‘The Voice’: The Semis. Who should win Season 2? The return of Javier Colon, Dia Frampton, Vicci Martinez and Beverly McClellan

Tomorrow the semi- finals begin and from a fan perspective I couldn’t be more excited.

Here’s what we have to look forward to:

• The remaining artists are performing “original songs”. Does this mean they wrote the songs or the show hired someone to write new music for them?
• Season 1 contestants Javier Colon, Dia Frampton, Vicci Martinez and Beverly McClellan will all be performing. It is going to be really cool to see how fame has treated them. Javier will be performing his single ‘A Drop in The Ocean’; Vicci Martinez will be singing ‘Come Along’ with Cee Lo; Cyndi Lauper will be performing ‘Money Changes Everything’ with Beverly McClellan; and Dia Frampton will perform ‘Kick The Chair’  with Kid Cudi.
• Teams Cee Lo and Adam are performing together to sing The Killers hit “All These Things I’ve Done”  while Team Blake and Christina will perform “The Edge of Glory” by Lady Gaga. Not that it would really matter, but I would like them to switch up the team pairings: Team Cee Lo and Blake while Team Christina and Adam perform together.

This seems like a lot to fit into one episode, but we will see.

Who do you think should win Season 2? Who has the strongest team?

I can’t help but love Katrina Parker and Jamar Rogers. I will be putting in my votes. And remember folks, vote for the people you love. You can’t be mad about who goes home unless you take the time to vote.

Signing off until tomorrow

Tje Austin

THE VOICE: SEASON 2 EPISODE 17 AMERICAS SAVES

The results are in. America voted based on last night’s performance and 2 more people are headed home. Last night my favorites were Jamar and Katrina. So I am optimistic about tonights results, as America always votes like I do… Okay not so much. But who goes home?

First,  Florence + The Machine performed No Light No Light. I have never really listened to her music. The only song I know she has performed was a version of Drake’s Take Care and while that was cool to hear live, it wasn’t my favorite interpretation. Her style isnt really my thing. It was cool to see Team Cee Lo in the background performing though. Jamar’s clothes were dope. He looked like a ninja. And ninja’s kick ass.

Team Adam was the first up to reveal America’s top vote, but not before Carson asked Adam about the reaction he received after eliminating “fan favorite” Pip Andrew. Adam said he received hate mail and several people tried to kill him, but he also shared that it was hard for a coach to let go of someone on the spot like that. Who was America’s save? Tony Lucca. No surprise there.

Team Cee Lo was next up and Carson addressed Cee Lo’s elimination of James Massone. Cee Lo said he had a bittersweet day but told his team that they all deserved to make it that far and he is sure America has good taste. The camera showed each face on Team Cee Lo and they all looked really worried. Who was America’s save? Jamar Rogers! His mom looked like she caught the holy ghost!

Mathai (Team Adam) – singing Cowboy Casanova by Carrie Underwood. She sounded much better than last night! I guess she knew she had to bring it. It was a really great vocal performance. You could tell in her eyes she was emotional. Blake said it was hard not to love her because she is so cute and she embraced the hillbilly side. Xtina said she was happy she got to show the aggression in the song. Cee Lo said he loved the aggression that conveyed she wanted to stay.

Katrina Parker (Team Adam) – singing Perfect by Pink. She sounded great on this song! I couldn’t stop thinking about the amazing Battle Round between Niki and Vicci from Season 1. But she sang it like she meant it. Afterwards, Blake said he knows that Tony got the vote from America but Katrina is the best singer on the team. Xtina said she 100 percent agrees with Blake and she said out of everyone on Adam’s team she is most excited to hear original music from her. Cee Lo said he thought it was a great song choice and he commended her for a great performance.

Who stays? Blake said Katrina. Xtina picked Katrina. Cee Lo picked Mathai. Adam first said Mathai had a spark and energy everyone loves about her; with Katrina he felt she was an unpolished diamond, but throughout the competition he felt both surprised him. He said it boils down to who he has seen more from so far and he really didn’t think Katrina was going to make it as far as she did. With Mathai, he has kept waiting for her to explode and he knows she will do it, show or no show, but his decision is Katrina. (YES!)

Cheesa (Team Cee Lo) – singing Already Gone by Kelly Clarkson. I really liked how soft she started out and then when the chorus kicked in she started belting it out. There were a few moments were she wasn’t totally in key, but there was one final note that was killer! Blake said he enjoyed her a lot, especially that note, but she was a little pitchy and the rest of the coaches agreed.

