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- In a twist on American Idol (2002), amateur singers compete for several weeks to see which one will be selected by viewers' votes as the next country music superstar.
- "Nashville Star" - Top Ten Performance Show - June 23, 2008 Apparently there are "Nashville Star" dancers now, they hoof it up as Dunkelwoman tells us that tonight the top ten will be putting a country spin on pop songs. Billy Ray says this week they're doing things differently and calls out the names of Tommy Stanley and Gabe Garcia. One is a top vote-getter the other is in the bottom two. Tommy is in the bottom two. Gabe is safe through to next week and will sing first. For some reason Achy Breaky Billy thinks that this constitutes "one wild start." We're unsure why. Group Sing: "Like a Prayer," Madonna. Melissa, the big girl, starts off really strong. It's not terribly country but it's nice. The group comes in, they make a very nice chorus. Tommy's up next and he has some trouble with the key. John Rich pumps his fist in approval. Alyson, the mini-Reba, does just fine. This is also not in a key that favors Gabe. Laura & Sophie are like butter though. A real choir comes down the aisles a-singing and-a clapping. Ashlee, the pretty blond, and Coffey, the black cowboy, do okay. Man-cake Justin looks good. Pearl Heart sound lovely and intense Shawn is the only one that actually sounds kind of country. Video Package: Judges/mentors Jeffrey, John, and Jewel talk about this week's "pop goes country" challenge. John is taking his ladies to his bar. Jeffrey's taking the groups to his recording studio. Jewel is taking the boys to her appearance on Leno. Contestant #1: Gabe Garcia Song: "Livin' La Vida Loca," Ricky Martin Video: A recap of last week. Gabe is psyched and thinks people will be surprised. Jewel wants him to be more outgoing by telling a story. He wants to inject a little Spanish flavor. Performance: He smiles and looks confident. He sings it as if George Strait was singing it. It's a nice bouncy arrangement with dark undertones. We also get a snappy routine from the dancers. All of sudden it's "Solid Gold" up in here. He ends on a nice, big high note. Jeffrey: He's still not seeing him too relaxed but he blew his mind. John: Reminds him that they're both Texas guys and he thinks Gabe turned the Texas on, like he told him to last week. Jewel: Reveals Gabe jumped at the chance to have the optional back-up dancers. Tells him he can loosen up more. Contestant #2: Pearl Heart Song: "Love Shack," The B-52s Video: Recap of last week. Rehearsal with Jeffrey. He wants lead singer girl to be more confident when she says "knock a little louder, sugar." They practice in the mirror. Performance: Very cutesy, like the B-52s channeled through the Dixie Chicks and the Andrews Sisters. They sound great and are a bit, if not a lot looser. The dancers high step it on side stages. John: Thought it was great and that they look great. He saw them looking at each other nervously and it was distracting. Jewel: Thought it was great but that standing together was cheating and eventually they'll have to separate. She tells Courtney to just be herself and authentic. Jeffrey: He agrees with John, but calls it a great job. Contestant #3: Alyson Gilbert Song: "I Think We're Alone Now," Tiffany/Tommy James Video: Recap of past performances. John wants Alyson to be consistent. John wants to make it rock. She wants it slow. So she's going down the middle. Performance: She starts it slow sounding lovely. It speeds up going into the chorus but she's still singing it lightly. And she's not moving at all, just walking. She's not too pageanty anyway. It's kind of boring and not very sexy, which seems to be what she was going for. Jewel: Wonders about her high heels and if they make her nervous. She thought it was pitchy. Jeffrey: Says he's been waving her flag but he doesn't know who he's getting week to week. It was a little too pop for him. John: He asks what she was doing. He says she took it to this "vanilla mediocre spot." He's still thinking she should've rocked it. Contestant #4: Ashlee Hewitt Song: "(You Drive Me) Crazy," Britney Spears Video: Recaps. She's worried about bringing the energy up. John wants her to work the stage. She practices a lot. Performance: She gives it a locomotive groove and a cutesy Taylor Swift-style vocal. It works pretty well thanks to its great melody and her charm. Jewel: Sees a lot of herself in her, thought it was great, and wants her to not look so perfect. Jeffrey: Saw that she looked a little uncomfortable and says not to worry because she's got the goods. John: Sees her moving up on the arc and says it was good. Papa Montana jokes it was so