S14.E19: Live Top 11 Performances

[Prin Holmes]

From TV Guide:

The top eleven artists perform for coaches Adam Levine, Alicia Keys, Kelly Clarkson, and Blake Shelton, with the hopes of getting America's votes.  All songs performed by the artists have been chosen for them by the viewers.

Discuss this two-hour performance episode here.

[Prin Holmes]

Tonight's song choices:

Team Adam

Jackie V.: "Strawberry Wine" by Chris Stapleton

Rayshun: "Try a Little Tenderness" by Otis Redding

Sharane: "Hero" by Mariah Carey

Team Alicia

Britton: "Perfect"  by Ed Sheer n

Christiana: "Umbrella" by Rihanna

Jackie F.: "Love Reigns O'er Me" by The Who

Team Kelly

Brynn: "You and I" by Lady Gaga

Kaleb: "T-R-O-U-B-L-E" by Train Tritt

Team Blake

Kyla: "Sweet, Sweet Baby (Since You've been Gone)" by Aretha Franklin

Pryor: "Night Moves" by Bob Seger

Spensha: "Better Man" by Little Big Town

Make of these what you will, because the show starts in less than two hours.

Edited May 1, 2018 by Prin Holmes

[MaryPatShelby]

I find it incredibly hard to believe that "fans" chose Love, Reign O'er Me for Jackie. I mean, it's a fine song (especially when The Who did it) but I just don't see tons of Voice watchers landing on that song for her.  Or for anyone, actually.

[Diana Berry]

Did Pryor forget the words to Night Moves? ( I was listening not watching at the time)

Whoever updates with the iTunes results.  Thanks in advance.

[sweetcookieface]

I'm somewhat surprised to say that my favorite performances of the night were Kyla and Spensha. (I missed the first couple of performances though.) Kyla's talent is undeniable - her performance basically jolted me out of my seat and commanded my attention. It was like a professional was suddenly on stage after a bunch of amateurs. I just hope she doesn't run into the problem encountered by a lot of big voiced singers, where they end up doing a lot of classic soulful tunes, but nothing that really conveys how they would fit into today's music market. And Spensha's performance was the first one by her that really sounded confident (and, for that matter, the first one that sounded country to me). Maybe her nerves really were impacting her previous performances. She looked absolutely gorgeous to boot (love that dress).

Of the others, I admire Jackie F's ambition, and thought it was a dramatic, entertaining performance, but I'm not sure all the notes landed. Christiana was good - not at the level of Hotline Bling or last wk's performance, but thankfully not the trainwreck some of her other performances were; she still has one of my favorite voices in the competition. Britt was nice and smooth, but I didn't think it was the most memorable performance. Britt has another one of my favorite voices in the competition, but I'm not sure that song really did her any favors. This was my favorite performance of Jackie V (that nasally tone/twang from previous wks was less evident here), but that's not saying much. Caleb bored me, as usual. Deshawn gave a good solid... karaoke performance.

[Dots And Stripes]

57 minutes ago, MaryPatShelby said:

I find it incredibly hard to believe that "fans" chose Love, Reign O'er Me for Jackie. I mean, it's a fine song (especially when The Who did it) but I just don't see tons of Voice watchers landing on that song for her.  Or for anyone, actually.

I didn't even try voting for anything. Anyone know how many choices there were per artist?

I thought overall this was a strong night. Nothing flawless, but a lot of good performances. I liked a lot of tonight's song choices, which helped a lot. The order of everything below is random. 

I would like Brynn so much more i she were a few years older. She's very talented, but her age shows every so often. Tonight was probably her best so far.

Britton felt a little like a jumbo-tron proposal. That was a lot for a relationship that's been going on for a few months and is long distance. He still feels like a pop start that could use some studio magic to smooth out the rough edges.

Rayshun was good! He's still not the front runner, Adam. It would have been even better if he could have dialed down the desperation (and runs) maybe 10%.

I really liked Kyla. Her voice was a little high for the song, but I love, love, love that song and it built some great energy. I also loved her sass after.

The most impressive part of Pryor was that he did manage to differentiate himself from the original even though his voice is very similar. Next to Kaleb, he's downright electrifying. Kaleb had a fun song but brought nothing to it.

