3. Brad Cotter: "Let Your Love Flow"
I think Brad is very good... and I am especially
impressed
with his relaxed demeanor on stage. As the judges have
said, he seems so comfortable on stage! I enjoy his
unique phrasing and how he makes a song his own.

4. Marty Slayton: "Let Me Let Go"
Marty certainly has a great voice, but to me she just
does not stand out from the rest. She is my least fav. of
the remaining ladies.

5. Jennifer Hicks: "Rose Garden"
I think Jennifer has lots of stage presence and a
beautiful voice! I like her personality, too. This was not my
fav. performance of hers, but I did enjoy it.

6. George Canyon: "The Long Goodbye"
George is still one of my favs. He has charisma, and
great stage presence, and a killer voice to go with it.

7. Mal Rogers: "Two Of A Kind Working On a Full
House" Mal was eliminated by the judges at the end of the
show. To be honest, he was my least favorite of the
remaining males. I just didn't see anything special or unique
about his personna or his voice. I still felt bad that he
was send packing, though.

8. Lance Miller: "That's The Way Loves Goes"
I might be a bit of a loner, but I still love his
twangy, unique voice. I want to see him stay in the
competition a bit longer.

9. Brent Keith: "Lovin' All Night"
I like Brent's voice, personality, and charisma. He
did a good job, but I enjoyed his other performances more."
- DMassie

-------------------

"This is the way that the third show of Nashville Star II was seen through the eyes and ears of someone who loves traditional country music. Although I feel that a contestant's personality and the way the song is presented plays a big part in making a 'Nashville Star', something else that should be taken into consideration, is their potential as a recording artist and how their voice is going to sound on the radio and CDs.  As one who loves 'real' country music, I am partial to the contestants who share my love of that music and I want to see a revival of traditional country music on the airwaves. I watched George Strait last night on a TV special, singing 'Murder on Music Row' and thought 'how true'. But I don't think we should vote for someone only because they are singing 'our kind of music'. I want them to have a voice to go with it. I want whoever wins, to help the revival of country music and not hurt it. Having said that, here are my thoughts on the third show of Nashville Star II:

I was disappointed to see Stacie Michelle leave the show. It was a surprise
that the viewing audience voted her off and I am wondering if maybe there wasn't a mix up in the telephone lines last week as there seems to have been this week. I think Stacie has a good voice and it is also identifiable, which is uncommon now of days. Voices like Lacy J. Dalton and Paulette Carlson (of Highway 101) are examples of the type of voice that Stacie has...one you would recognize instantly if you turned on the radio and heard her sing. Not your generic country female voice like you hear every day. I think she is the kind of talent that Nashville needs and I hope her appearance on the show will be a stepping stone to a successful recording career.

Sheila Marshall.  She is an example of what I have just described as today's 'generic country female voice'. She has a good voice... a strong voice... and I love to hear her sing. I don't know why the judges keep saying she has too much 'rock' in her voice. She isn't any more pop or rock than Martina McBride or Shania Twain and they are considered country super stars. She has the looks and stage presence to go with it. But what she has is the same voice you hear if you turn on the radio and hear a song by any number of other female artists. Not unique. I want something outstanding... something unique...and something country.

Matt Lindahl.  I love Matt. I would love to have Matt come to my house and
sit on the front porch with a bunch of my friends who come over and jam and we would have a ball. He is funny. He is entertaining. I feel there is a
place for Matt in the world of country music.... but I have to agree with
the judges on this one. He doesn't have the voice to make it in the
recording industry. He has a good range and I like to hear him sing, but I
have heard him off key too many times. As I said earlier... I want true
country music to be represented by someone with a voice like Buddy Jewell. Maybe my standards are too high.

Brad Cotter.  I was not as impressed with Brad the first week of NS as I was this week. He seemed nervous the first time I saw him. But on the third show,  I thought he did an outstanding job on the Bellamy Brothers song, 'Let Your Love Flow'.  He seemed right at home there center stage and I could feel his energy. He made me want to get up and dance. He has the ability to hit the high notes and low and stay right on key.  He has the
potential of being a 'Nashville Star' I think. I hope he continues to perform the way he did last night.

Marty Slayton.  Well, Marty obviously has a good voice, or she wouldn't be singing backup for the biggies like George Strait and Reba. However, she is another of the ho-hum female voices I have commented on before...and without the out-going personality to go with it as Shelia Marshall has. She has gained more success in the field of music than the other girls in the competition and I think she will have to be happy with her career as it is now.

Jennifer Hicks.  I picked Jennifer as one that I think will end up as one of
the final three still standing on the last show of Nashville Star. After
last night's performance I am not sure. I thought 'Rose Garden' was a very
poor choice of songs for her. It is a song that just about anyone can sing
and didn't show me anything about the versatility of her voice. I hope she
has a much better song for next week. Again, her voice is not that different from a lot of female singers in Nashville, but if that is the kind of voice the execs are looking for, then she is your girl.

