S07.E12: The Knockouts, Part 2

[Tara Ariano]

The knockout round continues. Taylor Swift is an adviser.

[kj4ever]

I never thought I would say this, but my man P is an idiot.

[Keekski]

I'm watching on the east coast on DVR, but I have to say how surprised I am with Taylor Swift in general. Like, I hate her with the fire of a thousand burning suns, but shit. She's a good coach. And I hate that my preschooler and toddler LOVE her. I don't care. I still don't like TayTay. She's so simple & catchy but wants to be complicated & deep but she is not. 

[Babalooie]

I'm really impressed with Taylor, too.  She knows that she doesn't have the greatest voice, but she is working wonders with the contestants' stage presence.  Not sure where Pharrell is coming from, either.  Are producers controlling the choices?

[jjjmoss]

Thankfully the 4 million+ plus Americans who've bought each of her albums to make her releases the domestic top-sellers to-date for 2006, 2008, and 2012 have better taste, and would be disdainful of someone who would act so superior and haughty so as to rag on such an idol.

 

And the critics, as her discography is the most acclaimed on Metacritic out of any singer in the last 10 years who's been popular enough to have a #1 album and a T10 hit. She's so consistently praised amid all her popularity too - there are only two artists in the last 10 years with multiple albums to score a #1 sales hit and a B or higher on Metacritic, Taylor and Kanye (each with 3).

Edited October 29, 2014 by jjjmoss

[adhoc]

Does this mean we do not have to wait until the show airs on the West Coast before we can talk about it? (I'm assuming it will air on the West Coast later.)

[car54]

I think Taylor is the best mentor they've had --and they've had some wonderful mentors over past seasons.

 

The thing that I don't understand is--her talent is having a real talent for writing/performing songs that resonate with her target audience, and she puts on a good show.
She isn't the best singer, she isn't the best musician, but she seems to have a sense of how to perform the songs and engage the audience.   So she is teaching that amazingly well with these singers, and a number of them are really full out performing the songs--putting on a show--and then they are let go because they may have "performed" too much and not focussed enough on the singing part.
But isn't becoming a professional working performer all of that?   I don't understand coaching someone to full out put on a show, and then dumping them for that.

I feel like several people who probably could have gone further and then parlayed their time on the show into some kind of working musical career have been let go in favor of someone who just stands and sings.   Sings very nicely, but then why bother having Taylor teach them how to engage the audience and work the stage?  

I don't think any of the coaches are the greatest "singers" with beautiful textbook voices but every one of them are good  performers and that's what made them successful.

[netlyon2]

I think that Pharrell's decision was motivated by (1) giving his boo Gwen a strong contender, (2) really hating Elijah's song choice, and (3) really being into the shaping/molding aspect of the show.  I may cringe when Elijah starts mugging and I may have lasted about 5 seconds into his song before I started fast forwarding, but I can appreciate that Pharrell sees potential and wants to mold it.

 

That said, I firmly on Team Ricky and wish that Pharrell had kept him.  I also wish that I could get his solo version of "On Broadway" from the battle rounds, but I see that they're now selling the duets rather than each combatant's recording of the song.

 

I was quite disappointed to see Alessandra go, especially since I'm not at all into Mia's voice.  Also, future contestants take note:  "Hey, Ya" is maybe not the thing to sing in a voice competition.  I could see what he was trying to accomplish, but I agree with Adam(!) that this was not the best time to break out that little surprise.

 

car54, on 28 Oct 2014 - 9:35 PM, said:

 

[snip]
But isn't becoming a professional working performer all of that?   I don't understand coaching someone to full out put on a show, and then dumping them for that.

I feel like several people who probably could have gone further and then parlayed their time on the show into some kind of working musical career have been let go in favor of someone who just stands and sings.   Sings very nicely, but then why bother having Taylor teach them how to engage the audience and work the stage? 

