S07.E01: Blind Auditions (1)

[BarneySays]

I was laid up with the flu, which is the only reason I watched the show.  Pharrell may have drawn me in to watch the season, but then my low tolerance level for the narcissistic douchebag may cancel that out.  I thought Gwen would be interesting, but, frankly, I came away thinking there's not much there there.  She seems really irrelevant.  Has she recorded anything in the past ten years?  She had nothing substantive to say to any of the contestants, which makes me question her musical skills.  She is a great performer and celebrity, but I didn't get any sense of musical insight.  I can't imagine many contestants would choose her given another option (hell, even Levine might be better).  She was unimpressive on every level, IMO. 

 

I skipped over all of the sob stories and only watched the perfs and critiques.  The quick turnarounds seemed very fake and undeserved (let's fabricate excitement to draw the audience in).  Clearly, this show is very different from the one that premiered three years ago (damn, it seems like ten).  The only thing that can save this are Blake's sincerity and Pharrell's obvious talent and intelligence. 

[kj4ever]

I was laid up with the flu, which is the only reason I watched the show.  Pharrell may have drawn me in to watch the season, but then my low tolerance level for the narcissistic douchebag may cancel that out.  I thought Gwen would be interesting, but, frankly, I came away thinking there's not much there there.  She seems really irrelevant.  Has she recorded anything in the past ten years?  She had nothing substantive to say to any of the contestants, which makes me question her musical skills.  She is a great performer and celebrity, but I didn't get any sense of musical insight.  I can't imagine many contestants would choose her given another option (hell, even Levine might be better).  She was unimpressive on every level, IMO. 

 

I skipped over all of the sob stories and only watched the perfs and critiques.  The quick turnarounds seemed very fake and undeserved (let's fabricate excitement to draw the audience in).  Clearly, this show is very different from the one that premiered three years ago (damn, it seems like ten).  The only thing that can save this are Blake's sincerity and Pharrell's obvious talent and intelligence. 

Oh Barneysays I remember you from TWoP.  You have to watch or I'll miss your posts!  It will be so worth watching since it seems Pharrell has absolutely NO tolerance for King Douche!

[Donny Ketchum]

Hands up if you're tired of Adam and, yes, even Blake mentioning their past wins ad nauseum.  We get it.  You guys won before!  GIVE IT A REST!

Edited September 25, 2014 by Donny Ketchum

[canaanite2]

 

Wish we could have had both Usher and Pharrell.  That would be something.  Blake and Adam would really have to up their game.

 

Sad as it is to consider, I'm thinking that NBC would hesitate to have two black guys on as judges at the same time.

[TheGreenKnight]

Even more sad, I think they'd hesitate to have 2 female judges at the same time, too. I'd have loved to have seen Christina and Shakira together before Shakira decided she wouldn't be returning. I don't think Christina and Gwen would have much chemistry though.

 

I'll be honest that I'm not a Blake fan, but that's because of other reasons outside the show. However, he doesn't annoy me on the show the same way that Adam does. I think the contestants have to be pretty unaware to choose Adam at this point.

[BogoGog24]

Do the contestants know which coaches have picked up which contestants? Pharrell has a really strong team so far and maybe some contestants aren't choosing him, knowing what kind of contestants they'll have to go up against in the Battles if they go on his team.

[lilabennet]

Almost any contestant who does not choose Pharrell given the chance is no great loss to him because they clearly lack the smarts to make it in the industry anyway.  The only exceptions would be country singers who choose Blake instead. 

 

Still love Blake.

Still hate Adam.

Gwen is a great performer, but I wasn't impressed with her on the show.  I hated the antics.  I wish I could have seen her as a coach on a season without Adam (if only!) because he clearly set the over-the-top tone and was egging her on. 

[Kromm]

Gwen isn't any good at reality TV, is she?

 

Not that that's necessarily a bad thing overall in life, but on this show?  Meh.

[anonymiss]

I don't think Christina and Gwen would have much chemistry though.

They might--they have a pre-existing friendship that was enough to attend each other's b-days/baby showers, etc.

 

Not that NBC would ever consider it though, as we all know. 

 

I've always enjoyed Gwen's sparkly personality throughout her career and am withholding judgment for at least a few live shows. 

Edited September 28, 2014 by anonymiss

[BogoGog24]

Having 2 female judges on Idol didn't work. You can't have 2 divas on the same panel. Maybe if one female judge was less high maintenance/diva-ish than the other it might work, but when both are big divas/superstars, they clash. Nicki Minaj and Mariah Carey were horrible together, it was so awkward to watch.

[netlyon2]

That was intentional, though; Idol cast those two to try and create conflict (and therefore ratings).  If a "diva" is a high-maintenance, attention-seeking personality (as opposed to a general term that assumes all female judges are naturally that way), then Christina and Adam are the biggest divas on the show and have already had their clash in Season 2.  There's no real reason that there must be one female judge on the show at a time; just as we could have two black judges without them getting into a fistfight or turning it into a "hip-hop season" or something.

