S08.E01: The Blind Auditions Premiere

[Misslindsey]

 

Again, it puzzles me about what's actually in the real Nationals outside of what that stupid show Glee has led us to suspect.  Maybe under other circumstances the girl is better, but what we heard was pretty shoddy.

Maybe she sings better in a group, where others can drown out her voice. I have no idea.

[amaranta]

Nerves, poor breathing and a tight throat can really destroy a voice.  Years ago I was an understudy for a production of Godspell and a cast member was replaced with a NY performer at the last minute.  On her first night she was so scared that we thought she was going to pass out.  It seemed to get better once she was on stage and then came her song, Day By Day.  She was awful. Squeaks and cracks and flat the whole time.  The second-hand embarrassment was unbearable.  And so was the after show crying.

 

The next day there was a rehearsal, her first in our production.  She blew the roof off the place.  Her voice was incredible; bouncing off the walls and filling the room without a mic fantastic.  For some reason being rushed and never having rehearsed with the cast threw her for a loop.  From that day on she was great.

 

Sometimes I don't know how the blind auditions - for the true amateurs - go off as well as they do.  For the seasoned performers, I expect to be blown away.  For a little girl who only has high school and choir experience; not so much.  The Danielle Bradburys and Sawyer Fredericks of the world are an anomaly, I think.

[redbudrose]

I had to laugh when Blake said Megan L had one of the best voices he'd ever heard yet it wasn't enough to make him turn around.

 

 

[Noreaster]

Blake is so often full of shit. He says everything with such a straight face. He should run for office!

[Padma]

Like the season. Christina is bringing passion to her pitches which I appreciate. And apparently watching Pharrell is like childbirth--I don't remember the pain of how he was during the lives and his mild manner and efforts to seem guru-like aren't bothering me. I've even rooted for him once or twice when I used to know better.

 

Also, could anyone explain to me why no one turned for Ivonne, the 16 year old from the small town who sang "Try"? I thought her phrasing and pitch were really good and her breath control was incredible. I couldn't believe it when no one turned for her. Was it too much like the original? I didn't think so, but maybe that was it? I really didn't understand it, but appreciated all the nice comments she got. She's young enough, and I'm sure she'll get the support to be able to afford to try again.

 

ETA: I listened to Ivonne again and have to agree with the negative posts. She has potential, but the dynamics and projection still need a lot of work. Maybe my hearing was overly influenced by her backstory and how sweet she seemed. (I actually re-wind to hear about these contestants, unlike other shows like this. Something about the way they do it makes me care, almost every time. Kudos to the editors!)

Edited February 28, 2015 by Padma

[Donny Ketchum]

Also, could anyone explain to me why no one turned for Ivonne, the 16 year old from the small town who sang "Try"? I thought her phrasing and pitch were really good and her breath control was incredible. I couldn't believe it when no one turned for her. Was it too much like the original? I didn't think so, but maybe that was it? I really didn't understand it, but appreciated all the nice comments she got. She's young enough, and I'm sure she'll get the support to be able to afford to try again.

Well, for one thing, as I said last night, something about her voice felt like it wasn't quite there yet.  It was good, but something was . . . lacking, if it makes sense.

 

Also, last season, Reagan did "Try" so much better than I heard from Ivonne.

[Sharpie66]

To me, her voice just sounded "young". Give her another few years to mature the tone a bit, and she will be a legit choice.

[dizzyizzy01]

She was just ever so slightly flat at the start of every verse.

[rollerblade]

Also, could anyone explain to me why no one turned for Ivonne, the 16 year old from the small town who sang "Try"? I thought her phrasing and pitch were really good and her breath control was incredible. I couldn't believe it when no one turned for her. Was it too much like the original? I didn't think so, but maybe that was it? I really didn't understand it, but appreciated all the nice comments she got.

 

She was a little too one-note to me. Or rather, in this case, one-tone. Everything stays on the same plateau line, every note kinda same-y same-y, including the supposed glory notes.

 

She should try again next year. And by the way, are contestants not allowed to audition for back-to-back season? I've heard judges say "come back next year", but never "next season".

[Donny Ketchum]

She should try again next year. And by the way, are contestants not allowed to audition for back-to-back season? I've heard judges say "come back next year", but never "next season".

Jake auditioned in back-to-back seasons, so it's possible.