I don't think any of the coaches are the greatest "singers" with beautiful textbook voices but every one of them are good  performers and that's what made them successful.

 

I think it's finding contestants who are able to strike the right balance.  If someone has a great voice, but leaves the audience cold or bored (or just annoyed with their antics, Elijah), then that person is not the total package; he/she may be the backup singer who never finds the big break.  When it comes down to it on this show, though, I also suspect that voters will go with the voice over the performance. 

Edited October 29, 2014 by netlyon2

[leighdear]

Sorry Taylor, but millions of people heard Adam Lambert sing "Mad World" on American Idol in 2009.  And he performed it at a level that will never be seen on this show.

 

But I do really like her mentoring.  She's a very astute and well-spoken young woman. 

[poppy-]

I think Ricky was  gimme to Gwen.

I thought Gwen's "I felt like I was watching  a peer" was honest but a little tactless (in the context of this show).

Edited October 29, 2014 by poppy-

[adhoc]

Okay, so I guess we can talk amongst ourselves. :-)

 

That was interesting.  I think folks may think twice next time before selecting P as their coach.

 

On the one hand, he seems like a nice guy and also may be a good coach. On the other hand, unlike, say, Adam, Pharell doesn't seem hung up on winning, and there's no guarantee that your giving the better performance is going to get him to choose you over your opponent who gave a weaker performance.

 

It seems to me that P seems less interested in stacking the deck to win and more interested in nurturing performers he resonates with, for whatever reason. Maybe because he believes he can get them to the next level, or whatever, in a way that may not happen if he does not step in and lend a hand. 

 

He himself mentioned that a coach making tough decisions needed a "strategy". Perhaps he assumed someone was going to steal Ricky, but no one would steal Elyjuh, and he had a soft spot for him and wanted him to have another chance.  

 

Really enjoyed Taylor Swift's mentoring--great.  Did not see what the big to-do was with Taylor-with-3-Names.  I've seen Mad World done by a number of artists, and his rendition was nothing special to me.  Maybe it's my TV.

Edited October 29, 2014 by adhoc

[jjjmoss]

I like Ricky mostly for the reason that I liked Josiah Hawley, but less so. 

 

I suppose I did like him on On Broadway, but Josiah is similarly pleasant enough vocally without being anything special in that department.

[burntheflaws]

I enjoyed Ricky's performance (Although is it bad that I've already forgotten which song he chose?) and was sure he'd get picked. Pharrell... you astound me. I'm seeing the decision to keep Elyjuh in both a positive and negative light. I like that he's interested in really teaching and shaping the contestants to help them improve, but, ugh, that couldn't have been Katriz you were trying to teach? Elyjuh bugs. I think Adam's team has become the strongest now, and Gwen's team is rising in the ranks while Pharrell's is falling.

 

It's such a shame that Alessandra's no longer there. I loved the smooth, effortless quality of her voice.

[Valny]

enjoyed Ricky's performance (Although is it bad that I've already forgotten which song he chose?)

 

He sang a slow version of Wrecking Ball.

 

I was going to be so pissed it no one stole Ricky. But I figured since I saw a steal in the promos, I was hopeful that he would get picked up. But boy, if he didn;t....huge mistake.

[tmelange]

Keep in mind that Pharrell is all about uniqueness. His iamother project celebrates otherness. I think Elyjuh, with his brand of strange, resonates with Pharrell. I thought Pharrell would keep him around simply because of that, and he has. That said, Elyjuh's antics don't bother me, strange bird that he is.

[jjjmoss]

Taylor 3-Names has seemed like a frontrunner since his audition based on his sales there. And now he's the first contestant to break the iTunes T100 for all 3 rounds this season.

He's also a young and generically cute-ish white guy, so that helps. 

 

However, he appears to have no personality. I mean, maybe his being "introspective" just hides it, but he comes off as a boring person.

[MangoFed]

I have no idea if this will be a popular sentiment, but I'm going to miss Troy. I really enjoyed Hey Ya.

