S07.E17: Live Playoffs Results

[viajero]

I was quite happy with Blake's and Pharrell's decisions. I think that in Jessie and Sugar, they picked the contestants who have been among the most improved since the blind auditions and have the most potential to continue growing.  JDC is clearly already set in his ways. Meanwhile, Elyjuh struck me like a male version of Sisaundra - a technically gifted voice, but somewhat over the top and off-putting in his performances. He might have toned it down on Tuesday, but he was right back at it yesterday.

 

I do admit that I might be biased in favor of Sugar because she reminds me so much of my son’s high school girlfriend; someone we all grew to love and who became almost another member of our family (the physical resemblance is so uncannily close that we all literally jumped out of our chairs when she first came out for her blind audition). 

 

I strongly disagree with Gwen and Adam's decisions. While I'm upset that Adam chose Chris over Taylor Phelan, at least I recognize that Chris is talented.  But I find what Gwen did to be truly inexplicable.  To pick such a bland non-entity like Ryan over Bryana and Ricky (two of the other people in contention for the most improved award).

 

If I had to guess, I’d say that the winner is likely to be one of the following:  Luke, Reagan, Matt, Taylor-3 names, and CWB.  Damien and Anita may also have an outside chance.

Edited November 13, 2014 by viajero

[fluffysheap]

My favorite parts of the result show:

Carson: "Blake, tell us a little bit about your strategy"
Blake: "I don't really have strategy any more, these are all individuals."

followed by...

Carson: "Blake, which individual will you save?"
Blake: "My strategy is to take not the best singer, but the one who is the best fit for the show's format"

 

And also:

Pharrell: "Never let anyone force you to play their game.  Never let them make decisions for you."

Carson: "It's time for you to decide which contestant you will allow to continue play the game."

 

Seasons of The Voice don't actually repeat, but they do rhyme...

 

No big surprises for me on Adam's team, but Adam's team seems to be the most consistent top-to-bottom with no real obvious bad choices.  Damien has a great voice and story, but his range is limited.  He'll be out when the limitations become apparent.  This reminds me of Season 5 Matthew (granted different genre).  Matt seems to be Adam's Designated Bro for the season, but I think in comparison to Taylor Three Names, he's not as good.  Chris is very pretty.  I am glad Adam didn't take Taylor P.  In the immortal words of Dracula, "You are strange and off-putting.  Go now." 

 

Pharrell is writing the textbook on how to screw up a good thing.  He's still got two strong contestants, though his team could have been better than it turned out to be.  Luke reminds me a lot of S6 Josh Kaufman.  I think he's got a long way to go and has a lot of potential, but his style is necessarily more of a slow burn.  He's flashier than Josh, but still one of the lowest-key in the competition.  I'm glad that Danica made it.  While she's not the most exciting or the prettiest, she has a very good voice.  Her challenge is emotional connection.  All this reminds me a lot of S5 Tessanne.  I don't think Danica will win - Tessanne was very good - but I wasn't super excited about Tessanne at this stage either.  And don't the demographics of the viewership skew a bit to middle-aged mom?  That could help Danica out.

 

IMO, Gwen only has one really strong contestant: Taylor Three Names.  His strength is in the arrangement and spin he puts on songs.  His singing voice is good - but it isn't the most important part.  The hipster guy with the innovative approach reminds me a lot of S5 Will Champlin.  But as the competition went on, Will pushed his actual singing ability pretty hard - and also made a couple of missteps in his song choice and arrangements.  Taylor will have to push the voice while avoiding the pitfalls.  Choosing Ryan over Bryana is I think a pretty serious brain cramp for Gwen.  I think Bryana started off in the wrong genre - just because she looks like Ariana Grande doesn't mean she needed to also copy her musical style.  When she switched to the more operatic style I think she really came into her own.  If Gwen had been paying attention, Bryana could have been Jacquie Lee.  It seemed like she just liked Ryan better on a personal level, but I don't think there was any problem with Bryana and so I think it's the wrong choice.

 

I do not get Anita at all.  It's not her personality - her personality is her best asset, IMO.  I just don't like her singing choices.  Didn't like the lyric changes to "Rude" which basically just made the song nonsensical (it would have made sense - albeit differently from the original - if she had just sung it as written), and didn't like the musical changes to "All About That Bass."  She didn't follow the original nor have a clear alternative direction.  Just meandering.  And she made a pretty major blunder right at the start of it when she just missed a line.  Not a fan.  At all.

 

Blake had the tough choice.  Obviously Reagan had to advance, even if she hadn't been voted in, as she's clearly got the star power even though she may not be the best technical singer in the competition.  Craig deserved to go on as well.  Taylor B wasn't bad, and prettier than the stylists gave her credit for (why must they put everyone over size 8 in a tent - don't put a big girl in a big dress!)  But I felt that she was the weakest singer on Blake's team.  The tough choice of course was between James and Jessie.  James was coasting.  I think it was James' own strategic choice.  He looked at the competition, realized he was a better singer than almost everybody, and decided to play it safe and not take any risks.  I felt Ricky was also coasting - maybe hoping to get by on his looks.  The trouble is that Ricky wasn't good enough to get by coasting, whereas James was on a team with four people deserving to go on and only three spots for them.

 

I don't think the choice of James vs. Jessie comes down to overcrowding country.  Now Craig is the only country singer left, and he's almost as much southern rock as country.  James might as well have been Blake Junior.  There's enough space in the competition for two country singers, and strategically speaking, unless by some horrible fiasco both of them went home in the same week, splitting the vote wouldn't actually hurt in the end.  It's pretty clear that Jessie wanted it more, and her style along with Blake's comments clearly make her an echo of S5 Caroline, except she's Lucky Charms instead of cotton candy.

 

Blake also might have had higher standards for James because they are so similar.  I can just imagine Blake thinking to himself "Ah kid dew better'n at" during most of James' performances.  Whatever things Blake can do, he can't sing like Jessie!

 

I wonder if Blake and/or Jessie had heard Frou Frou's version of Holding Out For a Hero?  There are lots of good influences in that style, and they all seem to just end up copying Ellie Goulding (not specifically this week, just in general).  Which is rarely a good thing.

Edited November 14, 2014 by fluffysheap

[Paron Xanthis]

Forgot Pharrell looking displeased by DaNica getting saved.  Blake seemed a bit displeased when Craig and James David didn't both get through and Reagan beat out one of them.

[nextian]

I don't think Blake was at all displeased that both Craig and James David didn't make it. He seems very enamored with Reagan, and if he wanted to advance both guys he would have just saved James David, not Jessie.

[Noreaster]

Blake had a good team going into the Knockouts and now he arguably has one of the strongest, with two frontrunners. I bet Usher is at home, marveling over it (and seeing right through Pharrell's reasons for choosing "Sugar".) 

I would be very surprised if Usher is thinking about The Voice at all. They are all busy people and The Voice gig is just a job.  

James was coasting.  I think it was James' own strategic choice.  He looked at the competition, realized he was a better singer than almost everybody, and decided to play it safe and not take any risks.  

