The Voice Season 2 Episode 9 – The Final Battle Rounds

Team Cee Lo – James Massone and Wade singing True Colors

After hearing Cee Lo announce this battle, I agree with him that this could be really good. Both of these guys have an R&B sound, though I feel Wade has a stronger voice and James has a more radio friendly appeal about him. During practice James was nervous about not knowing the song, but after taking the time to learn it, during rehearsal with Cee Lo, they moved him to tears literally. His final words of advice: live it, love it, and just be in the moment. Listening to both of them sing the song, it was sweet, kind of reminded me of a 90’s boy band, if you combined Aaron Neville with Lloyd. I am a huge fan of Wade, but a couple of his mistakes were more apparent than James Massone’s.

Coach’s Picks:

Adam: James Massone

Blake: James Massone

Xtina: James Massone

It came down to Cee Lo’s decision. He was very impressed by the change in James’ attitude. With Wade, Cee Lo felt he was too nervous. Again, Cee Lo became emotional. He openly admitted he was a little biased with Wade, wanting to make Wade “Soul Brother #2”.  The Winner: James Massone.

 

Team Adam – Nicolle Galyon and Mathai singing Love Song

Adam picked a song that seems catered to Nicolle because of the piano, but Mathai is a big favorite this season.  As Carson narrated that Adam had said he believed in her, my heart sank. LOL. I just remember Adam putting his stamp on another artist this season and she was cut.  Mathai was a good catch for Adam’s team though. During practice Nicolle TOWERS over Mathai, which I thought a little funny.  The piano scenario didn’t work, and Mathai was right in saying that it was a big part of the advantage Nicolle had over her. For the Battle, Nicole opened up and sounded sweet but nervous.  Then Mathai busts in no holds barred.

Coaches Pick:

Blake: Mathai

Xtina: Mathai

Cee Lo: Mathai

The decision is Adam’s and he said he wasn’t really happy with it in general, that it was better in rehearsal. The Winner: Mathai.

Team Xtina – Moses Stone and The Line singing Satisfaction

This battle is one I have been eager for. I didn’t know who Xtina was going to pair Moses against. I already felt bad for whoever because going against the first mc on The Voice seems like an automatic death sentence. Obviously, The Line wanted a song that was more Country.  Moses seems at a disadvantage because he isn’t a singer, but he has a decent voice, especially when he gets the high notes.  Jewel did not have a satisfied look on her face while The Line were singing.  She wanted them to not give the impression they were a wedding band. Xtina said The Line has great harmonies and vocals, but they needed to perform more. I think its crazy and maybe sometimes The Coaches struggle with remembering that the show is called The Voice because sometimes even when your voice is amazing, when the person you are battling has such awesome stage presence, your voice gets lost in a flurry of movement. I wonder why The Line didn’t use their guitars. If Xtina wanted more from their performance, their performance includes guitar, so maybe that would’ve worked to their advantage.  For the battle, both groups started off really strong.  Moses took the first verse, and it was good. The Line took the second verse and they came in strong.  Their vocals were on point.  The harmonies sounded really good.  But it also felt like they were Moses Stone’s background singers in a rap song.

Coaches Picks:

Cee Lo: Moses

Adam: The Line

(he said because the TV show is called THE VOICE and that is what he is focusing on. I think Adam appears to disagree with the decision of having Moses as an MC on the show. But Adam, in all his defense of trying to keep the integrity of the show judging solely on THE VOICE has made decisions to allow people through to the live rounds based on performance, not necessarily The Voice. I feel using that line is weak.)

Blake: The Line

The final decision is Xtina’s and she immediately defends Moses by stating The Voice doesn’t have to be this specific thing on the show, not an over the top vocal, or straight country, soul or R&B. Cee Lo lends his agreement with a “mmph. Preach.”  The coaches are clearly divided by this issue: BROMANCE (adam and blake) vs SOULMANCE (xtina and cee lo). The Winner: Moses.

Haley looked pissed.