[poppy-]

I enjoyed Hey Ya.  As singing competition song choices go, it was about as smart as Devil Went Down to Georgia....but that's not really the point. I think that fellow knew he wasn't going to win, so he picked a song that would showcase his high energy, fun style.  He said he worked in a childcare center and I could see him doing really well with a kid-rock band.

Taylor 3-Names has seemed like a frontrunner since his audition based on his sales there. And now he's the first contestant to break the iTunes T100 for all 3 rounds this season.

He's also a young and generically cute-ish white guy, so that helps. 

 

However, he appears to have no personality. I mean, maybe his being "introspective" just hides it, but he comes off as a boring person.

Did the guy who won last season always wear a hat too? I am so curious what Taylor would look like without the Winona Ryder styling.

 

I cringed when he said to Taylor Swift something along the lines of  "I'm, like, super deep."  I do believe he's a person with a rich interior world but in that context, it just sounded cringeworthy.

[Ketzel]

I was actually a little surprised that Taylor With Three Names took on "Mad World." As someone said upthread, anyone who watches singing competitions on TV would have the memory of Adam Lambert's unforgettable performance of that song as a standard to judge him by. And by that standard, he was mediocre at best.

 

[jjjmoss]

Well he has the top knockout perf on iTunes so far, and might end up with the top charter of the season thus far. I don't think the whole Voice audience memorized Adam's perf of it and holds it up as a beacon of perfection.

Edited October 29, 2014 by jjjmoss

[looksee]

I remember Adam's theatrical performance. It didn't leave me with the warm fuzzy feeling Taylor Three Name's (hee!) version did. I rewatched Taylor's performance like 5 times and finally just bit the bullet and bought it off iTunes. It's the few Voice songs I've bought. After many repeat listens, I think the reason I like it is because some of his runs and the way he sang it made it sound like a Christmas song, which i am crazily in the mood for...

Edit: oh and I think part of his popularity may be due to him looking like a young Keanu...what, just me?

Edited October 29, 2014 by looksee

[kj4ever]

Sorry Taylor, but millions of people heard Adam Lambert sing "Mad World" on American Idol in 2009.  And he performed it at a level that will never be seen on this show.

 

But I do really like her mentoring.  She's a very astute and well-spoken young woman.

  

I was scratching my head on the whole "and people haven't heard that song... really? Maybe her group of 14 year olds, but I'd guess most people who are into music know that song.

Keep in mind that Pharrell is all about uniqueness. His iamother project celebrates otherness. I think Elyjuh, with his brand of strange, resonates with Pharrell. I thought Pharrell would keep him around simply because of that, and he has. That said, Elyjuh's antics don't bother me, strange bird that he is.

I love strange and different. Elyjuh is flat out annoying. He won't make it through the first week of the lives unless P truly can work miracles.

[Cramps]

Elyjuh is very annoying. I do not see what Pharrell sees. Ricky is good and pretty, but blandly generic. Perhaps that is part of the issue

Loved the acoustic beginning of Troy's song -- and then he started dancing around madly in that suit and came off like coked out yuppie doing karaoke. Lord I hate the stylists on this show. I really think his look hurt him.

I loved Taylor three names version of Mad World. I don't normally like the song too much, nor am I big on runs, but as Pharrell said, his runs were tasteful. I liked his version more than Adam Lambert's. It felt more emotional. I think he's already on the verge of. Entering the top 40 on iTunes-- which is a first for the season.

[glitterpants]

Loved the acoustic beginning of Troy's song -- and then he started dancing around madly in that suit and came off like coked out yuppie doing karaoke.

 

Ha, yes. Troy was a little obnoxious for me so I'm glad he's gone but as he was dancing to that goofy song wearing that suit I was thinking, what the hell is this going for? He sounded very good during the acoustic part but I still had no idea whether that was his real "voice" or if that was just him putting on a show in a different way.