If true, this strategy actually makes a lot of sense given Blake's history. Blake used to advance those who played it safe and didn't take risks. And it seemed that he had settled on James David Carter as the only country guy on his team early on based on the battle round pairing. Unfortunately, for James David, Blake's strategy changed this season.  

 

Forgot Pharrell looking displeased by DaNica getting saved.  Blake seemed a bit displeased when Craig and James David didn't both get through and Reagan beat out one of them.

My take on Blake was that he expected Reagan's save so didn't show much emotion when she was announced safe. Then when Craig was saved, Blake felt some relief and showed more enthusiasm because he knew exactly what to do next (move forward with only 1 country guy and save Jessie).  On the other hand, if Jessie was the one voted through instead of Craig, then Blake had a more controversial decision to make...which country guy to keep?

 

For Pharrell, I assumed that he didn't quite expect the Danica save so he had to run through the different scenarios in his mind. So it's not that he was disappointed when Danica was announced safe and that's why he didn't clap, but he was thinking about the next step. 

Edited November 14, 2014 by Noreaster

[buckybruce]

 

 

 

The contrast between JDC and CWB is so interesting. They're both country dudes in their mid-30s, plugging away, are full-time working musicians, but haven't quite broken though. So you have to wonder if what's holding them back is internal or external?

I'm willing to believe that Craig has suffered the career equivalent of a Series of Unfortunate Events. I think he can get that break and make it. James David (yeah that name thing was odd) OTOH, seems to have revealed that he's a self-sabotager. It wouldn't surprise me if he and Blake tangled behind the scenes.

 I agree with this. James David seemed a bit arrogant to me. I think Blake and he might well have had their differences. Several comments stood out. During the blinds, JDC said something to Blake to the effect, "you know, I opened for you once" at some backwaters bar in JDC's hometown, when Blake was just starting to become a known "name". I think JDC was offended that Blake didn't remember him, or, only pretended to. Also, there was scene during the rehearsals for knockouts, where JDC called Blake, "Dad", as a sarcastic teenager would, when reminded to take out the garbage, or put gas in the car. There was also a little tension I sensed, during the mentor session, when JDC made a big deal about Little Big Town.. IMO, JDC was on 'cruise control"...I think he was like, "if I win,  great, if not, I'll still have made lots of industry contacts, made lots of videos, and can still be myself", with little obligation to The Voice afterwards.  I also think CWB just wanted it more.

[Padma]

 

 

 

 

The contrast between JDC and CWB is so interesting. They're both country dudes in their mid-30s, plugging away, are full-time working musicians, but haven't quite broken though. So you have to wonder if what's holding them back is internal or external?

I'm willing to believe that Craig has suffered the career equivalent of a Series of Unfortunate Events. I think he can get that break and make it. James David (yeah that name thing was odd) OTOH, seems to have revealed that he's a self-sabotager. It wouldn't surprise me if he and Blake tangled behind the scenes.

 I agree with this. James David seemed a bit arrogant to me. I think Blake and he might well have had their differences. Several comments stood out. During the blinds, JDC said something to Blake to the effect, "you know, I opened for you once" at some backwaters bar in JDC's hometown, when Blake was just starting to become a known "name". I think JDC was offended that Blake didn't remember him, or, only pretended to. Also, there was scene during the rehearsals for knockouts, where JDC called Blake, "Dad", as a sarcastic teenager would, when reminded to take out the garbage, or put gas in the car. There was also a little tension I sensed, during the mentor session, when JDC made a big deal about Little Big Town.. IMO, JDC was on 'cruise control"...I think he was like, "if I win,  great, if not, I'll still have made lots of industry contacts, made lots of videos, and can still be myself", with little obligation to The Voice afterwards.  I also think CWB just wanted it more.

 

I think the "Dad" thing was because Blake said something like, "It's weird, but I've missed you. Kind of like if I was your dad." Or somesuch. It was odd to me to see Blake and JD together because JD was a pretty big, good-looking country guy, too. They seemed almost like equals, man to man, instead of the usual vibe on this show, the one Blake has with CDW, who even though he's tall just doesn't seem like Blake's bro.  

 

I was particularly glad that he dropped JD and kept Jessie, but it was a real surprise.

[sydneyjane]

 

James David seemed a bit arrogant to me.

 

Yeah, but wasn't he like praised a lot during the auditions?  I think it was either Blake or Adam who said it was the best audition or best audition by a country artist that they had seen on the show.  I remember thinking their comments were a bit overboard - I just wasn't seeing the level of "brilliance" that they saw in him. There are several female country artists that I like, but the males mostly sound the same to me. But, I think the initial coments from the judges may be why he could have felt overconfident, and especially after Blake chose him over CDW. Between the two, I definitely prefer CDW because I can see him going more in the country rock direction; and I think he will have more appeal to noncountry fans.

 

And, this is my first post on this board, so hello everyone!

 

Regarding Sugar, even if she doesn't win (which I don't think she will), Pharrell obviously has some kind of thing for her, so I wouldn't be suprised if he wanted to work with her on a project after the show.  She does have kind of a Beyonce-esque quality to her (although, more of a poor man's Beyonce!).  As judges go, I was most interested to see what Pharrel would do with his artists.  So far, I haven't been impressed, but now that he has it narrowed down to three artists to work with, I'm hoping for more from him. I would have loved to have seen him with someone like Christina Grimmie from last year. I wasn't a big fan of hers, but the girl had talent and was very current with her musical choices.

[WookieeCookieez]

Not surprised that Pharrell picked Sugar (who does have a nice voice, at least in rehearsals--but then, on stage, what happens to these women?).  As others have pointed out, he seems to be crushin' on her.  I think a crush overrides other considerations, assuming that Pharrell didn't think *any* of those three had a shot at actually winning. 

 

Similar thing with Gwen--she has a bit of a crush on Ryan (who kind of reminds me of a Disney character--maybe Buzz Lightyear? Woody?).  So there you go.

 

Glad Danica was voted through. She deserved it. (She also deserves a NEW stylist.)

Ryan's chin is way too distracting for me. I can't stop thinking of Jay Leno when I see it, but maybe Dudley Do-Right, too (cartoon version, not Brendan Fraser).

[Ketzel]

Sometimes when I read these posts - and I love them - I think - why do we bother to discuss this when all of it is so subjective?  

 

Horrible?  Fantastic?  Boring?  Whatever.  Beauty is and always has been in the eye of the beholder.

 

I think a singer has to be way way WAY worse than any of these people to be called "horrible".  Horrible?  9/11 was horrible.  Horrible is me singing on national TV - and I actually can carry a tune.I guess I'd like to know what folks mean by "horrible".  Out of tune?  Just can't sing?  Or is it, really, "I don't like the way s/he sounds"?  Just like - I love brussel sprouts and most everyone else I know - not so much.

 

Why would Blake pick Jessie when you/others don't like her?  Because he does like her.

 

If this were not true, we'd all buy the same record and there'd be no need for I-tunes rankings.  The thing that is so great about the Voice is that everybody likes something different.

