S07.E27: Live Finale

[braziliangirl]

I loved Jessie and Chris duet too. I actually like Velvet better than the other original songs and found myself rooting for him. But I was okay with Craig winning, I would be with the others too.

Also, I've got to admit: I thought the Bang Bang performance was really screamy.

Edited December 17, 2014 by braziliangirl

[LakeGal]

I enjoyed the finale.  I loved the result.  But I also enjoyed the journey.  I will miss Gwen. 

 

I believe any of the singers that have "it" will make it whether they win or lose in the end.  I believe Pharrell will help Sugar.  If any of Adam's team is really that popular they have a chance for a big career too.  Maybe we will find out if Chris is the next big star. 

 

Craig would have been helped by Blake whether he won or lost.  He just has the added benefit of winning and the publicity that goes with it. 

[realdancemom]

Previously, I wrote that Jessie and Reagan don't sound well in group performances because their voices don't blend with the others.  Anita's voice/sound is unique when she does solos.  But she doesn't sing Reggae when she is in group performances so she blends. 

 

I think Sugar was good in the group numbers and I did like her wildcard performance.  I always liked her voice.  I just didn't like when she sang songs that were too old.  I could say the same thing about Damian, Danica, and Luke.  Although, Luke also caused his own downfall with his nerves.

 

Damian and Jennifer looked awkward standing next to each other after they performed.  Chris and Jessie J had perfect chemistry and I liked their duet.  Matt and Craig looked like they were having fun with Fallout Boys and Lynyrd Skynyrd.

 

Matt and Taylor3Names were my favorites.  But I didn't care if any of the four won.  Chris for most improved, Craig was good but country isn't my thing, and Damian has a beautiful voice that does show emotion. 

Edited December 17, 2014 by realdancemom

[Cramps]

If Adam really picked his team's original songs out, then Adam should be doing A & R -- every one of them was great. I'm stunned how much I liked them all from the first listen.

I'm not sure I buy Blake saving CWB's song because it was so great. I was totally unimpressed by it. Definitely the blandest of the four.

I loved CWB's audition and became progressively less interested in him the more homogenized he got. He actually doesn't have that strong a voice. But he is seasoned and with Blake's help, could be really big.

I can't imagine Matt not getting to check off his signing box tattoo. He's had what, four top ten hits? Many of which stayed on the charts, Including one number one? If he hasn't been offered a deal already, I'd be shocked.

To the person above who mentioned The Time w/ regard to Bruno, I was thinking the same thing. But I cannot see Morris in curlers--gold or not. That was really good.

Jesse J was very good. I watch The Voice UK on YouTube. When she was a judge on that she wasn't very likable.

Danica, whose looks had changed the most dramatically throughout the season, was unrecognizable yet again.

It was interesting to see the group sings. Matt chose a mixed gender group of friends he wanted to jam with, seemingly just for the fun if it, and then barely sang himself. Chris chose a boys club that sang like him. And Wayne chose the best female singers and pretty much made them his backing singers in the number that was most geared towards the audience.

Edited December 17, 2014 by Cramps

[Mreid]

I was shocked that Craig won was not expecting that and apparently neither was Adam.  Did you guys see Adam's face when they announced Chris 3rd?  He looked pissed lol.  I wanted Matt to win but I find it hilarious that Adam had 3 finalist in the finale and still lost. America sure does love country music.  

[ChicksDigScars]

Adam's face when they announced Chris in 3rd place, spoke volumes. I think that he never actually considered Craig enough of a threat. He honestly had CWB pegged third, and thought that it was going to come down to Matt and Chris for the title. Blake had the final two a couple of years ago when Terry McDermott and Cassadee Pope were the last two standing. I think Adam was convinced that he would equal that last night. When Craig outlasted Chris, he knew he had underestimated him. That look on his face was, "oh shit." 

[saber5055]

 

He honestly had CWB pegged third, and thought that it was going to come down to Matt and Chris for the title.

I did too, and I was just a casual viewer. My one and two choices came in three and two.

 

I had never heard of Jessie, but her duet with Chris made me love her, from her clothes to her voice to her showcasing Chris. A direct contrast was Jennifer. WTH was up with her outfit that had her girls trying to jump out, then she acted like she hated Damien being on stage with HER. She looked like she was being forced to be there and was not happy about it at all.