 

 

Team Adam – Karla Davis and Orlando Napier singing Rich Girl Easy Like Sunday Morning

Karla Davis is a country singer and Orlando is a blues guy, so this is an interesting pairing. Adam quickly changes the song from Rich Girl to Easy Like A Sunday Morning.  We soon were introduced to Bertha, Karla’s inner big girl. LOL. Bertha needs a little more work, but I think Karla is on the right track with her coach and advisor. Orlando’s advisor Robin Thicke made a point I felt was very cool.  Vowels are were the strength of the voice comes from. Very dope. During this battle, I liked the shirt that Orlando was wearing.  The song sounded very much like Orlando’s type and he did really well singing it. I wasn’t a fan of Karla’s background vocals. Then she came in with her verse, and she has an interesting style that sounds like she could break out of the country and venture over to singer-songwriter.  She reminded me of Winona Ryder on stage, if Winona sings. She has this awkward sexiness about her.

Coaches Pick:

Blake: voice Karla/performance Orlando

Xtina: Karla

Cee Lo: Orlando

The final pick goes to Adam. He says that Orlando is very specific, but Karla has blossomed. The Winner: Karla.

 

Team Blake – Jordan Rager and Naia Kete singing I’m Yours

Jordan had a hard time with singing harmonies. He wasn’t hitting the notes and it appeared to really frustrate him.  Naia was giving too many vocal tricks at first and Blake suggested she tone it down until the end of the song.  During practice with Naia and Jordan, Jordan showed out and was hitting all of the harmonies in all the right places. And it clearly impressed Blake.  For the battles, Jordan sounded better than Naia for this performance. His voice on this song wasn’t spectacular, but he had cool moments where I could hear the potential. Naia had a verse that just didn’t sound her best. Her energy was there, but the notes weren’t.

Coaches Pick:

Xtina: Naia

Cee Lo: Naia

Adam: Naia

Final pick goes to Blake. He was surprised by Naia’s vocals because he expected her to be right in the pocket since the song seemed to be catered to her. Jordan impressed him. In the end The Winner is: Naia. In the back, she was sad that she won by experience and not by her vocal performance. I know that she will take this battle with her into the live rounds and rock it out.

Team Cee Lo: Tony Vincent and Justin Hopkins singing Faithfully

The battle of the Family-Men.  They both have really great voices. I loved both of their blind auditions. During practice, this duet brought Cee Lo to tears.  Tony started the battle, with a sweet tone. Then Justin came in with that rasp. This was a perfect song for the two.  This is one of my favorite battles from this season. Its an emotionally charged song. I felt like I was at a rock concert.  And when that electric guitar came in towards the end… SWEET BABY JESUS.

Coaches Pick:

Adam: Justin

Blake: Justin

Xtina: Tony

The final pick rests with Cee Lo. He becomes emotional all over again. He agrees with Xtina’s thoughts. The Winner: Tony

The Battle Rounds are over! 24 people made it to the Live Rounds which air on NBC, 4/2.

Are you satisfied with the coaches’ decisions tonight?

What can you do? LOL.

Its great television and a great singing competition.

If you disagree with any decisions, do your part to support your favorite artists, because its not the end of the road for any of them. 

The Voice Season 2 Episode 8 – Battle Rounds

I really enjoyed this episode of The Voice tonight. There were a lot of artists that got a chance to shine that we really haven’t heard to much from. Of course I disagree with some of the decisions, but that is what makes this show so great. Again, all of the artists are awesome but let’s get into it!

Team Adam – Pip and Nathan Parrett singing Trouble

For Pip’s practice session, he asked Alanis Morissette and Adam if he should take it up a little bit and they said he should try to stay true to the song as much as possible. I feel that is pretty bad advice because everyone loves when they make the song their own. For Nathan’s they suggested he should show more confidence. During the battle, Pip seemed on point to me. His voice was perfect. Nathan was putting up a good fight and this is the first time we really get to see him shine. Pip seemed more aggressive. I wonder if Cee Lo will pick Pip.