 

Nevertheless, I love reading these posts.

It's because it's subjective that the discussion exists at all. Heck, it's because it's subjective that the show exists at all.  If there were some mathematical formula by which to compare singers there wouldn't be any point in a competition judged by humans - just let the computer do the calculation and announce the winner.

[Padma]

Yeah, but wasn't he like praised a lot during the auditions?  I think it was either Blake or Adam who said it was the best audition or best audition by a country artist that they had seen on the show.  I remember thinking their comments were a bit overboard - I just wasn't seeing the level of "brilliance" that they saw in him. There are several female country artists that I like, but the males mostly sound the same to me. But, I think the initial coments from the judges may be why he could have felt overconfident, and especially after Blake chose him over CDW. Between the two, I definitely prefer CDW because I can see him going more in the country rock direction; and I think he will have more appeal to noncountry fans.

 

And, this is my first post on this board, so hello everyone!

 

Regarding Sugar, even if she doesn't win (which I don't think she will), Pharrell obviously has some kind of thing for her, so I wouldn't be suprised if he wanted to work with her on a project after the show.  She does have kind of a Beyonce-esque quality to her (although, more of a poor man's Beyonce!).  As judges go, I was most interested to see what Pharrel would do with his artists.  So far, I haven't been impressed, but now that he has it narrowed down to three artists to work with, I'm hoping for more from him. I would have loved to have seen him with someone like Christina Grimmie from last year. I wasn't a big fan of hers, but the girl had talent and was very current with her musical choices.

Welcome! Especially because I agree with everything you wrote! :) Well said.

 

It's good for me to think of Sugar (whom I kind of irrationally am disliking at the moment) as a poor man's Beyoncé. Honestly, that upgrades her for me. Maybe since Pharrell seems to have a thing for her (personally, he will put more energy or creativity into at least coaching her. I've been seriously disappointed in him so far. Gwen at least has given some good tips in the rehearsals and seems to be helping them. (I didn't like some of her changes to CDW, but without them, I don't think he'd still be here, so I have to give her credit for that). Maybe with a good song Ryan will show something special. Oddly, generic as he seems, I still prefer him to Adam's save of Chris. I honestly don't see what Adam or Pharrell see in their saves (especially Pharrell).

 

Blake, I get. He likes quirky voices...knows America will vote for that kind of singer and there aren't others like her on other teams...and it doesn't set up his country singer with competition. Smart move.

[TacoBoutIt]

I'm bummed by the choices, but we'll see how the season goes.  

 

-I do think that they can stop with the Sam Smith songs though.  Including the team Pharrell performance, that comes up to 4 songs of his in one week.  Talented guy, great songs but that's a bit of a overload.

-Taylor (3 names)'s grandmother is adorable.

-Team Gwen's performance was the best.  

 

I think it's quite interesting going into the top 12 because the power rankings have changed.  Blake went into the battles with the weakest team and now how one of the strongest.  Gwen has been building up her team since the battles (shame she didn't choose Bryana because then her whole team could arguably be contenders).  Pharrell has been self-destructing his team since the battles and now has the weakest team (Luke is his only horse in the race IMO).  Meanwhile, Adam is...Adam.  He gets 4 chair turns and a reasonably strong team because people inexplicably choose him.  I don't think he's that great of a coach though.  Contestants that go far on his team usually get there on their own merit IMO.  His teams not bad but I think him as their coach will actually hinder them.

It's also interesting to note that 6/12 of the contestants have either been or are on Team Gwen (Anita, Taylor, Ryan, Jessie, Sugar, Craig).  That does say something about her coaching.  She's terrible at commentary, but she has an ear for talent and knows what to do with it.

[mercfan3]

The decisions were a little shocking to me. 

 

For Blake. He picked right. Jessie was better than JDC the past two rounds. In fact, I never thought JDC was all that good. 

 

For Pharrell. Honestly..and I never thought I'd say this..Elyjuh deserved that third spot. Sugar's gone from being really bad to pretty bad, but that's it. Obviously though, Pharrell likes her..and she's marketable and his studio magic would fix her voice. 

 

Gwen..it's really simple, she connected with Ryan more than she did with Ricky and Bryana. I'm a little surprised she let Bryana go, but I didn't think she was SO much better than the other two last night that Gwen made a huge wrong decision. Not only that, but regardless of who she picked, that contestant would be out by top 8. 

 

Adam..Adam's mistake came in giving Damien such a great song, while giving Chris such a poor one. If he wanted Taylor P., Chris, and Matt to be his top 3, he's got to stop being stupid with song choice. There was no way that Chris would have been voted in with that song. None. Taylor P. had a slight chance, but with Damien singing a Sam Smith song and going second to last..it was unlikely. Anyway, I get going with Chris over Taylor. Matt has shown himself to be Adam's strongest horse in the race, so why take someone that will compete with him for votes. 

[ToxicUnicorn]

Matt has shown himself to be Adam's strongest horse in the race,

I have enjoyed Matt's performances while I've listened to them, and I can remember what he looks like, but I can never remember what he sounded like.  He's just ok for me, along with a slew of other somewhat appealing, forgettable singing competition contestants.  At least, so far.

 

I don't think Adam is a very good coach, either, although I sometimes like his taste in songs.  (Just as often, I think he picks horrible songs - see what he did to Judith, for example.)  In his favor, though, is that he hasn't made me think he's a jerk this season.  He's been more laid back and likeable - a vast improvement over the past few seasons.

[mercfan3]

I just mean based on itunes. Matt always sells like hot cakes. In fact, when his performance was montaged, I still think he ended up something like fourth best seller of the night. 

[facingfacts]

i think every coach is great in their own way. I think Adam is a good coach, personally. I love the critiques he gives and that i've always enjoyed the performances from his team. I think ceelo's theatrical performances are missing from this show

[Noreaster]

Blake, I get. He likes quirky voices...knows America will vote for that kind of singer and there aren't others like her on other teams...and it doesn't set up his country singer with competition. Smart move.

I think Reagan is in the same category as Jessie.  Young indie female with a "quirky" voice.  The two are probably different enough that it won't be a problem, but the same could be said about JDC and CWB.  

 

I think it's quite interesting going into the top 12 because the power rankings have changed.  Blake went into the battles with the weakest team and now how one of the strongest.  Gwen has been building up her team since the battles (shame she didn't choose Bryana because then her whole team could arguably be contenders).  Pharrell has been self-destructing his team since the battles and now has the weakest team (Luke is his only horse in the race IMO).  Meanwhile, Adam is...Adam.  He gets 4 chair turns and a reasonably strong team because people inexplicably choose him.  I don't think he's that great of a coach though.  Contestants that go far on his team usually get there on their own merit IMO.  His teams not bad but I think him as their coach will actually hinder them.

It's also interesting to note that 6/12 of the contestants have either been or are on Team Gwen (Anita, Taylor, Ryan, Jessie, Sugar, Craig).  That does say something about her coaching.  She's terrible at commentary, but she has an ear for talent and knows what to do with it.

