S07.E15: Live Playoffs 1

[Tara Ariano]

The live playoffs start.

[Keekski]

James is going to have a bunch of cougars pining after him like David Cook did on his season on AI. 

[pivot]

This is already shaping up to be another season 4 for me with cliched country artists sticking around way longer than they should. Craig is the type of contestant that you'd see on American Idol. Not an original bone in his body, but a perfectly fine bar singer. I have a bad feeling he's the winner of this season just like Danielle was in season 4.

The women on Blake's team along with Anita are my favorites of the season. I just hope Blake keeps at least 1 of Taylor or Jessie. They are more interesting than the guys on his team.

As for Adam's team, I'd keep Damien and Taylor. The rest can go.

My predictions for Wednesday:

Team Blake - Reagan and Craig safe, Blake chooses the other guy

Team Adam - Matt and Taylor safe, Adam chooses Damien

This is going to be a really guy dominated season.

Gwen still adds no value and doesn't seem to have any connection with the rest of the panel. And Pharrell is pretty dull as well. But, at least Gwen as some decent people on her team. Pharrell has Sugar and Jean.

[blueray]

I like the people that are on it for the most part. Though to me Matt and Jessie did the best tonight and they received my votes.

[Dots And Stripes]

I liked Damien and the guy who sang the Beach Boys from Team Adam. Adam's bro must go. Always.

 

Blake is a great salesman. His team was kind of lackluster tonight. James David was a little too country for me tonight. I'm hoping he'll do something more pop in the future so I can enjoy him more. Little Kelly Clarkson doesn't share the real Kelly's pipes. She started well enough tonight, but it didn't work for me.

 

Pharell and Blake continue to be amazing all around.

Edited November 11, 2014 by Dots And Stripes

[Noreaster]

A lot of boring performances tonight.  Maybe it's because I didn't recognize some of the songs. The one true entertainer was Craig Wayne Boyd. Clearly a seasoned performer. Some of the others looked awkward moving around the stage or having to go and slap the audience's hands. 

 

For Team Adam, I liked Matt the best. Odd song choice but it allowed Matt to highlight the unique qualities of his voice. I found myself caught up in his performance.  Taylor Phelan was pretty good, particularly when he opened up in the second half of the song.  Damien's vocals were strong, but it seemed like the band was drowning him out a bit.  Mia was really boring.  Chris's performance was mixed.  I liked the first half but it kind of fell apart in the second.

 

For Team Blake, my favorite was Reagan. So much natural talent. Not a perfect performance but she sings so effortlessly and has a distinctive voice.  I enjoy listening to her a lot.  I also enjoyed Craig Wayne Boyd quite a bit. James David Carter, Taylor B., and Jessie were boring. 

 

My picks for the top 3 in order of descending preference:
Team Adam: Matt, Taylor P., Damien
Team Blake: Reagan, Craig Wayne Boyd, James David Carter

[Valny]

Sorry, this was a lackluster,dull live round for me. I didn't really love anyone like I used to. Last guy, Craig was the best for me,he was at least entertaining and had a really upbeat performance. If you know the Travis Tritt song T-R-O-U-B-L-E, that would be perfect for him.

I didn't think Taylor's song was all that great like the judges did. When she hit the long strong notes, that sounded great and she should pick more songs with stronger vocals, but the rest of the time I don't think the song was a good one to utilized all her ability IMO. It sounded to low for her sometimes. (don't know the correct music terminology)

And James David....he has a great voice for country and overall good voice, but again, I didn't think it was a great song choice to show off his solid vocals I actually really like that Garth Brooks song,it's a fun tune but  didn't think it was a good one to show off or bring attention to...and I thought that's what you have to do for least these live rounds. Bring it!

 

[pivot]

I liked Damien the guy who sang the Beach Boys from Team Adam. Adam's bro must go. Always.

Blake is a great salesman. His team was kind of lackluster tonight. James David was a little too country for me tonight. I'm hoping he'll do something more pop in the future so I can enjoy him more. Little Kelly Clarkson doesn't share the real Kelly's pipes. She started well enough tonight, but it didn't work for me.

Pharell and Blake continue to be amazing all around.

Damien is the African-American TSA agent who did a phenomenal job tonight. The guy who butchered the Beach Boys was either Matt or Chris. I can't keep them straight.

I thought for the first time ever that Blake gave good advise to his contestants. He looked like he was actually trying with the 3 women. I think if Craig gets through though, he'll just let him coast to the finale like he did with that awful duo.

Edited to add - I hope Blake won't give Craig Travis Tritt. Craig already rips off so much of Tritt's look and singing style that it would be like watching a bad Vegas impersonator. The Voice used to be better than that.

Edited November 11, 2014 by pivot

[MangoFed]

Matt (Harry Potter after a bad night out) was the one who sang the Beach Boys. 

