S07.E07: The Battles Premiere

[Tara Ariano]

The battle round opens with team members dueling in duets. The star advisers are Stevie Nicks, Little Big Town, Alicia Keys and Gavin Rossdale.

[Padma]

I know I'm kind of out of it musically, but the only one of those I've never heard of is Gavin Rossdale. Is Gwen going to have to coach with her husband every season? I mean...Stevie Nicks and Alicia Keys are big stars. Maybe they won't be great coaches, but just having them coach me would make me want Adam or Pharrell over Gwen.

[DownTheShore]

I wonder if she chose her husband because it was another paycheck from the show into the family coffers - in addition to all the free publicity she's getting for pushing what seems to be her clothing lines?

 

Frankly, to me it makes it seem as though she needs his help to do her job.  Count me as another person who doesn't know who he is because I never listened to Bush, so his inclusion is not impressive at all to me.

[Cramps]

They don't need the money but she's probably trying to boost his career.

[kj4ever]

I know I'm kind of out of it musically, but the only one of those I've never heard of is Gavin Rossdale. Is Gwen going to have to coach with her husband every season? I mean...Stevie Nicks and Alicia Keys are big stars. Maybe they won't be great coaches, but just having them coach me would make me want Adam or Pharrell over Gwen.

He's very talented.  Blake had Miranda as an adviser the first season, right?  I'd never heard of either one of them before The Voice.  Maybe it's a comfort thing having someone you are close to be your adviser since you are doing something new.  I'm willing to give her the benefit of the doubt.

[hincandenza]

Good point on the coach advisor imbalance.  I mean, I maybe possibly have heard the band name "Little Big Town" mentioned at some point in my life, and while I know of Gavin Rossdale and Bush as basically 90's one-hit wonders there's maybe a 1 in 10 chance if you'd asked me a week ago "Who was the frontman for the 90's band 'Bush'?" that his would be the name that popped into my head.

 

But Stevie Nicks is a dang legend.  Alicia Keys is a stunningly, breath-takingly beautiful woman who oh yeah also happens to be a genius musician, an amazing singer and a fantastic piano player.  Then the battles round 2 mentor is Taylor Swift- who, whatever your feelings for her or her music, is undeniably a very talented songwriter and arena-filling active superstar.

 

Gavin Rossdale and Little Big Town just don't really compare in terms of getting a contestant to be fully awestruck (although kj4ever makes a great point that regardless of their fame, they might be terrific mentors, which is worth far more if it gets them through to the next round).  You gotta know there are going to be a few people on Blake and Gwen's teams who hear about the other mentors and will be kicking themselves for not choosing Adam or Pharrell if they had the chance.  Actually... I just nerded out and looked it up here: there are 7 out of the 48 artists who chose Gwen or Blake when they also had either/both Adam or Pharrell as options; I'd bet at least one is a huge Stevie Nicks fan. 

 

As an aside, looking at that list it really pops out how much of a schism there is between Adam/Pharrell and Gwen/Blake in terms of desirability as a coach.  It's been covered elsewhere how frequently Adam or Pharrell won the 3 or 4 chair turns.  Looking at that chart, you can see from the orange squares that at no time were either Adam or Pharrell the only coach to turn for a singer, while Gwen was the sole coach 3 times, and Blake 4 times (not including the last few singers to audition, when not all coaches were still available).  In addition, Adam and Pharrell were the only two coaches to turn around for a singer only twice, while Gwen and Blake were the only two coaches to turn around a total of eight times.  This says to me that either Gwen and Blake have lower standards (or as likely, have a habit of hitting their buttons too quickly), or the mere fact of Adam and Pharrell hitting their buttons made the other two coaches more interested.

Edited October 10, 2014 by hincandenza

[dizzyizzy01]

know of Gavin Rossdale and Bush as basically 90's one-hit wonders there's maybe a 1 in 10 chance if you'd asked me a week ago "Who was the frontman for the 90's band 'Bush'?"