Juliet Simms (Team Cee Lo) – singing Torn by Natalie Imbruglia. When she started, she had this weird gravel tone, but as soon as she got to the chorus you could feel the pain in the song and the growl fit perfectly. Blake said he was the only one that didn’t hit the button because he wasn’t a believer and week after week she comes out and he loves her. He also called her an acquired taste that he has now. Xtina said she was a fan or her voice, but the softer voice she has used isn’t her favorite place for her voice to be, but she wants to hear another song similar to when she performed Roxanne.

A sad decision for Cee Lo. Who gets the save and who goes home? Blake said he picked Juliet. Xtina picked Juliet. Skipping Adam, Cee Lo had to make a decision. He asked to see both of them smile, but the effort seemed to almost break Juliet and Cheesa. Cee Lo said he loved Cheesa so much and she had a voice that sounds classically trained, so it would be ironic for her not to go on because the show is called THE VOICE. With Juliet her voice is like art imitating life, and life isn’t perfect. He feels America is invested in her so he can’t go against that, so in the end he picks Juliet.

This episode was a little sad to me, but I am happy that my some of my favorite folks are still in the show.

Who are my Fantasy Final 4?

For Team Blake – Jermaine Paul/Erin Willett … ugh this is a hard decision

Team Xtina – Lindsey Pavao

Team Cee Lo – Jamar Rogers

Team Adam – Katrina Parker

But who knows? My picks may change by their performances next week. But I don’t think so.

How do you feel about this week’s eliminations?

Until next week,

Tje Austin

THE VOICE: SEASON 2 EPISODE 14 – The Shock Heard Round The World

I am still stunned by tonight’s episode.

Tonight Team Xtina and Team Blake performed. The catch? Each coach was going to send one of their members home immediately afterwards. Tomorrow, 2 more will go home. The coaches seemed surprised by this move.

RaeLynn (Team Blake) @RaeLynnOfficial –  Singing She’s Country by Jason Aldean. Before her performance, Blake asked her if she had a bf, to which she said no because she is a heart breaker. As of tonight, she is the only Country artist left in the competition. She has a great swagger about her when she performs. Honestly this is my favorite performance of the competition. I think her fire and spunk make her really enjoyable. This was a great way to start out the night. She still had those weird moments in her voice, but I think tonight worked in her favor. Blake said she proved to America that Country can kick ass. I agree. She has a kick ass attitude. 1-855-VOICE-01

Jesse Campbell (Team Xtina) @singjessesing – Singing Halo by Beyonce. As soon as they announced it, I was worried. Beyonce fans are harsh, and a guy singing a Beyonce song can go really wrong with all of the high notes she has in her songs.  He has a high register though, so I hope he can pull it off. I like what he was wearing, and it was cool he was standing in a huge picture frame. I still think he looks Cuba Gooding, Jr. And around him, there were photos of his daughter, as tonight’s performance was dedicated to her. It started off okay, but then as it got further into the song  this dude started really feeling it and he had some really cool moments vocally. His performance rocked the house.  1-855-VOICE-02

Jordis Unga (Team Blake) @jordismusic – She was in the bottom 3 but when she performed Wild Horses, Blake saved her. Tonight she has to prove to the world that she belongs in the competition. She is singing A Little Bit Stronger by Sara Evans. It started off a little weak. She looks beautiful in the white dress. Then her voice gets stronger when she hits the high notes. Xtina said she came out looking lovely, appreciating Jordis showing off her vulnerable side. Cee Lo and Adam agreed. Blake said its so opposite to what she does and she is a singer songwriter as well, and he wanted to show that off. 1-855-VOICE-03

Team Xtina went to Crenshaw to visit a choir and invite them to perform with her team in the live rounds.She started off singing with male strippers dancing around Blake. Then she kicked Fighter into high gear. Team Xtina looked and sounded like they were having fun. To have the chance to sing with their coach has to be an amazing experience. And The Voice band was on point as always. The choir was a really nice touch to this song.

Ashley De La Rosa (Team Xtina) @UKnowAshleyDLR – Singing Foolish Games by Jewel. When she started off, it was weak, but it quickly got better. But it was really hard to hear her. The arrangement of this song was sick though! It seemed she was lost in the instrumentation, but then she hit that note and held it. That one note was dope! Cee Lo said everyone seemed to enjoy it. He said she started out low but when she got to her feet she got into that character. Adam said he felt Cee Lo had an underwhelmed response. He then goes on to say she was the biggest surprise.  Blake said the smartest decision for this season was Xtina’s choice to save her. 1-855-VOICE-04

As soon as Adam (Maroon 5) started singing this song Pay Phone, I fell in love with it. Best quote from my friends during the performance: There’s a black guy in Maroon 5?? Haha. They bleeped something out in his lyrics though. I really want to know what he was saying that wasn’t appropriate for TV.