good that it made him want to shave his head. Contestant #5: Coffey Song: "Umbrella," Rihanna Video: Recaps. Mentor Jewel needs him to be tender and sincere not just cute and charismatic. He's going to sing it for his daughter. He practiced a lot. Performance: He beat boxes a little at the start. Panders to the crowd by saying "I'm in Nashville, Tennessee." Then he starts feeding the crowd the lyrics to help them singalong. He calls out his daughter's name. It's not very country, but it sounds good. He starts to pound on his guitar, calls out for more strings, asks the crowd to sing with him, beatboxes again. It's all very busy and chaotic. The crowd loves it, or at least the song. Jeffrey: Says he knows they love him but if this is the real Coffey he's not on the train. John: This is the guy he saw in the auditions and liked and calls him a country soul singer like John Anderson who is in the audience. Jeffrey argues that there was no country in the song. Jewel: She warns him against the gimmicks. John asks what was gimmicky. She points out all of the above. John says he thought it kicked ass. Contestant #6: Laura & Sophie Song: "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)," Michael Jackson Video: Recaps. They want to step it up. Jeffrey helps them with the arrangement and they love it. He wants to bottle their passion and get it onstage. The stress of the show is fraying their friendship a bit. Performance: They're wearing way-too-cute ruffle dresses. The arrangement is working, if a little hokey and the harmonies are strong but only one of them is really working it stage and camera-wise. John: Thinks they look like they should be on the top of the birthday cake. Thinks MJ should watch the show and remember how to sing that song. (Yikes!) His only problem musically with it was that he doesn't like the unison singing. Jewel: Compliments Jeffrey's arrangement, liked them singing apart, thinks they look like cupcakes and thinks they're getting away from novelty act and into modernity. Jeffrey: Thought it was fabulous and was blown away and thinks they need to come out of their shells more. Doc agrees it was fabulous but in 2008 he is just now being disturbed by the idea of Michael Jackson singing a song called "Pretty Young Thing." Welcome to the party Billy! Perfomance: Danity Kane sings its song "Damaged." Diddy's harem, er, singing group does its Pussycat Doll routine by doing a little so-so singing and a lot of posing and dancing. Contestant #7: Shawn Mayer Song: "Bye, Bye, Bye," N Sync Video: Recaps. She believes in herself. John thinks it's a ballsy choice and he likes that about her, because he's like that. She's scared because it's coming off rock. Performance: She starts it out slow like a ballad all sad, then turns sassy. She struts and strums and twangs it up to make it more country. Because the melody is so strong it works. (Those Swedes who write for the pop tarts and boy banders know from melody). She enlists the help of two of dancers, which doesn't totally work but the song, somewhat shockingly, does. The crowd digs it. Jewel: Is shocked and impressed she went outside her comfort zone, was impressed with the dancing, and thought she really made it country. She liked that she was smiling since Jewel thinks she often seems sad. Jeffrey: It wasn't very country to his ears. He wants to see the real her. He thinks it's going to be "Bye, Bye, Bye" for her. (I'd put my money on Alyson). John: He thinks the most country and American thing about her is that she's not scared of anything. He doesn't think it was perfect or the best but she takes chances and if she can keep getting better she will do great. Contestant #8: Melissa Lawson Song: "True Colours," Cyndi Lauper Video: Recaps. John says now it's about picking the right song. He likes her choice and thinks she's a great singer. She wants to countrify. She misses her kids. Performance: God this song is beautiful. She does it as a piano ballad starting quietly. It doesn't feel super country but it sounds terrific and tender. For some reason she leaves off the last "like a rainbow." The crowd digs it. Jewel: She thinks she's a great country singer. Jeffrey: Wants to know what happened to her since she's selling herself as the plus-size contestant who doesn't care what people think and it looks like she lost about 40 pounds. (She's lost 67! Good for her!). Forget about the performance because it's a ten. John: He says he likes to work not with great singers but great artists and she just showed she was one. Contestant #9: Justin Gaston (the other half of the bottom two) Song: "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun," Cyndi Lauper (again) Video: Recaps. Jewel wants to help him project