Wednesday, April 27, 2011

The Voice: Blind Auditions Part 1

Clearly, I love myself some American Idol. I mean, I decided to put up this blog because of Idol above anything else. So I'm not going to say that The Voice is an actual threat to American Idol because it's a little too premature to call it this early. Plus, I think this hurts Simon Cowell's X Factor more than the Idol franchise just because they're taking more elements from that show and they're doing it first.

What I'm going to say, however, is that this show had a solid premiere episode. I love the chemistry between the judges and all of them surprisingly have a lot of personality. Oh, and they're cracking me up with all the banters and whatnot.

Also, I love the specifics of this show. I like how the judges have to sell themselves as a mentor and this is actually going to show a lot about picking the right management and coaching. It's a bit bizarre thought to watch these judges who are clearly successful performers compete and beg to get these random contestans to pick them - what an ego denter and I love it!

As for the talent, it's not mind blowing, but I'd say it's light years above Idol in terms of the actual audition rounds. No joke contestants to amuse the viewers by their delusions. Haha.

Here's what I think of everyone:

Tarralyn Ramsey
Breathe
Yes, she has a powerful voice, but I think she needs to learn how to, ironically,  Breathe better. Not a fan of some of her phrasing choices as well. Plus, was it just me or was she sharp the entire song? She has lots of potential though and it will be interesting to see how she develops as an artist. I can see a lot of growth in her.
COACH: Christina Aguilera

Patrick Thomas
Live Like You Were Dying
He has done good. I actually enjoyed his audition and I'm not even a country fan. I like the tone of his voice and his range is quite decent. Oh, and Scott McCreery, this is what a country boy looks like. Take a lesson.
COACH: Blake Shelton

Jared Blake
Good Girls Go Bad
I don't know what to make out of this guy. He can sing and mostly in tune, but the affectations in his voice were a bit grating. Sorry.
COACH: None

Vicci Martinez
Rolling In The Deep
To me, this was a terrible song choice for her. She's more of a Melissa Etheridge than an Adele. I hate to make any comparison, but Haley Reinhart performed this song way better. That said, I like her tone and she should just find the right songs to sing and she'll be alright.
COACH: Cee Lo Green

Sonia Rao
If I Ain't Got You
Wow. Shocker. I heard one or maybe two bad notes in her performance, but overall I thought it was good. Can't believe they passed! What happened?
COACH: None

Elenowen
Falling Slowly
Hmmm. I also wonder if the judges regretted hitting that buzzer by the time the guy tried hitting that last falsetto note. To be honest, I think the girl would have done better on her own as I find the guy totally pitchy. There harmonies need a little work as well. I’m surprised that they were chosen when the girl before them wasn’t.
COACH: Blake Shelton

Frenchie Davis
I Kissed A Girl
It's funny how Fenchie's backstory is American Idol. Haha. And what happened to her? The audition wasn't very good. Totally wrong song for her and her vocals were rough. But I know that Frenchie can do way better than this. She still has a distinct, interesting tone to her voice though.
COACH: Christina Aguilera

Kelsey Rey
American Boy
It’s funny how they say it’s not about the looks, but the judges sure were happy when they turn around and find out that the girl was actually good looking. Haha. I agree with Christina though, she does have a great radio voice. Well, there's your female pop star right there.
COACH: Cee Lo Green

Jeff Jenkins
God Bless The Broken Road
Again, Scotty McCreery, pay attention! For the love of all that’s holy, PLEASE pay attention. I thought this guy has a lot of heart when he sings. He needs to work on his mumbly diction, but other than that he's got a lovely voice. He actually reminded me Jacee Badaeux but better and bigger. Haha.
COACH: Adam Levine

Rebecca Loebe
Come As You Are
I like this girl. Her vibrato is a little goaty a la Casey James, but she sure has a soulful voice and doing a Nirvana song and reworking it like that was seriously cool.
COACH: Adam Levine

Joann Rizzo
Say A Little Prayer
I felt bad for her. She can definitely carry a tune and hits most of her notes, but her tone is a bit thin for my taste. Oh well. Too bad there were no reality shows when she was younger.
COACH: None

Xenia Martinez
Breakeven
This young girl is really raw, but she might have something with some work. I mean, she has an interesting tone and a very distinct voice. I guess, they can do a lot with her. She just needs some guidance and help in stage presence. Lots of potential.
COACH: Blake Shelton

Tje Austin
Just The Way You Are
Damn, trim those ends and then you'll be fine! Haha. Good voice if a bit whiny. Just saying.
COACH: Cee Lo Green

Javier Colon
Time After Time
Excellent! Great tone, pretty voice and superb musicality. If he continues to be this great, I may root for him.
COACH: Adam Levine

Beverly McClellan
Piece Of My Heart
She's quite the rocker! I think she's got a good set of pipes with a decent range and her growls weren't annoying. I'd like to think she already has a musical identity, which is always good.
COACH: Christina Aguilera

7 comments:

Tank Master said...