 

The contestant duets with their coaches really made it clear all the coaches could sing SO much better than the contestants!

 

Does the winner win anything besides that goofy trophy? I've not heard a thing from last season's winner since her round of talk show appearances. I'm hoping Chris, Matt and Taylor Three Names go on to careers.

 

I like country music but didn't see anything special in Craig except his beautiful hair. I don't think he would have won if Gwen hadn't given him that makeover!

 

ETA: I have to say that Bruno in hair curlers completely cracked me up. I thought I had seen everything, but I'd never seen that before. I remember when we gals slept in those things every night so we'd look great the next day. And no one would EVER go outside wearing them. That would have been the worst of the worst.

Edited December 17, 2014 by saber5055

[Guest]

I too thought JHud looked put out, which is ironic given she was on Idol.  And Jessie looked so good to Chris.  She was kind of a bitch on DWTS, though, so who knows.  

 

I loved Fallout Boy and Ed Sheeran and Hosier, too.  And the curlers-- amazing.  The aviator glasses made the look.  

[CynicalGirl]

I love Blake, but I didn't really want to see any of these four win.  Adam's three because Adam, and CWB because he bores me.  Except when he does that annoying wagging-finger thing, and then I want to grab his finger and twist it hard.  It just makes me rage for some reason.  He seems like a nice guy, but no.

 

There's a difference between classic and dated, and CWB falls completely into the "dated" category, IMO.  I predict he's another Voice winner who won't do much after the show.  Maybe he'll prove me wrong, but the solo male category in country is crazy competitive.  I just don't see anything that special there.

100% agreement here. And I had to laugh at the finger-wagging comment because that always set my teeth on edge too. So damn corny. 

 

That said, count me as another who enjoyed seeing Adam shut out. I really didn't care who won because I wasn't overly impressed with any of them, but that little moment was at least worth a chuckle. 

[LexiconDevilOne]

I was shocked that Craig won was not expecting that and apparently neither was Adam.  Did you guys see Adam's face when they announced Chris 3rd?  He looked pissed lol.  I wanted Matt to win but I find it hilarious that Adam had 3 finalist in the finale and still lost. America sure does love Country music.

As someone who grew up listening to hard Rock, and Heavy Metal (not to mention Punk), none of which is represented anymore on the radio. If you want any type of Rock nowadays, then you HAVE to listen to country.

You can't underestimate Country, or Rock, fans. But, this show always does. I can't tell you how much I despise pop 'music'. It's on par with Rap, for me.

I'd never heard Bruno Mars till last night, I swear it totally zoomed me back to my very early childhood in the 70's, and James Brown came on over the car radio...BM has that type of vibe.

Edited December 17, 2014 by LexiconDevilOne

[Sammich63]

I didn't know the winner gets a trophy. I believe the winner gets a $100,000 recording contract. Last season's winner is now on Broadway, so I don't think he's recorded his album yet. I haven't heard much from Tessanne, either. I think Jacquie Lee is the only one from season 5 who is still mentioned in the media.

[Noreaster]

I've been reading a couple of recaps on the web. Interesting how some think the odds were stacked in Adam's favor. Do they not know about elections and vote-splitting?  There's a reason why political parties narrow their candidates down to one person in general elections.  

[Babalooie]

Just curious...how do we know that the coaches don't know the outcome prior to the live finale?  I'm a suspicious sort and think that they may be briefed beforehand, and also seem to remember reading something to that effect.  It makes for good television to act surprised. 

[ChicksDigScars]

As someone who grew up listening to hard Rock, and Heavy Metal (not to mention Punk), none of which is represented anymore on the radio. If you want any type of Rock nowadays, then you HAVE to listen to country.

 

You can't underestimate Country, or Rock, fans. But, this show always does. I can't tell you how much I despise pop 'music'. It's on par with Rap, for me.

 

WORD to the 1,000,000th power. As someone raised by two Woodstock attendees and was the only girl in my high school whose parents owned Dark Side of the Moon, I was raised on Rock. And it is true that if you want the feel of live rock, you're drawn to current Country. Not the twangy classic stuff, but the current acts (which really steams the pants off of long time classic country fans. They feel that their genre has been hijacked by displaced Rock fans). For the first time EVER in my lifetime, I programmed a country station into my presets in my car....in place of the local Pop station, which I call "high school FM."