Goes to show how subjective music is, because my "power rankings" would be completely different. I actually think Pharrell's team is pretty strong with both Luke and Danica. I never thought Blake's team was weak. Maybe the bottom half of his original team of 12, but the competition is ultimately about the top few. I'm not crazy about Gwen's team. I like Taylor but I don't really care about Anita doing the uptempo reggae thing. She doesn't come across as very natural in her performances. I think Anita is much better with slower-tempo songs like the blinds and also sounded great in the group performance this week. 

 

I think there are a lot of different ways to rate the coaches.  For me, I think Adam is a very effective coach as I have found his team's performances to be the more entertaining ones season after season. My tastes align pretty well with Adam's tastes, and I usually agree with his decisions.  

 

Regardless of tastes though, I think all the coaches should be held to the same standards. If one coach gets credit for a contestant doing well, all the coaches should get credit for their contestants' successes. Likewise, if one coach gets blame for a contestant doing poorly, all the coaches should get blame for their contestants' failures. (Personally, I think most of the credit/blame goes to the contestants and less to the coaches.)

 

It is an interesting fact that 6 of the top 12 contestants have at one point spent time on Gwen's team. But I probably wouldn't read much into that myself.  Especially when 3 of those 6 are coach saves and considered somewhat questionable.  Also, I think Blake deserves most of the credit for Jessie and Craig (since these two have spent more time on Blake's team than on Gwen's).  

 

Adam..Adam's mistake came in giving Damien such a great song, while giving Chris such a poor one. If he wanted Taylor P., Chris, and Matt to be his top 3, he's got to stop being stupid with song choice. There was no way that Chris would have been voted in with that song. None. Taylor P. had a slight chance, but with Damien singing a Sam Smith song and going second to last..it was unlikely. Anyway, I get going with Chris over Taylor. Matt has shown himself to be Adam's strongest horse in the race, so why take someone that will compete with him for votes. 

Adam may have had a different top 3 in mind.  Who knows.  Regardless, I don't think that the coaches try to give any of their contestants bad songs.  They (and the producers) want good entertaining performances.  Damien executed very well, Chris didn't.  

 

I don't even think the Ed Sheeran song was necessarily a bad choice for Chris.  You don't know what contestants can do until they try. In my opinion, Chris did pretty great with the first half of the song.  If he were able to pull off the second half, I think this performance would have been a huge "moment". Obviously it didn't work out.  Maybe if Chris were more experienced, he would understand his limitations better and know to push back on the song choice or change the second half to better fit his abilities.  

Edited November 15, 2014 by Noreaster

[Padma]

I think the coach deserves the blame when the problem is song selection and the coach made the choice without contestant input. That's my biggest problem with Adam, although for all his talk in the blinds, it appears Pharrell does exactly the same thing.

[DownTheShore]

Just an aside:

I was discussing the most recent show with my sister and she told me that she finally figured out who Pharrell reminded her of - Jiminy Cricket.  LOL.  It's been bugging her (pun not intended) for weeks.

[Noreaster]

But what does bad song selection mean?  Is it the song itself where no contestant is going to be successful with it?  Is the song a bad fit for the contestant because it doesn't match his/her skill set?  Is it the contestant's fault for not being able to execute or adapt?

 

I think Adam does make riskier song choices. That's always been his strategy. So blame him when it doesn't work but give him credit when it does.  

 

You know, with James David Carter, no one has ever blamed Blake for not doing better with him.  If Adam was the coach, I think we would be hearing how Adam ruined this perceived frontrunner.  

 

By the way, based on contestant interviews over the seasons, Adam does a decent amount of collaboration with his contestants on song choice.  

Edited November 15, 2014 by Noreaster

[tpplay]

It's because it's subjective that the discussion exists at all. Heck, it's because it's subjective that the show exists at all.  If there were some mathematical formula by which to compare singers there wouldn't be any point in a competition judged by humans - just let the computer do the calculation and announce the winner.

 

Hmmm.  I think we're making the same point!

[ToxicUnicorn]

I don't even think the Ed Sheeran song was necessarily a bad choice for Chris.  You don't know what contestants can do until they try. In my opinion, Chris did pretty great with the first half of the song.  If he were able to pull off the second half, I think this performance would have been a huge "moment". Obviously it didn't work out.  Maybe if Chris were more experienced, he would understand his limitations better and know to push back on the song choice or change the second half to better fit his abilities.

 

This rings a bell.  I agree, Chris started out fine and then went off the rails.  I think he got a little shrieky at the end.  Oh.  Spellchecker does not like that word.

 

You know, with James David Carter, no one has ever blamed Blake for not doing better with him.  If Adam was the coach, I think we would be hearing how Adam ruined this perceived frontrunner.

 

I don't know if it's true or not, but I also have the impression that JDC got too cocky, and I tend to attribute that mistake to him, rather than Blake.  I don't think Blake actively eggs his contestants on to be cocky.  I wouldn't blame Adam, either, if it looked like it was entirely the contestant's personality.  The reason Adam sometimes gets flack for those kinds of things, I think, is because people still remember season 2 with Tony Lucca.  There, it definitely seemed that Adam fully supported Lucca's rank attitude.

 

 

I like Taylor but I don't really care about Anita doing the uptempo reggae thing. She doesn't come across as very natural in her performances. I think Anita is much better with slower-tempo songs like the blinds and also sounded great in the group performance this week.

 

I can't decide how I feel about Anita.  She's talented and in a category of her own, no doubt.  On the vocals side, I like her phrasing and am charmed by her accent.  On the performance side, I like her growing confidence and the fact that she is unafraid to be sexual and go all out...theoretically, in a supportive go woman power kind of way.  So, I am sort of rooting for her because of what she represents.

 

But do I really enjoy her and/or relate to her personally?  I haven't quite figured that out.  I was surprised when she was voted through.

 

I do like her uptempo songs, though.  And I think she is gorgeous.

[mercfan3]

Adam may have had a different top 3 in mind.  Who knows.  Regardless, I don't think that the coaches try to give any of their contestants bad songs.  They (and the producers) want good entertaining performances.  Damien executed very well, Chris didn't.  

 

I don't even think the Ed Sheeran song was necessarily a bad choice for Chris.  You don't know what contestants can do until they try. In my opinion, Chris did pretty great with the first half of the song.  If he were able to pull off the second half, I think this performance would have been a huge "moment". Obviously it didn't work out.  Maybe if Chris were more experienced, he would understand his limitations better and know to push back on the song choice or change the second half to better fit his abilities.  

 

"Don't" is pretty much a rap song, with an f-bomb is in the chorus when not on radio (on radio, there's no word there.) That's a terrible song for a singing competition. Unless he completely changed the song up, there was no way he could have done well with votes/itunes. Sure, he could have performed it a lot better (although..it was a stupid song to give someone who doesn't sing that style.) but it was a beyond stupid choice. Especially for someone you want to advance. 

