mercfan3

So, it's not Andrew...(if he's being arrested in episode 2)

Yea, I've got a feeling that preview is like..two days after they got locked out of the building.

I think Christina gets a bad rap for some things that weren't exactly her fault. (The britney/Xtina feud was made up by the press, the Pink/Xtina feud had more to do with Pink/Xtina's manager and of course Linda Perry) Personally, I think she'd be happy to have Gwen/Usher/Shakira with her. You could tell she loved having Pharrell on the panel..she had someone she could talk to while Blake and Adam were being dude/bros and Pharrell didn't talk about how much he liked her big boobs. She'd get that with Gwen (who she's friends with anyway), Shakira, and Usher (I think. He's like Pharrell and he seems to be much more of a gentlemen.) It seemed like Usher and Adam clicked a lot more the second time around.

My personal favorite coaches are Shakira and Usher..but one night this season where Christina was handing out backhanded compliments like it was her job ("That was...challenging..you look nice.") Might have been the most entertained I've ever been with a coach. If we can't have Shakira...definitely bring on the Usher/Blake/Adam/Christina.

I liked Gwen a lot because she's a good coach, IMO. But I agree in that chemistry was off that season. I think it was because it was Gwen and Pharrell and then Adam and Blake. There was a clear divide. Not that everyone didn't get a long, but it was just the chemistry was off. With Blake/Adam/Shakira/Usher..those four just blended really well. But I'd be willing to bet we won't get Shakira back. :( Still..please God, let Usher have a change of heart and do the show without her..I liked Pharrell a lot, but if it's him or Usher..I'm taking Usher. Besides, Pharrell needs a season off to work with Mia, Sawyer, and Koryn.

I've always been an advocate of Caleb just being all of the girls partner.

I thought Pharrell improved by leaps and bounds this season. Mostly just be leaving his kids alone and supporting them in what they were doing. (Although, he should have encouraged Mia to make a more strategic pick. ) And with him already producing and writing a song with Mia, and promising to play a role in Sawyer's album if Sawyer wants him to..I'm more impressed. Plus, watching Pharrell watch Koryn was the best part of the season. My issue..he can't really sing. One of my favorite parts of the show is the coaching performances and the coach/contestant duets. The Usher/Michelle duet is probably my favorite performance of the entire series. (Well, anytime Usher was on the stage it's a top moment for the show.) Christina..god..that woman's voice. So as much as i like Gwen and Pharrell's personalities, they are kind of a letdown on stage. (I mean, I like Adam's voice. It's good. But when he has to carry the other three to the extent that he does....the performance is lackluster.)

With Ali..I hope they go Jenna or Paige.

Rumor has it, that it's Gwen, Blake, Adam, and Pharrell.

It's not the show that wouldn't have all the legal stuff covered with the song, it's Ray that might not. Because it was self released, who knows what legal rights are attached to it (if any), which means that it could have essentially been the same as an unreleased song sent to Republic. And in which case, Republic would have no need to know (or care) when the song was written. But like I said, I don't know what Ray did with his old unreleased songs. I'm sure Taylor Swift has every demo she's ever created as legally protected as possible. Meanwhile, a singer songwriter named BC Jean wrote a little song called "If I Were A Boy." Beyonce's label gave it to Beyonce, and because BC Jean didn't publish it, she didn't end up getting all the rights to that song that she could have. So, as much as Republic didn't steal the song (I'm sure), it might not be necessary for them to know and/or care about when the song was written. And if it makes Carson and Sawyer feel good to think that Ray wrote that song for him..and Ray isn't bothering to correct it. Who cares? (Also, given the interviews I've seen..it's clearly Carson that is giving Sawyer the impression that Ray wrote him a song. I think Carson is just excited about Ray. But Carson is the one that keeps saying it. )

I like your list, IMO..the only omission is Mia's "Ain't No Sunshine" I'd have to think about it..but "Make It Rain" might be my choice for best performance of the season too.

Well, because it was self released it's possible that what is normally taken care of legally wasn't, and therefore..it's just like an unreleased song. I mean, I don't really know if the song was attached to a publishing company or things like that. In fact, it appears that this song was written and released by Ray Lamontagne before he was signed to a major label. Wikipedia lists the album as limited. Of course, a little fact checking (like we've all done) would have solved this. But they may have had no reason to check. And I don't expect much from Republic. (When is Josh Kaufman's album coming out?)

Personally, I watch these shows for two reasons. I love music and watching talented people perform. You get that on shows like The Voice. And second, I like the idea of discovering a new artist. I can honestly say that I have quite a few "favorite musicians" from reality tv shows. Personally, I watch the show with the hope that I find someone who is worth following in the future.

I would assume it's just ignorance from everyone involved. "Please" is a self released song, on an album that is all older versions. It's not even available on itunes as far as I can tell. (Although you can find it on youtube) As for implied, that could be accidental as well. All the text could be is "Here's a song for you, I hope you use it as your original." And anyone could interpret that it was written for him. I also haven't listened to the lyrics too well..it's possible that Ray changed it up. It surprises me that Sawyer didn't already know it. But I'm not that surprised that no one else did. (Maybe Carson.)

That's probably what Ray implied in his text to Sawyer. It surprises me that he (Sawyer) doesn't know it, to be honest. Granted, he didn't know "Drunk in Love" either.