 

 

I think Gwen is really unimpressive as a coach so far, but Gavin and Bush have actually had a lot of success although their most recent album didn't do that great.  I think they've had at least 3 albums go platinum in the U.S.  They did break up for a while in the early 2000's, but they were one of the more successful rock bands of the 90's. They're a rock band that is certainly less mainstream than a R&B/Pop artist like Alicia Keyes, but they have had a very long and successful career.  He's certainly more well known than Miranda was when she was an advisor.  Anyway, I don't think it really matters.  I think it's been made fairly known that the advisors don't work with the contestants very much anyway.

Edited October 10, 2014 by dizzyizzy01

[pivot]

He's very talented. Blake had Miranda as an adviser the first season, right? I'd never heard of either one of them before The Voice. Maybe it's a comfort thing having someone you are close to be your adviser since you are doing something new. I'm willing to give her the benefit of the doubt.

Except Miranda is a massive star in her own right arguably bigger than Blake was back in season 1. Her career is whitehot right now. Same can't be said of Gavin.

I actually preferred Miranda's mentoring with Shakira last season over her mentoring with Blake in season 1.

I can't wait for the battle rounds though I am already worried about some of Adam's pairings. He always gets rid of at least 1 contestant I love during this round.

Edited October 11, 2014 by pivot

[mercfan3]

I got the sense that the artists chose people to work with that they know really well. Perhaps the people that Gwen knows well weren't available for one reason or another. Or maybe her husband just wants to be a part of the show. 

[Padma]

Except Miranda is a massive star in her own right arguably bigger than Blake was back in season 1. Her career is whitehot right now. Same can't be said of Gavin.

That's what I was going to say, too. If people don't follow country they might not have heard of her, but she was a big star when S1 began. I may not follow the kind of music Gavin makes (or be the wrong generation for his band) but I think "Alicia Keys / Stevie Nicks / Gavin Rossdale" just underscores how out of her depth Gwen might seem in this competition to the audience and even to her team. (Not saying she won't be a great coach...I hope she will...but she definitely starts at a "Wow, you're so lucky!" deficit.)

[Cramps]

Actually, Adam only became a big star to most of the public because of the Voice. I vaguely knew him as the whiney singer of Maroon 5 before the show. Gwen has been a star, and musically cool (much more so than most of the coaches) for a long time, so I wouldn't say she's out of her depth.

Gavin, on the other hand, is a lucky man.

[ToxicUnicorn]

I listened to about half the show and have a slightly better idea of who people are.

 

Team Pharrell: 

I like Elyjuh Rene (the mama's boy who sang XO)

There are two women I am reconsidering: Maiya (she's the one who blasted Sam Smith's Stay with Me) and Brittany (who dirtied up Girl from Ipanema).  I was hostile to both of them the first go round, because of what they did to those songs.  Hearing them again, I have to admit they are both talented.  

The last guy to be featured, Taylor Phelan with the guitar, also made it onto my radar screen.  I didn't like his audition song at all (what was that?) but I think I am hearing some musicality.  I'm willing to give him another chance.   

 

 

Team Blake:

I mentioned the wrong three name country guy in the last thread.  I prefer the plaid shirt one, James David Carter, who sang Nobody Knows.  I also liked Taylor Brashears, who sang "You Ain't Woman Enough".  I think it's sweet that Blake mentors the kids, but I agree with the other poster who wishes we saw more developed singers.  

 

Team Gwen:

The only one I like a lot is Anita, the reggae-ish one, who seems to have lots of charisma.  Perhaps Amanda, the plaid-shirted blonde?  They all blend together.  Her team on the webpage looks just like a Christina team: mostly women, a few men.

[viajero]

The Voice YouTube channel has a bunch of Before the Battles interviews with the contestants, which does provide some insight into their personalities.  They mostly all come across as pretty nice people, but the ones who made the best impression to me in the interviews that have been posted so far are Jean Kelley, Clara Hong, Luke Wade, Alessandra, Taylor John Williams, Jonathan Wyndham, Sugar Joans, and Amanda Lee Peers.

 

On the other hand, a lot of those teenaged boys they got this season look more than a bit overwhelmed and out of their league (more so than the teen girls).

 

Jean Kelley gave probably my favorite overall interview, which was a surprise because of the negative comments Lindsey Parker made based on attending the live audition.  But she certainly is sassy, which I guess might turn some people off.