I liked Spensha. Not my favorite, not my least favorite. The song was a nice fit for her. Verna is not my favorite and is in a competition for the least favorite. I found her performance annoying.

Foster was very impressive, but kind of forgettable. 

That leaves Sharane and Christiana. Sharane felt like she was off tempo. She's talented but that song got away from her. Christiana needs to stop slowing down songs. I'm bored with that trick. I'm bored by her overall. Looking back at everything, she and Kaleb would be my picks for the bottom 2. I'm bored by both.

[atlantaloves]

God that was bad. I only bothered to vote for three of them. Has anybody on this show had professional singing lessons? Ouch. I love the two big black gals who actually know how to carry a tune, and Britton what's his name. But that's it, they have thrown away all the real talent now. Barf. 

[Dots And Stripes]

Pryor is in the top 10 on iTunes.

[PhD-Purgatory15]

Thoughts based on ye olde ytube clips tonight.

The second Jackie V. started singing Strawberry Wine, I thought "that's it"...I've been trying to figure out who her voice reminded of and it's the singer of that song. Deana Carter (also of Did I Shave My Legs For This fame lol).

Pryor can actually throttle back his voice and pretty it up ever so slightly. Consider me mildly impressed.

Brynn, I feel like that really straddled the line between good and off the rails (sometimes within the same phrase).

Sharane, has done the same gd song five consecutive performances. Can we get something other than an overwrought ballad please?

Kyla I will continue to ignore because I just don't care. If Frenchie Davis or Sisaundra (each miles better) can't win the Voice, then Kyla sure as heck isn't going to either.

Jackie F....The Who? Really? I will say that in the choruses her voice does have a little bit off an epic quality. Too bad the verses were way off.

Rayshun is still here, and probably heading for another twitter save performance. Literally the word restraint does not compute in his brain.

Christiana, Oh dear this was not good. What the heck was up with her weird falsetto? It's like her voice dissolved into like a pet's squeaky chew toy. Multiple times throughout the whole song!

Britton is probably winning this whole thing. Yay?

With each performance, I become a little more convinced that Nashville and modern country radio will have to reckon with Spensha after this show whether she wins or not.

Dear God the Kaleb that exists now is only tangentially related to the Kaleb from the Blinds. He gets more and more dated with every new performance. And 'Murica is probably going to eat it up all the way to the finale. Sigh.

Edited May 1, 2018 by PhD-Purgatory15

[kelslamu]

Man I want to hear what the judges hear.  It's either better than what I'm getting or they are lying their butts off.  Christiana's take on Umbrella about killed me.  I had to mute her.  I don't get the love for Pryor at all.  I just wish the judges would really match songs to the contestants rather than listen to fans or have them do a different version of their favorite song.  I absolutely hate to say that I'm liking AI a bit better and I'm not really into that.  Just gotta give up these shows instead of waiting to be truly entertained I guess.

[Prin Holmes]

Thoughts on tonight's performances:

Pryor: More of the same from him.  Once again, more screaming with the volume turned up to eleven  right away.  He's on Blake's team, though, and he got his seal of approval, so it'll chart high, unquestionably.

Sharane: This was a bit of a comedown from her previous performances.  One should never attempt Mariah for any reason.  Even worse, she did the one song of Mariah's that she herself hates.  And Sharane just showed why she (Mariah) hates it.  I think she has her ticket to the bottom two punched tomorrow unless someone messes up a lot more.

Kaleb: It was good to see him do a fast song, but he had to fight with the band a lot tonight.  But even with the parts I could actually hear, it was just okay.  If there is going to be a battle of the country guys, I can easily say that Pryor is going to beat him, at this rate.

Jackie F.: Now, this is the Jackie F. I know and love!  That was an excellent improvement from last week!  She simply played that song, and I was very, very impressed.  The only thing I wish she had done was take the song in its original context rather than flip it into her own arrangement.  Still, she fully deserved the four-coach standing ovation.  Hopefully, she gets through tomorrow with no trouble.

