortable" with. There was a catch though; the contestants had to select a "classic country" song. Six producers were paired up with 2 contestants each and the results are pretty good.
Miranda Lambert starts off the CD with the Hank Williams classic "Honky Tonk Blues." This 19 year old blonde firecracker certainly has a future in the business. She has a cool singer/songwriter vibe going on and was the only contestant to sing her background vocals as well. Garth Fundis’s production is tight and clean, as one would expect from the man who helped make Trisha Yearwood a star.
Jamey Garner was a favorite of mine (I voted for him) when he performed Delbert McClinton’s "Two More Bottles Of Wine" on the show. The song is still really good here but Jamey comes across as an artist in the same style of Travis Tritt or Andy Griggs. Perhaps Jamey is just a better live performer than studio guy. Still the song is solid and far from the worse song on the record.
Amy Chappell performs in small clubs in Nashville and her outstanding performance of "Son Of A Preacher Man" on the show shows it. On the studio version, she comes across as a sultry bluesy siren like Allison Moorer. She is growing on me.
Sounding like a mix of Ronnie Dunn and Trace Adkins, Buddy Jewell has warmed me over, like the judges I wasn’t sure if he would do well in the market place but with the success of Trace and now recently Montgomery Gentry and Jeff Bates, good baritone vocalists are coming back into style and Buddy certainly fits that bill. His studio experience also shows for he has the best performance of the guys here with his version of "Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye" which was most recently a hit for Neal McCoy.
There is no denying Natasha Valentine’s talent or uniqueness. What is missing is her own style for she sounds too much like Patsy Cline, as the judges pointed out. I have no doubt that she’ll find her own style but I just don’t feel her version of "Your Cheatin’ Heart" is as good as it could’ve been, still traditional country fans will really love it.
There’s something about Travis Howard that’s hard to place but one thing’s sure he has that "outlaw/rock star look" that RCA is marketing Andy Griggs with. Travis’ version of "Blue Eyes Cryin’ In The Rain" is different than what I’ve heard before and that makes him unique. Vocally he ain’t gonna win any contests, but the man knows his limits and performs a strong song.
Anne Louise Blythe was the first one kicked off the show by the judges. Her version of "Poor, Poor Pitiful Me" is good but it is strictly a paint-by-numbers effort. Perhaps that was a lack of studio experience on her part or misdirection by a typically good producer (Don Cook) or just the similarity it has to Terri Clark’s recent hit of this Warren Zevon classic (originally done by Linda Ronstadt).
On the other side of the Anna fence is John Arthur Martinez. A 41 year-old father of four, John Aruthur has done quite a job with his version of Keith Whitley’s classic "When You Say Nothing At All." Mixing his Spanish verses at the end with the English gives this song a new twist. There needs to be more Hispanics in country music (Where is Rick Trevino any way?) and I hope John Arthur is offered a recording contract. I don’t think he’ll ultimately win the competition but his mixture of George Strait style with Spanish music is much needed nationally.
It is in this reviewer’s opinion, that upon hearing Kristen Kissling’s "Heartbreak Hotel" that she will be one of the next two or three to leave the show. Her bluesy version of the song is quite good but it ain’t country. She professes to want to sing pop country and that really isn’t the direction country is currently heading in as evidenced by the shelving of such pop leaning albums as Rebecca Lynn Howard’s Forgive CD.
I have stated in the About.com Country music forums that I didn’t like Prentiss Varnon’s performance on Nashville star when he sang "Hey Good Lookin’." After hearing his studio version, there’s no denying his George Strait like charisma. He even has a cool first name that is country, he’s country and he could go far in this contest. Still, he could become a hit maker even if he doesn’t win this contest.
The best performance on the CD goes to Brandi Gibson. She takes Patsy Cline’s "Walkin’ After Midnight" and really makes it her own. She has the best female voice in the competition and I hope the contest comes down to her and someone else. She better be one of the last two finalists. Trisha Yearwood and Mary Chapin Carpenter have proved that women don’t have to be a certain look or dress size to get signed in Nashville as long as they have a good voice and songs. Brandi fits that requirements and her voice is just beautiful.
Brandon Silviera is himself, plain and simple. He professes to claim the Judds and rock act Sublime as influences and his look shows the "Sublime" reference. His voice is pure California country. Think Dwight Yoakam and the man who made "Act Naturally" a hit, Buck Owens. He does the song well and really did well with it live. He has talent even if it is "outside the box."
In the end, this is a great collection of songs. Will some of these people be remembered down the line, probably not but I think that the majority of them will at least be given publishing deals or demo singing deals. There is talent here and American Idol has proved that even the runner ups can win record contracts. Those who like traditional country music will surely like this CD as will those who want to really hear these contestants for themselves more than through the Nashville Star TV show.
Song List:
Album cover courtesy of Sony Nashville.
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