and sing out so he's not just beautiful but also actually sounds good. He practices, a lot. Performance: He does it straight country and actually sounds pretty good. He looks super nervous though. The dancers are dancing in pajamas. He muffs the high note but recovers well and does a great speak-sing "hey girls, dont you want to have some fun?" call out at the end that is simultaneously old-timey country and kind of Dwight Yoakam-esque. It's playful but effective and a huge improvement. John: Thought it was his best by far and thought he sounded country. Worries that it's too little, too late. Jeffrey: He's eating the mean words he wrote about not buying his act, literally, by eating a piece of paper. Jewel: Calls him most-improved, says he made it country and could tell he worked hard. She also hopes it's not too late. (This certainly seems like a flaw with this show, right?) Contestant #10: Tommy Stanley Song: "Maniac," Michael Sembello (from "Flashdance") Video: Recaps. He believes in taking chances. Jewel wants to hear how he'll make it country. They work on trying to make the vocals country. He says its a struggle. (Probably because it's a terrible choice. Really, you have all of pop music to choose from and you choose this?) Performance: He starts it as a piano ballad and then it's another fast singing one that has him rushing a bit. It starts to feel, not country, but, um, showtune-y, no matter how much pedal steel is on it. The writhing dancers don't make it any more country. He hits a big note at the end that sounds more Clay Aiken then Clay Walker. Jeffrey: Loved the last note, but didn't get his country bone going on. (John wants to know what that means). John: Says he sang it great but it was "pop goes pop." He wants to know if he can make a country record. Tommy says he can. Jeffrey interjects that he should've played his guitar. Jewel: Observes that Justin out-country-ed him tonight and scolds him for not taking her notes. John wants to know how he feels knowing that Justin out-country-ed him. (With a Cyndi Lauper song no less.) Jewel says she doesn't know who she'd pick to go home now. Going Home: Justin. Which is too bad because he was so much better. He gives his thanks and says he had a great time. Final Thoughts: Jewel's heart is broken and she's so proud of him. John says he was tough on him and he doesn't think he's a great country singer but does think that he has greatness in him. Jeffrey has eaten his words so he has nothing to say.
- "Nashville Star" - Top Nine Perform - June 30, 2008 Dunkelwoman stands with the top nine and tells us they're all going to sing twice tonight. In the audience:Randy Owen of Alabama; Vanessa Williams; Figure skater Scott Hamilton In the "it's never too early to get them started" department Billy Ray's little daughter Noah introduces her dad and our host who informs us that it's "family night" on the show. The contestants haven't seen their families in a month and were surpised at their mentoring sessions when their relatives showed up en masse. They're also in the crowd waving signs for their kin. Contestant #1:Ashlee Hewitt Song#1: "Don't Stop Believin'," Journey Video: Ashlee's dad, who was serving in Iraq, was able to come back and reunite with the whole, very large Hewitt family. John loves the idea of a Journey song, he says of her idea to start on the piano and throw on her guitar "wham, that's show business." He calls her an untapped natural resource and it's time to for her to show a whole lot more. Performance: She starts at the piano, throws in one of those little sighing/hiccup things that is meant to connote "country." She grabs her guitar and sings. She doesn't have much pizzazz and she has a couple of trouble spots pitch-wise sliding up to notes but she's perfectly pleasant. Jewel: Thought the move from piano to guitar was too clinical and that she needs to have some attitude and curb her nerves, but thought the singing was great. Jeffrey: Calls it the Barbara Mandrell show since she played two instruments. Tells her it's about to get harder and to let nothing shake her confidence. John: Thought she made the switch well, but she keeps starting weak and ending strong and he wants her to always start strong and end strong. Song #2: "Help Me Make It Through the Night," Kris Kristofferson Performance: This performance is much shorter, sounds fine but is kind of limp. John: Says it sounded like a modern-day Tammy Wynette. Tells her she needs to be mentally tough. Contestant #2: Coffey Song #1: "Hey Good Lookin," Hank Williams Video: Little Savannah runs to him all supercute. Jewel thought it was sweet. Jewel doesn't think the song he picked is vocally challenging enough and she warns away from the