Coaches Pick:

Blake: Pip

Xtina: Xtina didn’t really pick but they ended on a positive for Nathan

Cee Lo: Nathan

Adam has final choice. Adam picks Pip.

 

  

Team Cee Lo – Erin Martin and The Shields Brothers singing What’s Love Got To Do With It

Babyface made me laugh so much. He said the first run was challenging reminding him of Wayne’s World. Erin had a difficult time as well with Ne-Yo. He said he didn’t believe her when she sang.  They came down on her.  They wanted her to be more than just a pretty face.  Fav Quote of the night: Power is not talent. Its just LOUD.  So for the battle, Erin had some interesting notes. She looked sexy as hell. She was out there, but I think she could have a career. The Shields Brothers had some dope moments. I was impressed. I enjoyed their harmonies. Erin’s voice was really different and she had some squeals that I wasn’t too keen on.  But I wouldn’t mind hearing her hear other things.

Coaches Pick:

Adam: undecided but not in Erin’s favor

Blake: Erin

Xtina: The Shields Brothers

Cee Lo amazingly picked Erin. That totally blew me away. I really feel that The Shields Brothers really did better.

Team Xtina – Ashley vs Jonathas singing No Air

This is the first time we get to see Ashley perform. Everyone knows I am already rooting for Jonathas (since he is representing Austin, Tx as was the beautiful Lex Land) Ashley has a really beautiful voice and better voice. Xtina said because Jonathas sounds so much like Chris Brown and Usher, he needs to work on making it his own.  Lionel told him not to get out of character.  Jonathas really had a good hold on this song. Ashley sounded good, but I really felt Jonathas had this battle.

Coaches Pick:

Cee Lo: Ashley

Adam: Ashley

Blake: Ashley

The final pick goes with Xtina. In the end she went with Ashley.

 Team Blake – Jermaine Paul and AlyX singing Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car

I am rooting for Jermaine in this Battle. I think its cool that he was a background singer, but now wants to step out into the spotlight. He has a really cool voice too. He was very cocky in the first episode. Now he seems a little bit more humble.  Alyx is someone who I haven’t heard too much from.  But when she was practicing with Miranda and Blake she impressed me. Jermaine started off the song really strong. This song seemed to be in her low register and she doesn’t really have many moments to shine in this song. I feel like this song is more tailored to him. Which, since I am rooting for him now, its okay.

Coaches Pick:

Xtina: Jermaine

Cee Lo: Jermaine

Adam: Jermaine

The final pick goes to Blake and he goes with Jermaine.

 

Team Adam – Katrina Parker and Angel Taylor singing Bleeding Love

Hearing this pairing and the song I automatically think its tailored to Angel, which could work out negatively for her. I always feel when a white person does an R&B song making it their own, it can be really special. Angel has a beautiful voice but so does Katrina. I love Katrina’s voice and I am rooting for her, but I also don’t want Angel to go home. Katrina started the battle, and she immediately sounded like Adele. Angel has a really great tone and she seems very unique. Not the typical R&B chick.

Coaches Pick:

Blake: Katrina

Xtina: Katrina

Cee Lo: Katrina

The final pick goes to Adam and he seemed to look like he had difficulty making the decision. In the end he goes with Katrina.

 

 

 

Team Blake – Gwen Sebastian and Erin Willett singing We Belong

This was an incredibly emotional battle. Gwen impressed me with her Blind Audition so I know that she would be a great in this song. Erin also has an amazing voice and such a beautiful story. Her father wasn’t given very long to live: 24 hours. And when Blake said he understood what she was going through because his father passed away recently.  Gwen started off really nice, but when Erin came in her voice pulled me in. She has a really beautiful tone. I just noticed Gwen looks like Robyn, the singer.

Coaches Pick:

Xtina: Erin

Cee Lo: Gwen

Adam: Erin

 Final pick goes to Blake. He was really impressed with these girls. He said he wished it wasn’t that good. But in the end the winner of the battle was Erin.