Erin Willett (Team Blake) – Singing Set Fire To The Rain. I wasn’t a fan of the way she started off the song. I was really waiting for her to get to the pre-chorus. The chorus was really nice. The bridge was better. That is my favorite part in the song. If you don’t know me, this is my favorite Adele song and it has been in my set list for a couple months now. I am huge fan of this song. Xtina said that Erin sang her heart out, but is always wary of when someone does a song on that record. Adam said she did great, but try working on her phrasing because Adele has great phrasing.  1-855-VOICE-05

Lindsey Pavao (Team Xtina) @lindseypavao – Singing a medley of S&M and We Found Love at first. But then they decided to change it singing Part of Me by Katy Perry. She is this season’s darling on The Voice. They did a darker more dramatic version of the song. I know so many people are going to love this version but it was kind of okay to me. Cee Lo wasn’t familiar with the song. Adam said there were really big powerful notes that were pitchy but all artists do that. Blake said he heard the pitch things as well, but he is already a fan and feels people across the country feel the same way. Xtina said she adores Lindsey. 1-855-VOICE-06

Team Blake sings Heartache Tonight by The Eagles.  Out all of the team members singing Jermaine was the best. Hands down. Though Jordis sounded much better than she did earlier tonight.

Jermaine Paul (Team Blake) @JermainePaul – Singing Against All Odds by Phil Collins. This is the chance that Jermaine has been tweeting about. To show a softer side of him. The dude has a voice on him. This was nice version of the song. He sounded a little like R Kelly in the chorus. Xtina said she feels he is a phenomenal singer. She said he is her favorite. Cee Lo said he looked sharp and he said Phil Collins is one of his favorite singers. He also said he is definitely one of the strong contenders in the competition.  Adam said I love you 3x time think at this point. (not playing the @shieldsbrothers drinking game tonight and very grateful). Blake said tonight’s performance tonight was a turning point. From that, I feel Jermaine is not going home tonight. Or he is sending him home and he was just telling him to remember his performance. That would suck. 1-855-VOICE-07

Chris Mann (Team Xtina) @IamChrisMann – Singing Viva La Vida by Coldplay. I am a huge fan of Coldplay. I saw them perform at ACL and the ACL theater. He seemed a little nervous about singing current music. I am still very iffy with Chris Mann. I dont listen to Josh Groban either. Not to say they dont have great voices, but he just dont pull me in. But the oh’s were really good. It just seems like the wrong song for him. The thing is, I don’t think they have found “the right” song for him. Adam said he looked sharp, and being a huge fan of that song, he really wanted to be moved by the song in that way, but he wasn’t moved. Adam said he would rather hear him sing opera. Xtina says he is showing growth and she thinks he is great. 1-855-VOICE-08

So…

Xtina is the first coach to eliminate. First she says she says some people are more open to advice then others. Then she says is going to make enemies tonight from her decision but the person going home is: Jessie Campbell. I am in shock. I didn’t think this at all. Crazy. But maybe he is not open to taking her advice and she just wasnt feeling his attitude. Xtina said she was going to make some enemies tonight. Nothing worse than a diva scorned. Or ignored.

Team Blake eliminated Jordis Unga tonight.  He said he was basing his decision on her performance two weeks ago. I think that is a terrible reason to eliminate someone. Not a good reason at all. Adam Levine was even shaking his head when both artists were eliminated.

Tonight was definitely a shocker. Do you agree with the decision the coaches made tonight?

THE VOICE: SEASON 2 EPISODE 13 LIVE ELIMINATIONS

2 Artists hit #1 on the pop charts from Mondays performances: Tony Lucca and Juliet Simms. Will this be enough to save them?

We won’t find out until after Jessie J finishes performing “Domino” with Team Xtina. I love when they have artists that can actually SING on these singing competition shows. Sometimes they have artists that are just performers with terrible vocals. Not tonight. Jessis J is an amazing vocalist. When Team Xtina joins her onstage, you can tell they are their to have fun lending background vocalists. Afterwards we catch a glimpse of Arsenio Hall in the audience. Cool.

America’s Saves for Team Adam: Mathai, Tony Lucca and Pip Andrew, leaving Kim Yarbrough, Katrina Parker and Karla Davis to sing for the save.

America’s Saves for Team Cee Lo: Juliet Simms, Jamar Rogers, and James Massone, leaving Erin Martin, Chessa and Tony Vincent to sing for the save.

Team Adam

Kim Yarbrough singing “Spotlight” by Jennifer Hudson – this is a perfect song for her. I feel her and Jennifer Hudson have similar styles of singing. She gave a solid performance but I really don’t don’t think this performance is going to save her. The stress was very apparent on her face.