 

I can't tell if I like Taylor because of his voice, or because he chooses songs that I like.

[BogoGog24]

Overall I felt it was a night of underwhelming performances with a few standouts.

 

Taylor B - I like that she does vintage country but I don't think her voice is all that strong. The song choice was meh. Landslide and her blind audition were so much better.

 

Chris - Horrible song choice. What made Adam think this would be a good choice for a singing competition? It did nothing for his voice.

 

Jessie - It was pretty I guess, but I think she sounds better when she uses her full voice instead of that whispery thing she does.

 

James David - Bland song choice. Reminds me of Dexter Roberts from American Idol last season where all he did were bar band sing along songs. Only thing I agreed with was when Gwen said his voice sounded like a record. Other than that, he's so bland and generic.

 

Matt - The performance and song choice felt a bit corny but Matt is one of my few favorites so overall I enjoyed it. 

 

Reagan - Do not get what people see in this girl at all. The only thing she has going for her is that she has lots of charisma for being so young. But her performance here was atrocious, she was out of breath and pitchy the entire time. I haven't been impressed with any of her performances this season. In all honesty I think she's a terrible singer and don't see anything special about her at all, other than that she has a lot of charisma. 

 

Taylor P - So sick of this dude. I don't know what it is about him but I don't like him at all. He reminds me of those annoying hipster guys who think they're better than everyone because they know about certain music that isn't "mainstream." He would fit into the current music trend but I find him bland and a dime a dozen. Him and Reagan are the 2 most overrated people in this competition.

 

Mia - Overall I thought it was pretty good.

 

Damien - Dude has a good voice but he looks like he's always going to cry. And a makeup artist should have done something about those horrible bags under his eyes. That didn't help the "I'm going to cry" look. 

 

Craig - My other favorite next to Matt. I wouldn't mind at all if Craig won this season. He brings a certain polish to his performances that many of the others don't. He seems more ready to do concerts and award shows than most of the others. But I'd like to see him sing something more modern. They need to be careful and not make him TOO throwbackish or else it can look outdated. There's a fine line between retro and outdated.

 

Predictions for results:

 

Taylor B and Jessie will be eliminated from Blake, Chris and Damien from Adam

[Dots And Stripes]

Damien is the African-American TSA agent who did a phenomenal job tonight. The guy who butchered the Beach Boys was either Matt or Chris. I can't keep them straight.

 

Thanks. I thought I had put an and in there. My mistake. I know Damien sang the Sam Smith song. Speaking of that song, does anyone know it well enough to know if it's a man singing about his wife? Damien saying it was song about an unfaithful wife jumped out at me a little. I've always just seen it as a song about someone who is unfaithful more generally.

[BogoGog24]

Thanks. I thought I had put an and in there. My mistake. I know Damien sang the Sam Smith song. Speaking of that song, does anyone know it well enough to know if it's a man singing about his wife? Damien saying it was song about an unfaithful wife jumped out at me a little. I've always just seen it as a song about someone who is unfaithful more generally.

 

According to MJsBigBlog, what they said in the recap is that Damien claimed it was about Sam Smith's wife cheating on him, but he must have been thinking of the music video because in real life Sam Smith is gay. 

 

Edit: Look to the right on this link: http://www.lyricsondemand.com/s/samsmithlyrics/imnottheonlyonelyrics.html According to this, he wrote it about a marriage he had "observed" and it is from the woman's perspective of her husband cheating on her, I guess.

Edited November 11, 2014 by BogoGog24

[Janie1130]

Craig may not be everyone's cup of tea but he darn sure is mine. As a huge fan of country music who is tired of pop country (I'm looking at you Florida Georgia Line), I am totally OK with some old school country music. To quote the great Travis Tritt, "Damn, I miss Duane Allman, I wish he were still around. Put some drive in the country. Keep country driving on."

Edited November 11, 2014 by Janie1130

[TacoBoutIt]

Oh boy...bring on Team Gwen and Team Pharrell.  Tonight was kind of a disaster.  Bad song choices (Team Adam) and uninspiring performances (Team Blake, mostly)

 

Team Adam

Chris-It was ok, I think he can do better.  The song is harder than is than it seems and it seemed like he was always trying to catch his breath.  He lacks the swagger (hate that word, but can't find a better one) that Ed Sheeran has. He has the Channing Tatum thing going for him, but something is missing.

Matt McAndrew-I like him but terrible song choice.  I thought the BBC charity single was bad, but then I heard this.  What's so wonderful about the Beach Boys is the vocal harmonies.  You take that away, and you lose much of that magic.  He'll go through to the next round though, so I hope he chooses better songs.

Taylor Phelan- I'm not warming up to him and I don't why.  He's the genre I like, but I don't like him.

