We've Got A Long Way To Go & A Short Time To Get There

A'ight, a'ight, a'ight. So yo. I have never professed to be a fan of or an expert on country music. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. That being said, however, I have lots of friends and family who LOVE it (I still like them in spite of this) and I there are SOME country songs that are more palatable than others and not totally unlikeable.

So, in the interests of fairness and consistency, I have prepared a list of song suggestions for Der Neun. Snark all you want, but these suggestions are made in as serious a manner as I can suggest anything (and we all know how serious THAT is!)

The Gherkin: Country is her thing, so she had better give a performance this week that's more than just musical NyTol. It seems to me that she's really been phoning it in lately and I want to see her put out a little effort.

One of my suggestions for Kellie is: One Way Ticket, by LeAnn Rimes. This is a fun song that would give Kellie a chance to show some range (and show us that she actually HAS some). It's upbeat without being gimmicky and I think it would suit her nicely. If she knows what's good for her, though, she'll sing ...

Little Bitty, by Alan Jackson This is the sort of song that I could really see Kellie singing, but she might not even consider it because it was recorded by a MAY-UN (please pronounce phonetically)! The lyrics suit her to a "T" and I think she'd do well with it.

Bucky: Another Country night shoo-in. We KNOW Bucky can sing country. But he hasn't really been singing ... just a lot of growling for me for him. I want to hear him SING. Accordingly, I have a sugary sweet country love song that ol' Buck could really pour his heart into ...

Love, Me, by Collin Raye This is a rip-your-heart-out-of your-chest love song that Bucky could do beautifully with. I happen to love this song in all its sappy glory and would love to hear Bucky sing it (it'll never happen). If Sister Golden Hair Surprise decides to go all Honky Tonk, I want him to sing ...

Eastbound and Down, by Jerry Reed. Yeah. This is the song from Smokey & The Bandit. And I just want to hear it cause I think it'd be funny.

Chris: Desperado, by The Eagles (and covered by Clint Black on Common Thread: Songs of the Eagles Tribute Album). Chris really needs to soften things up this week, and Country Week is as good a time as any for him to show us something different. Desperado is a song that will allow Chris to show his softer, more sensitive side while still being all soulful and *aaahhhh*-inspiring. *NOTE to Chris: No Johnny Cash this week!*

Katharine: Kit Kat had a bad week last week and she seemed none too pleased on Wednesday night. Katharine's got a beautiful, pure voice that is well-suited for a lot of country music. I think she has a big chance to blow her roomie out of the water by singing her caboose off on Tuesday night. In a perfect world (we wouldn't be talking about country music choices) Kat would sing:
(I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden, by Lynn Anderson (and covered by K.D. Lang and Martina McBride after her) This is a fun song that will keep Kat out of the ballad trap while still allowing her to show off vocally. If she doesn't sing this, I'd LOVE to hear her sing ...

Blue, by LeAnn Rimes. This song, off LeAnn Rimes' first album, is beautiful and mournful and is perfectly suited to Katharine's voice. I'd be concerned about her looking detached, but I think she'd do brilliantly with this one.

Elliott: I am fast becoming a big Elliott fan. He's unpretentious and his voice is just flawless. There's a lot of potential for Elliott to really shine this week, but I'd most like to hear him sing ...
Bless the Broken Road, by Rascal Flatts. We got to hear Elliott sing some of this during Hollyweird Week and it was awesome. Carrie Underwood actually sang this song WITH Rascal Flatts on the finale show last year, but I think that Elliott could really set himself apart from that ... and do it brilliantly.

Mandisa: She's got a lot of ground to make up for me for her. I think Mandisa's voice is terrific, but I'm tired of being yelled at. She needs to tone it down a little this week and show us that she can do more than BELT. I want to hear her sing and test out her lower register, which she seems to be avoiding like the plague. I think Mandisa would hit a home run with ...

Stand By Your Man, by Tammy Wynette. This one's a no-brainer. She could sing all over her register, still get to belt out some notes and make the country music community go all gushy all at the same time. This is a country classic that Mandisa could pull off with style.

Paris: I'm really looking forward to seeing what Paris does this week. During auditions, she sang a bit of a Dixie Chicks song and it was fantastic. If she can show some real vocal style like that again I'd give her the maddest of props. Paris should sing ...

Longtime Gone, by the Dixie Chicks. From their album HOME, this song has really strong vocals without being all sappy and ballady. I'd be interested to see how Paris' vocals stand up to Natalie Maines; I think she'd do really well. Another good choice for Paris would be ...

Down at the Twist & Shout, by Mary Chapin Carpenter. Great, fun song that would play to her Southern ties and let her wear some ridiculous cowgirl ensemble that I'm sure would be RIFE with fringe.

Taylor: I loved hearing Tay-Z sing last week. No bopping and writhing all over the stage, just terrific singing. I want more. There are lots of songs that Taylor could sing to perfection this week, but I'd most like to hear him sing ...

Crazy, by Willie Nelson Most people know this as a Patsy Cline song, but it was written and recorded originally by Willie Nelson. This song's got depth and soul and would be a great choice for Taylor to show off. Another fun choice would be ...

Drive South, by John Hiatt Taylor's voice reminds me a lot of John Hiatt's and I think he'd rock with one of his songs. Drive South is bluesy and soulful and would be a great choice for Taylor.

Ace: Ace was the one contestant that I really, really struggled with for a song selection. I hope that he surprises me. Another post I read suggested he sing a Collin Raye song (whose title I can't recall), but I am unfamiliar with it. There was some assent in the comments, so maybe that song would be good (whatever that song is). I've really wanted Ace to step it up, but I think his time is running short. By default, I'm suggesting ...

I Can't Tell You Why, by Vince Gill (this is from The Eagles' cover album that I mentioned earlier) I think that this would be an OK song choice for Ace and, if he can get over his nerves and sing to his ability, he could do well. If he wanted to do something more contemporary, he could try ...

Days Go By, by Keith Urban Why not? Ace is hot, Keith Urban is hot. Seems as reasonable a choice as any other.

I know that lots of you are legimate country fans, so I'd love to hear what you're thinking of in terms of song suggestions. I hoping that, true to my southern upbringing, by keeping my expectations hopelessly low, I might be pleasantly surprised by Tuesday night's Ho-Down.