 

This year, I read the Grammy nominees and it was like a huge list of WTF for me. I do like Bruno Mars. I consider him a throwback. Love his new song. The curlers, not so much, 

 

So, the "Country Music" voting block is not just pick up driving, southern accented, Merle Haggard fans. Bon Jovi and the Eagles have recorded Country. Steven Tyler was a presenter on the last CMA's. Blake's got more than the "chew tobacco spit" crowd on his side right now 

[realdancemom]

Even though, I previously mentioned that I don't like country, I did prefer Craig over the other 3 name country guy.  As somebody mentioned, the latter seemed arrogant.  He did have a nice voice but during the battle, I wanted Craig to win because he does have a rock sound too.  I knew Lynyrd Skynyrd as a rock band so I guess it's true that rock bands are crossing over to country.

 

I did like the guest bands/singers.  I hope Chris watched Bruno to see how to sing/dance to Uptown Funk.  His curlers cracked me up but he can sure sing and move. 

[basiltherat]

CWB needs to send Gwen a big bouquet of roses to thank her for stylin' him -- it definitely helped to get our attention.  He was still raw and growly, but not scruffy looking.  She also kept him safe so Blake could steal him back.  On second hand, Blake needs to send her a bouquet, too!

[sydneyjane]

 

I wanted Matt to win but I find it hilarious that Adam had 3 finalist in the finale and still lost. America sure does love country music.

Well, he was the only country artist, up against two guys who were basically pop...and then Damian.  And, you don't necessarily have to like country to like Craig; he seems to be able to do rock, too.  I wanted him to win and I don't really consider myself a country music fan. I bet there were even some people who voted for him only because he wasn't on Team Adam.

 

I thought it was a pretty good show, though.  Nice to see some of the girls back. I was even glad to see Sugar. But, decent performances. I may watch it again.

 

I still don't see any of the guys having a great future in the biz.  Blake will surely work with Craig, and we know that Pharrell has plans for Sugar. But, other than that, I can't see any of the others really breaking out.

[saber5055]

 

how do we know that the coaches don't know the outcome prior to the live finale?

I'd put all my money on the bet that the judges know the results a head of time. That way each can react in his/her own way, or in the way prescribed by TPTB. As far as I trust editors and TPTB, Adam's "pissed-off" look talked about here could have been edited or scripted.

 

I listen to a country station all day, but I'm no way a redneck, honky-tonker, beer drinker, southern drawler and I've never chewed tobacco or spit. It's more like easy listening these days. I've been to Nashville and the Grand Ole Opry, been to the Wild Horse Saloon where Craig performed a couple episodes ago. But I still wanted Chris to win, Matt as a default. Not that my opinion matters to anyone but me!

 

I do love me some Bruno Mars though. He's just too young to know about hair curlers.

 

I didn't know the winner gets a trophy.

Carson handed Craig a trophy at the end. He was trying not to clunk his wife in the head with it when he hugged her. It was a miniature of the "V" hand/microphone. (Which I find creepy for some reason.)

Edited December 17, 2014 by saber5055

[QTBlueMoon]

I really enjoyed Blake winning for the 4th time, especially over Adam's 'army'.  I do have to say, though, since nobody's mentioned it at all, was there a reason that they sent CWB's wife up there, if all he was going to do was ignore her?  I know right at the start, he gave her a little perfunctory hug, but I personally think he should have given her just a little bit more attention.  They made her stand up there all by herself, it was just a little uncomfortable for me.  

[blueray]

I really enjoyed Blake winning for the 4th time, especially over Adam's 'army'.  I do have to say, though, since nobody's mentioned it at all, was there a reason that they sent CWB's wife up there, if all he was going to do was ignore her?  I know right at the start, he gave her a little perfunctory hug, but I personally think he should have given her just a little bit more attention.  They made her stand up there all by herself, it was just a little uncomfortable for me.  