 

Any thoughts on tonight’s episode?

TJE AUSTIN | DALLAS, TX | MARCH 23 | CLUB ARNETIC

For all of my Dallas, Tx fans:

Tje Austin, Phill Wade, Kayo, Vandell Andrew, Ingrea, Elliot Luv, Quentin Moore, and more!

 

 

 

SXSW REUNION: WHEN SEASON 1 VOICE ARTISTS MEET SEASON 2

Sonia Rao and I headed to downtown Austin during SXSW

Rebecca Loebe, Tje Austin and Sonia Rao at PureVolume Buzzmedia House

Connie Lim and Tje Austin at the Driskill Hotel during SXSW

Tje Austin and Lee Koch at the Parish to see Nakia and Lex Land perform.

Tje Austin and Whitney Myer

Sonia Rao, meet Whitney Myer.

Rebecca Loebe, how is Nakia’s tie?

When Season 1 and Season 2 collide! SXSW fun ensuesQ

Lee Koch, Connie Lim, Nakia, Rebecca Loebe, Lex Land, Sonia Rao, Whitney Myer and Tje Austin.

The Voice Season 2 Episode 7 – Battle Rounds

Team Xtina – Geoff Mcbride and Sera Hill singing Chain of Fools

 Both of these artists are really great to me.  Singing an old school song like Chain of Fools really seem to fit both Sera and Geoff. I really tried to focus on their voices and not so much the performance, which was good but I feel like they were both giving each other a lot of attitude which became distracting. They were definitely fighting to stay in the competition. Closing my eyes, they blended really well together.  I feel they were evenly matched.

Coaches Pick:

Cee Lo: Geoff

Blake: Sera

Adam: Geoff

Xtina has final choice. She loves Geoff’s vocal power. She has respect for Sera as vocalist because of how technical her runs on. Xtina’s pick:  Sera Hill

 

  

Team Blake – Lex Land and Charlotte Sometimes singing Pumped Up Kicks

Blake says he loves the song and realizes its not going to be easy but is confident they could do it. Blake says he paired them together because of their personalities: Charlotte, with a boisterous personality and Lex very introverted. Charlotte had 4 coaches turn around for her, and though Lex Land had 3, I had a feeling this battle was going to be really good. I wasn’t a fan of this song choice for either of them. They both have really great voices and good delivery.  I was really drawn to Lex’s voice over Charlotte’s in the Battle.

Coaches Pick:

Xtina: undecided

Cee Lo: Charlotte

Adam: Lex

Blake has final choice.  He says he loves Lex and how she delivers her notes, though she had 1 pitchy note. With Charlotte he says she has the look, which is what it takes in the industry, but she didn’t deliver like Lex Did. Blake’s pick: Charlotte

Team Cee Lo– Sarah Golden and Juliette Simms singing Stay With Me  

Cee Lo says there is a contrast between their two voices with Juliette’s grit and Sarah’s smooth sound. Its funny though, Juliette says she has been called a female Rod Stewart; Sarah feels stylistically the song is a fit for Julia, so from the get go, Juliette seems like a sure win here. After a quick practice, Cee Lo said though Juliette sounds great, so does Sarah. During the battle, all I could notice at first was how great Juliette’s legs look.  She definitely fit this song a lot more then Sarah Golden. Sarah was really solid and sang her heart out.  It is ridiculous to me to pair a mellow folk singer versus a rock singer.

Coaches Pick:

Adam: Juliette

Blake: Sarah

Xtina: Juliette

The final pick goes with Cee Lo. He explains to Sarah that the song choice was a challenge she deserved to show the range of her vocal ability. But if he has to make a decision he goes with: Juliette

Team Adam– Whitney Meyer and Kim Yarbrough singing No More Drama

Adam feels they are both powerful singers and paired them for this reason.  I like how they keep emphasizing that Kim has over 25 years of experience on Whitney. Is that in the music business or life? Because age doesn’t guarantee a win (see Geoff vs Sera).  During the Battle Round, the song didn’t really pick up for me until they got to the end when they began harmonizing. At that point, they both had their A-game. Kim’s voice is huge kind of reminds me of Jennifer Hudson’s in how she delivers, which isn’t necessarily my style of music. Whitney kind of reminds me of Rihanna in her delivery, and I am a sucker for Rihanna.

