S13.E02: The Blind Auditions, Part 2

[Star Aristille]

From TV Guide:

The auditions continue as vocalists perform for coaches Miley Cyrus, Jennifer Hudson, Adam Levine, and Blake Shelton.

Sadly, because NBC wants to force This is Us on us yet again and debut the new L&O true crime series, this episode is only lasting for one hour.

[Babalooie]

Gotta love Red!

[Jabu]

Current team rosters/cheat sheets:

Team Adam
Dave Crosby (3)
Brandon Showell (3)
Dylan Gerard (2)

Team Miley
Janice Freeman (2)
Brooke Simpson (4)
Ashland Craft (3)

Team Jennifer
Chris Weaver (4)
Shi'Ann Jones (2)
Lucas Holliday (1)
Maharasyi (2)

Team Blake
Mitchell Lee (3)
Esera Tuaolo (2)
Keisha Renee (4)
Red Marlow (2)

Names in bold indicate an artist who has newly been added to a team.  Numbers in parentheses indicate the number of chairs to turn for each artist.  An asterisk indicates that this artist's Blind was montaged.

[bluepiano]

This really is The Jennifer and Miley Show. It's still early in the season, but thus far their need for constant attention has managed to push Blake and Adam into the background. Not a bad thing in my book, though the Jennifer-Miley "rivalry" could easily become as annoying.

That Indonesian woman was stunning, but the vocal on the Chaka Khan song was nothing special. I was pretty underwhelmed by all the contestants. And too much country for my tastes.

Probably my favorite of the night was Keisha Renee, because she showed a sense of dynamics, not doing the entire song amped up to 10. And kudos to Blake for mentioning that Ray Charles recorded "I Can't Stop Loving You," which is by far the most famous version. I'm convinced Jennifer Hudson didn't know that, as she said something like, "you're country, but you've  got soul," as if that was some kind of crazy, far out concept.

The 61 year old soul singer not going through was sad,, but still not as sad as the guy who returned after 10 years and still couldn't get a chair turn. And the judges didn't make it any better by saying "come back again, third times a charm." Like what, in another 10 years?

Edited September 27, 2017 by bluepiano

[PhD-Purgatory15]

None of the 5 who got through tonight grabbed me as much as Dave Crosby's blind audition from last night.

Another older country road dog for Blake to use as battle fodder.

Maharasyi was gorgeous and actually has an interesting lower toned voice, but that was so chopped up it felt like the song never settled into a groove which is a pretty sad outcome for a Chaka Khan song.

Three artists in (all guys), and I'd say Adam already has some strong artists which hasn't always been the case in recent seasons.

[SunnyBeBe]

What did you think of that last country singer?  She reminded me a little of a Gretchen Wilson style. 

[Rachel RSL]

11 hours ago, bluepiano said:

still not as sad as the guy who returned after 10 years and still couldn't get a chair turn. And the judges didn't make it any better by saying "come back again, third times a charm." Like what, in another 10 years?

Normally I feel bad for the people who don't get any chair turns but this time it just made me laugh. You sucked back then and you still suck but, hey, come back and try again...we're looking forward to rejecting you a 3rd time. Really though, you knew just from the song choice that he wasn't getting through, what a horrible song for a vocal audition. 

I really wish Miley would stop touting herself as some country music queen. Yes, her dad sang (crappy) country music but her own music is 100% pop. 

[SunnyBeBe]

1 hour ago, Rachel RSL said:

Normally I feel bad for the people who don't get any chair turns but this time it just made me laugh. You sucked back then and you still suck but, hey, come back and try again...we're looking forward to rejecting you a 3rd time. Really though, you knew just from the song choice that he wasn't getting through, what a horrible song for a vocal audition. 

I really wish Miley would stop touting herself as some country music queen. Yes, her dad sang (crappy) country music but her own music is 100% pop. 

But, DOLLY is her her Godmother, so, I suppose that gives her props. lol 

[bluepiano]

2 hours ago, Rachel RSL said:

Normally I feel bad for the people who don't get any chair turns but this time it just made me laugh. You sucked back then and you still suck but, hey, come back and try again...we're looking forward to rejecting you a 3rd time. Really though, you knew just from the song choice that he wasn't getting through, what a horrible song for a vocal audition. 