Was that at the end of the episode? I don't know if this was a local thing but my station cut off the end of Craig's final performance and went straight to the local news.  I also don't remember them congratulating Matt, sure he didn't win but he came in second. That's still impressive seeing as so many people tried out.

So I don't watch any other reality singing show.  Question...are the originals by Matt, Chris, and Damien lost now?  I mean, it's only fair that the show/record label focus all its attention on the winner.  But I also think it would be a shame not to do something with Matt's original.  Seems like a possible breakout hit for the show and ready-to-go.  

I was wondering this too. I totally could see that song being on the radio and would like it too be.

Edited December 17, 2014 by blueray

[saber5055]

 

was there a reason that they sent CWB's wife up there, if all he was going to do was ignore her?

 I know. She tried to go back to her seat after Craig started singing, but someone told her to stay there. I got the impression Craig didn't know he had to sing again, or had forgotten it or whatever. He didn't get to hug wife/baby very well and then she ended up standing as far to the edge of the stage as she could without falling off.

 

I'm guessing they wanted her/son up there since his back story was so much about his son. Who also could benefit from a Gwen haircut IMO. That is one blond family, however.

 

It was uncomfortable for me, too. So I turned the channel.

[Noreaster]

I'd put all my money on the bet that the judges know the results a head of time. That way each can react in his/her own way, or in the way prescribed by TPTB. As far as I trust editors and TPTB, Adam's "pissed-off" look talked about here could have been edited or scripted.

Obviously no way to know for sure, but I don't think the coaches were told the results ahead of time.  Blake's and Adam's reactions seemed pretty authentic to me.  Blake was absolutely ecstatic.  And to me, Adam didn't look "pissed off" at all. He kept in his emotions, looked a bit disappointed in the results, but also not really surprised. (Which made perfect sense to me...itunes were very close and the odds were against Adam's team.)  And as someone else mentioned, Adam gave Blake a big hug afterwards. I think some people here wanted Adam's head to explode but it was nothing like that.  

[Guest]

I felt bad for Craig's sleepy little boy.  But I'm sure he'll be glad he was there later on.  

 

I love that the Bruno Mars song and the Riptide song some contestants covered earlier in the season both name-dropped 56-year-old Michelle Pfeiffer.  

[Noreaster]

I love that the Bruno Mars song and the Riptide song some contestants covered earlier in the season both name-dropped 56-year-old Michelle Pfeiffer.  

Haha. I noticed that too!  Actually a couple of weeks ago when listening to the radio.  What is it about Michelle Pfeiffer...has she even been in anything lately?

 

Something else I noticed last night.  A ton of current covers this season including many of the guest performances.  Almost all of the top 10 itunes songs (ex-The Voice covers) were done on the show.  

[Padma]

I thought that was one of the best finales, so many good, fun performances. I would have been okay with a win by Adam's team (my favorite voice, Damien, wasn't going to, obviously, but everyone was deserving). But I was very happy for CWB--who clearly didn't expect it. 10 years getting nowhere in Nashville and the day before he got the email invite from the Voice he'd told a friend he'd be giving up music. He's very talented--and what a great story!

 

Nice to see Danielle (so tiny next to Carson) and remember how Blake (and Miranda) help his team after the show. He's so generous, so suited to the mentor role (except for his lack of broad musical knowledge) and I'm glad that the older guy won.

 

Gwen's steal saved him for Blake. Her makeover improved him (but the whole black jacket look didn't) initially and then he looked even better once he got onto Blake's team, including last night. Someone's choosing better jackets for him than Gwen did (or for Ryan).

 

As always, I loved the people bringing back their friends to sing with. So cute the way they talked about Taylor and Ryan and Taylor P. Also, surprisingly, I really liked all of Sugar's performances this week. What happened?

 

And what happened to Danica who looked good and much younger singing the cute, fun song with CWB? I thought I knew what she looked like even after the recent changes but I couldn't even recognize her last night.

 

All in all, a strong finish.

[saber5055]

 

Also, surprisingly, I really liked all of Sugar's performances this week.

Am I wrong, or was Sugar chosen to sing with almost all or all of the contestants last night? Moreso than anyone else? She seemed very popular with everyone, and respected by the others. I thought she sounded great.