 

I also have some preliminary comments about the pairings and song choices (which I’ll tag as a spoiler, even though most of these were already spoiled on last Tuesday’s recap episode):

 

Once again, coaches are putting up some of their strongest contestants against each other, seeming more interested in pairing up people who have similar or complementary voices rather than being strategic about putting their strongest against their weakest.  The most obvious example of this is Blake matching up his two experienced male country singers, both of whom seemed to come out of the blinds with a lot of fans.  But the biggest transgressor is Gwen, who matched up 4 of my favorites from her team in Williams vs. Peers and Jean Kelley vs. Sugar. 

 

Pharrell’s team is so strong that I don’t think he could avoid doing this to some extent, so we end up with Elijah vs. Maiya (and it’s a great battle based on the sneak peak). 

 

All this does mean that some pretty good people are going to be available for steals. 

 

Gwen makes some strange song choices for her team and several of her contestants look at least a bit uncomfortable with what they were given (a lot of comments about the song being out of their comfort zone).  But it seems to work in at least one case as all the other coaches go in for the steal for the loser of the Jean Kelley vs. Sugar battle (which does sound like it’s going to be a very good one based on the snippet they showed).

Edited October 12, 2014 by viajero

[tmelange]

The two leaked battle performances on youtube are from Team Pharrell, and they are so much better than what I was expecting after the underwhelming Blinds. I was a bit floored.

 

Good grief. I just watched the battles preview for Gwen's team...and the song selections are awful. Yeesh.

Edited October 13, 2014 by tmelange

[Wandering Snark]

I give Gavin a lot of credit, it can't be easy being married to a women who looks different every day... it's kind of distracting.

 

Oh and there was singing...I thought the night got worse as it went on but the only initial choice I disagreed with is that Gwen (I think?) picked Emo Phillips to continue on.

 

I didn't like how Pharrel's guys sang such large blocks of the song so the other one was just in the shadows waiting half the time.

 

So yeah, let's not have any more of this waiting until the person talks with their coach and walks 90% of the way out before being "stolen". It was getting ridiculous today.

Edited October 14, 2014 by Wandering Snark

[Diana Berry]

If the " Jolene" indie guy doesn't make it as a singer( you just know all 3 of the other judges were going to steal him), maybe he could try modeling ( cute face).

I also thought gwen's other singer, Jean, was much better than Sergio's daughter but probably in the minority on that one.

I'm really bumfuzzled by her picking the country guy.

[ljp]

I'm puzzled. Pharrel and the others keep talking about Taylor's artistry and being the real deal. But wasn't his heartless pretty much the same heartless Chris Allen did on idol like years ago? I agree with someone above that it sort of went best to worst. Also agree that Gwens song choices leave something to be desired. I'm pretty much watching to see Pharrel at this point.

Damn I just realized I had skipped the last battle. Wow. Loved that. Loved them both. Griffen surprised me. Tough call.

Edited October 14, 2014 by ljp

[picklesprite]

I'm a sucker for duets and always have been, so the battle rounds are my favorites. I loved everything tonight. :) Luke's the one I remember, though, although I do love both country guys a lot. I was glad Gwen saved the long-haired one. I thought Alicia Keyes was a great guest coach. I hope they keep her in mind for being an official coach some season.

[poppy-]

Miranda  is & always has been bigger than Blake.  Gavin is a huge celebrity.... if you are English. 

Now Alicia Keys - every single person who had the optional for Pharrel and chose a different coach feels like an idiot.

 

Actually, Adam only became a big star to most of the public because of the Voice. I vaguely knew him as the whiney singer of Maroon 5 before the show. Gwen has been a star, and musically cool (much more so than most of the coaches) for a long time, so I wouldn't say she's out of her depth.

Gavin, on the other hand, is a lucky man.

 

Nah. I don't know if he's ever been a "big star," but he was hired because he was already well known.  (He wasn't hired for his voice!) He's been being beautiful and giving douchey comments in magazines for a good decade now.

Edited October 14, 2014 by poppy-

[mercfan3]

I think Adam has a really great voice. He sounds exactly the same on his albums as he does live. I always felt bad for him though. Often times he'd get paired with Christina or Usher in duets, and both of them would eat anyone alive vocally and in stage presence. (I'd like to see them do a season together just for the duet.) 

