S11.E01: The Blind Auditions Olympic Premiere

[Dots And Stripes]

Yeah tonight was all about showing off the new coaches. No coincidence they each won a round. Miley was fine for tonight but I'm going to need her to calm down a bit. 

I'm sorry Carson, but a coaches performance without Christina cannot be the best yet. 

[Valny]

9 minutes ago, venturestar said:

So, they're doing a premiere and then episode 2 doesn't happen until almost a month from now. This doesn't really seem like a great idea. I wonder if they'll repeat the singers that went tonight in the "regular" blind audition episodes, or if we'll get fewer montages. Eh, probably more backstory and commercials.

I really liked We McDonald, but Darby didn't really impress me that much. I'm guessing the Darby audition was selected for tonight more to show off the 2 new coaches then the singer herself.

Was McDonald the girl that picked Alicia? I forgot the show was on, so I just caught the last big note that everyone flipped out over.  She sounded great to me.  She looks targeting for the finals.   Wait, was there only two contestants they showed?

I know they did a dedication to Christina Grimmie and the end but did they say anything before the show started?

 

Yeah, I was bummed that we have to wait a few weeks until it starts up again.  The new coaches will definitely kick things up a bit. Looking forward to them, not so much Miley's wacky outfits though.  :)

[desertflower]

Fun fact: Darby is a background actor on the Disney show Girl Meets World. My daughter watches it all the time so  I recognized her, even though she was wearing way more make up than she does on the show. But a quick Google search confirmed it.  Guess her Disney friends haven't helped her out with her singing career yet. 

Coaches seem ok but I don't want to look at Miley's stupid flower outfit through the entire blinds. Guess it could be worse with her, though!

[vb68]

Alicia had me the second she said she wasn't playing and joking and that she was all seriousness.  I was hopeful that she might be one to cut through  all the crap that is the silly and painful banter that goes on between the Coaches.  More of that please.  Miley was just there, and honestly both Adam and Blake were phoning it in.  

[PhD-Purgatory15]

Immediate pre-hate for Darby when you did the math and figured out that her family made the move to California "for her music career" when she would've been 8 or 9. What? Did they chase her a Disney/Nickelodeon kid star dream unsuccessfully and then she later found her way into music? She didn't really seem to have a performing/gigging resume that would match up with living in LA for as long as she had. Vocally she sounded a lot like Ryn Weaver....but she lacked control as the song went on.

I don't know what to make the weird disconnect between the less scuzzy (or gritty, grimy, insert your own adjective here) Alabama Shakes-esque first singer's singing and speaking voices. Her speaking voice annoyed the heck out of me.

Clearly this was us getting hit over the head with the two new coaches. Mission accomplished.

[mnfe]

I really liked the first girl, but the second sounded shaky at times to me.  Maybe it was supposed to be vibrato but it just sounded like nerves.  And like maybe she couldn't hold a long sustained note.  I guess we shall see.

My husband is refusing to watch this season because of Miley Cyrus.  We'll see how she does.  I thought she did OK as the guest coach last season, but she's just a little....too much for me.  Ok, maybe a lot.  Just this half hour and I couldn't really stand her antics.  Not to mention thinking she looked ridiculous in that outfit with the flowers everywhere.  To be fair, though, I thought Alicia's shirt with the fringe was pretty unappealing as well.  I'm on the fence with this season, and this preview didn't really help with that.

Edited August 22, 2016 by mnfe
minor spelling

[walnutqueen]

7 hours ago, mnfe said:

I really liked the first girl, but the second sounded shaky at times to me.  Maybe it was supposed to be vibrato but it just sounded like nerves.  And like maybe she couldn't hold a long sustained note.  I guess we shall see.

My husband is refusing to watch this season because of Miley Cyrus.  We'll see how she does.  I thought she did OK as the guest coach last season, but she's just a little....too much for me.  Ok, maybe a lot.  Just this half hour and I couldn't really stand her antics.  Not to mention thinking she looked ridiculous in that outfit with the flowers everywhere.  To be fair, though, I thought Alicia's shirt with the fringe was pretty unappealing as well.  I'm on the fence with this season, and this preview didn't really help with that.

Aaaaaand, I'm OUT (say it in your best Canadian accent, eh!).

[roamyn]

Darby= Emily from last season.

The first one I'm already picking for finals.  And her speaking voice reminds me of Karise Eden of Australia Voice.

[RaDrCox]

Loved We. She's got a fabulous voice, very impressive for her age. Most young girls are afraid or uninterested in singing that low, but she does it well. Good song choice too, you can identify a lot of vocal weaknesses in a cold start like that. 

Hated Darby. Dollar Store Florence + the Machine rip-off. Disney hack. Stage mom. The whole package is unappealing in every way. The bones are good, it's not like she has no talent. But I'm so sick of every indiepop  vocalist imitating Sia, Regina Spektor or Florence Welch. 

