Nashville Star Blows American Idol Out of the Water

The American Idol comparisons are inevitable, so I'll just say it right off the mark: Nashville Star is no American Idol. It is so much more enjoyable. The show started at 8:00 and by 8:11, the painfully embarrassing audition section was over, and by 8:18, we were narrowed down to the top twelve, who will take us through the season. How nice not to have to sit through hours of human interest stories about people who will not last to the national vote anyway. It's clear that on Nashville Star, the show really is built around the stars, not the judges, and that is a welcome change.

Billy Ray Cyrus hosts, sporting an updated version of his trademark mullet. The judges are Jewel, Jeffrey Steele and John Rich. I disagreed with the judges almost uniformly. I also felt terrible for Jewel, who just released a CD that is being played all over the radio and never got to mention a thing about it.

Things got a little wobbly in the middle section, which included a nice, well-packaged tribute to the armed services, an ensemble performance of "Life is a Highway" which showcased the incredible talent of a number of women in the competition, but made the guys seem a bit like the Village People or a Broadway chorus. I don't think it was their fault, the arrangement didn't do them any favors. And then there was a performance of "Picture to Burn"... Taylor Swift is the southern belle equivalent to Avril Lavigne with a voice that pales in comparison to most of the contestants. The studio has done her a lot of favors. How hard must it be for Jewel to sit there and nod and smile while everyone tells her that Taylor is the best thing in country music right now? Ouch.

The talent on this show is really incredible. I love that the contestants chose a range of songs from "I like it, I love it" all the way to "Drops of Jupiter." There were very few moments that made me squirm. One was the first act when a group of teenage sisters known as Pearl Heart sang "Wide Open Spaces." Their voices were weak and the song choice seemed trite and obvious to me. However, the judges loved it, so perhaps I don't have a great ear for country music. The other act I didn't enjoy was Charley Jenkins, who sang "I Like It, I Love It." In the auditions, when they got him to just sing, his voice gave me chills, but he was forced and nervous on stage. It's a shame he was eliminated tonight, I would have liked to see what he came up with once he got more confident.

Their were some performances that knocked the doors off the auditorium. The first was Tommy Stanley, a naval officer who sang "Walking in Memphis," with such energy and enthusiasm I couldn't take my eyes off of him. The second was the trio "Third Town" who did a really interesting arrangement of "Elvira" that brought the crowd to it's feet. Unfortunately the judges didn't care for either of these performances. The night ended on an inspiring performance when Melissa Lawson sang "Something to Talk About." She was captivating and had easily the best voice of the night. The judges agreed. However, they noted that she clearly was in this competition for her five sons. I beg to differ. I saw the look in that woman's eyes, and she was singing her heart out for herself! I can't wait to see more from all of them next week.