 

Edit: oh and I think part of his popularity may be due to him looking like a young Keanu...what, just me?

I was thinking that he looks like Keanu too! And he's got a soothing resting face. Regardless, I think he's one of the best/most interesting in the competition.

 

Ricky looks like the love child of Joaquin Phoenix and Jack McPhee from Dawson.

Edited October 29, 2014 by glitterpants

[poppy-]

I do not watch American Idol , never have, but I have seen that Adam Lambert performance of Mad World on YouTube more than once . It went viral, as the kids say. It's the only AL video I have seen / bothered to watch . And it is often recommended whenever I look for a Glee video.

Taylor Swift giving very specific and excellent suggestions is surprisingly entertaining to watch. I am not a fan but she's earned my respect for her stage instincts.

Edited October 29, 2014 by poppy-

[ladymon]

My love of Pharrell is getting embarrassing.  And I do think he has a very specific strategy.  I think he will have the most of his original team in the top 20 out of all the coaches.  I think he is honouring his commitment to these artists to get them as far as he can.  I DON'T think he gives a rat's ass about necessarily winning the show but he does care about their development and opportunities that they can get from coming to the show.

 

If I was a serious singer who wanted a career in music and felt that the Voice was as valid a route as any, I would PRAY for that kind of commitment from one of these coaches over winning the show.

[MelsW]

I agree with the posters above about Taylor 3 Names (T3N) being both Winona and Keanu-esque. In fact, if Keanu Reeves and Winona Ryder had a child, I'm pretty sure T3N would be the outcome. I hope the hat isn't his "thing" for the whole competition. I wanted to smack that pork pie hat off of both Josh Kaufman's and Tony Lucca's heads. Don't set off my hat induced rage this season, T3N!

 

Thoughts from last night's show:

 

I enjoyed Troy's Hey Ya. I thought it was fun and I liked the acoustic beginning of the song (good call, Swifty). I didn't see what the big deal was about T3N's song. It was perfectly fine but it didn't wow me like it seemed to wow the judges. I'm sure he'll do fine when the lives start, since he is a generically cute young white guy.

 

I can't stand Elyjuh's singing faces. Technically he sounds great but then I see those faces he makes and I get embarassed for him and I have to look away.

 

I preferred Alessandra over Mia, so I was sad to see her go.

 

Still loving TSwift as a mentor.

[mercfan3]

I think Pharrell simply has gotten over attached to a contestant. We've seen it happen before. Adam does it every season. Usher and Michelle. Christina and Jacquie. Blake has his favorites but doesn't seem to have the same emotional connection/favoritism. 

Pharrell simply got attached to the wrong contestant. 

[Wouldofshouldof]

  Elyjuh is flat out annoying.

 

As is the spelling of his name.  The first thing that comes to mind when I see it is "Duh," as in "Duh, I don't know how to spell Elijah."

[ddiced35]

I'm watching on the east coast on DVR, but I have to say how surprised I am with Taylor Swift in general. Like, I hate her with the fire of a thousand burning suns, but shit. She's a good coach. And I hate that my preschooler and toddler LOVE her. I don't care. I still don't like TayTay. She's so simple & catchy but wants to be complicated & deep but she is not. 

 

Come sit right next to me, Keekski! This is exactly how I feel. I'm respecting her advice as a mentor, but as a person, she lost me when she showed her complete lack of humor about herself when Tina and Amy made a joke about her at the Golden Globes. If those two are going to hell (as TayTay said after their harmless jab), I'll be sitting right there with them.

[beaker73]

I'm watching on the east coast on DVR, but I have to say how surprised I am with Taylor Swift in general. Like, I hate her with the fire of a thousand burning suns, but shit. She's a good coach. And I hate that my preschooler and toddler LOVE her. I don't care. I still don't like TayTay. She's so simple & catchy but wants to be complicated & deep but she is not. 