Karla Davis singing “I Can’t Make You Love Me” by Bonnie Raitt – I think this is Karla’s best performance. This is a familiar song as Lex Land sang this for her Blind Audition. Karla showed better control of the melody than last night’s performance. It was a really good rendition that left Adam smiling.

Katrina Parker singing “Don’t Speak” by No Doubt – she again looks and has an Adele feel about her. I think this was an awesome song choice. Her delivery was clean and she was extremely consistent.  And towards the end her vocals hit a very cool point.

Coaches Picks

Blake – Katrina; Xtina – Katrina; Cee Lo – Katrina

The final decision is for Adam Levine. He tells them that its huge that millions of people have seen them perform. He admits that if he was on the show, he doesn’t know if he could win it. He says he isn’t going to be emotional about it and he announces Katrina Parker has the win. He rushes up there for one last hug with Kim and Karla. Karla’s last words are for the people behind the scenes: hair and makeup and the band, Kim thanks everyone for an amazing experience.

Team Cee Lo

Tony Vincent singing “Sweet Dreams” by Eurythmics – This gives me a dark Manson vibe. He would be perfect as Jack Skellinton in a Nightmare Before Christmas live action broadway play. I feel like for him, though his vocals are on point, this is too dark for this type of a reality singing competition.

Chessa singing “All By Myself” by  Eric Carmen – This time I feel like her low register works for her. She is singing an awesome ballad. I still don’t know if this will work out in her favor. She belts out this song and totally kills it. She also got aggressive, which is something that Cee Lo loves.

Erin Martin singing “Your Song” by Elton John – this is the best performance she has given in this competition. And she looks amazing. I didn’t recognize her without all of the fancy hairdos. Favorite line is “I know its not much but it’s the best I can do.” She has probably gotten the worst rap during this whole competition, with people saying that she didn’t belong in the competition. But she has her fans folks and they do support her. Tonight I will say this was her best performance. She really does have a chance in the industry.

Coaches Picks

Adam – Chessa; Blake – Chessa; Xtina – Chessa

The final pick goes to Cee Lo. He says how much they mean to him and he apologizes to everyone for not being able to say enough. He throws out the word “veteranism”. He says his mind says Tony but his heart says Chessa.  I think saying it that was was a little dirty. It made Tony think that he was in the competition. Cee Lo ends the night with an “I love my people”

We have 16 artists left in the competition! Tonight was sad to see more artists go.  I wish them well.

Do you agree with the decisions the coaches made tonight?

Who has the strongest team now?

I am going to have to go with Team Cee Lo and Team Xtina on this one.  But who knows? We will find out next week!!

 

THE VOICE: SEASON 2 EPISODE 12

This week the remaining members of Team Xtina and Team Blake were in the audience while Teams Cee Lo and Adam were in the hot seat, as 12 artists compete for the top spots.  Who will rise to the top?

Katrina Parker (TEAM ADAM) – singing Tonight Tonight by Smashing Pumpkins. She really looked like Adele: the hairstyle, the dress and everything! Is this because they know I love Adele and are looking to sway my vote? I have never heard this song before but she is doing an awesome job. Xtina said her voice captivated her, though she wanted Katrina to rock it out more. Cee Lo said the song should never be a show tune. Adam said he disagrees, he said she has a beautiful voice and she killed it. 1-866-U-LOVE-01

Chessa (TEAM CEE LO) – singing Don’t Leave Me This Way by Thelma Houston. She and Cee Lo discuss the conflicting opinions on twitter after her battle round with Angie; apparently there were a lot of people that disagreed with his decision.  Tonight, she started off in her low register. She still gives me a Toni Braxton vibe. She sounds good, but I don’t think the votes will be there for her. I am not a fan of the sound choice. Cee Lo has interesting choice in music… Blake said he loved it and it was a perfect sound choice for her. Adam said it had Cee Lo all over it, but the only problem is with so many great singers what will make her stand out. Cee Lo of course disagrees, and he feels disco is an era where you can have a fusion of power lead vocal, power and excitement. 1-866-U-LOVE-02

Tony Lucca (TEAM ADAM) – singing In Your Eyes by Peter Gabriel. This is a favorite song of mine. And Tony starts off great. This man has a voice on him!!  It didn’t bore me. I really enjoyed this performance. I think that he is already going to be a top contender (have you seen this man’s twitter followers). Xtina says he is very one dimensional and she wants him to continue. She said this competition is about The Voice and she hopes that the celebrity sway behind him isn’t the only reason he stays. Adam is shocked and says she was honest. But he says how proud he is of Tony and Tony did a great job.  1-866-U-LOVE-03

