3/13/2012

Live-commentarying the Voice: 3/12/2012

Hey folks, in an effort to make this shorter and more readable, I'm just going to comment on the performances. Week 2 of the Battle Rounds!

Srsly.

1. Team Christina: Geoff McBride and Sera Hill are singing Aretha Franklin's "Chain of Fools." Christina isn't too original about song choices. This sounds like a wedding band cover of this song. They're both pretty solid, I'm not sure who's going to stay in the competition. The breakdown at the end was hideous.

Judging:
Cee Lo: Pleasantly surprised. Picks Geoff because he had more control vocally.
Blake: Indecisive, but going with Sera.
Adam: Leans toward Geoff because of his taking-off-the-glasses move.
Christina: Liked both of them, but she goes with Sera because of her runs and ad libs. Whatever.

2. Team Blake: Charlotte Sometimes and Lex Land will be singing "Pumped Up Kicks" by Foster the People. CAN MARK FOSTER BE THERE? But seriously, that's random. The song works so well because of the strange, nasal vocals and echo effects. We'll see if it works in pure vocal performance. Charlotte has that obnoxious Lana-Del-Rey-scoop-voice-to-forced-vibrato thing that's weirdly popular these days. Lex works a breathy verse and brings it on the chorus. I would go with Lex.

Judging:
Christina: Liked Lex's sexy verse. Charlotte was sassy.
Cee Lo: Liked Charlotte's sexy, liked Lex's airy sexy. Would have gone with Charlotte.
Adam: Lex opened up as the song went on and would go with her.
Blake: Lex is surprising. Charlotte has what it takes to be a star. Charlotte wins. So bored by her style.

3. Team Cee Lo: Sarah Golden and Juliet Simms are up singing "Stay With Me" by Rod Stewart. Cee Lo remains my favorite song chooser. Their styles surprisingly blend well; there's only a fine line between rocker and folk singer. I feel like Sarah has the harder part with the lower harmonies--she's got a nice ear.

Judging:
Adam: Would definitely go with Juliet.
Blake: Complimented Sarah's harmonies and versatility.
Christina: Wasn't sure that the song did Sarah justice and would go with Juliet.
Cee Lo: Sarah got to show off her range. He goes with Juliet. (It was a tough call, and I appreciate anyone bringing Black Crowes realness.)

4. Team Adam: Whitney Myer and Kim Yarbrough are singing Mary J. Blige's "No More Drama." Can I just say how much I love Kim's wisdom? Kim has more of a command of her voice, but Whitney's got a lot of fight.

Judging:
Blake: Felt like he was watching Diva's Live. "Song of a bitch, man." Picks Carson.
Christina: Could not deny Kim's voice.
Cee Lo: Felt like the song fit Kim's more mature voice better.
Adam: Conflicted, but ultimately goes with Kim! I'm excited for her.

5. Team Christina: Lee Koch and Lindsey Pavao are going to sing "Heart Shaped Box" by Nirvana. This could be a disaster pairing. They both have that breathy, close-mouthed, permanently pronouncing "r" style that's a close cousin to the Lana Del Rey scoop. Think Feist. Lindsey is incapable of finding the melody, she's always in riff mode. Lee is staying closer to basics and is coming off better, although Lindsey sometimes happens upon some good moments.

Judging:
Cee Lo: Liked Lindsey's voice, Lee looks like Jesus. Thought it was a great performance overall.
Adam: Liked the creepiness. Picks Lee.
Blake: Doesn't know "Heart Shaped Box." ??? Would have picked Lindsey.
Christina: Put himself into the song. Loves Lindsey's tone. Goes with Lindsey and her inability to find a melody.

6. Team Cee Lo: Jamie Lono and Jamar Rogers are singing Foreigner's "I Want to Know What Love Is." Cee Lo continues to win the song choice competition. Jamie is more entertaining, although Jamar's voice is smoother and overall stronger. Probably my favorite performance of the night, if only for the song choice.

Judging:
Adam: Jamie was in his zone, but lost it once it turned into a power ballad. Jamar owned the stage.
Blake: Loves Jamie's vibe.
Christina: Likes Jamie's tone, but song didn't fit him vocally. Jamar has a singer vein in his neck...so she chooses him.
Cee Lo: Ultimately goes with Jamar. Well chosen, Cee Lo. I'll miss Jamie's glasses.


Random comments:
1. Where can I get Cee Lo's silky sweat suit collection?
2. Can Ne-yo be everyone's coach? He's got great advice.
3. Robin Thicke's presence delights me to no end.
4. SO MUCH CRYING AT THE END OF THIS EPISODE.

2 comments:

  1. I've had a hard time watching this year. I loved it last year. But all of the "blah blah blah" between songs is kind of turning me off and the music just doesn't seem as delicious this year.

    Because of all this I find your recaps immensely useful, helps me know what happened if I happened to do something else or change the channel and not catch the song bit.

    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm excited someone is reading this!

    ReplyDelete