gimmicks- hollering at the crowd at the end of every line- that he thinks make him an "entertainer." Performance:Wearing a black cowboy hat, Coffey sidles through the song. He sounds fine, but Jewel's right, there's not much to this song vocally. He throws in just one "come on band!" and does a little falsetto riff. Jeffrey: He says it was too little, too late. He's not getting it but that the second half was alright. John: Goes superharsh style saying that a cowboy hat doesn't make someone country and he should go audition for "American Idol" where they break pop stars. He says he's a good singer, not a country singer. Coffey sasses back that since John Rich has never been to tiny Bangs, Texas where he's been mucking out stalls and doing something with rabbits he doesn't know how country Coffey truly is. Jewel: Calls herself the mediator and then goes on to criticize his song selection and hopes he does a ballad next time. Song #2:"Take Me Home, Country Roads," John Denver Performance: He barely gets out one line and immediately yells "sing with me!" He sings some more and then yells "let's sing as a family!" He is clearly rattled by what John said and seems near tears. Jewel:Says she knows he's half country/half pop and verifies his rural roots and reiterates that he should do a ballad next week. Contestant #3:Tommy Stanley Song #1: "God Bless the Broken Road," Rascal Flatts; "Tiny Dancer," Elton John Video:He hasn't seen his parents in over a year and they have a lovely tearful reunion. Dad tells him to country up the Elton John song. Jewel gives very little advice over a video phone. Performance:He's still fidgety with his eyes and head but a little more still overall on this ballad, his pitch is not so great though. He's decidedly average. John: Thanks him for his service and says he'd like to have a beer with him but it's not called "show friends" it's called "show business" and that it seems like he has to "concentrate" on being country and that, like Coffey, maybe he should go elsewhere or just be a Navy man full-time. Jeffrey: Saw him power through a bad note and was impressed. Jewel: Misses the swagger of previous weeks. Before his second song the producers surprise him with three of his crewmates from the U.S.S. Kitty Hawk, who came from halfway around the world. He's visibly surprised. Song #2:"Tiny Dancer," Elton John Performance: He sounds fine but goofs the lyrics. Jewel: Says he's had a rough couple of weeks and knows it was hard to sing all choked up with the surprise. He sounded better. And she thought that song sounded more country than the country song. She also thanks him for serving our country. Contestant #4: Pearl Heart Song #1: "I'll Still Be Loving You," Dan Fogelberg Video: They're reunited with their dog, parents, and brother. Jeffrey hands them what he calls one of the best songs of all time. It's a very personal song for him and he chokes up talking about a child he lost several years ago and that if they get it right he will lose control. (My gosh, what a terrible thing to happen to a parent. God bless him.) Performance: Someone is completely off and throwing the harmony out of whack, it's intermittently strong and awful. Jeffrey: He says they rose to the occasion, he got a chill bump. He thinks they still look a little stiff. John: Says when they really got it right that it was really good but they missed a few spots and they need to work on being perfect. Jewel: Thought that when they stood up it was good. Song #2: "One Way Ticket," LeAnn Rimes Performance:They sound a lot better. Jeffrey: He wants them to let the people love them and says he's so proud. Contestant #5:Melissa Lawson Song #1: "This One's For the Girls," Martina McBride Video: She is surprised and pleased to see her husband and five little boys. John is on board with her song choice and her decision to play guitar. Performance: She starts strong in a low register sounding a lot like Mary Chapin Carpenter and shines on the higher chorus. She's got a lovely smile too. It's light and breezy but well done. She gets huge cheers from the crowd. Jewel: She compliments her lower register and her high notes and says she looks cute. Jeffrey: He's got nothing and asks her what she needs to do next. She says she wants to polish her guitar skills so she can keep playing it. John: Says if "NS" was over tonight she would be the undisputed winner. Song #2: "Landslide," Fleetwood Mac Performance: She sits on a stool and gets tender. Short but sweet. John:He's worried about her nerves stealing her breath. Contestant #6:Shawn Mayer Song #1: "Breathe," Faith Hill Video:She screams at the sight of her parents and sister. John thinks it's time for America to see Shawn's girlie side. She says she likes