Kim Yarbrough (TEAM ADAM) – singing Rolling in The Deep by Adele. I love THIS SONG. Those background singers are badass. She sang the song well. It was a different tone, and I don’t think I enjoyed it as much as I enjoy Adele. Blake said he thought it was good, but sharp. Cee Lo commended Adam as a coach for letting her do what she wanted to do, but Adam should’ve done something different, as Cee Lo felt it was a safe choice for doing such a current song. Adam said there was some problems, then he calls Adele is a freak, and there were issues he was worried about. The song wasn’t perfect but it shows everyone her potential. (he loves her to death 3x. DRINK) 1-866-U-LOVE-04

James Massone (TEAM CEE LO) – singing Don’t Know Why by Norah Jones. Another of my favorite songs. The girls were going crazy but he was pitchy. He has a nice tone otherwise. The flower petals don’t hurt I guess. Cee Lo looks like a proud papa in the background. Blake said he almost threw his panties on the stage. LOL. Christina said there were some pitchy notes, to which Blake said he almost pitched his panties. CARSON quoted me on how Cee Lo looks like a proud papa. Cee Lo said he hopes James is proud of himself, being cool, calm and collected (UKNOWWHATIMSAYING #DrinkTheVoice)      1-866-U-LOVE-05

Juliet Simms (TEAM CEE LO) – singing Roxanne by The Police    … Wait  5 record deals she has had??? There is no denying that she can sing. She sounded like she was singing her heart out and the Voice Band version gave me a No Doubt vibe. I like it. Carson like it. Adam said it just pisses him right off because he really wanted her on his team. He said she is the best performance he has seen so far. Xtina said her voice is awesome and wanted her on Xtina’s team as well. Blake said it was the first time he actually got to hear her sing for the first time and its so good.  Cee Lo said she did an amazing job!  1-866-U-LOVE-06

Mathai (TEAM ADAM) – singing Ordinary People by John Legend. She has an incredible voice. She started off acapella. And it was beautiful. Her falsetto is lovely. Listening to her made me smile so hard. TEXAS TALENT CANT BE DENIED!!! Xtina said she likes her voice a lot and she has interesting choices with the adlibs, but it was a little loungy maybe bringing the energy next time.  Adam said she was magical up there. 1-866-U-LOVE-07

Tony Vincent (TEAM CEE LO) singing Everybody Wants to Rule The World by Tears for Fears. I do love this song, but I am getting tired of all of the 80’s songs coming from Cee Lo. He has a great voice, but I don’t know if this was the song to do him justice. Of course, Cee Lo gives him a standing ovation. Blake said he doesn’t know how he feels about the performance, with the hellishness. Haha. Xtina says she is from the pop world so she loves it. Congrats new daddy. Cee Lo went on a weird tangent. Haha. But all in all Cee Lo loves Tony and wants him to continue in the competition. 1-866-U-LOVE-08

Karla Davis (TEAM ADAM) singing Airplanes by B.O.B. I don’t know if the sound was messed up but it was really hard to hear her, like she was singing in a whispery voice.  I really like the idea of this performance, but she was really pitchy. I think this might work against her. I think her background singers were off too.  This was not her best performance. Adam didn’t really look happy. Xtina said she was surprised by the song choice, but she said she did a good job. Blake said he thinks it was as good as she could do with that song, but he doesn’t think that song allowed her to show her versatility with the rapid fire lyric. Adam said she was in the pocket and appreciated that, but he thinks that there is a huge problem when you get up on stage its not as good as it was in the room. She could’ve been better, but overall he loves it. 1-866-U-LOVE-09

Erin Martin (TEAM CEE LO) singing Walk Like An Egyptian by The Bengals. Again Cee Lo came in trying to defend his decision with keeping Erin as there were a lot of nay sayers on twitter that thought the Shields Brothers should’ve won. She had an awesome entrance, coming out in a chariot pulled by dudes and everyone was in Egyptian garb.  I couldn’t really hear her voice. She is hot. It was consistent. Cee Lo did not give her a standing ovation. Blake said here we go again with the male strippers. He said he thinks she could do as well as she could do with that song. Xtina started twirling her hair, said she loves theatrics, but when Erin is up there she has to bring it. Cee Lo said he commends her because the song is almost like a rap song, and he thinks she did a good job. He wants her to be more aggressive. 1-866-U-LOVE-10

Pip Andrew (TEAM ADAM) singing When You Were Young by The Killers.  He was rocking his signature bowtie and an awesome pair of red pants.  He sang really well, but I feel like his clothes didn’t match the song, like he was trying something that wasn’t him. I don’t know how else to describe that. But the guy’s voice is solid. Xtina smiled and said she appreciated the vocal ability, but it came off as trying too hard. Adam said the song was an interesting choice but how it went, he wanted to Pip to be more dangerous and scary.  He felt Pip was too trust worthy. 1-866-U-LOVE-11

