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 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 4

First off I have to say I am addicted to The Voice. Seriously.  Band rehearsal went long this evening so I rushed home and in a rush reheated dinner, changed the channel to NBC and Wheel of Fortune was finishing up. I was feeling impatient, while I waited for it to go off and had to check myself. Its only a TV show right? Wrong. Its the effing Voice. And its awesome.

The first artist up tonight is Ducky (@duckydukemusic). He is a painter and from the artwork they show he seems to be really good. How does he rate as a singer though? For his Blind Audition he sings ‘Tighten Up’. He has a nice rocker voice, and he seems like he could be an interesting addition to someone’s team. Of course Carson Daly asks ‘where is Adam in all of this?’. Unfortunately, no coach turns around. Blake says that Ducky is one of those he will look back and regret a little bit. Blake’s cool factor keeps going up. He offered Ducky a sip from his cup after Ducky said he may need a shot (he said sarsaparilla but isn’t that root beer?). Blake are you drinking on the job? BEST JOB EVER!

Next artist is Jonathas Ojeda (@iknowJonathas), from Austin, TX. ( TEXAS BABY!!) He is Brazilian and a family man. For his Blind Audition, he busts out  ’You Got It Bad’ by Usher. Adam says he sounds exactly like Usher and Blake says he’s gotta be good looking.   Cee Lo Green is the first coach to turn around, and surprisingly XTINA turns around. Cee Lo said he thought it was a prank because it sounded so much like Usher. Xtina said it was clear that the ladies loved him and were body rocking. She also knows some of the best choreographers and wants to mold him. Cee Lo asks what kind of watch he is wearing and for a moment they bond over watches.  Jonathas says he is a big fan of Cee Lo, but has always had the hots for Xtina. In the end, its Team Xtina.

Monique Benabou (@MoniqueBenabou) is the next artist and  for her Blind Audition she sings ‘Mr Know It All’ by Kelly Clarkson. She has a nice voice. Very pop-ish.  I feel like she might go to Team Blake but no one is turning around. Finally Xtina turns around.  Why: because Xtina said she was generally consistent and she delivered.  Team Xtina.

Next up is Naia Kete (@naiakete), a street performer. Carson Daly surprises her during a performance on the street. I friggin love these moments when he does this. When they show her with her family, I really get a gypsy vibe from her. They all have long locs and the girls wear long dresses. Its dope.  For her song she starts ‘The Lazy Song’ and Blake Shelton is the first coach to turn around. As soon as she hits a high part in the song, Cee Lo pushes his button. Cee Lo of course calls her an angel and then says “I PUSHED MY BUTTON FOR YOU.” And she replies, “Cee Lo you push all my buttons.”  Blake throws his arms up and says “I’m screwed” but he goes on to say that when he heard her voice, it instantly made her smile.  The coaches are laying it on thick.  Cee Lo and Blake are really fighting for her. In the end, Naia picks Team Blake!

SIDENOTE: I think a shot game could be created everytime Blake says the work UNIQUE .

The next artist is Eric Macek (@erikmacek), a CZECH dude. For his Blind Audition he sings ‘Free Falling’. He has a cool voice.  I dig the mellow vibe. That is all me. But none of the coaches turn around. Blake tells him he wouldn’t change a damn thing that he did and he almost pushed the button. But he didn’t. Blake said UNIQUE again in the after-thought interview.

The next artist is Charlotte Sometimes (@4eversometimes). Unfortunately, when she was younger she was diagnosed with a disease that disintegrates the jaw but she had surgery, had her jaw wired shut for 5 months and now she is able to pursue her dreams! For her Blind Audition she sings “Apologize” and I get a Lana Del Rey vibe from her. Adam and Blake turn around for her at the same time. Suddenly the rest of the coaches turn around. 4 JUDGES! Blake lets everyone know that he had a girl with a similar vibe (Xenia) and she now has a record deal. These coaches are fighting for this girl. Adam says he heard a cool and simple thing with her voice, and Xtina says she doesn’t think it was simple at all. But as they argue Cee Lo says that Adam and Xtina need to get a room. Ha. In the end Charlotte choose Blake. Team Blake. I like the victory pumps Blake does when he gets an artist.

