Jillikins

Glad Alisan won. Can't believe Adam came in second - Hannah and Laith were so far superior and more interesting than yet another WGWG. I loved the Sia song. Maybe a very obvious answer, but did Sia wear the black/blonde hair and giant bow as some sort of throwback to Melanie Martinez (S3)? Or was that Sia's thing, and Melanie appropriated it?

Damien vs. Kelli Douglas - Damien definitely deserved the win, but OMG I felt so bad for her when Gwen's first comment to her was about her awesome body. I was cringing with embarrassment for the poor girl. She does have an amazing figure, but hey, how about her VOICE? Jessie vs. Ryan - I think I took a nap during their performance, it was so boring. Ryan FTW, but ... zzzzz. Blessing vs. Katriz - She's a powerhouse. No way he was going to top her. I agree that it would be nice to see someone with a voice like that who has actually had some personal experience to flesh out the vocals, but the girl's got it goin' on, much like Danielle did. Bree vs. Taylor - Taylor definitely won the battle (Bree was way too whispery in her lower register). I find Taylor completely unlikable, though. She just radiates attitude, and not in the "strong woman who can kick ass" kind of way. Ethan vs. Matt - also put me to sleep. I vote Matt just because of his Harry Potter Muppet thing. Toia vs. DaNica - I am such a sap, I was crying right along with them during their coaching sessions. I LOVE ALICIA KEYS. There, I said it. I didn't love DaNica's performance - I actually thought Toia was better. Glad she was stolen, but ... girl, Adam's going to chuck you faster than that day-old latte on his chair.

Couple of thoughts on the second night: 1. Dear Eight Pound, Six Ounce, Newborn Baby Jesus, THANK YOU for not letting Caitlin Lucia and her too-twee for this world schtick onto The Voice this season. So tired of that trope, and so glad none of the coaches turned for her this time. 2. I thought Menlik Zergabachew did an adequate job worthy of a couple of chair turns, although his stage presence could use some work. Hopefully Gwen can take care of that. I was supremely uncomfortable with Blake's pronunciation of his name - "Men-LICK" - poor kid probably got that his entire life. Did they need to show that? 3. Joe Kirk = Adam's mini-me. Cute as a button; totally generic boy-band. My guess is if his nerves can hold out long enough to get to the lives, the girls will keep him in play via twitter. 4. Danica (DaNica?) was awesome. 5. Taylor Brashears - I'm with whoever said that her "hand on hip" routine didn't really seem true. I am not a fan of the kimono thing either - for a youngster, she aged herself 30 years and not in a good way. Most of all, she just wasn't that great - definitely just a decent karaoke version of LL's classic. In fact, I think Pharrell and Adam were just screwing with Blake by pushing their buttons in the first place - my guess is that if they hadn't pushed theirs, he'd have let her go home. 5. Sugar? Oh hi, I thought you were Kat from last season. Can't wait to see you get pigeonholed into the Edgy Rocker Chick spot. 6. Taylor - loved him. Loved his little footwork (though it reminded me more of Dave Matthews than Elvis ...?) and his nervousness despite an excellent performance. I love humility in these kids. 7. Reagan was great. Probably too young yet; but we'll see if she can hold her own. 8. Maiya Sykes: I'm thinking about throwing my husband over and moving to LA to find me a nice Armenian guy to marry just to have her sing at my wedding. I love that song so hard and she totally did it justice. Love, love, love her. Overall: loving the new coach chemistry. Blake and Adam's thing is so over (especially you, Adam ...). Can't wait for more.