Jamar Rogers (TEAM CEE LO) singing Are You Gonna Go My Way by Lenny Kravitz. This is my favorite dude on the show this season. Hands down. I’m throwing it out there. I want him to succeed.  The music is too loud to hear his voice. But his vocals are on point! Fire. His red jacket is something the dude needs to send my way! I know that wardrobe can hook it up!! Haha. The crowd was going crazy after his performance. Clearly a favorite. Blake says he doesn’t know what the people on the stilts have to do with his performance, and Jamar is too good for all of that. Cee Lo pointed out how much the crowd roared for him. 1-866-U-LOVE-12

BEST VOICE TWEETS OF THE NIGHT

So who are my favorites of the night???

Jamar, Mathai, and Katrina.

I do think that Tony is safe.  As well as Juliet Simms.

Who were your favorites tonight?

Tomorrow we will find out who goes home, and apparently Jessie J is performing tomorrow with Team Xtina. That should be tiiiiiight.  Tomorrow my blog will be delayed as me and the band will be in Oklahoma performing at the same time. I almost cancelled my show. Haha. j/k

The Voice: Reflecting on Eliminations And Why I May Have Not Seen All of Season 1

 

I can’t hide the fact that I am addicted to Season 2 of The Voice.  I sometimes rearrange my whole schedule (band rehearsal and the like) so I can watch 2 hours of nail biting performances, while binging on fast food, taking shots whenever Blake says “tender” and telling my friends to shut the hell up because I can’t hear who is singing.

Confession: I didn’t watch all of Season 1 of The Voice.

There we have it. I watched clips online and YouTube, but I delved  into my music and just used the momentum to book shows do as much as possible.  A lot of people had things to say about my elimination, good and bad. Even now people come up to me with opinions on how I should’ve performed or sang to beat Nakia. I even had one person insist that it was my fault I lost because I didn’t take their input.  That is the way of the world. Everyone has an opinion. Hindsight is 20/20. What I know is I had the best time being part of the show and getting to be on Cee Lo’s team.

This season is bigger and the show has more credibility.  The artists performing are incredible. And America shares its opinion all of the time online via twitter, facebook and blogs.  I love reading the blogs.  I love seeing the artists involved in the show tweet.

My thoughts so far on how things are going:

• I am going to miss Moses Stone and Sera Hill. I really root for R&B and hip hop.  Sometimes I feel like R&B singers are the black character in a horror flick.
• I think it was funny to see honest emotions on twitter about people getting eliminated and how JUSTICE IS SERVED. that is all i will say on that.  But I mean, that is real.  It may not have been nice, but I was amused.  There are so many thoughts and feelings that run through the mind of anyone that has been eliminated off the show. I gave myself 3 days to be sad about it when I was eliminated last year. Its really not the end of the world, and being on the show has helped me out a lot. I can only imagine what it can do for Season 2.
• To the coaches: Coming to the rescue of one of your artists who is being bashed is beautiful, just don’t forget to do it for all of your team members.
• Ashley De La Rosa impressed the hell out of me. She is a totally different performer from when I first saw her.  Very interested to see her progress.
• I tend to get overly emotional and start screaming at my television when the bottom 3 are announced. I almost threw something at my tv, and then realized that i wouldn’t be able to watch the episode anymore.
• Christina looked really good during eliminations. She is refusing my advances but I think we could have beautiful afro-hawaiian mixed babies together.
• I don’t know who I want to win yet. Do you? There are a lot of good artists so far.
• I have a whole list of people who I think were robbed.  But I guess that is what makes good television… i.e. The Shield Brothers, Jonathas, Lex Land, Lee Koch, Anthony Evans… I just feel they should still be in the competition. I want these guys to succeed.

As a viewer, my opinion counts, and it doesn’t.  I just want to share my thoughts having been involved in a great show.  I hope many of you who have dreams of being a singer will try out for Season 3.

Anxiously waiting for the next eliminations.

THE VOICE: SEASON 2 EPISODE 11 : 4 GO HOME

Tonight for Team Blake and Team Xtina, America saved 3 people, and then the remaining 3 get a chance to sing again to save themselves.  The coaches will then only be able to save 1. 2 people from each team will end up going home.  And who will the lucky artists be tonight?

The guest band performing tonight was Gym Class Heroes singing Ass Back Home.  Most tweets during the performance were “WTF is the girl singing with GCM wearing??” and none of them were about the performance being terrible so I think they succeeded.

Blake talks to his team about the first time he heard his song on the radio.  They get to watch him in action during the radio show. He announces an acoustic concert April 5 in L.A.  AGAIN, Blake is such an awesome coach, going above and beyond.