 

Since The Voice is up against MNF and Sleepy Hollow, I'm pretty much relying on the recap+videos to keep up with the Monday shows.  As much as I enjoyed Pharrell smacking Adam down on a regular basis, I think I'm okay with missing a big chunk of judge interactions.  I do like the changes that Gwen, Pharrell, and the Gwen-Pharrell friendship create in the judge dynamic.  I also didn't anticipate how much time I would lose going to youtube to watch old No Doubt videos during commercial breaks when I do watch live!

[magpye29]

I kind of lost respect for Gwen as a coach when she told that truly awful female singer (the subway singer I think) that she did a great job.  These people who think they can sing when they clearly cannot should not have rainbows blown at them just because you're trying to soften the blow of none of the coaches turning around.  She was off pitch for most of the song and someone should have called her out on it. 

 

I rarely watch past the auditions.  I generally lose interest by then.

[lilabennet]

I kind of lost respect for Gwen as a coach when she told that truly awful female singer (the subway singer I think) that she did a great job.  These people who think they can sing when they clearly cannot should not have rainbows blown at them just because you're trying to soften the blow of none of the coaches turning around.  She was off pitch for most of the song and someone should have called her out on it. 

 

I rarely watch past the auditions.  I generally lose interest by then.

That is the thing I always appreciated about Simon Cowell.  He may have been harsh, but he also probably saved a lot of people some wasted years chasing a dream that was never going to happen for them.

[ToxicUnicorn]

I enjoyed this premiere.  I must have a much lower bar than most of the posters here.  I thought the singers who tried out were fine, with the exception of pink hair.  I don't remember too many.  Carla How had a lovely tone that impressed me, but as it went on, she didn't sound original and lacked charisma.  Elyuh Rene, who sang the Beyonce song. stood out for his emotions and look and showed more musicality than I expected for his age.  Was he the guy who Gwen said did the tasteful runs?  Whoever that was, I agreed with her.  The last guy (country singer James David Carter) sounded fine, but the performance felt fake and too practiced for me.  I like that song and the original is much better.  But I am biased.  I, too, think Amber has been the best of the country contestants, followed by Kristin.  

 

I'm not familiar with Gwen as a personality, although I suppose I've heard some of her songs.  I already like her approach better than Shakira's.  Shakira probably beats everyone in the sweetest person(a?) department, but Gwen is refreshingly direct and confident.  I like how she doesn't seem to have as much emotion invested as either Shakira (who could look hurt, which made me uncomfortable) or Christina (who was clearly disappointed and/or feeling petty).  I'm willing to give her a season to see how she works out.  I'm not thrilled that she is playing the girl card, though.  I was much happier when she got the singer who was a songwriter and that was not part of her pitch.

 

I don't know Pharrell either, except for that Happy song which I find annoying and repetitive.  I agree with all the descriptions that called him professional, zen, and smart.  I would add the terms magnetic and confident.  He reminds me of Usher, in that respect, who I loved. 

 

Adam is becoming a caricature of himself.  He is someone else who I didn't know before this show.  Having said that, his schtick doesn't bother me too much at this stage.  My problems with him in the past have been about how he treated Christina and how he has treated some of his contestants later in the competition.  When he climbs his chair or makes outrageous claims, I just roll my eyes.  I thought the poetry bit (and Pharell's response) was one of the more entertaining exchanges between the judges that we've seen in awhile, though, so he earned his keep on this episode.  However, if I were Adam, I would worry about my image.  He is becoming less attractive and more of a tv fixture by the season;  I am surprised he is still interested in staying on the show.  

 

I still like Blake.  It seemed as though he was bored and phoning it in last season, so I hope he gets some people who excite him again.  His intelligence still surprises me, so I enjoy him when he shows up.  I liked him the best in the judges' opening number.

 

The show may be losing its shine, but I still like the positive vibe.  It's probably got me for another season.

[jb0495]

I happened to watch the premiere again OnDemand with my sister who hasn't watch in a few seasons. She loved Luke Wade (1st performer) & on second watch I'm SO glad that he chose Pharrell. Pharrell really knows what to do with artists, I think. I'm excited for his team!!

[Happytobehere]

Pharrell is the real deal for this kind of show's purported purpose: artist development. I love his pitches (the first guy knew what was up) and how he was the only one who didn't turn around for that flat and shrieking Ariana Grande audition. I don't know how anyone could choose the recording artist now who is talking out of his/her ass, when they can go directly to the hitmaker the artists flock to. Although, if it's performance guidance they need, then yes the artist is a superior mentor for .

Actually, Pharrell really is the total package. If you have ever seen him perform, he tears it up, and artists who have worked with him talk about how he helped them develop their stage presence, so pointers from every aspect.

[anonymiss]

Actually, Pharrell really is the total package. If you have ever seen him perform, he tears it up, and artists who have worked with him talk about how he helped them develop their stage presence, so pointers from every aspect.

 

Really? I've only seen him perform in N.E.R.D. and now. They've been pretty underwhelming but you've piqued my curiosity to look into more.

[Happytobehere]

I saw him perform live and he has really good energy. He connects with the audience the same way you see him connecting with the contestants he likes. Not the best singer or dancer, but he knows how to make the most of what he has. That's why he is so good with bringing out the best in other artists.