 

I know Adam doesn't intend to give bad choices. His worst choices tend to be given to his favorites. I think there's a line between good risk taking and bad risk taking and Adam straddles that often. Sometimes his team gives the best performance, sometimes the worst. 

 

I thought it was obvious by his face though, that Adam didn't want Damien as part of his top 3, but a Sam Smith Ballad was likely going to get him there. 

 

As for Blake and JDC..Blake is the safe coach. I was not looking forward to JDC because I thought he was mediocre and I knew Blake wouldn't take risks with him. At the end of the day, from an entertainment perspective, I prefer Adam's coaching. I think Blake is better at winning, but Adam's team will show more growth because they are pushed..even if the pushing ends up sending them home. (Although, I still say Usher and Gwen have been, by far, the best two all around coaches. And it's not close. The improvement in all of Gwen's contestants is pretty astounding.) 

Edited November 15, 2014 by mercfan3

[Noreaster]

I don't know if it's true or not, but I also have the impression that JDC got too cocky, and I tend to attribute that mistake to him, rather than Blake.  I don't think Blake actively eggs his contestants on to be cocky.  I wouldn't blame Adam, either, if it looked like it was entirely the contestant's personality.  The reason Adam sometimes gets flack for those kinds of things, I think, is because people still remember season 2 with Tony Lucca.  There, it definitely seemed that Adam fully supported Lucca's rank attitude.

I don't feel that JDC was overly arrogant or anything.  He just seemed confident in his abilities which makes sense as a long-time working musician. Pretty similar to some of Adam's past contestants and actually a lot of the people from the earlier seasons,  Experienced folks who were talented and knew what they were doing on stage. I think Adam has gotten flak in the past for not making his contestants "likable" and improving them while Blake is perceived as this genius marketer.  I say that it's really more about the contestants themselves. The more experienced folks are pretty good to begin with and don't have the growth arc.  They're not the guy/girl next door. Contestants like Judith (who by the way was eliminated on her own song choice) got a lot of crap for being "too professional" and things like not hugging fellow contestants on stage. Personally I like the confident professionals. Taylor Phelan is one of those that I wish advanced.

 

"Don't" is pretty much a rap song, with an f-bomb is in the chorus when not on radio (on radio, there's no word there.) That's a terrible song for a singing competition. Unless he completely changed the song up, there was no way he could have done well with votes/itunes. Sure, he could have performed it a lot better (although..it was a stupid song to give someone who doesn't sing that style.) but it was a beyond stupid choice. Especially for someone you want to advance. 

 

I know Adam doesn't intend to give bad choices. His worst choices tend to be given to his favorites. I think there's a line between good risk taking and bad risk taking and Adam straddles that often. Sometimes his team gives the best performance, sometimes the worst. 

 

I thought it was obvious by his face though, that Adam didn't want Damien as part of his top 3, but a Sam Smith Ballad was likely going to get him there. 

Yeah, I think we're just going to have to disagree on "Don't" being an outright bad song choice.  I think it could have worked.  In my opinion, the "best" performances on this show are usually the more risky or out-of-the-box ones.   Some may look "stupid" on paper, but that's sort of the point.  In this specific case, there's no way to say for sure.  It's not as if Chris executed the song well and still didn't get enough votes. We just don't know.  

 

I don't think it was obvious that Adam didn't want Damien in the top 3.  I think Adam expected Damien to get in. If one was using itunes as an indicator, that Matt and Damien were the top vote-getters by a decent margin.  Also, Damien was slotted as last to perform on Adam's team.  That says the producers themselves thought Damien was one of the best of the night. So, to me, not a surprise at all that Damien got the public vote.  

 

Oh, and on the Sam Smith thing, there were two other contestants performing his songs who didn't advance.  So I don't agree with your point.  Damien simply did a great job.  Good for him.  And isn't it good for the coach too?  

Edited November 15, 2014 by Noreaster

[Padma]

But what does bad song selection mean?  Is it the song itself where no contestant is going to be successful with it?  Is the song a bad fit for the contestant because it doesn't match his/her skill set?  Is it the contestant's fault for not being able to execute or adapt?

 

I think Adam does make riskier song choices. That's always been his strategy. So blame him when it doesn't work but give him credit when it does.  

 

You know, with James David Carter, no one has ever blamed Blake for not doing better with him.  If Adam was the coach, I think we would be hearing how Adam ruined this perceived frontrunner.  

 

By the way, based on contestant interviews over the seasons, Adam does a decent amount of collaboration with his contestants on song choice.  

The reason I think Adam is bad with song choice is because, imo, he often chooses a song he likes because, he says, it "challenges you." and in doing that usually pays zero attention to the singers genre of choice.

 

Then again, if I were on the show, I'd much rather go out like Judith did on a song I felt connected to, than advance like Amber did on song's out of my genre that I was forced into singing anyway.  I think it doesn't let them show their own musical style/preferences and hurts their post-show appeal. Adam's choice for Chris was a good example of this. He is lucky to be advancing.

[mercfan3]

I don't feel that JDC was overly arrogant or anything.  He just seemed confident in his abilities which makes sense as a long-time working musician. Pretty similar to some of Adam's past contestants and actually a lot of the people from the earlier seasons,  Experienced folks who were talented and knew what they were doing on stage. I think Adam has gotten flak in the past for not making his contestants "likable" and improving them while Blake is perceived as this genius marketer.  I say that it's really more about the contestants themselves. The more experienced folks are pretty good to begin with and don't have the growth arc.  They're not the guy/girl next door. Contestants like Judith (who by the way was eliminated on her own song choice) got a lot of crap for being "too professional" and things like not hugging fellow contestants on stage. Personally I like the confident professionals. Taylor Phelan is one of those that I wish advanced.

 

Yeah, I think we're just going to have to disagree on "Don't" being an outright bad song choice.  I think it could have worked.  In my opinion, the "best" performances on this show are usually the more risky or out-of-the-box ones.   Some may look "stupid" on paper, but that's sort of the point.  In this specific case, there's no way to say for sure.  It's not as if Chris executed the song well and still didn't get enough votes. We just don't know.  

 

I don't think it was obvious that Adam didn't want Damien in the top 3.  I think Adam expected Damien to get in. If one was using itunes as an indicator, that Matt and Damien were the top vote-getters by a decent margin.  Also, Damien was slotted as last to perform on Adam's team.  That says the producers themselves thought Damien was one of the best of the night. So, to me, not a surprise at all that Damien got the public vote.  

 

Oh, and on the Sam Smith thing, there were two other contestants performing his songs who didn't advance.  So I don't agree with your point.  Damien simply did a great job.  Good for him.  And isn't it good for the coach too?  

 

I thought Damien and Mia got excellent song choices. I actually really liked Matt's pick, even though it seemed to be polarizing. (I think Matt could have done something different with it, and it could have been amazing..but as it was, I thought the song really fit his voice.) 

 

And I agree that risks can pay off really well on this show. (Although, I'd say that Chris' wasn't risk taking, so much as just not thinking it through entirely.) Which is why I'd really miss Adam if he wasn't on the coaches panel. Whether I think a song choice is good or not, his team is a lot more entertaining. Always. I don't think I would have enjoyed Amber Carrington nearly as much (nor do I think we all would have realized how great of a singer she is) had she not been on Adam's team. 