Christina brings her team to The Tonight’s Show and they get to meet Jay Leno. Then they are paired together for songs and they perform on the show. Amazing experience for all of them.

 

America’s Saves for Team Blake: Erin Willett, Jermaine Paul, Rae Lynn

Leaving Naia Kete, Charlotte Sometimes and Jordis Unga to compete for Blake’s save.

 

Naia Kete – If I Were A Boy by Beyonce.  She looked very beautiful and I really dig her hair. She was singing her heart out but I don’t know if this performance is going to save her. She was understandably nervous and her voice was shaky. I also think Blake already saved her once by taking her to the Live Rounds when even she knew she won with experience versus performance.

Charlotte Sometimes – Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls.  I love this song.  Hard moment for her, I could tell is when she sang “I just don’t wanna go home.”  Singing this song her voice broke a little and you could tell the possibility was breaking her heart.  She gave a solid performance. Again, not sure if it was good enough to save her.

Jordis Unga – Wild Horses by The Rolling Stones and she sang incredibly well.  Hands down. AND earlier in the show, it was announced she was the only one to hit Number 1 on the iTunes Charts on the Rock Charts,

Coaches Picks

Xtina – Jordis

Cee Lo – Jordis

Adam – Jordis

In the end, Blake chooses JORDIS!!

 

America’s Saves for Team Xtina: Jesse Campbell, Lindsey Pavao, Chris Mann

Leaving Ashley De La Rosa, Sera Hill and Moses Stone to compete for Xtina’s save.

 

 Ashley De La Rosa –  Oh La La La (Paris) by Grace Potter. And she is ripping into this song.  This girl has vocals! And I can actually hear her sing tonight!  Wow she did really well. This may have saved her.

Sera Hill – Vision of Love by Mariah Carey. Her first note was shaky but she quickly fixed it and started hitting those notes. She had an awesome riff towards the end of the song,  and despite how well she did through out I don’t think this will save her.  I feel Xtina is in love with Moses being the first MC and Ashley did a great job too.

Moses Stone – Breakeven by The Script. He did really well. I cant say that enough. I don’t know if I am judging him fairly like everyone else but I really enjoyed it. I hated that he was singing ‘posed’ instead of ‘supposed’ but other than that the dude rocked it. I do feel like it may not have been good enough.

Coaches Picks

Cee Lo – Sera

Adam – Ashley

Blake – Ashley

The decision is of course to Xtina. And Xtina picks…. ASHLEY!!

Next week Team Adam and Team Cee Lo go against each other performing live for the first time on Season 2. Now they know what to expect. Wishing everyone luck! I will miss Sera and Moses!!! A Lot!!!!

So what do you think about the results of America’s vote so far?

What about the coaches pick?

Anyone you are going to miss?

Who will win?

UPDATE***BEST REACTION OF THE NIGHT GOES TO RAELYNN WHEN SHE SCREAMS OH SHIT IN SURPRISE!  Thanks Rickey.org or VoiceAmbrosia on Youtube for this:

THE VOICE: SEASON 2 EPISODE 10 THE LIVE SHOWS BEGIN

First of all it is really hard for me to watch this show with people. I love my friends, but people are always talking too much and I miss what is going on.  LOL.  I have to take a step back and think is it really that serious.  No.  Okay yes it is! It’s the first time The Voice Season 2 goes live and it is that serious! Tonight only 2 coaches’ teams perform: Christina and Blake.  12 contestants who all deserve many congratulations for their success. Adam and Cee Lo’s teams are able to sit back and watch what happens. Lucky them.

Jermaine Paul (BLAKE) singing Living On A Prayer (Bon Jovi) - Before he even starts singing I am excited by this song choice.  It reminds me of growing up. Jermaine starts off this song rising from the ground. He is singing really hard, riffing, growling and hitting every note. I wonder what he thought of this song because I don’t think it was the best song choice for him. Xtina didn’t understand how it connected to him. Blake said he thinks that Jermaine’s song will be on iTunes in the Top 10. We shall see. Jermaine has such a good voice I don’t think we were really able to hear him in this song. He seemed drowned out by the music. VOTE: 1-866-U-LOVE-01

Chris Mann (XTINA) singing Bridge Over Troubled Water (Simon and Garfunkel) – Not sure when they announced it if it was going to be a good choice for him. When he started singing, I didn’t feel the piano sounded as dramatic as his voice.  The guy can sing and it got stronger as the song progressed. It was a really pretty version, but it seemed like a version that would be performed during the Tonys. The guy stayed true to himself. Cee Lo, said he came to be completely critical tonight, especially to the ones not on his team, but he thought it was great. Xtina said he owned it. VOTE 1-866-U-LOVE-02