 

 

And what happened to Danica

I didn't recognize her either, except by her voice, which I quite like. She needed a long, curly wig for the song where all the women sang together, all wearing red.

 

I didn't think Adam looked mad or anything else when Craig won. Everyone seemed happy. I'm sure Adam is well-compensated for his coach position so winning/losing isn't like he's gonna go broke or out of the business or anything. I did like how the coach clips emphasized his Broadway love, and his show would be titled All About Me or something similar. I still like Adam best, and he looked to be having fun with Taylor Swift.

 

I'd like Blake 100-percent better if he'd stop the finger-pointing thing.

Edited December 17, 2014 by saber5055

[LexiconDevilOne]

WORD to the 1,000,000th power. As someone raised by two Woodstock attendees and was the only girl in my high school whose parents owned Dark Side of the Moon, I was raised on Rock. And it is true that if you want the feel of live rock, you're drawn to current Country. Not the twangy classic stuff, but the current acts (which really steams the pants off of long time classic country fans. They feel that their genre has been hijacked by displaced Rock fans). For the first time EVER in my lifetime, I programmed a country station into my presets in my car....in place of the local Pop station, which I call "high school FM."

 

This year, I read the Grammy nominees and it was like a huge list of WTF for me. I do like Bruno Mars. I consider him a throwback. Love his new song. The curlers, not so much, 

 

So, the "Country Music" voting block is not just pick up driving, southern accented, Merle Haggard fans. Bon Jovi and the Eagles have recorded Country. Steven Tyler was a presenter on the last CMA's. Blake's got more than the "chew tobacco spit" crowd on his side right now

I forgot to say, that yes Bruno Mars was very highly entertaining. I bet seeing a show put on by him would be fun! I'll, probably, seek out more of his music to listen to. He got my toes to tapping, not an easy feat.

Classic country pretty much got ruined (I like it, and appreciate it, for what it is...I'll listen to Johnny Cash anytime, anywhere) when Shania Twain came along and made big erodes into crossing over into other genres, like pop. If it wasn't for videos (MTV), and her attractiveness, plus rock producer Mutt Lang helping her musically (when her marriage to him ended, so did her career), I don't think others after her, like Faith Hill or even Taylor Swift would have made much progress in the pop genres. In other words, causal music listeners would have never heard of them, at all.

The show 'Crossroads' also showcases how different styles of music, in particular rock, have deep roots in country music, and blues.

My Mom grew up on Country music (her parents, and she, were immigrants, and English is their second language. It was funny to hear country music twang, with a Greek immigrant accent growing up :) She also loves classic Rock, so she taught my brother and I to appreciate all different musical styles...up until Rap came along (she considers THAT noise.)

I feel sorry for todays youth. Maybe I'll sound like a curmudgeon, but todays 'music' has no soul, and is basically crap no one will remember a couple of years from now.

[ProudMary]

I may be wrong about this but I don't think that is CWB's wife. I'm pretty sure that he's been referred to as a single dad a few times this season.

[TiredMe]

I also thought Craig was called a single dad. I assumed she was his baby mama but not necessarily gf.

[Guest]

I feel sorry for todays youth. Maybe I'll sound like a curmudgeon, but todays 'music' has no soul, and is basically crap no one will remember a couple of years from now.

You do sound like a bit like a curmudgeon.  The youth in my house has plenty of music they love, and I too love a lot of it and know it's a helluva lot better than the crap I listened to in the 70s as a kid.  I guess "soul" is in the ears of the listener.  Look at Lynyrd Skynyrd... Sweet Home Alabama was a mega-hit?  Then listen to the Ed Sheeran song or Bang Bang or Fallout Boy or Bruno or even the Taylor Swift one (whom I can't stand).  They're so much more sophisticated and layered now, I think.  I head Maroon 5's "This Love" on the radio today.  It was released over 12 years ago.  I think today's songs will be ok in a couple years.

[Ketzel]

Random thoughts, mostly about lyrics, oddly enough:

I thought the women were terrific singing with Craig in "Keep Your Hands to Yourself," but the way they divvied up the song didn't make a lot of sense to me. The lyrics are full of "he said" and "she said" so why not have the women sing the "she said" lines? Particularly, why did Sugar sing the line "My honey, my baby, don't put my love upon no shelf" every time, when it's clearly supposed to be the guy saying that, followed by the woman retorting, Don't hand me no lines..."