flowers and chocolate and we see her getting a pedicure. Performance:With her head tilted she's doing that shaky lower register thing Jewel was talking about before. But once the chorus hits she's in her wheelhouse. She's waving her arms around a little uncontrollably though. She shows off her pretty smile too. Jewel:Thinks the song was a good choice and it was nice to see her be girlie but tells her to be a little careful with her breath. Jeffrey:Thinks the losing of her breath was kind of good and likes that it makes her voice seem less ambitious. John: Was shocked at how well it came off but is still worried about her. He asks if she thinks she's improving and she believes she is. He's worried about her competition and thinks she showed off some nice vocals tonight. Song #2:"Forever and Ever, Amen," Randy Travis Performance:Strumming her guitar, short and fine, but still seems to be struggling with her breath a bit. She ends by saying "God bless you Randy Travis." John: Says she just made his point about letting her nerves get to her and nailing one song and not the second one. He tells her that she's not competitive enough to go all the way. Performance:Blake Shelton, "Home." Blake sings his tender ballad as video of the family reunions play on the screen behind him. Contestant #7:Gabe Garcia Song #1: "Wanted Dead or Alive," Bon Jovi Video: Glad to see his mom, grandma, brother, sister-in-law, and niece. His dad passed away in October. Jewel tells him to bring out a little attitude and sex appeal. Performance:He does the first verse in his strong lower register and goes up for the second, both sound great. He seems a little nervous with the "showing attitude" part. As he throws his hands out to the crowd for the "Wanted!!" echo in the chorus, Jewel grimaces. Jeffrey: Wants to know what the hard-core country fans are going to think but thought it was great. John: Thought it was like watching paint dry up until this point but that this was a good step forward.Thinks he's the best male vocalist in the competition but he needs to be more comfy onstage. Jewel: Loved how he showed off more personality and his gravelly higher register and wants him to start flirting with the audience. Song #2:"The Fireman," George Strait Performance:This is right in his good spot. Jeffrey and John dance along. Jewel:Thinks America should vote for him because he's genuinely country and that his family did a good job raising him. John: Thinks people should vote for him because he can make hit country records all day long. Bottom Two: Alyson Gilbert and Laura & Sophie. Each will sing once. Whoever survives will get to sing their second song. Contestant #8:Alyson Gilbert Song #1:"She's In Love With the Boy," Trisha Yearwood Video:John yells at her for not taking his advice last week. She's psyched to see her mom and husband. John likes her choice and she says she's going to take his advice. Mom sits in on rehearsal and makes sure she follows John's advice. Performance:She starts off John's way but then struggles with the lower part. She mugs a bunch with her eyes, hints of pageanty-ness are rearing their ugly heads again. She's hitting some bad notes but she's showing some pizzazz. Jewel: Notes that the popping eyes are back and that she needs to find some soul and some hurt. She doesn't know what her head trip is because she knows she's a better singer than this. Jeffrey:Thinks she ignored the advice to let the song just speak for itself. John: Thought she took advice well but that she only had moments of brilliance, not a wholly good performance. Contestant #9:Laura & Sophie Song #1:"Walking on Sunshine," Katrina & the Waves Video:Jeffrey advises them to be laid back and rock it up. They are thrilled to see their families. They work hard. Performance:They slow it down and rock it out, trading lines and then harmonizing. It's very cute, as are their stripe-y tube tops. What's not so cute is the bad notes they're hitting. Halfway through they bring it up to tempo and do a little choreography, there are still a lot of bad notes though. Jewel:Says it should've been a lot of things it wasn't. She liked the slow arrangement but it just didn't work. She accuses one of them of falling apart right before their eyes as if she was going to cry. The accusee, I think Laura, says "I don't think so." Not sassily just that she thought she was okay. John:Thinks they're nice girls but it felt like a high school talent show and that's not a good thing. He also thinks winning would be the worst thing to happen to them because the music business would chew them up and spit them out. One nods her head in agreement. He does think there's something great there but that they're a few years away. Jeffrey:Says he was