The start of the sixth season of Nashville Star shows clips of some of the people who auditioned for the show. Some of the people were good, and some were not. Billy Ray Cyrus is the new host of this season's show.
First we go to the USS Iwo Jima where some of the military men and women tried out. Billy Ray also performed "Some Gave All" for the men and women, who were especially touched by the song. One Navy man, Tommy Stanley is shown performing, and he draws huge applause from the crowd.
We meet the judges, Jeffrey Steele, John Rich and Jewel. Billy Ray then says that we'll get to see the Top 50 get narrowed down to the Final 12, and the judges will send someone home.
After the commercial break, we come back to see a bus full of the Top 50, and we see the judges deliberate over who to pass through. They show quite a few people auditioning, and the first bunch are really pretty bad. The judges take a break and go into the room where the Top 50 are waiting and give them a pep talk, and when the auditions start up again, the results are much better.
Finally, it's time to meet the finalists, One by one they come out on stage and it's a group performance of "Life is a Highway." The finalists are:
Charley Jenkins, 29, from Utah.
Tommy Stanley, 22, from the USS Kitty Hawk.
Gabe Garcia, 28, from Texas.
Coffey, 28, from Texas.
Justin Gaston, 19, from Louisiana.
Alyson Gilbert, 28, from Tennessee.
Third Town, Toni, 35, Toni 29, and Jeff, 37, from Nevada.
Melissa Lawson, 32, from Texas.
Laura & Sophie - Laura, 18, and Sophie, 16, from Ohio.
Pearl Heart - Angela, 21, Amy 21, and Courtney, 17, from Missouri.
Ashlee Hewitt 20, from Minnesota.
Shawn Mayer, 21, from Iowa.
Some group numbers work, and others are a train wreck. Some of the artists do better than others. I think it's really hard to perform in a group number, because the key is never going to be totally right for both the guys and the girls.
After the commercial, Taylor Swift performs "Picture to Burn." After she performs, she gives the finalists some advice. She says, "You gotta figure what it is about yourself that makes you different. Also, treat people with respect. No matter how far you get, always remember that you are nothing without fans."
Next, we'll get to see the finalists perform solo. Billy Ray says that the winner will get a contract with Warner Nashville, get to go on tour, receive a Toyota Tundra, and get to perform at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
The first to perform is Pearl Heart.
They sing "Wide Open Spaces."
John: Great job, girls.
Jeffrey: You can't miss with the family harmony. You guys have come a long way since the first audition.
Jewel: I'm in love with you all. I think you sound great.
My thoughts: I thought they had great harmonies. They're not perfect, but they are really good. Courtney needs to beef up her lead vocals some more.
Next, Tommy Stanley.
Tommy sings "Walkin' in Memphis."
Jeffrey: I think you really got the crowd going. But, I'm still not sold on you.
John: I think you made a mistake, a little bit with oversinging.
Jewel: I like what you did tonight, personally. I disagree with you all just a little bit.
My thoughts: I like the arrangement of the song, but he seemed a little too wired. He needs to relax a little more.
Next up is Shawn Mayer.
Shawn sings "Piece of My Heart."
John: Right now, I felt like I was seeing a girl singing in a bar, not going for a major record deal on national television.
Jewel: You've got more range than you are even using tonight.
Jeffrey: It's gotta be spot on. I'm telling you this, because I think you're a great singer.
My thoughts: She has stage presence, but I don't know what I think about her voice. She's trying really hard, but something is weird with her voice.
Next is Third Town.
They sing "Elvira."
Jewel: We've got to figure out how to make you a modern act.
John: There's got to be a defining voice to this band.
Jeffrey: I kind of feel I'm at the county fair with that song.
My thoughts: Interesting song choice. I don't think they did all that well with it, though.
Next up is Coffey.
Coffee sings "Drift Away."
John: I feel like you're the best thing I've seen so far tonight.
Jeffrey: For me there were a few pitch issues.
Jewel: What pitch issues? I wanna rewind the tape.
My thoughts: He has good stage presence. Very energetic. Really like him for the most part, but I think he can tend to overdo it on the runs sometimes.