I really wish Miley would stop touting herself as some country music queen. Yes, her dad sang (crappy) country music but her own music is 100% pop. 

Well, that did temper my sympathy, because if you've been watching this show for 10 years, how could you not know that "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" was a terrible song choice. It's a performance feature, not a vocal feature.  This seems to happen every audition show. What don't people get about it being a "blind audition?" The judges can't see your slick dance moves. That guy was not that great a singer to begin with, and then to risk losing your breath by dancing is just plain dumb. (It also reminds me of how amazing people are who can dance all over the stage while singing and not have it affect their vocal - James Brown, Mick Jagger etc.)

"Tell Me Something Good" is almost in that category as well. More about showcasing attitude than vocal skills. She kind of just eked through at the end.

25 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

But, DOLLY is her Godmother, so, I suppose that gives her props. lol 

It's because Dolly is her Godmother that calling herself the Queen of Country Music was so obnoxious. Dolly is certainly the Queen ahead of Miley. As are probably a couple of hundred other singers.

Edited September 27, 2017 by bluepiano

[MaryPatShelby]

I did not care for Jennifer coaching two (at least two) singers during this one hour.  I'm sure it's happened before, on the rare occasion, but she seemed to be wanting to use audition coaching as her "thing" and it rubbed me the wrong way.

[Darian]

I wish Jennifer would lighten up on the "what church did you go to?"  People can sing well without having a religious background and it puts singers on the spot.  This kind of nonsense can happen.   

[Wings]

On 9/26/2017 at 9:53 PM, bluepiano said:

Probably my favorite of the night was Keisha Renee, because she showed a sense of dynamics, not doing the entire song amped up to 10. And kudos to Blake for mentioning that Ray Charles recorded "I Can't Stop Loving You," which is by far the most famous version. I'm convinced Jennifer Hudson didn't know that, as she said something like, "you're country, but you've  got soul," as if that was some kind of crazy, far out concept.

I liked this too.  She exhausts Blake, you can see he is not fond of her and by the end of the very long run it will get intense.  

On 9/27/2017 at 0:48 AM, PhD-Purgatory15 said:

None of the 5 who got through tonight grabbed me as much as Dave Crosby's blind audition from last night.

Another older country road dog for Blake to use as battle fodder.

Seems Blake has several doomed for fodder.  

On 9/27/2017 at 0:48 AM, PhD-Purgatory15 said:

Maharasyi was gorgeous and actually has an interesting lower toned voice, but that was so chopped up it felt like the song never settled into a groove which is a pretty sad outcome for a Chaka Khan song.

I thought her lower register was awful.   She stretched it beyond what she could comfortably reach. 

20 hours ago, MaryPatShelby said:

I did not care for Jennifer coaching two (at least two) singers during this one hour.  I'm sure it's happened before, on the rare occasion, but she seemed to be wanting to use audition coaching as her "thing" and it rubbed me the wrong way.

Jennifer is overstepping her role to self aggrandize and show off.  I bet she is losing fans with her behavior.  I have never liked her. 

I loved seeing one guy she coached on stage choose Adam!   I am shocked anyone chose her.  

[bluepiano]

47 minutes ago, wings707 said:

Jennifer is overstepping her role to self aggrandize and show off.  I bet she is losing fans with her behavior.  I have never liked her. 

I loved seeing one guy she coached on stage choose Adam!   I am shocked anyone chose her.  

Yeah, she was 50-50 in getting the people to who she offered her "instant coaching." I agree that it was self-aggrandizing and inappropriate. Though I don't believe she will lose any fans. The people who like her will probably enjoy her showing off her "big personality."

Edited September 28, 2017 by bluepiano

[viajero]

I thought it was a fairly mediocre group in this episode.  No one was downright bad, but the only one who stood out for me was Ashland.  I really liked the grit in her voice.  She could be a contender.

[galaxychaser]

I only liked the last girl whatever her name is.

[TheGreenKnight]

13 hours ago, bluepiano said:

Yeah, she was 50-50 in getting the people to who she offered her "instant coaching." I agree that it was self-aggrandizing and inappropriate. Though I don't believe she will lose any fans. The people who like her will probably enjoy her showing off her "big personality."