 

 

I can't tell if I like Taylor because of his voice, or because he chooses songs that I like.

 

I think you're on to something MangoFed.  He chooses great songs (I believe he chose tonight's song), but the songs aren't that well suited for him.  So far I liked him best when he sang Breakeven, which he did not choose. 

 

Damien-Adam's only good song choice.  He was great, but I still prefer the original version. Dots and Stripes, it's actually the opposite.  Sam Smith wrote it in the perspective of a woman who's husband was cheating on her (1:50 mark).

Mia- No, just no.  Lana has a beautiful, haunting, smoky voice with a distinct resonant head voice and a great vocal range.  Mia does not have that.  She did sound great during the "climax" of the song, but it was all wrong for the song.  Also, when did she become a "pop rock" singer?

 

Team Blake

Taylor Brashiers-Alright.  I too like old-timey country singers but I don't think she's the one to bring the genre back.  That throwback singer on Team Blake that sang "These Boots are Made for Walkin'" back in season 4 I believe? Her, I could get behind.
Reagan-I like her but she didn't really listen to Gwen's advice all that much.  That song had a great message, but she was still singing it in heels and full makeup.  That juxtaposition threw me off.  I would have liked it if she stayed with the guitar but she clearly knows what kind of artist she is.  She has such a clear vision of herself and that I really like.  Lorde, she is not though Blake.

Jessie Pitts-She was one of the best tonight actually, I doubt she'll make it through though. The more she strays away from Ellie Goulding, the better.  The breathiness is too affected, she sounds better when she doesn't do that.  Blake seems to be good with the indie-breathy type singers.

DJC-Alright, not my thing.  Would he qualify as bro country?  Because that is not my thing.

CWB-Craig Wayne Boyd all the way.  He knows how to perform.  I think I'm really biased because for some reason I am inexplicably so attracted to him.  He's great though.  

 

On a different note, I love Gwen but it seems she recently got some new work done.  It was a little distracting.  

Edited November 11, 2014 by DammitJanet

[Padma]

It was all okay, but not much more than that so far. I was disappointed in James David. He and Blake have some serious chemistry in a show pretty devoid of it otherwise, but his performance was disappointing. The song is fun but just not vocally challenging enough for this competition. What happened to the advice he got last time, "Give it a 'wow' moment where you do something amazing vocally"? It was perfectly competent, but not at all up to what we know he can do vocally. I'm surprised. He really seems to like to keep his songs and arrangements in a very safe and unchallenging range, even though he can obvious do more voice-wise AND excitement-wise. I think Blake will keep him, but I don't see him advancing beyond this level unless he commits to a bolder performance.

[briochetwist]

I completely forgot about the singing when Pharell told us that we all know how he feels about feminism.  Right.  Didn't he write the super-rapey 'Blurred Lines'?  

[MangoFed]

I never found the Blurred Lines as a rapey song argument compelling. I thought it was more about mixed messages, and a woman who wanted to be with a guy, but was afraid to be forward due to social pressures.

[Padma]

nt

Edited November 11, 2014 by Padma

[DownTheShore]

I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm sick and tired of those obligatory waving arms in the audience.  It's become so fake and so obviously staged.

 

I actually liked Matt's "God Only Knows".  That's one of my favorite songs and I enjoyed his version of it.

 

I am so over Sarah McLaughlin (sp?) sounding singers *looking at Ms. Pitts*.  Please, make them stop!

 

I thought Chris' song choice was odd, and I really don't get all the fawning that is occurring over him. 

 

The male Taylor is eminently forgettable to me.  He falls into that "not really good-looking, retro hair, slightly geeky, wispy, earnest" guy category of which there is at least one representative every season; he's just omitted the hat that is usually worn in that category.  The one that you know will never draw a concert crowd even if he sang like Pavarotti.

 

I like Gwen, but enough with the comments on clothing and tattoos.  It makes her sound so vapid, and it's clear that she's not.

 

I think Maroon 5's song was probably the best performance of the night.

 

3-name-not-Craig country guy seemed to phone that one in.  I like him, like his voice, and think he is much more polished than all the rest of the singers and he seems to have a good personality, but he doesn't seem to burn with the desire to win - if that makes any sense.  I'd probably enjoy listening to a record by him, but might fall asleep in the audience if I went to his concert.

[burntheflaws]

I'm more excited about Team Gwen and Pharrell tomorrow night, but here are my thoughts on tonight's performances:

 

The Good:

• Jessie - I surprised myself with how much I liked her performance. She had that whispery thing going on, but those notes sounded in control rather than random ad-libs or "tweaking." She also had some stronger parts, and I appreciated the quiet ambiance. She made the song sound contemporary and her voice seemed to fill the room. Definitely her best performance to date and one of the best of the night.
• Damien - I basically reacted like "Wha-?" when he said it was about a woman cheating on her husband, but I thought he did a great job with it. It's amazing how he can go from singing in falsetto to hitting a clear, strong note and yet make it look so effortless. One of the only cases where I loved the song and the performance did it relative justice (though I still like the original much more).
• Craig - Not a big country fan, but at least this was fun. I enjoyed the performance and how he started escalating his vocals and the performance as it continued.