[Universalhunter]

This was the best premiere in awhile. The level of talent seems to be higher and if it stays that way, this is gonna be a great season.

Cody was my pick of the night. His tone is just beautiful, very easy and soothing to listen to.

[Padma]

Thanks for the comments re: Ivonne. I really did think she was quite good, but maybe not "Voice-level" good. It's possible my standards have lost a bit after listening to so many "Idol" auditions. It's actually incredible how much better The Voice singers are. I was thinking it may be because they skew older/more experienced, but some of the younger ones are so far among the most promising.

 

Brice didn't sing "Happy" very well either, but I'm glad she had that moment with Pharrell. I like what he and Christina are bringing to the show this season and ITA the talent seems stronger with a nice variety to the song selections as well. I was skeptical about Adam's "slump" but he really does seem to have lost out quite a bit to others, not just Blake but more to Pharrell than last season. If Pharrell can get his act together in the team competitions (unlike last season) he could be a real "contender" (and, yes, I think recasting Adam in the underdog role is a great idea. He was kind of funny and good natured channeling Marlon Brando to the audience for a minute. His confusion over sudden loss of popularity is making him seem more modest and endearing again. Good idea! Hope it lasts.)  I'm so glad that I don't have to feel embarrassed for CeeLo any more. And Christina is not only doing better than Gwen or Shakira, but her pitches are so much stronger that I barely notice when they don't really work most of the time.

 

Meanwhile, Blake continues to be awesome. As someone said last season, he really is the heart of the show. It wouldn't be the same if he ever left ("Should we call Usher?" lol And I'm sure he appreciated the shout out. Blake does great at being seen as "a friend to all".)

[Noreaster]

Regarding amateurs and how they are able to do well in blinds, based on various interviews over the seasons, the contestants have a decent amount of time to prepare.  From the time they're assigned their songs plus they're flown out to LA for something like 3 weeks before the blinds.  This is to film "reality" (back stories, footage with family) and also work with vocal coaches and other behind-the-scenes people.  

 

I watched the blinds I missed on Hulu. Liked Cody (the country guy) quite a bit.  

 

Here's a conference call transcript with the Episode 1 contestants.  

[mercfan3]

Right, it's actually the live shows or in between rounds where the amateurs can nose dive. Bria Kelly choked once they got to the lives. Matt Schuler choked once he was called the favorite. Holly Henry choked after the blinds. Reagan James choked one we got past the playoffs..etc.. The blinds are taped and rehearsed and although nerve wracking, it gives these kids a chance. When you get past that..it's competition..fast paced..barely have time to breathe and live. 

 

Danielle and Jacquie were amazing in that way. We'll see how some of the younger people do this season. 

[ToxicUnicorn]

 

Megan once opened for Brad Paisley... and now she's wearing some bad paisley!!! Ah, I kill me. :)

 

 

This Made me laugh.  You kill me, too.

 

I liked Cody ("Merle Haggard"=esque).  SO much better than CWB and the other 3 name last season.  I also liked Joshua.

 

Sawyer gave a good performance, I agree.  I just like the other two better.

 

None of the women did much for me.  Except Christina.  I LOVE how she was this episode!  Playful, confident, competitive.  She's finally figured this thing out.  (And, on the shallow end with the poster upthread, I thought she looked great as well.)

Edited February 28, 2015 by ToxicUnicorn

[Noreaster]

Yep, so happy that we have the Season 5 Christina back and not the Season 2-3 Christina!  

 

Right, it's actually the live shows or in between rounds where the amateurs can nose dive. Bria Kelly choked once they got to the lives. Matt Schuler choked once he was called the favorite. Holly Henry choked after the blinds. Reagan James choked one we got past the playoffs..etc.. The blinds are taped and rehearsed and although nerve wracking, it gives these kids a chance. When you get past that..it's competition..fast paced..barely have time to breathe and live. 

 

Danielle and Jacquie were amazing in that way. We'll see how some of the younger people do this season. 

I probably wouldn't call it choking exactly. That suggests that the amateurs were doing great in rehearsals and then screwed up on stage. I think some of these youngsters are just not yet capable of learning new songs and delivering consistently strong performances week in week out. Experience matters. Professionals find ways to make songs work and/or know when to push back on song choices.  

