Nashville Star, Week Two

Let me preface by saying I was disappointed in the first week of Nashville Star.  This week didn't get any better. I had high hopes that all of the contestants would put on their game faces this week.  Boy was I wrong.

Laura and Sophie - sang "Rocking To The Rhythm" by the Judds (probably one of the best duets in the history of country music.)  Had a little bit more stage presence this week, and paid attention to the audience a bit more.  Love the harmony, but slurred the notes; their moves on stage seemed almost robotic.  I felt like I was in a junior high school talent contest.
Ashlee Hewitt - sang "Ring Of Fire" by Johnny Cash.  A Taylor Swift wannabe. Vocals were too breathy.  Whispered her way through the song so I couldn't tell if she has a good voice or not. Had one cool move when she slung her guitar behind her back as the song modulated to a higher key.
Justin Gaston - sang "Hey There Delilah" by Plain White T's. Voice was very shakey and weak; for a minute I thought he was lip-syncing. Needs more control over his voice. Has no business in this competition.
Alyson Gilbert - sang "Every Breath You Take" by the Police. Would rather have heard a country song but she made the song her own. Didn't over sing like last week; has calmed down a bit. Major improvement from last week.
Pearl Heart - sang "Who Says You Can't Go Home" by Sugarland.  Lead singer seemed very scared on stage; needs to take control and be the lead singer. Harmonies were OK, but needs to make the song mean something to the listeners.  I still felt like I was watching a junior high talent show.
Tommy Stanley - sang "Save A Horse Ride A Cowboy" by Big and Rich.  Too much stage presence; definitely overkill.  Yelled too much; was on pitch but spoke instead of singing. Bad song choice, given it was written and performed by judge John Rich. Made me very nervous to watch.
Gabe Garcia - sang "Who'll Stop The Rain" by Credence Clearwater Revival. Great vocals. Smiled and paid attention to the audience.  Seemed more at ease. Great pitch. Best performance this week.
Shawn Mayer - sang "He Stopped Loving Her Today" by George Jones.  A bad arrangement. Sounded like Whitney Houston trying to sound like George Jones.  Couldn't hear the original melody. Was borderline sacriligious. 
Coffey - sang "Waiting On The World To Change" by John Mayer. Once again, bad song choice - not country. Too much vibrato; a little flat.  Concentrated on playing the guitar too much and should have paid more attention to vocal strength.
Melissa Lawson - sang "Natural Woman" by Aretha Franklin.  So-so performance; vocals were strong except got a bit off-pitch on high notes. Seemed to think about the song too much instead of just feeling the song and singing.  Seemed a bit too cocky.
Third Town - sang "Mountain Music" by Alabama.  Once again, it was another junior high talent show moment. Sounded like Rascall Flats impersonating Alabama.

Last week's voting found Melissa Lawson and Third Town in the bottom two, and fortunate for us Third Town got the boot. Host Billy Ray Cyrus made a comment about them performing in Vegas. I honestly don't think they'll make it that far.

There were quite a few contestants in the running for this week's Performance That Made My Ears Bleed, but the award for week two goes to Shawn Mayer.  She attempted to sing what most people believe to be the greatest country song ever written and it was a train wreck.