 

The Eh:

• Matt - One of my favorites in the competition. I was excited to hear him sing, and the song choice made me excited because I haven't really heard it being done in competitive singing shows (plus I know it from Love Actually!), but this mirrored the original version too much and that threw me. I like Matt's look and the way he styles his voice and arrangements in the songs he sings, and I lost that feeling here. I think an acoustic version of the song would've been great for changing it up and also showing off his strengths. But not bad.
• Taylor - Oh Taylor, I've loved your song choices from "Sweater Weather" to "Rather Be" and now to "Cool Kids," but yeah, I may be more infatuated with those choices than what you do with them. Good stage presence but I didn't get anything from it.
• Mia - Love "Young and Beautiful." Didn't love this performance. She had good moments, but what I liked about the original was how emotional, quiet and haunting Lana Del Rey's original version was (and I'm not a LDR fan by any means, I think I just like her soundtrack songs). This seemed to focus on style over substance. Looks like she cut down on the amount of runs, but she seemed to be focusing on making it technically perfect, and because of that I didn't feel anything from the performance. Even her expressions seemed so overwrought and rehearsed.
• James David - The performance was boring. No real flaws, but nothing I'll remember. And on a side note, that moment where JDC corrected Adam seemed really random and awkward.

 

The Bad:

• Reagan - Add me to the boat that doesn't really get Reagan. She sounds too breathy and seems to have very little control of her voice. She had a few small moments but I was too distracted by what seemed like her losing air. Jessie and she fall in the same category and I think Jessie had a much stronger showing tonight. I will say that I really admire Reagan's confidence, especially because of her age, but she's overhyped.
• Chris - Ugh, terrible song choice. I don't know if Adam was busing him, but that song is ridiculously hard to sing live. Too many lyrics and quick changes in the melody, and it was not a good song to do live if he wanted to garner votes. You could tell he was out of breath at several moments in the song, and he was a little awkward on stage too.
• Taylor - Maybe she wasn't bad, but I'm drawing a blank about her performance. I don't remember liking it very much.

 

Who I think will go to the lives:

Team Adam - Damien (maybe swapped with Mia), Matt, Taylor

Team Blake - Reagan (hoping for Jessie instead though), Craig, James

[burntheflaws]

Also, iTunes rankings as of 3:10 a.m. EST:

 

#34 - Matt McAndrew - God Only Knows
#50 - Damien - I'm Not the Only One
#64 - Reagan James - Try
#68 - Jessie Pitts - Holding Out For a Hero
#70 - Craig Wayne Boyd - Some Kind of Wonderful
#89 - Taylor Phelan - Cool Kids
#113 - James David Carter - Two of a Kind Workin' On a Full House
#123 - Mia Pfirrman - Young and Beautiful
#159 - Chris Jamison - Don't

[TheodoraK]

 

CWB-Craig Wayne Boyd all the way.  He knows how to perform.  I think I'm really biased because for some reason I am inexplicably so attracted to him.  He's great though.

i have a thing for him too which is embarrassing because i'm beyond cougar territory.

i'm usually a huge sucker for this show because i love blake and country music, in moderation. but overall i found the performances meh. that Beach Boys song? seriously? he didn't deserve to be saddled with that. so it's CWB for me.

[Princess Lucky]

If I were Blake, I'd be worried Jessie might advance along with Reagan. And then he'd have to pick between his country dudes. In which case I, too, hope he goes with Craig because James has been coasting since his audition whereas Craig has been building momentum. The thing is, though, James possibly has more potential and is less retro and not pigeonholed. But, being more specific in terms of genre and repertoire has actually helped contestants, especially country contestants, on this show so Craig's "style" (southern rock) might actually be a good thing whereas James' generic acoustic stuff could hinder him (it's already hindering him to be honest). Hm. I think Reagan will advance anyway, and she really deserves to (she's the only one we saw last night who has any sort of original flair and, yes, swagger) but I don't know who else will. Both Craig and James are likely to get a lot of non-itunes votes. And, frankly, Jessie is right up Blake's alley, he's had singers like her before (like Dia) and he seems to like them. Plus, I totally agree, she really toned down the Ellie Goulding impressions and she sounded way better (I imagine Blake should take some of the credit for that).

 

Blake has a really strong team. I don't even know who I want to see advancing. Reagan and Craig for sure, but I wouldn't be upset if Jessie or James were out, though I'd be fine with either of them advancing too (if that makes sense). 