Coaches Pick:

Blake: Carson Daly

Xtina: Kim

Cee Lo: Kim

The final pick goes with Adam. The Verdict: Kim

Team Xtina– Lee Koch and Lindsay Pavao singing Heart-Shaped Box

I have never heard of this song before so I no preconceived notions of how the song should sound. Lindsay is one of my favorite voices and Lee had such a dope performance during his Blind Audition AND he has a fro. During practice with Lee, it looked like Jewel and Xtina were not enjoying his performance, and suggested he really spend some time learning the song and pronouncing his words. During practice with Lindsay,  Lionel and Xtina suggested she worked on her stage presence and getting out of her head, bringing some confidence to the stage. This was my first favorite performance of the night. They both were quite amazing and this song was so haunting. They took all of the advice from practice to heart and created such a great duet. This song fit them both so well.

Coaches Pick:

Cee  Lo: Lee (he said no one outperformed the other and I agree with him. They were both good)

Adam: Lee

Blake: Lindsay

Final pick goes to Xtina. She picks Lindsay Pavao

 

 

 

Team Cee Lo– Jamar Rogers and Jamie Lono singing I Wanna Know What Love Is

Cee Lo says he was inspired by the both of them and feels their experiences will add to the performance. Jamar is another of my favorite voices from this season so though I enjoy Jamie Lono, I am really rooting for Jamar. Jamie had a little trouble during practice. His nerves were showing through and his voice cracked a few times, which I think was making him feel worse and worse as he progressed. Jamar’s practice seemed to go well, and Ne-Yo suggested he let all the emotion show and not focus entirely on the technicality of the song. The harmony in the beginning of Battle, was so dope. I felt like Jamar was singing his ass off in the song, but was also very respectful to his friend and didn’t over sing Jamie while he sang his verses.

Coaches Pick:

Adam – Jamar

Blake – Jamie

Xtina – Jamar

Final pick goes to Cee Lo. Cee Lo felt that Jamie was so nervous while Jamar displays power and confidence. The winner of the battle: Jamar

Any thoughts on the battles?

Any one get sent home unjustly?

Or do you agree with the coaches?

SXSW, FOREST WHITAKER, OREO’S, MAC & CHEESE, GOD I LOVE OPEN BARS

Friday was an awesome day for my SXSW journey. I woke up at 7:00am to call Happy Hour Hero to see if he was going to head downtown for the first party. He said he was going to show up at 11:00, so I went back to sleep.  He calls me at 9:00 to tell me he is 5 minutes away from my house. WTF. I jump out of bed, rush to take a shower and frantically throw on a pair of jeans when he calls again saying he is outside saying I need to hurry up. Grumbling I finish getting dressed, head to the car and we make our way downtown.

Our first SXSW event was kind of a bust. We just went for the coffee and to get out of the rain, and decided to head to the Hangar to hit up the Junto Box Films Greenlight Party which Forest Whitaker was hosting. Yes I wanted to get a photo with Forest, but OPEN BAR and FREE FOOD were the phrases that pulled me in.  I met a lot of cool people, we chilled there for about 4 hours and then headed out, because they kicked us out to get ready for a different party.

Next we hit up the Conduit Corner. This party was amazing because not only did they have FREE BEER but they had FREE MACARONI AND CHEESE as well as FREE OREOS and  SUNDAES.  Absolutely heavenly.  And I got a free shirt.

Afterwards we hit up Hickory Street and I was able to try GOOD POP (coffee flavored ice pop), a HABENERO flavored PRALINE, CHAMELION COLD BREW COFFEE (AMAZING) and GREENLINGS POPCORN (though I don’t really like popcorn…sorry…it gets stuck in my gaps).