proud of their work but that they missed a bit and if they squeak through to next week they've got to figure out how they're going to make it work. Going Home:Alyson Gilbert. She watches her journey. She's crying, her family cheers. John tells her that she's a great singer but that her equation is not right. Her encourages her to push forward and figure out how to make it work. He wishes her well. Song #2:"Because of You," Kelly Clarkson Performance:The lower register girl is fine, the high-harmony singer is just murdering it. They must be incredibly stressed out. Jeffrey:Asks them to focus and tells them they have the least to lose being young with bright futures ahead of them and they need to focus to keep from being eliminated.
- "Nashville Star" -Top Eight Perform- July 7, 2008 Back to an hour and no fooling around. Dunkelwoman intros Billy Ray. Billy Ray intros the finalists. Tonight there will be a double elimination. And for one the journey is ending right now. He calls forward Tommy and Melissa. One is a top vote getter, the other is going home. In the audience: John Rich's granny; Lisa Loeb; Going Home: Tommy Stanley BRC congratulates him and Tommy says thanks and says he was glad to pursue his dream, not just on his own behalf but on behalf of the Navy. He tells people to pursue their dreams. Jewel says she's proud and the show won't be the same without him. BRC tips his cap to Tommy and the military. Contestant #1: Melissa Lawson Song: "Danny's Song," Loggins and Messina Video: She's lost almost 70 pounds! We see her working out hard. (No matter what else happens, good for her!!) John Rich calls her hot and thinks she can be a great artist. Performance: This is a nice tender performance mostly in her lower register. It feels a little rushed tempo-wise, but she sounds good. The crowd gets up as the song picks up in the second half when she hits some big notes. Jewel: Thought it started a little low. She's wondering if she and her family are ready for the hard work. Melissa says she is. Jeffrey: He loves hearing her sing every night. John: Tells her to watch her nerves and says she's at the top of the heap on the show and he has big hopes for her. BRC asks if she's missing her boys. She is. BRC says one of her sons asked him "Where's Hannah Montana?" Contestant #2: Laura & Sophie Song: "Walking After Midnight," Patsy Cline Video: They're aggravated with each other. Their friendship is melting down and they're bickering and crying. It's kind of heartbreaking actually. Performance: They come out holding hands. They're bouncy but trying to be a little more sultry and adult. They sound very country but the harmonies are not super-crisp. They each take a solo, Laura's a little stronger, and work the edges of the stage before coming back together. They're fine but the final note is a wreck. John: Same thing as last week. He says it's like band camp and if he was their big brother he'd pack their bags. He says they can't be crybabies. He says the business is harsh and asks what would happen if people walked out of their shows. Would they cry? He's pouring on the tough love. Sophie asks if it's still the "high school thing"? He says they're just not ready and they'd be better off giving it time. Jewel: Agrees that they need to go home for their own good. Sophie responds that fighting with her best friend really hurts which is why she was crying but if people walked out of their show she would understand that they didn't like it. She says she and Laura are fine now. Jeffrey: Asks how they are. They say they're ok. He says he believes in them and wants to help them. Contestant #3: Gabe Garcia Song: "Somebody Like You," Keith Urban Video: Jewel wants him to be flirty and intense. She wants him to seduce the audience. He takes dance lessons to loosen up. Performance: Strumming his guitar he's looking around, smiling, stomping his foot, and sounding strong. John is air drumming and singing along. The crowd is up and dancing. He takes the mike off the stand and works the sides of the stage reaching out and touching people's hands. He points out to the crowd and pumps his fist at the end. It's still a tiny bit stiff but very charming. Jeffrey: Wondered if he had this in him and calls him a 10. John: From one Texan to another he says it was "caliente." Jewel: She says good job on taking notes and she wants to keep stepping him up. Contestant #4: Shawn Mayer Song: "The First Cut is the Deepest," Cat Stevens/Rod Stewart/Sheryl Crow Video:Shawn fires John as her mentor and goes with Jeffrey who tries to help her milk the emotional power of the lyrics. She has to hit a home run this week to prove to John that she did the right thing. Performance:She strums her guitar and it seems