 

Adam has to carry the vocal weight this season though. 

[TacoBoutIt]

I think that tonight's battle was proof that Blake and Adam need a break.  They are getting stale.  The introduction of new blood just further highlights that.  They should go away for a season (or two), and hopefully come back more rejuvenated.

Adam...is getting meh.  How he stays in his seat with his inflating ego I don't know.  I once had a massive crush but it is waning.  His battle pairing was unmemorable but I'm happy with the one he picked.

Blake is entertaining whenever he speaks, he is so funny and hams it up in a way that comes off as likeable (unlike Adam).  I do think he is a great coach but he's starting to phone it in.  I knew he would pick the three name guy over the embroidered leather jacket other three name guy.  The guy he picked could pass off as an extension of the Swon family. I don't recall his name so I dub him Swon Uncle.  I'm glad Gwen stole the loser of the battle though because I thought he did better.  But I hope she treats him more than just a dress-up doll.

I love Gwen long before this show, she was a large musical influence on me in high school.  But she needs to stop talking about clothes.  Period.  She would be so much likable and less cringe-worthy if she does because she is showing that she is a good coach.  It's just that she is not the most eloquent person so sometimes it bites her in the buttocks with some things that come out of her mouth.  I like her coaching though that I may be in the minority but I like her song choices.  They're a bit unexpected but not totally out of the left field.  It keeps things interesting.  I also have the indication that she's gonna be hands on and she's doing her homework.  I like that she mentioned that she was thinking beyond the battle (and beyond the show!) when picking Taylor.  She mentioned that she watched past battles.  In this interview on the Youtube channel (song spoiler in there), it shows to me that she's working overtime.  Also helps that she has her husband's help beyond the scheduled rehearsals.  Right now, I think she has potential to be a good coach.

Pharrell,  Still wonderful.  But why did he let go of Maia?! And no one stole her!  I didn't think she was going to win but in a (so-far) lackluster season, it would be nice to have a consistent performer who will bang out good performances week after week.  Glad he picked Luke though and not aspiring Dean Martin in Macklemore's body.  (Hopefully Blake can make Griffin more down to earth and a little more likable because he did do great, just gives off a air of douche)

Sorry for the long winded post. For post on this forum (yay!) so a lot of thoughts.

 

[Universalhunter]

I'm confused about the gushing over Taylor's artistry with the Heartless performance as well. That version of that song has been done to death, it's nothing unique. I think he has a nice voice, but I definitely would have chosen Amanda over him. She has presence and a unique tone to her voice. I was hoping someone would steal her.

I'll give it to Gwen though- while I didn't agree with either of her choices tonight (I preferred Jean to Sugar), I thought her song choices were very good.

Edited October 14, 2014 by Universalhunter

[poppy-]

I think Adam has a really great voice. He sounds exactly the same on his albums as he does live. I always felt bad for him though. Often times he'd get paired with Christina or Usher in duets, and both of them would eat anyone alive vocally and in stage presence. (I'd like to see them do a season together just for the duet.) 

 

Adam has to carry the vocal weight this season though. 

I like Adam as a vocalist, but I don't think he'd make it as a contestant. He's a little reedy.  Blake would never steal him.  No tenors in country.

Gwen is a very good singer with both a throaty growl and a ringing belt. 

 

 

 

aspiring Dean Martin in Macklemore's body.

 

There is nothing that fellow can do about having Macklemore's face, but you think he'd get a different haircut!

Edited October 14, 2014 by poppy-

[Cramps]

Gwen isn't "super" articulate, but I thought she did a very good job coaching tonight. And I loved the Jolene duet.

I'm not sure why she kept Sugar-- her voice and performance style doesn't seem to go with Gwen's taste at all (which, like Blake's is somewhat similar to mine).

And I'm glad she stole outlaw country guy-- who obviously was wearing his own cool vintage leathers and not some monstrosity from Kohls.

And speaking of clothing... Pharrell looked amazing...about as to the edge as he could go and still look stylish and not gimmicky. Loved it!