I don't mind Miley's presence. Her persona is obnoxious, but she can sing and has a wide array of genre experience. And what can you say about Keys? She's just wildly talented. I'll be interested to see how she does. 

[limecoke]

Not sure I'll make it through this season.  Dear Miley, you are new to the show and we get that you're quirky, irreverent and loud but you haven't earned the right to attempt to dominate every episode!!  P.S.  You are not all that, either.  

[DrivingSideways]

I love Miley, and Alicia.  So after years of not watching this show, I'm back.  Miley is super obnoxious, but it's in a lighthearted way that mocks herself.  I totally get that she turns other people off though... but I'm looking forward to lots of duets with Miley, Adam and Alicia this year.

On a purely superficial note, I find Alicia's lack of makeup distracting.  I get that she's making a political statement, but as a man, I actually wish the solution to this sociological issue was for makeup to be acceptable for MEN!  I think we all look a little better with all the help we can get.  But I hope the Voice can resurrect her career the way it has Maroon 5 - she is scary talented and deserves to rediscovered by the new generation.

[Kromm]

22 hours ago, Valny said:

I know they did a dedication to Christina Grimmie and the end but did they say anything before the show started?

They did (via Twitter and press releases) when she died.

Quote

Yeah, I was bummed that we have to wait a few weeks until it starts up again.  The new coaches will definitely kick things up a bit. Looking forward to them, not so much Miley's wacky outfits though.  :)

She knows she can't show skin, so all she can really do is joke about that and go for outrageous instead. And really that's not inherently a bad thing. Her "Aunt Dolly" played that card for decades. 

1 hour ago, RaDrCox said:

I don't mind Miley's presence. Her persona is obnoxious, but she can sing and has a wide array of genre experience. And what can you say about Keys? She's just wildly talented. I'll be interested to see how she does. 

For me it's simple. Even if every other reason were invalid, she's still a welcome presence if there's even a small chance she can put the Blake's Country Army effect in check. 

[SnarkyTart]

Miley is such a try hard it's uncomfortable to watch.

[Steph619]

Miley's always been annoying to me even from her Hannah Montana days because she is definitely a try hard. I wasn't all that interested in watching this season because of her, but after Sunday's preview, I'll give it a chance solely based on Alicia Keys. Besides being a fan of her music, I really liked Alicia when she helped out Pharrell as a mentor on a past season so I would like to see what she does as a coach.

I did a double take when I heard We' speak. Her singing voice is completely different from her speaking voice that it caught me off guard. I see her as a contender with Alicia by her side because her voice is beautiful and powerful. 

[bluepiano]

7 hours ago, RaDrCox said:

Hated Darby. Dollar Store Florence + the Machine rip-off. Disney hack. Stage mom. The whole package is unappealing in every way. The bones are good, it's not like she has no talent. But I'm so sick of every indiepop  vocalist imitating Sia, Regina Spektor or Florence Welch. 

You nailed it perfectly. A Disney version of an "indie artist." And if she sticks around, no doubt we'll keep hearing about what an "artist" she is, since nothing screams artist like singing in an affected voice with mangled pronunciation. She announced her style with the very first syllables out of her mouth, and I was ready to head for the hills. There was also the obligatory thanks to her parents for giving up everything so she could pursue her dreams. The phenomena of parents who arrange their lives totally around their 8 year old kid never fails to amaze me.

I've been aching for new blood in the judges' chairs, but did it have to be Miley Cyrus? She's exhausting to watch. And listen to. She was okay in a limited dose as a mentor, but don't think I can handle a whole season. I may be baling early.

Edited August 23, 2016 by bluepiano

[backformore]

I didn't like Darby's voice at all, I was surprised that she got so much praise.  Then it became clear - she sounds a lot like Miley, and I've never liked Miley's voice either. 

Adam and Blake were background noise for this episode, so the new coaches could be introduced.   

[damnman]

Alicia yes yes yes! Miley not so much and I mean that in EVERY way. Hubby looked at me and said "I cannot stand her", I think he might be out for the season already.

When Darby mentioned that her family moved her to LA at age 8 I turned to Hubby and said, "hurry, grab the Granddaughter and lets go to LA so we can ride her coattails, she's only 7 we have one full year on Darby's mom". God that was painful and I have a real problem with the "indie" singers, that affected pronunciation is just awful. We was amazing but count me as one that was totally caught off guard by her speaking voice.

[Muffyn]

I did not like Darby at all.  I will be glad if she falls by the wayside quickly, but they do like to bring one "indie" woman through.  I assume that We was shown because it was a powerful audition.  They like the first one to be great, drawing us in for another season.  Darby was shown because both Alicia and Miley got major airtime with her.  For that, it was interesting how, during their duet, Miley sang over Darby, drowning her out and not trying to feature her at all.  Alicia was so much better at letting Darby be heard and trying to blend together.  Right there is a reason to pick Alicia over Miley as a coach. 