 

Regarding Adam's team, which is also really solid, I do love Matt's voice. A strange-ish but successful song choice and a great performance. I'm sure he'll advance. I also liked Damien; I agree he always looks like he's going to burst into tears (and he often does) but he has a lovely, smooth voice and he knows how to control it. Taylor P, well. I don't love him. He's cute and he has a nice voice but eh. Mia is a non-entity (like the other Taylor from Blake's team). Goners. Chris, eh. I like him overall and he has a nice voice but I don't think he has a lot of room for improvement and the song choice didn't really work for him.

 

I'd like to see Matt, Damien and I guess Taylor P. (for lack of a better contestant) advance but I wouldn't mind if Chris went through.

 

I actually think this all is a good thing, by the way; there aren't really "unworthy" contestants, I'd be fine with 8 out of 10 people going through (and I really don't see the other 2 girls as having a shot at all, so). And I'm actively rooting for Craig, Reagan and Matt.

Edited November 11, 2014 by Princess Lucky

[MelsW]

I can’t believe I watched the whole 2 hours live. Man, that was a snoozefest. I can’t even remember half of what I watched and I don’t have a favorite yet. From what I remember, my thoughts:

 

Taylor Brashears is a little too foot stomping/sassy country for my liking.

 

James David is inoffensive but pretty boring. If he makes it through he will need to step up his game for the next round.

 

I liked Matt’s/Harry Potter’s Beach Boys song choice since it was kind of out there and I though he did a great job with it.

 

Jessie: Last night was the most I have liked her yet, mostly because she was able to tame the whisper singing.

 

Craig: I think he is a fun performer and would be surprised if he left the competition this early.

 

Taylor P.: I agree with those who said that his song choices may be what’s making me like him. His songs are all in my wheelhouse but I can’t really say he has done anything spectacular with any of them.

 

Chris: Yikes. Not a good song choice.

[Cramps]

Hmmm. No real wow performances.

Adam's team:

Chris's song had so little melody to it that I wondered if Adam gave it to him to sabotage him. But he's of no interest to me anyway.

Mia singing that song was the equivalent of a little kid playing dress-up. She was so uncomfortable with it. She sounded good during the chorus, but didn't listen to Adam and was still doing runs and making weird faces during the verses. And she takes "pop" classes?

I got distracted during Damien and wasn't interested enough to rewind.

Taylor's voice was perfect during his song. I'm from a generation where the words "indie rock" means being on an indie label and not clapping your hands over your head leading the audience in song on a national tv show, but that's my own bias. I feel like I'm supposed to like him more than I have so far.

Matt- I've loved Matt's voice to this point, and God Only Knows is one of the Greatest songs ever written, so like Adam I was excited to hear what he'd do with it. Eh. It was okay, but I didn't get the gushing. And I hated that he kept touching people's hands in the audience. It's not that kind of song. And the stylists need to be fired. The coat and tie looked cheap and awful-- if you're going to dress musicians in suits they have to be expensive stylish ones, otherwise they look like they are doing karaoke after work.

Blake's team

Taylor- was excited to see her play fiddle. Which lasted for 10 seconds. Terrible song choice. The vocals were too high and fast for her. Aside from Gwen not one coach even complimented her singing.

Jesse- while I've never loved that Bonnie Tyler song, it would have been nice if she'd actually sung its melody. At all. And none of the judges called her on it. It was pretty, but still...

Reagan- strong, not my tastes, but solid.

James David- the song once again didn't give him a chance to show off his vocals, not did he do that animated a version of it. It was kind of dull for a normally very rousing song. None of Garth's music is available on iTunes and Two of a Kind was a pretty big hit, so I thought for that reason alone it would be doing great in sales, but it's not. I can't imagine Blake letting him go though.

Craig Wayne- didn't love the song and the camera couldn't keep up with him, but I have found him the most interesting one on the show since the blinds and hope Blake or America keeps him, because he's always entertaining.

And now let's talk Gwen's face. She was stunning during the blinds and knockouts. Couldn't be more beautiful. She looked scary last night. Was it just Botox or did she have her eyes done too?

Edited November 11, 2014 by Cramps

[Primetimer]

Maroon 5, near wardrobe malfunctions, and other concerns as the live playoffs begin.

Read the story

[DeLurker]

 

Matt McAndrew-I like him but terrible song choice.  I thought the BBC charity single was bad, but then I heard this.  What's so wonderful about the Beach Boys is the vocal harmonies.

ITA.  I missed part (checking on cookies in the oven), so who chose this song?  Matt or Adam?  Bad bad choice and I think he has a great voice that stands out in the field.