Happy for Sawyer, and I hope Republic doesn't screw it up. Mia has a single and a music video? Hoping she's signed and this wasn't just a one time thing. (Although i don't know why they'd spend any money on her if it wasn't. I'm kind of more excited about that than anything. It also shows what kind of a person Pharrell is. That's amazing that he'd do that with/for her during the show. I think my favorite sketch was the one with Christina shading everyone.

Jacquie actually understands vocal dynamics though. She doesn't start on full blast she builds up to it. She's also got some finesse to her voice. Meghan's voice is just like a very loud bulldozer. I love her tone..but she's as uninteresting to me as Josh..who also doesn't do phrasing or dynamics well...but in the opposite way as her. And yea..having Christina Aguilera as a coach, and not having her sing a duet with someone...what a waste. Sawyer's probably sold about 600K. (He was at around 490,000 from playoffs-finale night, but I figure with the 3 finale performances plus Battles/Audition/Knockout, he should be around 600K) The artists get a cut, the union would have a fit if they didn't. I'm pretty sure it's 9 cents per song (which is typical for a singer on an itunes song.)

Sawyer's original songs are beautiful, IMO. But they are also just him and his guitar, without a full accompaniment. One of them is in the itunes top 1000. (And his original album is #3 on itunes singer/songwriter chart. Republic is going to have to do a terrible job to not profit off of him.) They also involve a lot of head voice which I don't think he can do right now with his voice change. I also question the legal aspect of it. Pharrell probably suggested not to involve his original material because of it. I remember Michelle Chamuel discussing why it wasn't a good idea to do it. (I could be wrong, but I think you have to give some of the rights to your songs away.) Speaking of Hanson, I'm pretty sure they wrote mmmbop 3 or 4 years before the song was even released. Which is incredible to think about.

I don't think Pharrell can blend his voice seamlessly. Seriously, we've got Christina Aguilera on the panel..and instead of hearing her, we hear Pharrell twice..I love the guy, but god.. "Please" was self released, so that's probably why it could count as an original. Personally, and I'm not just saying this because I'm a fan..I think Sawyer won the night. "Please" and "Old Man" were great performances. Meghan just shouted..the whole night. I'm not a big Joshua fan, but his original was pretty good. And he had the best duet with Adam. Although I thought Hallelujah wasn't great. (In fact, that disappointed me because I thought it would be my favorite Joshua performance of the season.) Koryn sang well tonight, but I didn't like her original..and when she doesn't go for the big notes it's a let down on iconic songs, IMO.

Meghan's singing her own original too. Sawyer is singing a song that was written by his favorite artist, Ray Lamontagne. I'm a little surprised he didn't push for his own original, but my guess is that when given a song by Ray, he was okay with it.

Look, I'm even a Darren fan..but it's certainly not for his vocal range..Like..range is measurable..I don't even know why he'd say that.

I love those interviews for that reason. I find word vomit endearing. I love Mary Lambert for the same reason. As much as I love all of her music, the best part of her shows are her stories.

This is a really cool story. (The Whitney/Mariah one. Although the Obama one is cute too.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAMQFOWjb6I

No, what I'm saying is I don't think The Voice will go the way of Idol, where we have 6 or 7 "less talented than the rest of the cast white male winners" because of the coaching setup. People vote with coaches, especially Blake and Adam. Because of that, if Adam or Blake have a female front runner, she won't be at the same disadvantage that women on Idol have. The other coaches? I would guess male contestants have the advantage (they always do), but the Voice really hasn't shown itself to be as sexist as Idol. So essentially, I'm saying I'm not worried that The Voice will go the way of Idol. (I mean, we'll see next season.) Even though Sawyer technically fits that mold..he got people interested in him because of his tone. That's more Scotty McCreery than Phillip Phillips. I've watched since Season 4. To me, Matthew and Kimberly..Xtina's two front runners that left sixth..were very rock star ish. I'm not saying they were unlikable. I am saying that they put on BIG grande performances. But both times, it seems like the second they weren't the best of the night, they were abandoned. I don't think that's a Team Xtina thing. (Although, once again, had they been on Adam or Blake's team..I think they get a second or third chance.) I think that's a voter preference thing. There's a recognition that they are great. And so casual fans vote for them. But actual fans don't gravitate towards them. They gravitate towards Sawyer, Josh, Jacquie, Danielle..

Once again, I think The Voice has buffers. As long as a female singer is on team Blake or team Adam..she is at no less of a disadvantage than a male. Usher could win with a woman too. When it comes to Christina's coaching..honest..she likes the larger than life performers. She doesn't do anything wrong. If it were the Grammy's it's Xtina's contestants that would make all the highlights the next day (and in fact, reviewers tend to heavily favor her team and their performances). But that's not what a majority of voters want. Voters want the every day person doing great things. Sawyer and Danielle..all american kids performing way over their head with semi-pros. or Josh Kaufman..the good dad who taught for a living...Kimberly and Matthew? They came across as rockstars. They were the best and they got the casual vote..but the second they weren't, they didn't have that fan attachment that others had. Which is why I think Christina did best with Jacquie. Jacquie, like Danielle and Sawyer..had that all american feel too her. She was going up against the best singer the Voice ever had..and Adam has more fans voting for his team than Xtina does for hers..but because she was who she was, she had fans.