[Ciarrai]

Well I'm out. Even that relatively small amount of Miley Cyrus was enough for me to know that I will not be able to sit through an entire season with her.

[Michel]

I was into it.  Miley and Alicia bring a whole new energy that I haven't seen in a long time.  It felt very fresh and new.

Wé was amazing, and I agree that she might be finals-bound, save for a catastrophic performance or elimination decision on Alicia's part.

Darby . . . I guess I didn't mind her as much as all of you seemed to.  I think she'll do well with the right songs.  She said she does some of all genres, so at least she's willing to be versatile and flexible.

All in all, I enjoyed the preview and am just wishing that September 19 would get here!

Edited August 29, 2016 by Michel

[Gel]

I'm easily amused.  Miley's "I'll be your honey mustard, You'll be my chicken wing" to the tune of Honey Bee cracked me up.

[Court]

I don't mind Miley. 

However, I did not understand all the love for Darby. She was just OK. I found her personality annoying as well.

[MaryPatShelby]

I rewound a couple times to make sure I hadn't missed anything before the cold open of We walking onto the stage. "Yay, they're doing away with introductions/sob stories this year!" I thought.  Then when We talked about being bullied, I thought "Semi-Yay, they're letting the contestants tell their own sob stories this year!"  Sadly, I was mistaken, because with Darby we were back to the exact same old package.  This show could SO do away with the lengthy introductions and meeting the family; they wouldn't have to montage anyone if they did that.  

[amaranta]

Quote

On a purely superficial note, I find Alicia's lack of makeup distracting.

There are some that likely look better with makeup, myself included.  Alicia?  I think she looked beautiful.

[Ciarrai]

Alicia is indeed beautiful with or without makeup. The issue I see is that it's kind of a distraction. I was focusing more on how she wasn't wearing makeup than I was on what she was saying.

Take that with a grain of salt though, as I wear a face full of makeup whenever I leave the house.

[retired watcher]

I am so tired of the Indie girls wearing that stupid hat.

[Kromm]

3 hours ago, retired watcher said:

I am so tired of the Indie girls wearing that stupid hat.

There virtually always is a hat, I agree. Although this was more of a Folk hat (like something Bob Dylan would have worn in the early 70s) rather than an overtly modern Indie hat. 

[retrograde]

I dug Miley and Alicia and think they'll help make this less of The Blake Shelton Show.

I wish they'd interviewed Darby's siblings. Bet they were thrilled to move across the country for her "career."

[Kromm]

3 minutes ago, retrograde said:

I dug Miley and Alicia and think they'll help make this less of The Blake Shelton Show.

Alicia wouldn't do it, but I hope Miley has Blake's number enough to threaten to break that stupid finger of his whenever he puts it over his head and starts doing that asinine pointing thing.

Again, I'll put up with a lot of nonsense from Miley as long as she is at long last the person who puts Blake in his place. I will relish the first overtly country contestant they show who picks her over him (not that her own direct connections are likely that strong anymore, but she can sell people on how easily she can call up her Aunt Dolly and ask for the home phone numbers of any producer, club owner, and every last person at the Grand Old Opry).

[Michel]

On ‎8‎/‎24‎/‎2016 at 5:24 AM, MaryPatShelby said:

I rewound a couple times to make sure I hadn't missed anything before the cold open of We walking onto the stage. "Yay, they're doing away with introductions/sob stories this year!" I thought.  Then when We talked about being bullied, I thought "Semi-Yay, they're letting the contestants tell their own sob stories this year!"  Sadly, I was mistaken, because with Darby we were back to the exact same old package.  This show could SO do away with the lengthy introductions and meeting the family; they wouldn't have to montage anyone if they did that.  

I don't think it was that long of a package from Darby.  Actually, compared to other pre-audition packages, hers was fairly short.  So I think there's hope that they're doing away with the longer ones to give more room for other auditions and eliminate montages.

 

On ‎8‎/‎23‎/‎2016 at 1:18 AM, bluepiano said:

You nailed it perfectly. A Disney version of an "indie artist." And if she sticks around, no doubt we'll keep hearing about what an "artist" she is, since nothing screams artist like singing in an affected voice with mangled pronunciation. She announced her style with the very first syllables out of her mouth, and I was ready to head for the hills. There was also the obligatory thanks to her parents for giving up everything so she could pursue her dreams. The phenomena of parents who arrange their lives totally around their 8 year old kid never fails to amaze me.

I really don't get the hate being thrown at Darby for that.  For something like this, I'd throw it way more at the parent or parents who chose to do this before ever throwing it at the child.  There was plenty thrown at Peyton Parker from last season, too, when, IMO, her parents should've been the ones held accountable, not Peyton herself.

Edited August 29, 2016 by Michel