 

Agreed that makes Danielle's and Jacquie's results on the show even more impressive. For some of the other amateurs like Bria, Holly and Reagan, I think they were just overrated or their coaches did crap jobs (probably a little of both). For Matt Schuler, he was considered a favorite from day one and delivered a string of great performances.  His voice just wore out.  Professionals probably would have managed that better.  

[mercfan3]

See, I noticed a huge difference in Matt the second Blake told him he was gonna win The Voice. He sang Hallelujah, Blake made the comment..and he wasn't good after that. This after being great in virtually every performance prior. Definitely some of it was his voice deteriorating. But I think another part of is was stress and pressure. I'd be willing to bet Bria Kelly would have been better off if she wasn't labeled the front runner before she even got to a live performance. Reagan I think was a different animal..and that was more coaching than it was her not handling pressure..but I won't get into that. 

 

If you watch Idol, it's very common for some of the younger less experienced to struggle early on. A lot of times they are more talented than the older people, but they are also very green and the first round of live shows with hectic schedules produce sketchy results. But if they make it past those first few weeks (and a lot of times they do...) they get a lot of momentum and can make it pretty far. With The Voice, they lose people so quickly that a lot of times the younger people get lost in the shuffle because they don't get the second or third chance that Idol gives. With Bria, for example, I'd bet that if you gave her a few live performances to get accustomed to the setting, that she would return to the Bria of her audition and live performances off show. But instead, she struggled twice and was gone. Which once again, is one of the things that was most impressive about Jacquie and Danielle. Danielle never had a bad performance. And Jacquie had two, but one was accompanied with a great performance (the one that got her a record deal, actually) and she also had weeks where she was probably the best of the round. And of course, she'd always bounce back from them. Just really impressed by those two..and I get more impressed every time I see a poor little 16 year old struggle with performing on these shows. 

[KayElektra]

I think Christina has been watching the seasons she hasn't been on.  She's FAR less bitchy and much more in on the fun.

 

Pharell's Grammy win(s?) are definitely helping him out this season. I will also never not love Adam getting denied over and over.

[Noreaster]

See, I noticed a huge difference in Matt the second Blake told him he was gonna win The Voice. He sang Hallelujah, Blake made the comment..and he wasn't good after that. This after being great in virtually every performance prior. Definitely some of it was his voice deteriorating. But I think another part of is was stress and pressure. I'd be willing to bet Bria Kelly would have been better off if she wasn't labeled the front runner before she even got to a live performance. Reagan I think was a different animal..and that was more coaching than it was her not handling pressure..but I won't get into that.

If you watch Idol, it's very common for some of the younger less experienced to struggle early on. A lot of times they are more talented than the older people, but they are also very green and the first round of live shows with hectic schedules produce sketchy results. But if they make it past those first few weeks (and a lot of times they do...) they get a lot of momentum and can make it pretty far. With The Voice, they lose people so quickly that a lot of times the younger people get lost in the shuffle because they don't get the second or third chance that Idol gives. With Bria, for example, I'd bet that if you gave her a few live performances to get accustomed to the setting, that she would return to the Bria of her audition and live performances off show. But instead, she struggled twice and was gone. Which once again, is one of the things that was most impressive about Jacquie and Danielle. Danielle never had a bad performance. And Jacquie had two, but one was accompanied with a great performance (the one that got her a record deal, actually) and she also had weeks where she was probably the best of the round. And of course, she'd always bounce back from them. Just really impressed by those two..and I get more impressed every time I see a poor little 16 year old struggle with performing on these shows.

For Matt Schuler, I think he was considered the clear favorite early on, starting from being the quickest 4-chair turn ever (in a season when 4-chair turns still meant something), to great performances throughout the pre-taped rounds and a good portion of the lives. Other coaches were saying he was someone to beat way before Hallelujah. On a side note, I don't know if people realized, but Matt Schuler would have been like Judith Hill without the twitter instant-save (according to Carson, he was bottom 2 during Top 8 week but got the twitter save).

I think we're largely in agreement on the other stuff. Though I would suggest that most youngsters could have done better with more time and experience. Not just Bria or whoever else. The Voice's format just doesn't allow for that. Coaches are supposed to advance the better performance during the pre-taped rounds. When they don't and instead advance based on potential, they get accused of favoritism. One example is Pharrell with Elyjuh last season. I don't watch American Idol, but maybe their contestant pool is less experienced on average (with less professionals?), making it easier for the judges to advance contestants with issues.