 

But I also think he makes some very poor judgements. But it's part of the fun of the show. Blake will never make poor judgements, because Blake will pick boring safe songs that his contestants will excel in. (It'll be interesting to see how he does with Reagan though, because I'm not sure she'll go for that..). Not nearly as entertaining, but it'll do better with itunes and the people's votes. 

[viajero]

Yeah, I think we're just going to have to disagree on "Don't" being an outright bad song choice.  I think it could have worked.  In my opinion, the "best" performances on this show are usually the more risky or out-of-the-box ones.   Some may look "stupid" on paper, but that's sort of the point.  In this specific case, there's no way to say for sure.  It's not as if Chris executed the song well and still didn't get enough votes. We just don't know.  

 

I don't think it was obvious that Adam didn't want Damien in the top 3.  I think Adam expected Damien to get in. If one was using itunes as an indicator, that Matt and Damien were the top vote-getters by a decent margin.  Also, Damien was slotted as last to perform on Adam's team.  That says the producers themselves thought Damien was one of the best of the night. So, to me, not a surprise at all that Damien got the public vote.  

 

Oh, and on the Sam Smith thing, there were two other contestants performing his songs who didn't advance.  So I don't agree with your point.  Damien simply did a great job.  Good for him.  And isn't it good for the coach too?  

 

I agree with you when it comes to Don't.  That was one of those risky choices Adam makes that could have paid off in a major way had Chris been able to keep up with the song all the way through.

 

I'm not sure if Adam wanted Damien to go through or not, but I will note that Sam Smith is much more suited to Damien's voice than it is to the likes of Ricky Manning.  This is a case where Adam aced the song selection while Gwen utterly failed.

 

Not that Gwen didn't make any good song choices this week.  For instance I thought Amnesia was a great choice for Bryana as it forced her a bit out of her box in a good way.  Of course then Gwen had to ruin things by picking the insipid Ryan Sill over Bryana.

Edited November 15, 2014 by viajero

[Noreaster]

The reason I think Adam is bad with song choice is because, imo, he often chooses a song he likes because, he says, it "challenges you." and in doing that usually pays zero attention to the singers genre of choice.

 

Then again, if I were on the show, I'd much rather go out like Judith did on a song I felt connected to, than advance like Amber did on song's out of my genre that I was forced into singing anyway.  I think it doesn't let them show their own musical style/preferences and hurts their post-show appeal. Adam's choice for Chris was a good example of this. He is lucky to be advancing.

I disagree with your characterization of Adam's approach and think it's unfair to say that Adam only cares about what he likes.  Amber is really more of an exception than the rule; her non-country strategy was probably necessary given the competitive landscape of season 4.  Was she really "forced" to do anything?  There are also exceptions with Blake's team where he doesn't stay true to his artists for the sake of the competition. Look at season 5. Austin Jenckes is more of a singer-songwriter but had to narrow his focus to country. Cole Vosbury was all over the place genre-wise.  Blake tried to market Ray Boudreaux as the good-looking guy and had him doing romantic John Legend songs one week.

 

Adam's approach is just not as narrow as Blake's.  Adam encourages his contestants to make songs their own and bring out their own artistry. I don't think that's forcing the contestants to move outside their genre or musical style/preference.  It's just a different approach. Meanwhile, Blake's strategy of doing straight covers is not necessarily being truer to the artists. In fact, many contestants, especially the more experienced ones, have talked about how performing covers is not ideal and their styles are much wider-ranging than their strategy on the show. 

 

For Chris this season, Adam talked about how "Don't" seemed like a good fit because it was in the singer-songwriter ballad realm. The performance/song choice didn't work out, and Adam should get some blame for that.  But I don't think Adam was trying to get Chris to do something markedly different from his musical style/preference. 

[mercfan3]

The problem with "Don't" wasn't in it being out of Chris' wheelhouse. Ed Sheeran is probably someone that he would cover in his own shows. 

 

The problem is, the song itself does not lend itself to votes. It's rappy. It is overly sexual. It's got a quick tempo. No matter how good Chris was, there was no way he'd be going through with that song. Maybe Adam knew he was going to pick Chris, and wanted to see how he'd do? But I'd suggest that's not the case, and rather that he doesn't really know what songs sell on itunes and what songs don't. (Given his history.) And that's what I think his problem is. He hits on his risks sometimes, and they do extremely well. But other times it's simply a really bad choice because no matter what, the song wasn't going to sell...meaning that artist isn't going to get votes. 

 

On Amber, I always thought she was Adam's best coaching performance. Had she been pure country, she would have gotten lost in the shuffle. Instead, he picked songs that allowed her to show off her big voice and countrify them a little. She has so many performances on this show that I would put in my "Top 10" voice performances ever..and that wouldn't have happened if she was safer. And he never really picked someone so out of the box for her, that it hurt her for votes. (Firework was her own/The producers idea.). 

[Noreaster]

Based on Adam's history, plenty of his contestants' songs have charted in iTunes. Including the two who topped the live playoffs this season.

Edited November 16, 2014 by Noreaster

[Padma]

I disagree with your characterization of Adam's approach and think it's unfair to say that Adam only cares about what he likes.  Amber is really more of an exception than the rule; her non-country strategy was probably necessary given the competitive landscape of season 4.  Was she really "forced" to do anything?  There are also exceptions with Blake's team where he doesn't stay true to his artists for the sake of the competition. Look at season 5. Austin Jenckes is more of a singer-songwriter but had to narrow his focus to country. Cole Vosbury was all over the place genre-wise.  Blake tried to market Ray Boudreaux as the good-looking guy and had him doing romantic John Legend songs one week.

 

Adam's approach is just not as narrow as Blake's.  Adam encourages his contestants to make songs their own and bring out their own artistry. I don't think that's forcing the contestants to move outside their genre or musical style/preference.  It's just a different approach. Meanwhile, Blake's strategy of doing straight covers is not necessarily being truer to the artists. In fact, many contestants, especially the more experienced ones, have talked about how performing covers is not ideal and their styles are much wider-ranging than their strategy on the show. 

How did my "often" become "only"?  And I guess we'll have to "agree to disagree" about whether or not Adam's choices often require his contestants to move outside their genre (as I feel has been shown time and again.)  I do agree that his choices sometimes make for a better audience experience--better songs in general, perhaps, and more diversity, less expected song choices.

 

But I think Blake always has in mind that this is about the singer and his/her career, not about the show or even about the best way to entertain the audience (or the best way to show himself off as a creative coach). You may call Blake's approach "narrow", but personally, it's the reason I would want to choose him as a coach.

 

Personally, I like that Blake sees this show, first and foremost, as a career advancement opportunity for each person on his team. I don't think Adam approaches it like that at all.

Edited November 16, 2014 by Padma

[Noreaster]

Padma, fair enough.  I apologize for misrepresenting your words.