Damien singing with Jennifer Hudson, especially those lyrics, looked like a nerdy guy with money trying to make a move on a woman way out of his league. Jennifer was singing as if she barely noticed he was there, and when he sang to her, she had the most skeptical look on her face - I had to laugh.

Big fan of Bruno Mars, so naturally I loved the performance of Uptown Funk. I wondered if it had been taped, because there was no sign of the judges, no shot that showed The Chairs and the production was pretty elaborate for a quick change in a live show.
Here's the video, if anyone wants to track down the hair curler reference. :)

[ChristmasJones]

Loved knowing that Adam got beat by Blake. THAT was enjoyable to watch!

 

Not a country fan, but I was happy to see Craig win. I liked his back story and felt that he would really appreciate the win due to how long he had struggled.

 

The blonde woman who is always holding his son is his ex - they are not together anymore.

[CynicalGirl]

I really enjoyed Blake winning for the 4th time, especially over Adam's 'army'.  I do have to say, though, since nobody's mentioned it at all, was there a reason that they sent CWB's wife up there, if all he was going to do was ignore her?  I know right at the start, he gave her a little perfunctory hug, but I personally think he should have given her just a little bit more attention.  They made her stand up there all by herself, it was just a little uncomfortable for me.  

I agree it was awkward, but I don't think that's his wife. Girlfriend maybe or just baby mama? Didn't they keep calling him the "single dad"? 

And I didn't really see him hug her at all, just bend down and kiss his son. Maybe she was just there for support and so they could pan to his son in the audience. The producers seem to love showing the supportive family applauding and cheering. But, I could be wrong of course. 

 

eta: oops, sorry, missed a few posts above before I posted. 

Edited December 18, 2014 by CynicalGirl

[ChicksDigScars]

Yeah, his last song on Monday was an ode to his son, and they mentioned that he was a single dad a few times, even as far back as his original intro during the blinds. I always wondered about the blond woman holding Craig's son. His ex? His sister? A girlfriend? If it was his ex, that would explain the awkwardness on stage after the win. She was basically brought in by the producers for a babysitting duty (so that they could show his son)  and photo ops. I don't recall any other family shown for CWB...or am I forgetting them?

Edited December 18, 2014 by ChicksDigScars

[poppy-]

Why didn't Craig sing a solo line like all the other finalists during Pompeii?  Was it just out of his range?

 

The biggest surprise of the night for me was the Fall Out Boy singer being so good - not my genre.  He smoked Matt.

[lyric]

Why didn't Craig sing a solo line like all the other finalists during Pompeii?  Was it just out of his range?

 

The biggest surprise of the night for me was the Fall Out Boy singer being so good - not my genre.  He smoked Matt.

Yeah, Patrick Stump rocks - love his voice...looks like a Software Developer, roars like a lion

[pivot]

Man the final 4 could not harmonize at all. I was surprised by how bad they sounded together.

What was up with Gwen during the coach sing? She looked like she was lip-syncing and they dubbed her vocals in later. Her mouth movements didn't match the sounds at all.

[Padma]

Man the final 4 could not harmonize at all. I was surprised by how bad they sounded together.

What was up with Gwen during the coach sing? She looked like she was lip-syncing and they dubbed her vocals in later. Her mouth movements didn't match the sounds at all.

I thought she was lip syncing to her own track but there was a delay for what we were hearing. I thought she did that the last group sing, too. (If that's right, she must be very relieved to not have to do a live duet with T3N.) Even Pharrell sounded like he was singing live and doing better than she was. Weird.

[pivot]

That was what was so weird. All of the rest of the coach's mouths matched the words being sung. Only Gwen's was off. I can't imagine that she'd need to lip-sync these performances though. They aren't vocally difficult at all and clearly it is a song she knows the lyrics to. Weird.

[ennui]

Yeah, his last song on Monday was an ode to his son, and they mentioned that he was a single dad a few times, even as far back as his original intro during the blinds. I always wondered about the blond woman holding Craig's son. His ex? His sister? A girlfriend? If it was his ex, that would explain the awkwardness on stage after the win. She was basically brought in by the producers for a babysitting duty (so that they could show his son)  and photo ops. I don't recall any other family shown for CWB...or am I forgetting them?