[mercfan3]

I think it was Lindsey Parker that said Jean Kelly came off as arrogant, so maybe it was a personality thing. Although it surprises me, if that was the case, that Pharrell or Adam would pick her up. 

[Ketzel]

I really want that sweater Pharrell was wearing.

[CaliforniaLove]

I was surprised about Maya's ouster. She stood out for me the most in the Blinds.

I would've been star struck by Gwen & Gavin in a "US Weekly" way, but musically speaking I might have peed myself if I walked into a room & Stevie was sitting there.

[Donny Ketchum]

I think it was Lindsey Parker that said Jean Kelly came off as arrogant, so maybe it was a personality thing. Although it surprises me, if that was the case, that Pharrell or Adam would pick her up. 

It wasn't just a personality thing regarding Jean.  She was arrogant.  When Gwen and Blake turned around for her, she demanded they do a dance-off to fight for her.  Both declined, bringing about an awkward silence to the whole studio.  It's why Gwen didn't look too happy when Jean chose her.  I still think she was just looking for the first chance to dump Jean that she possibly could, despite her clearly being better than Sugar.

 

While it's a surprise to me that she was stolen after that audition, it's no surprise to me that the two coaches who fought to steal her were the two to whom she didn't make the dance-off demand.

[BogoGog24]

Elyjah vs Maia - Never personally cared much for either one. Maia gave a better vocal performance but I do agree with Pharrell that she wasn't trying that hard. Elyjah put more feeling into what he was singing but his facial expressions the whole time were so off putting to me. I'm surprised and yet not that no one stole Maia. I think they all believe she is a good singer but the reason why no one stole her is because she is too old fashioned. I remember Pharrell comparing her to Aretha and Gladys, which is a big compliment, but those singers aren't current or trendy today. 

 

Chris vs Jonathan - So glad Chris beat Jonathan. Chris has a more "boy next door" type of appeal about him than Jonathan does. He's a good looking guy but in a less obvious way than some of the other guys. 

 

Sugar vs Jean - Ugh ugh ugh….. I can't believe Gwen chose Sugar over Jean. Sugar irritates me, from her obnoxious growling to her obnoxious name. I do not get her at all. She could be a good singer if she didn't growl every 2 seconds. I don't think I could stand to listen through an entire album or concert of her growling constantly. Jean should have won that battle hands down and I'm glad she was at least stolen.

 

James vs Craig - This was a tough one. I feel like James was chosen over Craig because he's more contemporary, whereas Craig is more old school. It was incredibly obnoxious though how Gwen didn't choose to steal him until he almost walked backstage. I understand she probably did it to avoid having to compete with any of the other coaches for him but still. You make the guy think he's going home and then press your button just before he walks off? Unbelievable. Anyway, I'm glad at least she stole him, however late it was.

 

Taylor vs Amanda  - Okay first off, this song choice was all kinds of wrong. It would have made more sense if it was a female vs female battle, but male vs female makes no sense for this song, even though they both sang it well. I feel like vocally Taylor was better than Amanda but Amanda put more feeling and stage presence into her performance. I do not get the fawning over this kid either though. They once again refer to his "original" performance of Heartless which everyone except apparently the coaches know was done by someone else and is in no way original. I don't think he's that particularly cute either. 

 

Luke vs Griffin - This song was clearly tailor made for Luke more than Griffin. I think Luke was the right winner here, although Griffin equally impressed with his high notes. I don't particularly care for Griffin but I'm glad he was stolen in this case because I think he deserved to for his risks with the high notes.

 

Favorite battles:

1. Wave On Wave

2. Maybe I'm Amazed

3. If I Ain't Got You

 

I think they spend too much time on pre-battle stuff though. 2 hours for only 6 battles? That's only 3 battles per hour. I like seeing the mentoring sessions and rehearsals but I think they spend a little more time than necessary on it and also pre-battle stuff like "I'm really scared to compete with this person because blah blah blah." They spend so much time on coaches' comments and the coach pretending like they are having the most difficult time ever choosing a winner. There is just too much filler for my liking. I would rather see more battles so we can get through them quicker and keep moving towards the lives faster.