 

Yes, we'll have to agree to disagree. I think all the coaches have their contestants' interests at heart. They just have different approaches.  I think the view on Adam is often overly harsh. 

[ToxicUnicorn]

Even though I think Adam gets a lot of deserved criticism, it really would not be the same show without him.

 

One thing I like about Adam is that he keeps trying new strategies.  His unpredictability is entertaining.  Is he high risk for his contestants - yes ... I agree that he probably is not a wise choice for many.  Does he sometimes strike out completely with me?  Yes.  But, I appreciate his adventuresome attitude overall as a viewer.

[Mreid]

Im very happy/satisfied with the top 12.  The only one that surprised me was Ryan being saved by Gwen I thought for sure she would have saved Ricky or Bryana.  But I knew Pharrell would save Sugar and Adam would save Chris.  I think the coaches already know who they want to continue on their team for the live shows but sometimes they pretend its the most difficult decision to pick someone.  As far as my favorites this season I have a lot.  I  my top 6 would be Luke, Anita, Danica, Matt, Taylor John Williams, and Craig Wayne Boyd.  Im not a big country fan but I do like Craig Wayne Boyds voice.  Im thinking Ryan and Sugar could possibly be in trouble voting wise be we shall see

[mercfan3]

Based on Adam's history, plenty of his contestants' songs have charted in iTunes. Including the two who topped the live playoffs this season.

 

Of course they have. I didn't say he always picks bad songs. I just said he doesn't know what songs typically sell and what ones don't. 

 

Criticism of Adam doesn't necessarily equal hate. Even the best coaches aren't perfect. Adam's going to get more criticism because of his style. But his style does work for some people. Personally, I'd much prefer Adam's strategy over Blake's, because "Special" is always a possibility. That doesn't mean he isn't going to make mistakes though. In fact, the very nature of his strategy suggests he will. But when they work out, it'll be much more memorable. 

 

And I'm not even sure Blake's choices are about the singer. At the end of the day, he..better than anyone..seems to know what songs sell. He's safe, and safe will get you far in this competition. But how much does someone really improve? I'll never forget the discussion he had with Usher where Usher said "I'll teach you how to sing that properly" and Blake said "I won't make her do anything she's not comfortable with." Don't people go on this show to improve? To be coached by a superstar. Personally, I wouldn't go with Blake because of that.  

Edited November 17, 2014 by mercfan3

[Noreaster]

Of course they have. I didn't say he always picks bad songs. I just said he doesn't know what songs typically sell and what ones don't. 

Same could be said of any coach. It's a mixed bag for everyone. 

 

Look, that's my main point of these past few posts. I don't really mind the criticisms of Adam as much as the inconsistencies. Adam gets a lot of flak and little credit. While the other coaches tend to get little flak and a ton of credit, for doing many of the same things or generating similar results. I mean, when I read things like Adam's contestant did well, but Adam deserves no credit because he just got lucky or is selfish or a bad coach or whatever, that drives me nutty.

[mercfan3]

Oh, I agree..that's not fair. I'll never understand why he gets flack for his coaching of Amber. And I'll even say that I don't think the lack of vocal improvement from his contestants is really Adam's fault. Adam typically tries to go into the top 12 with the best technical vocalists that he got in the blinds. That's why Will got in over Preston in season 5. And honestly, it's why Chris got in over Taylor P. this time. And honestly, I think he's the only coach that makes sure he does that. 

 

In fact, I have no idea how Pharrell has gotten a free pass. Gwen, IMO, has been excellent. Noticeable improvement by everyone on her team. Great song choices. Her top 2 are the right top 2. 

 

Blake is Blake. He won't do anything stupid. But he won't take any risks either. 

 

Pharrell though..good lord. I consider Adam a wild card type of coach. (Same with Shakira.) Pharrell just continuously makes the wrong decision. 

 

But when it comes to selling on itunes..some are better at picking than others. And honestly, if I can look at a song list and tell you what's going to sell and what isn't, after seven seasons, I do think Adam should have a better idea. But at the end of the day, maybe he doesn't care. Maybe he thinks that a great performance will sell (which it will) and doesn't put any thought into helping a good performance sell a lot. (For instance, "Mad World" was going to sell like hotcakes so long as Taylor three names did at least a mediocre job. He did..and surprise surprise..best selling song of the knockouts.) 

Edited November 17, 2014 by mercfan3

[DownTheShore]

Regarding song choices, as someone whose finger is slowly sliding off the pulse of what is current, due to age and changing musical tastes, I don't mind when the singers do a cover of an older song - simply because no one (except maybe the original artists) sings them live anymore and it's good to hear them for a change.  I don't think that everything has to be the latest hit song; it's good to expose the current generation to the music of other generations, and vice versa, in an even-handed manner.  There is so much good music out there, it's a shame to limit the artists to just a narrow handful of song writers.

[Noreaster]

But when it comes to selling on itunes..some are better at picking than others. And honestly, if I can look at a song list and tell you what's going to sell and what isn't, after seven seasons, I do think Adam should have a better idea. But at the end of the day, maybe he doesn't care. Maybe he thinks that a great performance will sell (which it will) and doesn't put any thought into helping a good performance sell a lot. 

Yeah, sorry I disagree. Adam is no worse than the other coaches. Take these live playoffs. Matt and Damien led the itunes by a decent margin. Chris did a poor job on his song and was the worst seller on Adam's team, yet still charted better than a bunch of other contestants.

 

Why aren't we saying that Blake is bad at picking songs when he has some pretty low-charting people? Or Pharrell? Or Gwen? Looking at the data, one could argue that Adam has actually been the best at picking songs so far.

 

If we were to run through the itunes data for the past seasons, I think we'd find that Adam does a decent job overall. Though at the end of the day, song choice plays a role but these contestants still have to execute. I think people give the coaches far too much credit/blame. It's the contestant's responsibility to perform.

Edited November 17, 2014 by Noreaster

[mercfan3]

Pharrell's song choices have been considerably worse than Adam's. (Or anyone else's.) 

 

Taylor three names has been been the leader in his round of competition on itunes pretty much every round, and Anita did well in the playoffs. Gwen's doing a good job. 

 

 

Blake has been Blake. 

 

I actually thought, with the exception of Chris..that Adam did a good job for the playoffs. But the very nature of Adam's strategy is going to produce mixed results. High risk, high reward. And my point is simply that, yes..Adam's contestants are far more likely to have  more of the moments of the seasons..but they are also far more likely to have a song really not work for them. That's the nature of the way he chooses songs. I think Shakira is the same way. 

 

Christina and Usher have the same problem, IMO. Sometimes the overestimate their contestants abilities. Usually they'll pick good songs that will sell..but sometimes their contestant can't sing them. When they've got someone that can sing anything (Chamuel, Lee, Kaufman..I've only seen season 5 of Christina, so that's my impression of her.) they'll do pretty darn well. I think Adam/Shakira/Usher/and Christina's methods create the most growth from their artist. But it may also mean they'll leave a round or two before they should have. 