I would add that the coaching strategy matters quite a bit. The coaches (or producers) need to figure out which songs and styles better suit the amateurs. It can be hit or miss. Worked out well for Danielle who was in the country lane and given songs that weren't terribly challenging but showed off her great voice. Worked out for Jacquie who could handle the challenging songs that Christina threw at her (I think Jacquie had some stage experience too?).

Edited March 1, 2015 by Noreaster

[viajero]

I think Jacquie's stage experience prior to The Voice was pretty much limited to her high school, or school sponsored events.  She was just a natural.

 

But overall, I do agree that one of the problems with The Voice is that they rush through the live rounds so fast that it doesn't really allow much of a chance for younger less experienced artists to grow.  Thus, the show quickly becomes dominated by the more experienced contestants.  This is one of the reasons that I really dislike the fact that they`ve eliminated a live round these past two seasons by going directly from the Top 8 to the semifinals.

 

I think it makes sense that AI is becoming increasingly dominated by youngsters, while something of the opposite is happening with The Voice.  The net result of these trends is that while The Voice tends to have a much higher percentage of polished high quality vocal performances, I suspect AI may still have a better shot at producing a star (assuming either show is capable of doing so given today's market).

[Cramps]

I think that may be due to the fact that the judges don't want to commit to doing that many live rounds. It takes too many weeks of their time. The pre tapes are probably easier to manage.

[mercfan3]

Yea, I was just using Bria as an example (a teenager who was a frontrunner then collapsed in the lives) Idol is littered with them. (In fact, Bria's Idol doppelganger pretty much did the same thing. 

 

The Voice takes second and third chancers and semi-pros, Idol doesn't. And I think their tendency is to pick talent over experience because at least there's a shot of a great show (and a star, that Idol actually tries to invest in). But, I also think there's a lot of influence by the cast of judges. I know people get cynical about whether the judges or producers pick and the comments that they say, and I think producers obviously have some say. But there was a definite style of contestant groups when Simon Cowell was around (his chosen one, two or three other good ones..and filler.) When Steven Tyler was on (easily the most talented overall seasons..) and there seems to be a pattern with this JLo/Harry/Keith mix..which is..the talent is simply lesser. (But that's for the idol thread anyway...sorry for the OTT.) 

 

I really hope The Voice adds one more week of lives. Given the salary, the coaches could add one more live week. 

 

edit: Jacquie..yea, she just had high school experience and a few charity things she did. (I thinks he sang in hospitals.) She just lets herself get into what she's singing and really doesn't care. I actually think she can look a little awkard..but she's so into it, that I'd never suggest she changed how she performed because it's so authentic. 

Edited March 2, 2015 by mercfan3

[ToxicUnicorn]

Reagan I think was a different animal..and that was more coaching than it was her not handling pressure..but I won't get into that.

I thought Reagan was the one who looked unnaturally composed under pressure.  Her problem (to me) was that she did not seem very likable.

 

I love that there are so many older contestants on this show.  I don't mind mixing in young people, but I like the variety.  I also think it makes the young people up their game.

[Noreaster]

I really hope The Voice adds one more week of lives. Given the salary, the coaches could add one more live week.

It seems unlikely based on The Hollywood Reporter interview. The NBC exec said that neither the network or production want more lives, rather they prefer less. I think ratings tend to fall as the season progresses.

[Amy Beth]

IMO, Bria peaked in the audition phase (and I loved her audition). Usher was going to take her into lives, come hell or high water.

In the lives, she didn't disintegrate, so much as she continued downward momentum.

I also lost respect for her after she steamrolled (no pun intended) her KO partner into picking the song better suited for herself.

[ScandalOZ]

You guys are all too hard on Christina and you are never happy. Shakira was too soft. Gwen was cool and fun but she didn't really stand up to the guys, didn't have any grit.

Christina approaches this like a guys would. She talks trash, she delivers blows occasionally. She won't allow herself to be pushed around. More women should do that but it's not considered lady like or attractive. And we all know if a woman is not attractive she is nothing.

[ToxicUnicorn]

Just listened to Sawyer's blind audition with a fresh ear, and I take back everything I said earlier.  His audtion was awesome.  I don't know what I was thinking.

Edited March 20, 2015 by ToxicUnicorn