Just the thought of that headline sends shivers down my spine. Kate and Kacey, a pair of nubile, blonde-haired, blue-eyed twin sisters taking on Naomi Judd, the matriarch of modern country music? It seems wrong, very wrong. It seems unfair, so much so that I'd even consider letting Wynonnajoin the fray, but that might tip the scales the other way. Whateverthe case, apparently Naomi started it, so maybe she deserves what'scoming her way.
For those of you who didn't follow CMT's reality show/talent competition Can You Duet,let me fill you in on went down. Naomi was a judge, Kate and KaceyCoppola were contestants and Naomi got all-Simon Cowell on theirbehinds, although the pair did make it to the semi-finals.
Youcan tell just how badly Naomi scarred the sisters by one of Kacey'sblog entries. "Today was one of the more stressful days Kate and I havehad yet," she wrote. "We had a mentor session with Naomi. And I'd guessy'all know that we've had some problems connecting with her in thiscompetition. We still can't figure out why she has some of the problemsshe does with us, and all we have been trying to do is show her all thethings she can't see yet. But to have to walk in that room and be oneon one with someone you know doesn't like you very much is reallydifficult. And disappointing ... because Kate and I have looked up tothe Judds for as long as I can remember! But right before we went in,the entire cast came up and offered us hugs and support ...Naomi huggedus when we left, and she gave us some pointers to work on! So ... wesurvived another day!!"
Sure the Coppola sisters survived theirrun-in with Mama Judd, but they didn't forget. Like all great artistsdo, they used that turmoil as inspiration and wrote a song about thejoust with the Judd titled "You're Not My Judge." Note that the word"judge" is dangerously close to "Judd," who just happened to be a judgeon Can You Duet. If those weren't enough coincidences to makeyou scratch your head, consider this--Kate and Kacey recently visitedYahoo! Music headquarters, not for an official in-studio performance,but for more a friendly meet-and-greet type situation. But the gals didbring their guitar, and Yahoo! Music staffer Kristen Jower-Ho happenedto videotape it, guerilla-style. And guess what song they performed?Would you believe "You're Not My Judge"? Even stranger, that song isincluded on their recently released self-titled EP that's available oniTunes. Check out their performance here.
Inall seriousness, I think Kate and Kacey have the potential to be bigstars. They're not just pretty girls with sweet voices who hold grudgesagainst Judd judges. They were born in Des Moines, Iowa, raised inDenver, and moved to L.A. to attend USC before heading to Nashville.And they're songwriters, too. The patriarch of modern country music, George Strait, recorded "House With No Doors," a song the girls co-wrote with Jamey Johnson. Now check out this other performance by Kate and Kacey at Yahoo! Music headquarters