I promise, I really have no interest in blogging about Can You Duet every week. But I have a soft spot in my heart for Chelsee and Rob, and in point of fact, they were the reason I made a point to watch at all. They seem to have escaped the attention of producers during the audition show so this week's episode was the first time the tv audience got a chance to enjoy them.
I saw Chelsee and Rob several weeks ago at The Bluebird Cafe (another introduction made by Karleen Watt, who attracts and only surrounds herself with the best talent). And I have to say that while they did great on the show, I not sure their appearance on Can You Duet fully did them justice. Chelsee has an adorable girl next door look with sparkly eyes and an agile voice that can span the gamut from the big diva sound to a soft lilting swampy harmony -- a haunting bayou sound that you don't expect from a gal from Traverse City, Michigan.
Rob has a very John Mayer sound except with actual emotion and not just vocals. He brings a pop infusion to Chelsee's strong country sound. And as an actual romantic couple in real life, they clearly love playing together.
They did a soulful version of "Boondocks" by Little Big Town with some unique harmonies that spun a spell both eerie and melodic all at the same time.
Scott Borchetta, President and CEO of Big Machine Records (Taylor Swift, Trisha Yearwood, Jack Ingram, etc.) gave his seal of approval on the new arrangement, complimenting the couple for taking the chance and saying, "it worked."
Naomi Judd said Chelsee has nearly perfect pitch and is a "star," which seemed to be a recurring theme among the judges' comments. Big Kenny (Big & Rich) started off his commentary saying,"Rob, you really held her down." The way Borchetta put it was that Chelsee came "ready to rock." You've gotta know that no matter how well earned and deserving that praise was, it was a little tough for Rob to hear in an absence of support for his own contribution. Especially since I suspect Rob took the lead on putting together the hot arrangement of the song.
To that point, Big Kenny referenced early conversations he had had with the performers about how much they had improved since they started working together and " talked about the possibilities of what y'all could do with these two crazy voices you guys have got." Naomi simply said they were "lopsided" and indicated that she wished she could match Chelsee up with another partner, lamenting that it was too late in the process to do so.
Chelsee handled the situation with grace and aplomb, reframing "lopsided" as being about her height in heels and saying that when she first heard Rob in Nashville he sounded "like home."
From things Chelsee and Rob said at The Bluebird it sounds as though both performers started out as solo performers and have mostly been following that path, taking advantage of opportunities to gain exposure by also playing as a duet where appropriate. In other words, this may not be their primary gig.
In the end, the Can You Duet judges pared Chelsee and Rob off the performer's list for the rest of the competition, opting instead to support three more established duets: O'Shea, The Stellas, and Steel Magnolia. It was the right call, even though I hate to see it. I hardly think this is the end of the road for Chelsee Oaks or Rob Bolin, but I don't think this is going to ultimately be the right configuration for them. I am thrilled that they made it to the Top 10 duets on this nationally televised show with such high visibility on Music Row. I know some exciting things will happen for them in due time.
Upcoming Shows:
July 3, 2009, 7 pm at The Commodore - Chelsee performs in Writers in the Round, Nashville, TN
July 10, 2009, 6 pm at the National Cherry Festival - Chelsee and Rob open for Sammy Kershaw, Traverse City, MI
July 31, 2009, 9 pm a tthe French Quarter Cafe - Chelsee and Rob play the French Quarter, Nashville, TN
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