The next artist up is Tony Vincent (@tvofficial), who is a Broadway star (kind of like Frenchie right?) For his Blind Audition he sings Queen “We Are The Champions”  and this dude is rocking out on stage! Cee Lo is the only coach to turn around. Cee Lo questions if the other coaches’ ears are burned up from having such a great vocal performance. Blake says that Cee Lo is an over the top artist and perfect for Tony. Team Cee Lo baby!

Anthony Evans (@anthonyevansjr) is the next artist (DALLAS TEXAS!!), son of a well-known Pastor and his dad looks like Steve Harvey.  He is trying to define himself as an artist and I bet he is trying to get away from being pegged as Gospel, or at least show how versatile he can be.  For his Blind Audition he sings ‘What’s Going On’. He definitely has a church vibe.  I like his falsetto. As soon as he does this vocal riff Xtina pushes that button. Xtina says she thinks he has a beautiful voice. She was waiting to hear something spectacular at the end and when he started hitting those runs, that was her moment. Team Xtina.

The next artist works in a sandwich shop and his name is Jamie Lono (@JamieLono). I feel slighted in the way that Carson Daly did not present him with his invitation. It looks like his supervisor did.  I guess that is a good way to let your job know that you are going to be gone for a while! If not indefinitely. But let’s not put all of our eggs in one basket. (What does that mean?) For his Blind Audition he sings ‘Folsom Prison Blues’ and Adam Levine pushes his button immediately. Cee Lo also turns around.   Adam says he is so soulful. The song choice was amazing. Different and Soulful. In the end he goes to team Cee Lo! Wow. Though Adam turned around first, he still went with Cee Lo! So far, tonight Adam still has no one! Team Cee Lo.

ANOTHER SHOT GAME: TAKING A SHOT EVERYTIME CEE LO SAYS: ENDORSE.

Next up is Dylan Chambers (@dylan_chambers) from ARLINGTON, TX (TEXAS STAND UP!). For his Blind Auditions, he sings ‘Valerie’ I am digging his vibe! I love this song and he is doing a really good job. But none of the coaches turned around.

They do a quick run through of artists that don’t make it, which is really nice of them. They didn’t have to show any of them.

The next artist is Justin Hopkins (@jhopsmusicbox), and he was actually one of Carson Daly’s guitarists in the house band. For his Blind Audition he performs ‘Babylon’. He had a resigned look on his face when it almost seems no coach is going to turn around, when suddenly Cee Lo turns around. He did say earlier he would like to be on Cee Lo’s team. You got your wish dude! TEAM CEE LO!

Up next is Nicolle Galyon (@nicatnitemusic), who wants to be the first country artist pianist. For her Blind Audition she sings ‘You Save Me’. Adam is the first to turn around. And it looks like Adam may actually score this one! Afterwards, Adam gives her a standing ovation and lets the other coaches know they are dumb.  He says he is happy because when she wasn’t nervous, she was so special. Team Adam. His first artist of the night. Good job Adam.

They quickly Ashley De La Rosa (@UKnowAshleyDLR) goes to Team Xtina, Jordan Rager [(@Jordan__Rager) <<--- that is 2 underscores] who goes to Team Blake, Karla Davis (@KarlaDavisMusic) goes to Team Adam, Alyx (@FollowAlyx) goes to Team Blake.

Eric Tipton (@RealEricTipton) is 31 years old, 6 ft and 300 lbs. SANGER, TX. (hello fellow TEXAN!) For his Blind Audition he sings “You Make My Dreams” and he has a really nice soft tone to his voice, with moments of power.  Unfortunately no coach turns around.  He did really well though.

Mathai (@mathaimusic) from Dallas, Texas (another TEXAN!) is sexy. Hands down. Her family is in the business of making doctors, but she wants to follow her dreams of being an artist. For her Blind Audition she sings ‘Rumor Has It’, which you know I already love as I love Adele. Obviously Mathai and I are meant to be together. If her parents find me acceptable.  Adam Levine is the first coach who turns around. Mathai’s mom is really giddy and I love how she starts to do a little happy dance. Soon Blake turns around. Followed by Cee Lo. The guys must’ve heard sexy cos they all turned around. Blake calls her a star. But in the end she chooses Adam!

Another great episode of The Voice! I was a little more excited about this episode more than last week. And I found my wife. And my favorites in this episode are Jonathas Ojeda (@iknowJonathas) and Mathai (@mathaimusic). Also I think everyone in America learned that Texas talent is abundant and diverse.

What did you think about tonight’s episode? Any favorites? Let me know!

Until next week.

LLAP.