I was going to post something similar after Monday night's show and never did.  I'm in total agreement with you.  I cannot stand her and I'm not sure I can even articulate why. There's just something about her I don't like.  That said, I've been impressed with her coaching skills.  Go figure.

[kj4ever]

Ha, yes. Troy was a little obnoxious for me so I'm glad he's gone but as he was dancing to that goofy song wearing that suit I was thinking, what the hell is this going for? He sounded very good during the acoustic part but I still had no idea whether that was his real "voice" or if that was just him putting on a show in a different way.

 

I was thinking that he looks like Keanu too! And he's got a soothing resting face. Regardless, I think he's one of the best/most interesting in the competition.

 

Ricky looks like the love child of Joaquin Phoenix and Jack McPhee from Dawson.

 

Oh thank you thank you thank you!  I could not for the life of me think who the other person was and yes, he definitely looks like a mix of those two.  I got 6 text messages after Pharrell picked that goober over Ricky saying "What the what??"  I really don't like this part of the show.  I know the coaches can choose who they want, but when someone does the work and comes out swinging and improves like Ricky did, it ticks me off that someone like Eli-what the hell ever gets a pass.  Once I can maybe see, but this is the second time I feel his high school musical mugging face was put through before someone more deserving.  I know P says he's a nerd, and maybe he sees a bit of himself in the kid.  P needs to learn the difference between Adorkable and Annoying.

 

Come sit right next to me, Keekski! This is exactly how I feel. I'm respecting her advice as a mentor, but as a person, she lost me when she showed her complete lack of humor about herself when Tina and Amy made a joke about her at the Golden Globes. If those two are going to hell (as TayTay said after their harmless jab), I'll be sitting right there with them.

Oh I'l sit on the other side.  Taylor was kind of an annoying little gnat on the radio before that happened.  I always got this feeling that there was this mean girl lurking beneath her aww shucks personality and that she was a bit fake, but when that shit happened.  Jesus if every person did that who got a poke at them during an awards show we would have no more award shows.  I mean if you don't want people to make fun of your love life, stop making it so obvious who you write your songs about and buying houses next to Kennedys.

[blueray]

 

I can't stand Elyjuh's singing faces. Technically he sounds great but then I see those faces he makes and I get embarassed for him and I have to look away.

 

I started cracking up at his facial expresions to the point where I was distracted. I was shocked that Perell choose him over Ricky. But I was glad that he was saved.

 

I agree with most people on this thread. While the guy that did "hey yah" was entertaining it wasn't the right time and place to have that kind of preformance. As at this point they are still looking at their voice, which that song doesn't show.

[briochetwist]

Thankfully the 4 million+ plus Americans who've bought each of her albums to make her releases the domestic top-sellers to-date for 2006, 2008, and 2012 have better taste, and would be disdainful of someone who would act so superior and haughty so as to rag on such an idol.

 

 

I'm pretty sure that this is just the place to 'rag on an idol' *smirk*  and that we're all allowed to have a difference of opinion without calling our personal taste into question.  I'm with Keekski, can't stand Taylor's music, but thought she was a great mentor.  Go figure.

 

Mia over Alessandra?

Elyjuh over Ricky?

 

I'm baffled by some of these choices, particularly the Elyjuh one.  Don't know if it was editing, but it looked as though Elyjuh didn't even acknowledge Ricky.  I hate the smug little bastard.  Don't mind his voice, but he lost that one in a big way, he should be gone.  Loved the WTF looks and comments from Gwen and Adam.

[petalfrog]

My problem with Taylorx3 is that he just stood in one spot and was clearly fighting the nervous foot tap the entire time. With his holding the mike in that fashion it had a nervous talent show vibe. I think giving him a mike stand and maybe even a guitar would have made all the difference. He definitely reminds me of Keanu but it's more because of his quiet-surfer attitude with the "I'm so deep" sentiments.