[Padma]

Luke vs Griffin - This song was clearly tailor made for Luke more than Griffin. I think Luke was the right winner here, although Griffin equally impressed with his high notes. I don't particularly care for Griffin but I'm glad he was stolen in this case because I think he deserved to for his risks with the high notes.

 

Favorite battles:

1. Wave On Wave

2. Maybe I'm Amazed

3. If I Ain't Got You

 

I think they spend too much time on pre-battle stuff though. 2 hours for only 6 battles? That's only 3 battles per hour. I like seeing the mentoring sessions and rehearsals but I think they spend a little more time than necessary on it and also pre-battle stuff like "I'm really scared to compete with this person because blah blah blah." They spend so much time on coaches' comments and the coach pretending like they are having the most difficult time ever choosing a winner. There is just too much filler for my liking. I would rather see more battles so we can get through them quicker and keep moving towards the lives faster.

I got home at 9:45 and still got to see 1/6 of the battles then. Because...3 battles an hour? Kinda something wrong with that.  That said, for some reason I had a lot of response to what they (all four of them) did with/to "Maybe I'm Amazed" which started out in rehearsal as if it was going to be painfully oversung, but ended up being pretty good after all..

 

First, Luke's soulful musical style is one of my preferences in this competition (even though my favorites never win). And he was against Griffin, whose Michael Buble style (and audition song choice) I hated.  That said, the coaching of them confused me.  First, re: Griffin. I don't care for Buble/Martin impersonators but if that's what he likes, I kind of thought he should be given a song and coaching where he could just do that, Martin/Buble/Como.

 

However...while I hated his audition but thought he should compete with "more of the same", I actually really liked his performance and that he took vocal risks in a style I prefer--and succeeded. Maybe it wasn't a fair demand from Pharrell and Alicia because that's not who he wants to be...but, OTOH, they made him, imo, better. I was curious if he'd choose Blake (back to Buble) or Gwen (keep Pharrell's change). Blake usually keeps everyone in his/her wheelhouse, but now Griffin's shown his range is not "just" Dean Martin and bland "It's a Beautiful Day", I wonder if Blake will want to see him stretch, too? Now I'm interested if the "Pharrell Effect" is going to get Blake pushing the envelope a bit stylistically, too.

 

As for Luke, I'm glad Pharrell saved him, glad Adam said he was the best in the competition (T or F, not sure, but at least it wasn't strategy). My objection to their coaching of Luke was this:  Does EVERY man need to have a falsetto? Personally, I don't think so and it kind of bugged me that P/A were pushing so hard for it. Why? When did that become more than just "something some singers do--some successfully and for a good effect, but most as an affectation that adds nothing, and often detracts musically from their performance?" JMO, but I don't think they did him any favor putting all that pressure on re: something so unimportant for a soul singer.

 

On a different note, Pharrell's seeming sincerity when talking to his singers somehow feels very moving to me. It just reaches through the camera emotionally in a different way from everyone else. Very weird!

 

I look forward to seeing the rest of the performances tomorrow (but..3 an hour? Yikes!). From the comments above, there fortunately doesn't seem like any big disappointments so far. 

Edited October 14, 2014 by Padma

[vb68]

 

I think that tonight's battle was proof that Blake and Adam need a break.  They are getting stale.  The introduction of new blood just further highlights that.  They should go away for a season (or two), and hopefully come back more rejuvenated.

 

I would trade out Adam for Stevie in a heartbeat.  I would like to see her truly mentor some people.  I've seen her in concert with Vanessa Carlton, and from what I see, she does that on her own anyway.  I also thought her comments were kinda angling for that as well to keep her in mind in a slot comes open.

 

Gwen was better than I thought she'd be.  I remember her from Idol where she was a terrible mentor.  She has got to learn to make better pitches, though.  After she stole the country guy, all she can say is "I want to dress you up"? Really?  I could almost hear the guy thinking  to himself  "What kind of hell did I just fall into?".  She seems like she does work hard, though.   

Edited October 14, 2014 by vb68

[anonymiss]

It's good to see Gwen hasn't changed a bit in how much of a warm, sweet person she is. She's a bit like Blake was in his first seasons in how strongly she really cares about what will happen to these artists. 