DAM, you know love you, and i am your no 1 fan and support you in everything you do, but this show is horrible. please remove any mention of it from your otherwise outstandingblog,

a threat to x factor? simon cowell? i couldnt stop laughning when i heard that.

i never heard of this show until i saw your blog and i checked the viewing figures..... even the uk xfactor views make this show look liek a joke.

i love you DAM.

DAM THE NATION said...

Tank Master: But I actually find this show pretty entertaining. I'm a sucker for reality singing competitions and this is no different. That's why I'm mentioning it and reviewing it like Idol, Sing-Off and X-Factor. I'm sorry if you find this show horrible.

What viewing figures? I didn't quite get that. :)

Tank Master said...

omg, omg, OMGGGGGGG

please delete my earlier post, the show is awesome. i just went to wacth it now, and i must say it is absolutely BRILLIANT. thank you DAM. wow.

MUCH better than idol!!!!!

Anneloes said...

- Ceelo is just so smooth, gotta love the guy! The singers were pretty fun.
- Terralyn was pretty nice, but not very outstanding. Maybe she'll win me over later.
- Patrick was adorable and naturally he picked Blake. I liked his song, curious to see his next performance.
- Jared was a bit too much. Maybe he should've done a ballad by a hardrock/metal band to show off a little more singing quality than sort of screaming in key.
- Vicci I actually liked. The song was pretty difficult, and she did the song pretty well! Her voice is quite interesting, so who knows what tricks she has up her sleeve.
- Sonia was nice, but I think the judges didn't press because it had nothing special. Yes, she sang the song well, but it wouldn't excite me. It's..boring?
- Elanowen seem like the cutesy (in the basement living) country couple. I remember in the dutch version that they had twin dudes perform and it wasn't even that good, but 3 judges pressed because they thought it was one dude doing two voices at the same time or whatnot. These sounded decent, and I try not to judge too much from the first performance. If the harmonies work out better next time I really think Blake can help them get to the next level!
- I didn't like Frenchie. Sorry.
- Kelsey was pretty nice. I liked her voice and it really helps that she's pretty. It's always very funny to see the judges' faces when they first see the artist that is performing, and with her the relief that they didn't pressed ok on a one-legged cyclop was written on their faces!
- Jeff was cute, but not really outstanding, but maybe that's just me. (I mean, after Adam's whole I-Want-You speech you have to think the guy has SOMETHING ;) )
- Rebecca I liked! She has a bit of a husky voice that is easy on the ears. Also bonus points for Nirvana! I really think Adam fits her perfectly and I really want to know what kind of songs she will sing.
- I was a bit disappointed that Joann didn't turn out to have that good of a voice. she wasn't bad, but also not good. Very mediocre and just meh. The fun part is usually where an ugly person turns out to be really good (Think Susan Boyle for example!) and they're blown away. This was not that case. She just wasn't that good.
- Xenia was so cute! I think the nerves made it harder for her to show everything she got but she did pretty well and has a distinct voice, like you said. Because she's so young she can also really trained better (possibly) and grow into something that's very nice! I fear for her in the battles though. She's someone that needs to sing in a calm environment instead of in a boxing ring with another artist that really wants to eliminate her.
- Tje was annoying. He looked cute and all (and OH MY, THAT FRO) but he didn't do anything for me. Bit flat and mediocre. Meh.
- Javier was good. I like the stripped-down version of the song and he is very musically talented. Adam must be snickering with Glee that he reeled him in.
- Beverly was... interesting. I wasn't really a fan of all the shaking-head and the growling and the extravaganza, but maybe that's personal preference. At least she stands out! Quite the personality.

Anneloes said...

All in all it was a nice first episode. I love Adam's enthusiasm when he REALLY wants someone on the team (and is Christina a bit annoyed with him?)

Glecer said...

I wonder how many episodes they have for the blind auditions since they already filled most of the 8 slots on their respective teams. Will the blind audition gets tougher? I like this show because of its originality and the vibe that it gives not only to the contestants but also to the audience.

Anonymous said...

The problem I have with the Voice is that I'm afraid there isn't enough focus on the contestants. People are rooting for the COACHES and not the actual artists. I don't know. Maybe it'll get better in the live rounds, but so far, that's my initial observation about the show. At least Idol focuses more on the contestants.

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