 

Taylor Swift is a very good coach. I find her whole schtick to be disengeous but she's very good at tailoring her advice to each contestant so it can't be that fake! I think her big veneers actually make her seem more fake than she is.

[Primetimer]

Stars don't sit still, they twinkle.

Read the story

[jjjmoss]

 I was scratching my head on the whole "and people haven't heard that song... really? Maybe her group of 14 year olds, but I'd guess most people who are into music know that song.

What % of the Voice audience is people super into music tho? 

What song is known by 100% of people? 

What is wrong with him appealing to your supposed grasp of her audience target? Don't young people kinda control the music market consumer-wise?

 

Given both the cover's placement and the original flying back up to #91 on iTunes, I'd bet there are plenty of people who were first exposed to it yesterday.

[Princess Lucky]

I really liked Troy and I never cared for the Taylor kid (too generic a voice and just not my style of performer), so that bummed me out. Troy reminded me of Cody Belew from a few seasons back; a fun, energetic performer who stood out, maybe for the wrong reasons (too funny in a bad way, kitsch) but still, he was different. And I liked his voice too, like a less raspy Dave Matthews (that said, the charm lies in the rasp, so). I see Taylor's appeal but he's not for me (I'm 30, possibly too old to appreciate his cuteness and "depth". I see him as just a kid with a hat.).

 

I didn't quite get Pharrell's decision nor did I agree with Gwen's steal. Underwhelming night overall, in my opinion. I thought Blake might steal Troy, as he does tend to steal cannon fodder, but I get why he didn't (they'd be pretty mismatched, though I think it'd be hilarious to watch). I'm actually curious to see who Blake wants to steal. Might he steal back the country dude with the great hair? Going into the lives, and if he chooses wisely in his knockouts, Blake will have a bunch of surprisingly good country-ish girls and James David Carter (whom I do like). I don't see many people left who would be a good fit for his team. Hm.

[Noreaster]

Too bad for Troy.  The knockout round is not the right time to pull out that type of performance.  The songs should be focused on the vocals, not dancing.  Reminded me of Avery Wilson in season 3.  Actually Toia the night before also made this mistake.  Trying to move around on stage and entertain in that manner hurts the vocals.  Troy's performance would have been better later on in the competition with backup dancers and more staging.  He should have copied Cody Belew's progression instead (doing "Jolene" in the knockouts, then the more staged Beyonce and Queen performances in lives).  

 

Enjoyed Taylor John Williams' performance.  I don't watch American Idol so never heard Adam Lambert's cover.  I also don't think the coaches on this show pay attention to other reality shows so it's understandable why they might think "Mad World" was a good choice and less familiar.  It's not a current song.  Anyway, I liked it quite a bit.  

 

Don't care much for either Mia or Alessandra.  Actually slight preference for Mia.  Alessandra is such a bore. 

 

Elyjuh and Ricky were okay.  Vocals were good enough for both to stay in the competition but I'm not excited about either.  Don't care for Elyjuh's facial expressions.  The editing was really choppy at the end.  The show really tried to emphasize how much the other coaches disagreed with Pharrell's decision, but I don't think it was that bad.  One of Adam's facial expressions looked like it was edited in.

 

 

 

 

[BogoGog24]

Troy vs Taylor - Was Troy's performance entertaining? Yeah. But this is The Voice, not So You Think You Can Dance, so Taylor kind of won that round by default because he actually sang something, regardless of how mediocre it might have been. I couldn't take Troy seriously at all with that performance. That kind of thing might work on another show like Idol or The X Factor but not The Voice.

 

Alessandra vs Mia - Taylor was spot on with her advice to Alessandra about putting her body into the song but I feel like in her actual performance she didn't do that very much. It bored me a little. She just kind of walked from one side of the stage to the other. Mia was more interesting to watch, imo.