That's me. I'm guessing the reason other coaches don't demonstrate like JHUD and Christina is because the majority of them can't. Just the idea of Blake or Miley lecturing anybody else on how to sing is laughable.

[chenoa333]

On 9/27/2017 at 9:32 AM, Rachel RSL said:

Normally I feel bad for the people who don't get any chair turns but this time it just made me laugh. You sucked back then and you still suck but, hey, come back and try again...we're looking forward to rejecting you a 3rd time. Really though, you knew just from the song choice that he wasn't getting through, what a horrible song for a vocal audition. 

I really wish Miley would stop touting herself as some country music queen. Yes, her dad sang (crappy) country music but her own music is 100% pop. 

And let's see how many more times she mentions that Dolly Parton is her godmother.

[Padma]

Just saw this one. And I have a question about the way Red was playing guitar. Is that a thing? I always assume they're really playing guitar, but I've never noticed anyone do it like that before. He was so relaxed with his playing and I realized he just didn't have much guitar-wise to pay attention to. It seemed he was pretty much just strumming the top two strings (sometimes one of them was open and sometimes he made the top note with his thumb, but still strummed only one or two strings, never much more than that.) Once in a while, he looked as if he was going to make a bar chord but he didn't. I guess it doesn't matter when you have a band backing you, but I don't think we'll be hearing him  just out there solo with guitar if that's all he can do.  Maybe I'm wrong, but that seemed very ... unorthodox , just a few two note chords,.. Is that some kind of down-home self taught guitar thing or the way singers learn to accompany themselves or....? It wasn't impressive guitar-wise, but it certainly seemed a relaxing way to do it, esp. when you're singing. Is that a common thing?

Edited October 5, 2017 by Padma

[Shades of Scarlet]

On 04/10/2017 at 10:29 PM, Padma said:

Just saw this one. And I have a question about the way Red was playing guitar. Is that a thing? I always assume they're really playing guitar, but I've never noticed anyone do it like that before. He was so relaxed with his playing and I realized he just didn't have much guitar-wise to pay attention to. It seemed he was pretty much just strumming the top two strings (sometimes one of them was open and sometimes he made the top note with his thumb, but still strummed only one or two strings, never much more than that.) Once in a while, he looked as if he was going to make a bar chord but he didn't. I guess it doesn't matter when you have a band backing you, but I don't think we'll be hearing him  just out there solo with guitar if that's all he can do.  Maybe I'm wrong, but that seemed very ... unorthodox , just a few two note chords,.. Is that some kind of down-home self taught guitar thing or the way singers learn to accompany themselves or....? It wasn't impressive guitar-wise, but it certainly seemed a relaxing way to do it, esp. when you're singing. Is that a common thing?

Yeah, it can be.  But you have a good eye!  As someone who has been playing guitar and bass for 30+ years I can tell you that I don't think his fingerings match what I was hearing.  That annoys me on principle, although I did like the guy.  Something similar happened on the first night with a young gal (hat-wearing?  Probably) who did a folk number with a guitar and got no turns (bummer, because I liked her voice).  She was apparently playing a pretty complex guitar part, but the fretting I saw didn't seem to match.  Then near the end came a single-note high whistle sound out of nowhere; could have been someone with a harmonica, could have been Jeff or the other keyboard gentleman using one of their synths, or it could have been prerecorded, but it certainly wasn't coming from the auditioner.  

On 28/09/2017 at 8:18 PM, TheGreenKnight said:

That's me. I'm guessing the reason other coaches don't demonstrate like JHUD and Christina is because the majority of them can't. Just the idea of Blake or Miley lecturing anybody else on how to sing is laughable.

I've never understood this view.  Blake can sing very tunefully although his range is not wide.  Miley - really?  She can't sing?  I think she can.  And Adam, like Usher, has a very contemporary and very strong "mixed voice" in the pocket with a well-oiled, highly practiced break between chest and head voice.  

Personally I enjoyed Jennifer's coaching because there's much to learn from this show about vocals, but since maybe S5 or so the show has rarely gone there.    

Edited October 11, 2017 by Shades of Scarlet
goofiness