[GeorgePBurdell]

So, I'm just trying to keep up with the jargon of this show. "Putting my own spin on it" means "I'm singing a completely different tune with the original words because I can't sing the original tune?"

Damn, I think I could probably try out for The Voice.

[nextian]

I think Taylor B. And Mia are gone after tonight, and I think the judges are going to have some interesting choices to make depending on who the audience votes in. I'm interested to see what happens if Regean and Jessie both move through and Blake has to pick between the two country men. I think Craig was better last night, but I think James David is the more current and possibly more successful of the two of them. I'm curious to see what Blake does. On Adam's team it seems like Matt will go through, but who else? I thought Chris would be a definite, but horrible song choice may do him in.

[Oscirus]

Taylor B-  I think she got through the competition more on attitude. Sadly, this song didn't mix well with the attitude. That plus her being first pretty much guarantees that she's gone tomorrow.

 

Chris- Adam you're supposed to be an expert at this. First song he picks and it already puts one of his best singers at a disadvantage. Chris  tried to work it but there was no place for him to showcase his talent. Tomorrow will likely come down to him and Mia but I think Mia will probably get the advantage over him.

 

Jessie- It was competently sung but I just wasn't feeling it.   I wanted her to do more with it.  I suspect that if she doesn't go through on votes tomorrow that she's most definitely gone.

 

James- He's been coasting on his first performance. At some point that's going to catch up to him but unless Jessie and Regan are voted in, it won't happen this round.

 

Matt- I can see why it's the top song, I wanted more of a performance. But I did enjoy his singing. This still doesn't answer for his earlier song choice gaffes but this time, Adam picked the perfect song. Definitely in the next round.

 

Regan- Blake's killing it with the song choices tonight.  I enjoyed the performance. She's definitely going to the next round.

 

Taylor P- Tomorrow's going to be a Taylor slaughter.  He really needs to get rid of that guitar, it's pointless the majority of the time and quite distracting. Sadly, I doubt it'll be a problem after tomorrow. It was a fine performance but it didn't stand out.

 

Mia P- Why does Adam insist on making singers sing songs they're not comfortable with?  Luckily for her Adam appears to be in love with her voice so she should be fine.

 

Damian- Wow, Damian bought it. He shocked the hell out of me. Probably my fav performance of the night.

 

Craig- Gwen's styling and Blake's country expertise make this guy an early frontrunner. I don't normally like country, but I liked this song.

 

 

 

[Nedsdag]

Can these people please play their instruments throughout their whole performance and not use them as props? I was ready to hear the fiddle, the guitar, and the piano throughout the performance and then it was over.

 

As for the performances, I think the performers who I know I will see next week are the following:

 

Craig three names - He commanded the stage, but I fear a Caleb Johnson reality check when the show ends.

Matt - The Harry Potter/John Sebastian hybrid was one of the few who kept my attention throughout his performance.

Reagan - Not impressed. If she's an "R&B singer," why give her a bland Colbie Caillat song? Regardless, she's one of TCOs which means she's not leaving...yet.

Taylor P. - Joel McHale's tiny doppelgänger did well with a indie song that I dislike. If he's going to be Adam's indie boy, at least give him a decent song like "Do I Wanna Know" by Arctic Monkeys and see how he handles it.

 

As for everyone else, draw straws.

Edited November 11, 2014 by Nedsdag

[MelsW]

Taylor P. - Joel McHale's tiny doppelgänger

 

Taylor P. looked familiar and I couldn't place it. You nailed it, now I cannot unsee this likeness.

[Ketzel]

Some random thoughts:

I thought Taylor B. was incredibly nervous and straining so hard to be heard over the band that she kept going off pitch. Gwen didn't do her any favors encouraging her to flash her thigh tattoos during the judges' critique, either.

 

Man, Damien has an Old Soul voice. It's just beautiful and I can imagine what Berry Gordy would have done with him if he had shown up at Motown in the 1970s. Sadly, I have to wonder if he's going to be seen as too old-fashioned by the audience.

 

A quick word to Matt: While singing a tender and incredibly beautiful love song, I prefer the singer to not bounce around the periphery of the stage slapping the hands of the audience like it's halftime and his team is up by three touchdowns.

 

The styling continues to annoy or baffle me.

[xfuse]

 

I think Craig was better last night, but I think James David is the more current and possibly more successful of the two of them.

I think Blake heard very clearly how well Craig has been doing since he started the show. He knows how well that could translates into votes for his artist. While James is more 'now' country Craig is more sellable because he stands out. Country always seems to want a few 'southern' or 'classic rock' singers. 

 

I listen to all types of music but mainly come back to country or classic rock. To me most pop singers and songs sound the same.

[Lorimac]

I gotta hand it to Craig Wayne - the guy looked like he was having a great time up there singing. That positive vibe goes a long way. Some of the rest of the voicetestants seemed overly nervous or in pain.