 

Elyjah vs Ricky - Ugh!!!!! This was the only decision of the night I disagreed with. Count me in the group that can't stand Elyjah and his goofy facial expressions while he sings. I have the feeling he will be gone very early in the lives. He has a good voice but he bugs. There was no emotional connection to the song he was singing. We've seen some contestants in the past who were a little immature that stayed and grew in their confidence and improved a lot, but I don't think Elyjah should have been chosen over Ricky. Ricky gave the stronger performance and therefore should have won, let Elyjah be stolen because he gave the weaker performance. I suppose Pharrell knew Ricky would be stolen and kept Elyjah because he wanted to be the one to work with him but I still think it is extremely unfair to the contestant who gave the better performance and shows blatant favoritism on Pharrell's part. Since when does someone win a knockout because they have potential and need more growth? Bull. Shit. And now a steal has been wasted on someone who deserved to win their knockout anyway. 

[TaraS1]

The greatest travesty of this episode was that they didn't let Hey Ya guy sing the Lucy Liu line.

 

<-----  she concurs

[dizzyizzy01]

Oh I'l sit on the other side.  Taylor was kind of an annoying little gnat on the radio before that happened.  I always got this feeling that there was this mean girl lurking beneath her aww shucks personality and that she was a bit fake, but when that shit happened.  Jesus if every person did that who got a poke at them during an awards show we would have no more award shows.  I mean if you don't want people to make fun of your love life, stop making it so obvious who you write your songs about and buying houses next to Kennedys.

 

 

Besides Taylor's quote being taken out of context in that interview (she wasn't actually talking about Amy and Tina), it's a bit of a different thing when you have a couple of women in their 40's making fun of someone that's barely 20 about something that's pretty standard for a girl that age (i.e., dating and expressing feelings about boyfriends/ex-boyfriends).  The difference is that Taylor is a songwriter and in the public eye so everything she does gets hell of a lot of attention.  I do think Taylor's taken the opportunity to take advantage of the way the media perceives her to garner further attention, but I still think it's problematic how she's ridiculed for basically dating and writing songs about her life.  I don't think there's any songwriter out there that doesn't do this.

 

Anyway, Taylor's proving to be a really good mentor.  I actually think she's a super awkward performer herself.  Girl just doesn't have a lot of rhythm, but she does have really great instincts about how to put on a performance.  I'm impressed with how specific she's able to be given the short amount of time they have with these contestants. 

[jjjmoss]

Besides Taylor's quote being taken out of context in that interview (she wasn't actually talking about Amy and Tina), it's a bit of a different thing when you have a couple of women in their 40's making fun of someone that's barely 20 about something that's pretty standard for a girl that age (i.e., dating and expressing feelings about boyfriends/ex-boyfriends).  The difference is that Taylor is a songwriter and in the public eye so everything she does gets hell of a lot of attention.  I do think Taylor's taken the opportunity to take advantage of the way the media perceives her to garner further attention, but I still think it's problematic how she's ridiculed for basically dating and writing songs about her life.  I don't think there's any songwriter out there that doesn't do this.

Or, for a person.

I think a "disadvantage" She has is that most of the pop girls no one believes actually writes their stuff regardless of how they're credited given how they never write solo and they always work with (mostly) men who are very prolific hitmaking writers. In a recent interview, She had this to say:

 

Frankly, I think that's a very sexist angle to take. No one says that about Ed Sheeran. No one says that about Bruno Mars. They're all writing songs about their exes, their current girlfriends, their love life and no one raises a red flag there.

[Village]

Pharrell's not very good at this show. I actually understand what he's doing as he's going with singers he thinks he can nurture and help grow as artists while putting artists up for grabs that he knows will get stolen by other coaches. This is great for the singers on his team who keep moving on (5 out of 6 of his singers have gotten through) but really brutal for him as he's weakened his team quite considerably. It's like he's desperately trying not to win. It's weird.