RaeLynn (BLAKE) singing Wake Up Call (Maroon 5) – She looked cute, and she can growl but I didn’t like this performance.  She had the attitude but her voice wasn’t really there for me.  Xtina said RaeLynn had awesome stage presence, and Adam said she did “darn good” but no one said anything about her voice. VOTE 1-866-U-LOVE-03

Moses Stone (XTINA) singing Stronger/Power (Kanye) - He really brought the energy and I don’t really understand how they are going to judge this.  It would’ve been a respectable performance.  The dude was wearing a kilt i think? LOL. Adam said he feels he has a better chance as a singer than a rapper, and Xtina’s face got dark.  Blake says he sounds like a better singer and singing is what this competition is about. Xtina said he makes her so excited, and others that are the type of vocalist he is (which could go over people’s heads) use auto tune, and he didn’t.  VOTE 1-866-U-LOVE-04

Naia Kete (BLAKE) singing Turning Tables (Adele) -  I love this song so much. She did a really good job. Much better than in her Battles.  And singing Adele is a smart move. I did want more from her. Adele has such a strong voice. Naia was shaky in some parts, and she didn’t have the power, but like Blake said, her tender moments were awesome. VOTE 1-866-U-LOVE-05

Lindsey Pavao (XTINA) singing Somebody That I Used To Know (Gotye) – Another favorite song! The creepy masks were interesting and freaky. Lindsey has this whisper when she sings and the song was cool but I am not sure if it showed off her versatility. There weren’t any moments that really pulled me in. I think I wanted some power and more high notes. But overall the girl is good! VOTE 1-866-U-LOVE-06

Jordis Unga (BLAKE) singing Alone (Heart) – The beginning of the song was okay to me, but when it got to the chorus, she really hit those high notes. I feel like the music sometimes drowns the artists out though. Her family was wearing some interesting garb in the background.  Blake was talking about her tender moments, but I didn’t really feel her tenderness in the song was the greatest. Maybe it was too low for her. Her strength was definitely in those high notes. VOTE 1-866-U-LOVE-07

Sera Hill (XTINA) singing Find Your Love (Drake) – This performance really reminded me of something Mary J Blige. She has a great voice and she was bringing it.  I couldn’t help but smile when she was singing. She made this song her own and I love the arrangement. She had this Lady Marmalaide look about her tonight. Xtina put her stamp all over this. VOTE 1-866-U-LOVE-08

Erin Willett (BLAKE) singing Living For The City (Stevie Wonder) – I didn’t know this song. I am not familiar with a lot of Stevie Wonder’s music. But she has a voice on her. And she plays the piano!  She has a really strong voice. I think she is going to be a top contender. Definitely my first favorite performance of the night! Blake said he felt she was the best vocally and technically of the night. VOTE 1-866-U-LOVE-09

Ashley De La Rosa (XTINA) singing Right Thru You (Alanis Morissette) –  It was hard to hear her tonight because the music was too loud. The band is awesome but I couldn’t hear her.  It was like being in a bar with a bad sound system. This might be bad for her. I know she has a great voice, but it was hard to hear her. Adam said he felt she was the most improved; how we could see the 17 year old in past performances but tonight we see a woman. Xtina agreed. I understand she is 17, but I feel like they beat us over the head with this. VOTE 1-866-U-LOVE-10

Charlotte Sometimes (Blake) singing Misery Business (Paramore) –  Okay this girl eliminated my friend. I don’t know how I feel about it. Well, yes I do. Tonight I am pretending this is the first time I have heard her. She looked pretty and the strings where a really nice touch. This song has to be a difficult one because of how low it starts off.  I don’t think this is her best performance. I think she can do better.   VOTE 1-866-U-LOVE-11

Jesse Campbell (XTINA) singing What A Wonderful World (Louis Armstrong) – He started off as one of my favorites and then he eliminated Anthony Evans Jr. And I was back and forth.  I don’t know. I feel people feel he is Season 2’s Javier Colon, and I disagree. He just happens to be black, bald and have a high range. HAHA. Its like the show wanted the last song to be dramatic and moving.  Jesse can sang though! Xtina was moved to tears. Cee Lo said his voice is almost as beautiful as his hair.  LOL.  The rest of the coaches seem to think he is the one to beat. VOTE 1-866-U-LOVE-12

My favorites of the night: Erin Willett, Moses Stone, and Sera Hill.

I am obviously not an authority on all things “The Voice”  or music, but I am so friggin addicted to this show! Can’t wait until tomorrow.

Who do you think is going home tomorrow? 

Who do you want to stay?

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?

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?