[Cramps]

Did Gwen say she wants to play with country outlaw guy's hair? I'm now having images of him with teeny tiny barrettes in it.

I actually actually think she could be a decent coach for him. She seems very concientious.

But if we are talking men's hair, was Gavin's slicked back in a pony tail? It was not good.

[Primetimer]

Someone you vaguely care about takes on someone else you vaguely care about as the Battle Round begins!

Read the story

[kj4ever]

Elijia, or Elujuh or however it is creatively spelled annoyed the ever loving piss out of me with his over exagerated faces and movements.  It was so high school theater.  I was shocked when Pharrell picked him, seriously shocked.

 

I agreed with almost every other pick of the night, but I don't get all the Luke love.  Yeah, he's okay, but I don't see him as being the best singer in the competition right now.  He's a little generic.

 

Hell to the yes about the commercials.  Only 6 battles?  There must be some big time montaging of people tonight.  I always feel so sorry for them.  They don't even know they will be montaged so their family and friends are all waiting to see them and BAM they are on screen for 2.5 seconds.

[Noreaster]

Pretty decent night overall. No strong disagreements with the coach choices and steals.  My favorite battle of the night was the Sugar Jones/Jean Kelley battle (I preferred Jean).  

 

Things that stood out:

-Elijuh's over-the-top facial expressions that had nothing to do with the song.  Weird.  

-nice to see Alicia Keys and Stevie Nicks invested in the mentoring aspect.

-liking Gwen so far.  She looks to be quite invested and it's always fun to see a coach getting used to the game.  

-I don't like it when the coach advisor is a group.  Little Big Town reminds me of when The Band Perry was an advisor. With so many people in the room and needing to get in a word, I can't see how much help anyone is going to be to the contestants.    

-the Luke/Griffin battle wasn't really a duet.  Mainly one guy singing the first half, the other guy singing the second half.  

 

I'll post a link in the media thread, but it looks like the season 8 coaching panel will be Adam, Blake, Christina, and Pharrell.  

[beaker73]

Elyjuh's going to be exhausting, isn't he?

[poppy-]

Wow, I love the previously tv recap. I never have to watch the show again! Performances only.  20 minutes instead of 2 hours.  Just right.

 

I'll post a link in the media thread, but it looks like the season 8 coaching panel will be Adam, Blake, Christina, and Pharrell.

Does Blake still sing?  I know nothing about country.

Maroon 5 still churns out pop songs regularly.  I don't really like Adam, but, I respect that he is a working, busy artist who also does this show.

[missalanny]

I'm surprised that Gavin is the one everyone thinks is unrecognizable. Bush was a big deal in the 90s - when I was in high school, I know they had 2 albums that I wore out on my "discman"... heh. Yes, that was a long time ago, but still... you guys know who Little Big Town is, but not Gavin Rossdale? Not that I ever really know who the country mentor is, or who Blake was before this show... I guess it does make sense how Blake has won so many times - there are a lot more country fans than I ever realize.

[Universalhunter]

Yes, Blake is still very much a working artist. He just released a new album and the first single "Neon Light" is all over the radio.

Edited October 14, 2014 by Universalhunter

[MelsW]

Does Blake still sing?  I know nothing about country.

 

Yup- he just released an album a few weeks ago that debuted at #1 on Billboard's all genre chart and someone I knew saw him live earlier this summer, so he was on tour.

 

 

you guys know who Little Big Town is, but not Gavin Rossdale? Not that I ever really know who the country mentor is, or who Blake was before this show... I guess it does make sense how Blake has won so many times - there are a lot more country fans than I ever realize.

 

I listen to all genres, including some country. I wasn't terribly familiar w/Blake's music before The Voice but knew who he was. Same with Little Big Town, I have heard of them and I know one terrible song by them (Pontoon- truly, it is awful). I am in my 30s and was a Bush fan in the 90s, so I immediately knew who Gavin was.

Edited October 14, 2014 by MelsW

[Wandering Snark]

 

Sugar vs Jean - Ugh ugh ugh….. I can't believe Gwen chose Sugar over Jean. Sugar irritates me, from her obnoxious growling to her obnoxious name. I do not get her at all. She could be a good singer if she didn't growl every 2 seconds. I don't think I could stand to listen through an entire album or concert of her growling constantly. J

 

Yeah she is giving me major Kat flashbacks.

