Nashville Star - The Finals

The final show opened with Billy Ray Cyrus and the finalists singing his hit "Achy Breaky Heart."

Gabe Garcia - sang "Celebrity" by Brad Paisley.  Minor pitch problems on the high notes; got the crowd into the song; seemed very at ease; still consistent with another solid performance.
Melissa Lawson - sang "My Wish" by Rascal Flatts.  Received a standing ovation before she was even done with the first verse; great vocals and great control; could understand every word she sang.
Shawn Mayer - sang " Gun Powder And Lead" by Miranda Lambert. Too breathy; couldn't understand a lot of the words; talked instead of sang.  Tried to figure out why she knocked over the mic stand on purpose.

Last weeks voting found Shawn Mayer [thankfully] eliminated, leaving Gabe and Melissa as the final two contestants.  I'm still surprised Shawn stayed in the competition for the finals.

Gabe Garcia and Melissa Lawson - sang "Time Of My Life" by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes. Great version; nailed it; Gabe was a bit hesitant but kept up with Melissa who clearly outsang Gabe on this duet; stayed right on pitch on the harmonies. Great vocals and harmonies, but would need some major rework if they ever perform as a duet; both looked like they would get cooties if they even held hands while singing.
Melissa Lawson - sang "Something More" by Sugarland. Great arrangement; sang to the audience; sang like Melissa Lawson without trying to sound like Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland; made the song her own.
Gabe Garcia - sang "Gone Country" by Alan Jackson. Another great, consistent performance; made the song his own without sounding like he was singing karaoke; smiled more; still more at ease.

The voting results were revealed after much hype by Billy Ray Cyrus, and Melissa Lawson was chosen as the next Nashville Star. She sang "What If It All Goes Right", which will be released as her new single, and will be available to purchase on iTunes today. 

I was so thrilled when Melissa won - from her first performance, I had a feeling she was going to win.  I'm also thrilled because the Americans that voted her as the next Nashville Star chose someone with talent and didn't chose some little blonde cut from the same cookie cutter that Nashville is inundated with right now.