I don't recall any other family.

I do recall Gwen commented that CWB would need to hire a nanny when he goes on tour, so who knows who that blonde woman is. Sister? Cousin?

[Minim]

I feel sorry for todays youth. Maybe I'll sound like a curmudgeon, but todays 'music' has no soul, and is basically crap no one will remember a couple of years from now.

 

You do sound like a bit like a curmudgeon.  The youth in my house has plenty of music they love, and I too love a lot of it and know it's a helluva lot better than the crap I listened to in the 70s as a kid.  I guess "soul" is in the ears of the listener.

I think there's always nostalgia for days gone by, especially for the music of our own youth and nothing else ever quite matches up. Sure there's a ton of pap today, but most performers, composers and music (of any genre from classical to jazz, blues, rock, pop, punk, folk, hip hop) are just fleetingly popular and fall by the wayside as time passes, with just a few classics and superstars holding on ad infinitum. You can't compare the surviving greats of the past with the full spectrum of any contemporary music scene. In ten or twenty years, only a handful of what's around now will be listened to by anyone other than those who listened to it as teens/young adults. (Sorry for any preachiness there.)

 

Anyway, back to the show, which I didn't watch, but I'm going to comment all the same since i caught a few of the perfomances on Youtube.

 

Jessie J and Chris were really good, the other duets less so. I'm surprised Jessie J isn't covered more on the show. Her songs are perfect for a lot of the technically strong and powerful R&B singers (DaNica auditioned with one of her songs IIRC), but not dated like the crap they are normally assigned. Damien probably could've done great with something like 'Nobody's Perfect' or 'Who you are' - technically quite challenging and plenty of opportunities to almost cry.

 

Damien of course being the designated oldies singer this season (along with most of Team Pharrell - sigh, I expected so much more from him). It was discussed over in another thread that Damien may have been given oldies because he's an African-American who cites the likes of Marvin Gaye as his inspiration, But he's just talking about inspiration. He chose Adele and Bruno Mars for himself - surely they could've come up with a more modern song list for him. Maybe he could've done even better - he was definitely the best 'voice' left and did surprisingly well to get to the final considering how stale most of his songs were.

 

Matt and CWB did nothing for me. None of the top 12 did really, in fact, the only contestant who grabbed me was Troy, jettisoned for the painfully wooden, and, to my mind not especially 'Different! Unique!' Best evah!' T3N. Lackluster all around. Time to move to one season a year I think before they flog this horse to death.

Edited December 18, 2014 by Minim

[MaryPatShelby]

I thought Meghan Trainor was lip-synching too. Her mouth matched the words all, but she seemed to be barely moving her lips and barely taking breaths. Maybe she always sings like she's chatting with a friend during a very leisurely stroll...I don't know.

[MelsW]

I thought Meghan Trainor was singing live, however there was a track of her voice playing for the chorus that she was then singing over. I could be wrong.

[PepperMonkey]

So I wasn't going to post anything on this finale but I had to give hincandenza a thumbs up for "Our Stylists: Terrible"... easily the funniest thing about this whole season including Carson's trying to be a real boy and break his puppet strings for good.

 

I actually didn't watch the show in its entirety because OH EM GEE I am not that patient. I watched selected clips of the important stuff (picture air quotes around important stuff) and thought most of the performances were meh.

 

I'm okay with CWB winning mainly because, well, Adam. I, too, dislike Craig's finger wagging and cutesy tics but he has potential. When singing with Lynyrd Skynyrd, he was terrible compared to Johnny VZ. Maybe it was nerves. CWB had a couple real highs and the rest of his performances were mostly middling, imho. That said, he probably has a future in country music, if he can either write his own songs or get some actual GOOD original songs. If I tilt my head to the side and squint my left eye, I can see him having a Travis Tritt-ish career, without the badassery that Travis could convey on occasion.

 

Still don't get all the Matt love for his singing, but he does seem like a good kid and I wish him, Chris and Damien much success in the future.

 

BRING ON CHRISTINA!!!!