Edited October 29, 2014 by Village

[realdancemom]

Troy vs. Taylor - Troy was entertaining but I like Taylor's version of Mad World.  I heard Adam's version but it's too theatrical while Taylor is more emotional.

 

Allessandra vs Mia - I didn't like Allessandra's song but I do like her voice.  She has a nice tone and she does sing effortlessly.  She reached high notes and it didn't sound screachy or like she was screaming.  So I preferred her.  Mia is o.k. but I prefer Gwen's Bryana if I had to choose a young diva singer.

 

Elyujah vs.Ricky - Elyujah does have a nice voice but he makes the weirdest faces.  He did not connect to that song at all.  Ricky was better but he's not that great either so maybe that's why Pharrell wanted to give Elyujah another chance.

[jjjmoss]

Hmm, Mad World is #25 on iTunes and probably still climbing. The only one that's gone higher during Knockouts is Let Her Go by Cole V #19. He didn't make the finals though, so it's not necessarily that meaningful.

For other non-live rounds since S3 we also have Melanie's Toxic #18, Sarah's One of Us #20, Preston's Electric Feel #22, Dawn & Hawkes' I've Just Seen a Face #22. 

Actually none of these people made the finals...

Edited October 29, 2014 by jjjmoss

[poppy-]

Well, I don't think winning The Voice is good for Pharrell's career.  His job is to show what a great mentor he is.  Adam's job is to make himself look like less of a jerk. Blake's job is to showcase his humor.  Gwen's job is......... honestly I think she is just there because Pharrell asked her to.

 

I get that the general complaint about Adam Lambert is theatricality, but I don't see it in his Mad World.  Unless it's a way of saying his voice sounds too "technical?"

 

Taylor Swift writes songs about celebrities.  That's going to get talked about.  Everyone knows that Ed Sheeran song is about Ellie Goulding. 

Woman's a good songwriter-  I just wish should complain less.

Edited October 29, 2014 by poppy-

[fantique]

Pharrell's not very good at this show. I actually understand what he's doing as he's going with singers he thinks he can nurture and help grow as artists while putting artists up for grabs that he knows will get stolen by other coaches. This is great for the singers on his team who keep moving on (5 out of 6 of his singers have gotten through) but really brutal for him as he's weakened his team quite considerably. It's like he's desperately trying not to win. It's weird.

I actually don't think he's trying to win. Out in "the real world" what does winning as a coach on the Voice get you really. Actually for these singing competitions it seems almost more beneficial to go far and not win than to actually win. 

I think he kept Elyjuh (spelling this out hurts me, physically pains me) because he knew Ricky would be stolen. I think he is looking out for his artists even if they are not on his team.

I hated Mia in the blinds and knew they only turned around because she was a trier. I think she is a good fit for Adam though and her performance actually helped me believe she can actually sing so that's great. I liked Alessandra better but I knew she wouldn't get that far anyway so...Oh well.

...

I am literally just here to hear Pharrell's life coaching.

[BogoGog24]

Maybe the winning coach gets an extra bonus in their salary? I don't know for sure though. There must be some incentive for them trying to win. I think if a really good winner comes from their team it does boost their own careers a bit. For example, after Danielle won S4 I think it gave Blake a big boost to his career. I don't think this has really happened with any of the other winners though. If they win, it also means they most likely will be invited back for the next season.

[Noreaster]

I don't know about applying all these altruistic motivations to Pharrell's decisions.  It's a game.  He has to cut his team like all the other coaches do.  There are certain people he prefers to keep around.  That's it. 

 

It seems like a stretch to argue that all he cares about is nurturing his team.  And that he's selflessly giving up the stronger members because he knows they'll be stolen.  

 

It's in the coaches' best interest to have strong teams.  Good talent is entertaining.  It's also good for The Voice brand, good for the coaches' reputations, good for their potential future income on the show.  

 

And for goodness sakes, if any other coach was "trying not to win", he/she would get slammed.  They all have to look like they care about winning and helping their contestants get far in the game.