 

Blake's going to pick songs that his contestants sound good on, and they'll sell. They won't challenge his contestants at all, but he'll help them get further on in the show. 

 

I can't really tell what Pharrell and Gwen's strategies are yet. Other than, Gwen seems to know what itunes bait is and Pharrell seems to really not..j

[kj4ever]

Same could be said of any coach. It's a mixed bag for everyone. 

 

Look, that's my main point of these past few posts. I don't really mind the criticisms of Adam as much as the inconsistencies. Adam gets a lot of flak and little credit. While the other coaches tend to get little flak and a ton of credit, for doing many of the same things or generating similar results. I mean, when I read things like Adam's contestant did well, but Adam deserves no credit because he just got lucky or is selfish or a bad coach or whatever, that drives me nutty.

I think the other coaches are more likable, therefore people are willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.  A lot of people have seen some of his intentions on the show as being suspect so they expect the worst from him.  I don't think it would drive him nutty to read these things, and unless you are like his Mother you shouldn't let it get to you.

 

He is improving this year personality wise, has been much less of a douche.  I wonder if his wife is making sure he takes his medication? lol

[Cramps]

My problem with Chris's song was that it didn't actually give him much of a chance to show off his vocal skills because it was more rap/talky. I don't know the original song, so I don't know if that's intrinsic to the song itself, or a performance choice. But as Chris was singing, I wondered if Adam had given him that song to purposefully sabotage him (which we later learned was not the case, since he saved him).

Adam's song choices are spotty, but all the coaches are. It's just that he tends to be more high profile because he gets so many four chair turns, and some of them go home early. Blake's knowledge of non-country music is usually stuck in boring generic 80s hits. Cee-Lo took a lot of interesting chances too- some worked, some didn't.

Gwen and Pharrell have definitely both proved surprising. Pharrell talks a great game, but his artists have disappointed. (Although I liked the Joni Mitchell choice). Whereas Gwen has trouble selling herself and giving feedback on the panel, but she has generally been a phenomenal coach, pulling great performances out of contestants I wasn't previously interested in.

Edited November 17, 2014 by Cramps

[pivot]

I think the other coaches are more likable, therefore people are willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.  A lot of people have seen some of his intentions on the show as being suspect so they expect the worst from him.  I don't think it would drive him nutty to read these things, and unless you are like his Mother you shouldn't let it get to you.

 

He is improving this year personality wise, has been much less of a douche.  I wonder if his wife is making sure he takes his medication? lol

You think he's been less of a douche this season? I think he's been unbearable. His grandstanding and all about me nonsense during the blinds made me crazy.

As for his coaching, I think he screwed Chris with Doubt, but hit the right note exactly with Matt and Damien. I just hope he can resist giving Damien the usual shit sandwich song choices he gives to his African-American contestants. No Stevie Wonder or 1970s soul songs please. He ends up making his AA contestants seem so dated.

[Noreaster]

I think the other coaches are more likable, therefore people are willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.  A lot of people have seen some of his intentions on the show as being suspect so they expect the worst from him.  I don't think it would drive him nutty to read these things, and unless you are like his Mother you shouldn't let it get to you.

Ouch, this sort of sounds like an insult but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt!  :)  I used the word nutty on purpose because I realize my feelings are not really rational. But you gotta admit that the Adam-hate here can sometimes get pretty irrational too!

 

So, time to debate this week's song choices yet?

[Cramps]

Noreaster. I just mentioned that on the thread for tonight. Having just checked iTunes I don't think PIVOT is going to be very happy with Adam tonight!

[Padma]

I don't know if people go on this show to improve or mostly to get a career boost. Adam may help with the former, rarely, imo, with the latter.  As an audience member I usually like his song choices. As a singer, I would hate how randomly he seems to assign them and would question the utility of singing every week in a different genre.

 

As a coach, I haven't seen much from him that would make me choose him musically. I think he's (usually) good as a judge though--brings energy and personality that others lack.

 

As for Blake, I think he's good as a judge (laid back, funny and friendly) even though he rarely has anything of interest to say musically. As a coach, though, I think he's underrated. I think his tips have improved many performances (and I always appreciate it when he tells them to dial back the runs and ad libs).

 

For song selection, outside his genre, he needs help.

 

Gwen's been an excellent coach and I really believe CWB caught on because of his transformation with her. I like how she respects what they want to sing when she chooses songs, but is a bit creative with it, too.  As a judge, I think she has problems because she doesn't know how to be critical without sounding mean to people at home. I wish she--or someone--would fill that role, though, of musical expert who mixes the praise with the constructive criticism. That's my only problem with the show, is that there's no one for that.

 

Pharrell seemed impressive earlier, but has flamed out. It's not just the old song choices, but the ones he chooses. Why on earth "Let's Get it On?" Or last week's snoozer. I like Luke Wade and he was going through anyway, but choosing an iconic Marvin Gaye song just seemed so...odd.

 

(Worst performance of the week for me, though, was Jessie. Seriously, why even choose a song if she's just going to invent her own melody for the whole thing? I really objected to that. Not "indie" to me at all. I don't know what it was.)

[Cramps]

Padma- yes a million times on Jesse! She and Jean both completely abandoned the melodies of their songs. I was more disappointed with Jean because I actually like the Brenda Russell song and don't like that Bonnie Tyler song. Also I like Jean's voice, whereas every time I start liking Jesse she adds that weird pretentious twee girl affectation to her vocals that sounds kind of like someone pretending they have an underbite, and she completely loses me.

[pivot]

Noreaster. I just mentioned that on the thread for tonight. Having just checked iTunes I don't think PIVOT is going to be very happy with Adam tonight!

You would be right about that. But, at least Adam is consistent. He's screwed over all his AA contestants in the same way.

[NewRadical]

I got suckered into the Voice this year. And then I got way to invested haha hence my need to come out of lurking to post

 

I was pretty annoyed with Adam's decision. I just didn't get it. Admittedly Chris had a difficult song, but that doesn't change the fact that he still was not great. Taylor had several "break out moments" and his song did not have the familiarity aspect. I am not sure if Adam was looking to pave an easier way for Matt or if he just bonded more with Chris, but I think Taylor definitely "deserved" to be there. 

I think part of my issue with Adam is that he, more than any other coach, promises the world to his contestants. As a result he gets a lot of the 4-chair turns and then good singers go home earlier and we get less talented artists. I guess that's also a criticism of the structure of the show. It also assumes people go with Adam because of his promises... it may just be that he is charming in real life and that doesn't translate through the tv (imo).
 

I was glad Blake chose Jesse over James David.  James David seemed pretty arrogant. Maybe it was just me though.

I was surprised with Gwen's choice but I didn't Bryana or Ricky did particularly well either. Same for Pharrell's choice.

But yes, it's been a week, and I am still annoyed over Taylor. I liked his sound and his baby was freaking cute.

[ToxicUnicorn]

Holy crap.  I'm finally getting around to listening to the show and the Team Blake group song was AWFUL.  That's got to be the worst performance ever on the show.  Jeez.  My ears are bleeding.