[TwistedandBored]

My favorite part of The Voice last night was when that James David Carter would not let Adam get away with calling just "James", saying "It is actually James David". LMAO!  I enjoyed how annoyed Adam got and really enjoyed that whole little segment. It was probably the first time I saw a contestant not letting Adam get away with botching their name. Just made of win!

[Nedsdag]

My favorite part of The Voice last night was when that James David Carter would not let Adam get away with calling just "James", saying "It is actually James David". LMAO!  I enjoyed how annoyed Adam got and really enjoyed that whole little segment. It was probably the first time I saw a contestant not letting Adam get away with botching their name. Just made of win!

If Adam truly wanted to get his goat, he should've called him Jimmy. ;-)

[LittleCabbage]

I have to say that I love Matt MacAndrew now. I always thought there was something unique about the kid, but he happened to pick one of my favorite songs of all time last night and didn't butcher it. His voice is imperfect, but it is pure and compelling and got me a little choked up. Also, weirdly, his mannerisms during the performance somehow reminded me of Crispin Glover, whom I've had a crush on for ages, so now I'm hoping he sticks around for a long time. 

 

I'm impressed by the showmanship and professionalism of Craig Wayne Boyd, who stood out to me in his audition and has been consistent ever since. Country's not my genre at all, but he's good at what he does, and I wouldn't begrudge him making it far in the competition. 

 

Everyone else I can take or leave, really. Most of my other favorites got eliminated in the battle rounds and the knockoffs.

[Noreaster]

My favorite part of The Voice last night was when that James David Carter would not let Adam get away with calling just "James", saying "It is actually James David". LMAO!  I enjoyed how annoyed Adam got and really enjoyed that whole little segment. It was probably the first time I saw a contestant not letting Adam get away with botching their name. Just made of win!

Has Adam had a habit of botching contestants' names?  I remember Christina occasionally forgetting and Blake doing his country doofus act...Men-lick!  But I don't recall Adam messing up before.  

 

Also does Craig Wayne Boyd just go by Craig or Craig Wayne?  Couldn't remember before so I just typed out all three names of the country guys. 

[poppy-]

Worst song choice of the night was "Animals". Good song, good singer, and Adam can do live....... but that song is impossible (for him) live, I think.

As for the rest:

Taylor B- drowned out and not engaging.

Chris- good song, good singer, impossible live.

Jessie- it's a song made for belting. I was hopeful a wholly different version would work, and maybe one can.... this one didn't.

James- yawn. I mean, guy is obviously a pro, but that was boring.

Matt- Absolutely have no idea why this guy is so popular.

Regan- what a natural. She deserves songs far fiercer that Callie Cobert.

Taylor P- I loved this one, I love the way he ducks his head and draws the audience in. I think I preferred this to the original.

Mia P- this is the one who did Lana Del Ray stripped of all its dirty gutter grandeur, right? Embarrassing. I couldn't watch more.

Which means I missed I missed Damien & Craig. I assume already-cut-once Damien is toast and Craig is shoe-in, which I think anyone could have guessed from Round 1!

Usher was watching and not impressed.

[Padma]

Hmmm. No real wow performances.

 

And now let's talk Gwen's face. She was stunning during the blinds and knockouts. Couldn't be more beautiful. She looked scary last night. Was it just Botox or did she have her eyes done too?

Thanks for mentioning Gwen. Why did she do that? (I thought "botox/fillers" AND eyebrow lift). Maybe it will settle down and she'll look like she did during the blinds (gorgeous, young and natural even though it wasn't), but otherwise...yikes! Scary.

 

I thought Adam chose all the songs except Taylor's--or was it just all of the bad ones.  His choice for Chris was so terrible--extremely challenging but in all the wrong ways. That said, I think he will save him over Taylor.  I hope Damien and Matt get voted through (and I think they will).

 

I think Taylor's definitely out on Blake's team (wish we could have seen her do more fiddle, esp. since it wasn't a very good song.)  I think Reagan and Craig (surprise!) are going strong and will be voted through. I have a feeling Blake would save James ("That's James David, Adam", ha) over Jesse.  James David has been so boring since the blinds (the James Taylor was okay, but strange choice and not very originally performed. Last night was just bad.)  But after hearing Jesse on the Bonnie Tyler song I was so irritated that I wanted her gone ASAP. 

 

I liked that she toned down some of her vocal "stylings" but what she sang didn't -remotely- resemble the original. No melody? I'm sorry, but that is extremely irritating and I don't get the point. Is it supposed to be "originality"? Because it doesn't work for me.

 

Adam: Matt, Damien, Chris

Blake: Craig, Reagan, James David. (Jessie's a better artist, but I just hated her choices too much last night to want to ever hear her again).