Edited December 18, 2014 by PepperMonkey

[twistygirl]

I grew up in the 70s and totally love rock/punk/heavy metal, and I'm not sure where some of you live or what your local radio is like, but it's not true at all that if you like rock, your only alternative now is to listen to country.  There's lots of GREAT rock music still around.  Muse, Coldplay, Pearl Jam are still going strong, Arctic Monkeys.  I can't stand modern country.  Tom Petty said it best.  Modern country is just really bad classic rock with fiddles.  Of course there are exceptions (I think Kacey Musgraves is pretty great, and I am not generally a big fan of female singers). 
I haven't been commenting too much on the show because I have such a strong personal bias towards Chris (he's my hometown boy, and his keyboard player is my friend's cousin) but I just think Craig is so bland.  I thought he was awesome in his blind but for the most part, he just faded after that.   I like Matt but I didn't like his original song at all, I thought it was overproduced and overwrought.  I LOVE Velvet, it has a total 80s Michael Jackson groove yet still feels current.  And I wish Damien were more current, because he has such a lovely voice and seems like such a genuinely lovely person.

 

[FineWashables]

So Craig beat Matt.  Just like Ruben Studdard beat Clay Aiken.  Oh well, either way, we'll never hear Craig or Matt's name again.

[snorca]

 

I'd like Blake 100-percent better if he'd stop the finger-pointing thing.

That finger pointing makes me stabby!

[saber5055]

 

I felt bad for Craig's sleepy little boy.  But I'm sure he'll be glad he was there later on.

That's a DVD recording that boy can show his kids and their kids after that. If DVDs last that long!

 

As for today's music not being as good as it used to be, I've noticed a lot of current popular songs have a great beat and are catchy as heck and make you dance in your chair, but the words are just repeated over and over and over, there are no lyrics. Of course, this is a generality but I can see where any curmudgeonly posters are coming from.

 

Then I hear words to some modern pop songs and OMG, did they really say that? In the "old days" nasty stuff wasn't said that directly. Or at all.

 

I had never heard Fallout Boy before and enjoyed them. And I really love me some Bruno, he doesn't even have to sing.

[ennui]

Country music is like Jello, there's always room for more. It's a broad group, from the bluegrass traditionalists to the displaced rockers.

 

I liked CWB, but I didn't care for his original song. I think the reason Blake was carrying it around is that it's not very good.

[ChicksDigScars]

Craig's finger wagging and cutesy tics

 

LOL...I thought of this forum last night when CWB sat in with The Roots on Jimmy Fallon. He sang at the breaks and did the "wink and wag your finger" thing at the camera. Not a bad night for him to appear on the show, though. He got to meet Sir Paul McCartney, Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga, in addition to The Roots. 

 

That's going to be a hard habit for him to break, if he wants to. He probably does the "wink and finger wag" without even thinking.

 

 

 

I'm not sure where some of you live or what your local radio is like, but it's not true at all that if you like rock, your only alternative now is to listen to country.  There's lots of GREAT rock music still around.  Muse, Coldplay, Pearl Jam are still going strong, Arctic Monkeys.

 

Coldplay.....no. Just no. I just can't.

 

I live in the media market of a mid sized Midwestern city. Just out of range of Chicago radio stations, so all we actually have is one Pop station, one Classic Rock station, one Adult Contemporary station, an Oldies station, a Hard Rock station and two Country stations. One of each major genre. No variety. I try to catch Chicago radio, but I can only catch a couple on a good day, and they're both Oldies. One plays 60's and 70's and the other 70's, 80's, 90's. So, I'm saddled with hearing the preferences of one programmer for each genre. Yes, I'm contemplating Sirius/XM. But considering how much I OVERpay Comcast for cable, paying another company is just not sitting well with my budget.

 

So Craig beat Matt.  Just like Ruben Studdard beat Clay Aiken.  Oh well, either way, we'll never hear Craig or Matt's name again.

 

Well, some of the angst, hang wringing and cries of "RIGGED!" that I'm seeing online from MattMates is bringing the memories of AI Season Two flooding back! I guess it's so nice to have something for generations of fangirls to "bond" over. It's been 11 years!

Edited December 18, 2014 by ChicksDigScars