[macduff]

Same with Little Big Town, I have heard of them and I know one terrible song by them (Pontoon- truly, it is awful).

 

 

Truly, truly awful!  I love Blake but have been very disappointed in some of his advisors.  Little Big Town? Blech.  The Band Perry?  Blech!  Cher?  IMO, Blech!   I'd rather he just bring Miranda back. 

[leighdear]

Blake has at least 5 songs in regular rotation on Country radio right now, in addition to the new album Universal & Mels mentioned.  He's getting more air time than any of the other judges right now.  

 

And I definitely like what he pointed out to the other judges.  They are all played on Adult Contemporary stations, but only he has Country locked up.  And Country is a LOT wider genre than it used to be.  This ain't your grandpa's Country music.  ;) 

 

I'm not a Little Big Town fan, but if I hear their song "Tornado", I'm singing it for days!  

Edited October 14, 2014 by leighdear

[limecoke]

No tenors in country.

Really??  Vince Gill and Gary LeVox for starters. 

 

 

 

Yeah she is giving me major Kat flashbacks.

For me, that would be Kat nightmares. 

Edited October 14, 2014 by limecoke

[Diane]

Little Big Town has the song out right now Day Drinking that is in constant rotation on Country radio.

[Noreaster]

Blake has at least 5 songs in regular rotation on Country radio right now, in addition to the new album Universal & Mels mentioned. He's getting more air time than any of the other judges right now.

And I definitely like what he pointed out to the other judges. They are all played on Adult Contemporary stations, but only he has Country locked up. And Country is a LOT wider genre than it used to be. This ain't your grandpa's Country music. ;)

It probably varies depending on location. When I was traveling down south, I found that most radio stations were either country or Christian music. Up north, we have much more pop and urban music. Maroon 5 is constantly on the radio with their latest singles as well as their older stuff. It's probably not possible for them to be on the radio any more than they are now. Pharrell also, between the songs he sings and his various collaborations.

[leighdear]

Noreaster, 

 

Excellent point, as I AM in the South!  :)  

 

Here's a pretty cool map about geographic preferences.  No idea how accurate it is, but it's fun. 

http://time.com/59863/most-popular-music-in-america-map/#59863/most-popular-music-in-america-map/

Edited October 14, 2014 by leighdear

[Padma]

I've heard of Little Big Town but couldn't have named any of their songs. Nevertheless, they have now been part of my favorite "The Voice" rehearsal ever. I didn't have a preference re: James or Craig--glad they're both still in it--but loved it when James started strumming one of LBT's songs, the guy handed the mike to Blake who reminded me that he's a pro and, yes, a good singer.

 

Then, instead of it being about the competition, it was just about what musicians do normally--someone starts to strum something, others join in and you have a great time singing and playing. That was so much fun to see them do that here--a really natural-feeling moment among musicians, even though some were famous pros and others weren't..

 

As for Gwen, she wants guys on her team in the future, right? Because that whole "I wanna do our hair together" thing wasn't the kind of branding Craig needs. Then giving Taylor a duet with "Jolene"? And Adam et all notice how "Amanda connected more with the lyric"? Well, duh. It's a woman's song (maybe would work as a guy's solo, per earlier season, but not as a male-female duet. Confusing!) I was glad she chose Taylor instead of just throwing him under the bus with that, but I was surprised no one chose Amanda (maybe because she wasn't "in genre"?) She seemed pretty and talented enough to advance (I would have chosen her in a minute over Sugar. Also, for someone who is proud to have "done it all her own without my father's influence", she might want to get the show to stop mentioning him 5 times or more in just a few minutes'-long clip.)

 

Overall, a good start, but so far, no clear frontrunner(s).

Edited October 14, 2014 by Padma

[Kromm]

Amanda was FAR better than Taylor. Taylor bored the crap out of me.   I don't get that decision at all (nor none of the other coaches going for Amanda--there was definitely something very unique and I think marketable about her voice).

Edited October 14, 2014 by Kromm