Edited November 11, 2014 by Padma

[kj4ever]

Seeing how I can't stand country music and Garth Brooks is about the only country artist (besides Johnny Cash) that I absolutely LOVE, James David didn't stand a chance with me at least.  If you are going to do a Garth song it should at least stand up to the original, and JD's was just boring.

 

I haven't been a big fan of Idol or the other talent shows, but I thought I heard before that Garth does not let his songs on the shows?  I know they did a "Garth" song last year, but it was a cover for Garth so he probably didn't own the rights to it.

 

Loved Craig and Reagan, was "eh" on Jessie and Taylor P.  Couldn't stand Matt.  I agree with the poster above that said the beauty of The Beach Boys songs are those awesome harmonies.  It was a total snooze fest and I do not understand the love for that performance at all.  I thought Taylor B was cringe-worthy too.  Why the hell did she feel the need to play her fiddle for what, 5 seconds?

 

The TSA Agent and girl singer on Adam's team were alright, but obviously didn't leave that big of an impression since  I can't remember their names.

[DownTheShore]

I think that Craig is not taking anything for granted and is putting it all on the table with each performance, which "James David" seems not to be doing. That may ultimately make the difference, because I think that "James David" could be a shoo-in just on natural ability.  I'm wondering if he is just a little to set into his "style" to truly benefit from the coaching?

 

I'm always amazed that for all of his country schtick on the air, how serious Blake is about music when he is coaching his team members.  Those people really seem as if they are getting a master class in both music and the music business.

 

I agree that Matt's glad-handing during his song was a jarring note.  He could have just moved around, making eye-contact with the audience and I think that would have been better.

 

I agree, too, about the musical instruments.  I wanted to hear Taylor actually play the fiddle, not use it for a prop.  I like Taylor's sassiness, but I agree that the song wasn't her best and she seemed rather rushed singing it.

 

I went back and listened to Mia's performance before I voted because I couldn't actually remember immediately after the show what she had done on it - which is telling in and of itself.

 

I've noticed a problem with the audio during the lives in almost all the seasons.  The band and backup singers always seem to be louder than the actual performers, which is annoying and unnecessary.  I also hate a lot of the lighting - Taylor B.'s was especially bad.  You almost had to play where's Waldo amid the shadows/lights on the stage.

[DownTheShore]

Last night was just bad.)  But after hearing Jesse on the Bonnie Tyler song I was so irritated that I wanted her gone ASAP. 

 

I liked that she toned down some of her vocal "stylings" but what she sang didn't -remotely- resemble the original. No melody? I'm sorry, but that is extremely irritating and I don't get the point. Is it supposed to be "originality"? Because it doesn't work for me.

 

 

Didn't she say pre-song that it was one that she and her siblings use to belt out?  Then why on earth would she transform it so much that it basically wasn't recognizable, not to mention remove all of its emotional impact?  To me, that was like being indie for the sake of being indie - which is one of the things that I most dislike about indie singers.

[poppy-]

Didn't she say pre-song that it was one that she and her siblings use to belt out?  Then why on earth would she transform it so much that it basically wasn't recognizable, not to mention remove all of its emotional impact?  To me, that was like being indie for the sake of being indie - which is one of the things that I most dislike about indie singers.

The guy who did the Kanye cover in auditions was doing basically the same thing..... making a stripped down,  indie version a song from a different genre.  But that worked and this didn't.  I think partly because he respected the original a bit more, and partly because he's just a better arranger.

[kj4ever]

I think if Craig Wayne makes it we should start calling him "The CW". 

[Donny Ketchum]

Oh, look.  The teams of the vets got to go first last night while the teams of the newbies get pushed to the side for tonight.  What a surprise.[/sarcasm]

[Padma]

Oh, look.  The teams of the vets got to go first last night while the teams of the newbies get pushed to the side for tonight.  What a surprise.[/sarcasm]

Yes, but it does give them an extra day to rehearse. The producers probably felt that more people still turn in for old time favorites, Blake and Adam, on that tough ratings night.

 

Also last night's vets didn't set the bar very high. I'm sure that wasn't the goal, but there's a great chance for Pharell's and Gwen's teams to shine tonight.

[hks]

I really enjoyed Reagan and Damien. Those are the ones I re-watched. I kind of half paid attention to everyone else. I don't think I had strong feelings about any of the other contestants on Blake or Adam's teams anyway, which led to me not caring as much. My overall issue with last night's show was the sound quality. The band/background was too loud and the lead vocals were drowned out. Often. I was unable to tell how well the contestants performed because I could hardly hear them. So...I hope Reagan and Damien make it through, and I hope tonight's sound quality is better overall.

[peachmangosteen]

Damien putting "You're welcome" on his polaroid really turned me off to him.