George Canyon. Well, what can I say about George?  He has good looks, a
great country voice, loves his family and fans. He is consistant with a
great performance every week. I love his low tones  Does all of this remind you of anyone?  He is the closest we are going to get to Buddy Jewell in this contest.  He is your winner.

Mal Rodgers. Awww I was sorry to see Mal get the axe... or should I say the shillelagh?   I have a lot of Irish friends who were pulling for him and I
know the sacrifices that he has made to come to the U.S. and compete. But I don't think he would have made it to the final three and maybe he will have a better chance now with his career, having been on the show. I hope the luck of the Irish will be with him.

Brent Keith.  I think Brent is a real cutie. He has a good voice as well. I
liked his performance of  'Lovin All Night' and 'To Make You Feel My Love'
and I think he should continue to sing more country songs, to counteract his appearance as a Keith Urban clone.  He has a great, outgoing personality. The girls of all ages love him. He will be one of the final three and will probably have a successful recording career whether he wins the title of Nashville Star or not.

Lance Miller.  I like Lance. I like his down-to-earth personality and his
sincerity. I like the fact that he loves the same kind of music as I do.  I
don't think he will make it to the finals.  Nothing about him really stands
out as being unique to me. I have heard a lot of guys who sing locally here
in Tulsa who sound very similar to Lance. Lance is the counterpart to the
females I have described earlier.... Nice to listen to, but nothing that is
really that sets them above all the rest.

I'm anxious to see the future N.S. shows and see what kind of writing
talents all of the contestants have. I have been known to change my opinions from time to time. Brad Cotter certainly did just that on the third show of Nashville Star." - Jenny

OK, What did Rikk Think!

I truly thought week three was the best so far!

George Canyon, welcome to Nashville!! By far the most outstanding performance of the night, I really like him and he has a flair that others don't have! What a voice and a tremendous PERFORMER! This is not just about the voice as Tracy tells us repeatedly, it is about the total package and George HAS IT!

But this contest is not all one sided there are some really good artists
this year just as there were last year. Take Lance Miller for instance. He
has a unique voice and sound and is growing on me episode after episode. He seems to truly understand what country music is all about and he brings that with him to the stage. One thing that impresses me about him is that he makes no apologies for his music or his singing. Watch him when he sings. He is putting his heart into his singing and you can see it in his body language. I see him making a big name for himself as well regardless of whether he wins or not.

Matt Lindahl is a performer at heart and you can see that he is having a
great time when he is on stage. I dont see him winning NS2 however, I think he has alot to offer and I would be disappointed if he didnt continue with his career. Of all the contestants I think I would probably have more fun at a Matt Lindahl concert than any of them. He reaches out and engages the audience and nothing less than this total interaction seems good enough for him. But its not just his performances. I think he has a good voice and probably more range to his voice than any of the male contestants. Look for good things to come from this guy!!

Brent Keith, I have to say it over and over to myself.. I don't like him I
don't like him I don't like him. But dang it all I just cant help but like
this guy. Every week he comes out and I think to myself.. Oh this pretty boy again. But then he comes out and gives an outstanding performance and he looks to be having the time of his life. He is relaxed and just comes out and does his thing. Despite myself I have found myself really liking this guys singing and singing style. He also seems to reflect a genuineness of self and character.

Brad Cotter, I dont know what it is but Im not sold on this guy being a
star.. or at least I wasnt and then he comes out and gives a 5 star
performance. Talk about improvment in someone. If he continues to improve at this rate he will be a contender for NS2 at the end.

Then there are the female singers that are vieing to become the new NS2. I want so much to like one of them because to me there is a void of really
good female country singers out there. But none of them are standing out
enough to me to think that they can hold an audiences attention or get a
gold albumn. Not to say that they are not good. Each and every one of them is good. But you have to ask.. are they STAR material. Im not convinced yet and they are going to have to convince me.

Out of all of them I think Jennifer has the most to offer vocally.  She
needs to go outside the box a bit and really show her range and that not
only can she can sing ballads but that she can rock the house when needed. She is staying in her comfort zone and wrapping it around her like a security blanket. I love her voice. I love her music. But dadburnit.. I want her to reach out and take my vote away from George and she's not doing it yet. My message to Jennifer... You got what it takes.. Go out there and take it!!!!

Sheila, she was my top choice at the beginning for the women and she may well be my choice at the end... You just never know. I like the way she goes out and grabs the audience. She makes use of the whole stage and doesnt use the microphone as a security blanket. Her singing is good but I know she can sing better and I want to see her do better. Again this is someone who seems to truly enjoy singing and performing and I hope to see more out of her as the show progresses.