Next we hit up the Madison for PEAR HAVEN party.  Another OPEN BAR with all of the free cheese you would ever want in your life time. And I want a lot of cheese within my life time.

My night ended at Cedar Street for the BLIP by Blipwest party. Again though, OPEN BAR and tons of fun .  In case you haven’t gotten the picture, the theme for my SXSW is :  OPEN BAR. 

NEW SHOW: TJE AUSTIN | LEX LAND | JAIMEE HARRIS 3/24

Where: Frank (4th & Colorado, 78701)

11:30 PM – Tje Austin

10:45 PM – Lex Land

10:00 PM – Jaimee Harris

09:00 PM – DOORS

$6

ALL AGES

Tje Austin -

www.tjeaustin.com

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tje-Austin/19709133043

Lex Land -

www.lexland.net

www.nbc.com/the-voice/artists/lex-land

https://www.facebook.com/lexlandmusic

Jaimee Harris -

www.jaimeeharris.com

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jaimee-Harris/23267362394

And my SXSW starts | The Voice comes to Austin | Dogwood, The Hangar, ACL Live and More

SXSW (south by southwest) is an incredible festival in Austin, Tx that features Music, Film, Interactive, Education, Fashion and more. And it is SPRING BREAK craziness for adults. My interest in SX (south by) is for the music and film, but also the hundreds of parties that feature cool people from all over the world, free food and drinks. This year I look forward to the possibility of seeing officially and unofficially: Jay-Z, Mos Def, 50 cent, Allen Stone, Neon Trees, Cris Cab, Talib Kwali, Mystikal and even a couple people from The Voice (Lee Koch, Brian Fuente, Tony Lucca, Nakia, Casey Desmond, Jonathas, Lex Land, myself of course, Sonia Rao, Rebecca Loebe, Whitney Meyer and more!)

My first party I attended (on 3/07) was at The Hangar for The Bay Are Edtech. When me and my road dawg arrived, it was apparent that this was a group of teachers and such.  A lot of people were asking me what I taught, to which I replied “i don’t teach. i’m here for the open bar.” The truth will set you free. Free being the operative word. OPEN BAR is the theme of SXSW for me.

The second party was on 3/08 at Dogwood. Another dope party hosted by Bypass Lane, an app mainly for use while you are watching a sporting event in an arena. Say you are at the Frank Erwin Center, you are sitting with your friends and you wanna order drinks. Pull out your phone, log in to the app, choose your arena and order your beverages. They will send you a text and BAM! Your drinks are ready, no waiting in line, you go down and pick em up. DOPE.  So at Dogwood, they allowed us to log in to the app through our phones, and order as many FREE drinks that we wanted. And believe me, we took full advantage.

On 3/09 the band I performed at The Hyatt Regency from 5 – 7pm but then had to rush to the George Washington Carver Library to perform for the Blacks In Technology Reception, which got such an amazing response from everyone in attendance.

After the BIT Reception, we headed over to the Old School Bar to see Jonathas (@iknowJonathas) perform.

During which we almost got the car towed (luckily we got to it in time)

While we were there, AG sent me a text that Ghostland Observatory was doing a secret show at ACL LIVE and they were letting the first 1000 people in. So Tom and I rushed over and enjoyed an amazing performance!

All in all a great evening spent with friends.

Acoustic Cover – Set Fire To The Rain by Adele

Zilker Park Kite Festival (3/4/12)

this was the first time I attended the Kite Festival and I have lived in Austin for quite a while now. i have made it a point to go out and do more, to be apart of all the fun this city has to offer. with the help of a couple friends (all of us kite-less) we made our way to Zilker Park. we had to park downtown and WALK about 20 – 30 minutes to get to Zilker. traffic was that bad. i hate walking. i’m more of a lay down and sleep kind of guy. but it was a beautiful day in the company of cool folks. at the end of the day, i’m glad we went. there were tons of people, we almost adopted a kite, and we got to experience some of the best lemonade austin has to offer.