like she's acting again as she gets all teary-eyed looking and heaving her way through the lyrics. She sounds fine but her scrunchie faces aren't working. Jewel: Says it took guts to fire John and that everybody can't always get along and that Shawn needed nurturing not abuse. Thought it was nice to see her show some restraint John: Even though he thought it was gutsy to fire him too and that talented people don't always get along he still didn't think she was great. He gives it a five out of ten. He asks Jeffrey what amazing mentoring advice he gave her that resulted in that performance. Jeffrey: He says he told her to stay out of the way of the song and let it carry her. Tells her to put her tears into her song. He's proud but she's got a long way to go. Contestant #5:Coffey Song:"Proud Mary," Credence Clearwater Revival/Ike andTina Turner Video: Jewel and Coffey debrief over the beating he took last week. She says they were rough on "my boy," and the 11 African-American viewers of this show cringe. (Of course, she didn't mean it that way, it just sounded awkward). She wants to see new sides of him. He wants to take it to the next level. Performance: He does an uptempo, rocking, Robert Cray-like version. He sounds just okay. He tries on a faux-gruff growl and throws in some "come on"'s and stuff. He hands off his guitar and comes down and does a little jig in front of the judges' table. He throws to the guitar solo. He comes back in all gruff again and ends with "somebody say yeah!" It was energetic but the vocals weren't spectacular. Jeffrey: Says he's the best he's been since the first show but he feels like he needs less hype and more pipes. John: Says he's the last person to talk about country/not country given that he wears fur coats and such but he still feels like all the "entertaining" Coffey does is sleight of hand to distract from his vocals. He asks if he can hold his own onstage with Keith Urban, Rascal Flatts, or George Strait. Jewel: Says America disagrees with John and that both Americans and Coffey are responding to her mentoring. She then uncomfortably calls him "my boy" again. She says next he needs to do a ballad to get him "real." Contestant #6: Ashlee Hewitt Song: "Take the Money and Run," Steve Miller Band Video: John wants Ashlee to throw a party onstage. John calls her a hippie chick and she agrees. She decides to go barefoot. She wants to be fun and flawless. Performance: She starts off by speaking the first line about Billie Joe and Bobbie Sue. The arrangement has a nice sliding feel to it. She seems like she's having some fun but she also sounds like she's straining her voice. The arrangement is really pretty funky and cute. Jewel: Calls her one of her favorites and says she seems like one of the few that feels like an artist. She doesn't say anything about the actual performance. Jeffrey: Loves her but didn't like this performance. Tells her to be herself. John: Liked the bare feet. He thinks she pulled it off wonderfully. He can't believe she's in the bottom two and that it was a mathematical error because she will be in the final rounds. Contestant #7: Pearl Heart Song: "Ain't Going Down 'Til the Sun Comes Up," Garth Brooks Video: Jeffrey says being good isn't enough and they need to jazz things up with a little glitter. He puts them onto the Brooks tune and thinks they should all play guitar. They are concerned that it's tricky but are determined. Performance: All three are wielding guitars, none are really playing though. The fast tempo, impressively, isn't derailing their harmonies one bit. They sound pretty great. One puts her guitar to the side. They are very cute and smiley, but they're clearly concentrating very hard. The crowd's totally in their corner. They hit a tremendous final note and they all strum it out. John: Calls it awesome, says "holy moly" and asked what happened to Pearl Heart. Can't believe they've given their best performance on the night they're in the bottom two. Jewel: Says no disrespect to L&S but they outworked them and outshined them and can't believe they're in the bottom two not L&S. She also compliments their guitar work. Jeffrey: Is super proud and is also devastated they're in the bottom two and thought they took his direction superbly. Going Home: Pearl Heart (The crowd boos this decision, but they nicely cheer that Ashlee gets to stay.) They hug and cry. It really is too bad, they were terrific tonight. The crowd cheers them. One says they're going to miss the other contestants and will be rooting for all of them. BRC says he's fallen in love with them. Final Thoughts: Jeffrey says they know where he lives and that they are superstars with a great work ethic and that he hopes to hear from them soon.