Jackie V.: A good song for her voice, and she probably gave her best performance thus far.  A few pitchy moments, but on the whole, a very strong effort.  I don't really see her getting much farther, but with this performance, she'll likely survive tomorrow.

Kyla: Aretha was a good choice for her.  Unfortunately, I thought her performance a screaming, shouting mess.  I really don't get what the praise for her is all about.  But I guess I'm hearing something different.  She has a great voice, but all she does is scream, shout, and belt.  She doesn't sound like she's really connecting with her songs.  But apparently, the audience eats that up.  Oh, but @Dots And Stripes?  Sassing Adam and Alicia was not smart at all.  That might kill her momentum with fans.  I have already read comments by fans who did not care for that at all.  That's nothing for which to give her any praise.

Christiana: "Umbrella" is just going to be one of those songs that is going to be incredibly difficult to nail.  And unfortunately, I don't quite think she did.  There were some pleasant parts, but the rest sounded like a mess.  She might be in big trouble tomorrow.  That said, she could be a pioneer for a new combination of music.  She could be the first indie-R&B singer ever.  She has a nice R&B vibe, with some indie pronunciations.

Brynn: Hmm.  I don't think Lady Gaga was right for her.  Her studio version of this was a lot better than her stage performance, though.  She did the best she could with that, even though it wasn't her best performance.  She really could pull back on her rasp, though.  On the whole, not her best, like I said, but still decently solid.  She'll get through tomorrow.

Rayshun: Better then last week, but still not that great.  Too much screaming, and yes, like someone else said, it came off too much like karaoke.  He just might avoid the bottom tomorrow, but I think the lack of interest in him will catch up with him next week.  Also, Adam, if your contestant has to be saved by Twitter, he's not a frontrunner.

Britton: What a change to see him without his guitar, for once!  And he's with Livia Faith, who was eliminated in the Battles?  That's so cute!  As for his performance, this was probably one of my favorites of his.  He really nailed Ed Sheeran, which shouldn't be surprising, in hindsight, considering how well he and Jaclyn Lovey did in their "Thinking Out Loud" Battle.  A few runs were a bit off, but nothing overly distracting.  He did a fine job, indeed.  Either he or Jackie F. is unquestionably Alicia's main horse for this season.

Spensha: Little Big Town made sense for her to cover, but I don't get the praise for her, just like I don't get the praise for Kyla.  Aside from the pureness in her voice, there is not much else to her.  I totally get her as a black female country artist way more than I got Keisha Renee from last season, but she is still not that good, IMO.

Just my thoughts.

[Dots And Stripes]

1 hour ago, Prin Holmes said:

 

@Dots And Stripes?  Sassing Adam and Alicia was not smart at all.  That might kill her momentum with fans.  I have already read comments by fans who did not care for that at all.  That's nothing for which to give her any praise.

 

I said I loved her sass. Others may disagree. I prefer to see some individual personality. I can give her praise for whatever I please. 

[Prin Holmes]

Here are the iTunes results so far, which will be updated throughout the night:

4. Pryor Baird - Team Blake: "Night Moves"

6. Britton Buchanan - Team Alicia: "Perfect"

24. Spensha Baker - Team Blake: "Better Man"

36. Brynn Cartelli - Team Kelly: "You and I"

37. Jackie Foster - Team Alicia: "Love Reigns O'er Me"

38. Rayshun LaMarr - Team Adam: "Try a Little Tenderness"

43. Kyla Jade - Team Blake: "Sweet, Sweet Baby (Since You've been Gone)"

55. Jackie Verna - Team Adam: "Strawberry Wine"

84. Kaleb Lee - Team Kelly: "T-R-O-U-B-L-E"

98. Christiana Danielle - Team Alicia: "Umbrella"

187. Sharane Calister - Team Adam: "Hero"

So to sum it up, Pryor and Britton are guaranteed to get the first bonuses of the season.  I'm pretty sure it's out of reach for everyone else.

Meanwhile, Team Blake is all in the top group.  Again.  Team Alicia has two people up there, and Team Adam has on this week.  But poor Team Kelly makes up the bottom group, though Brynn is climbing, and climbing fast.

I completely expect Sharane to be one of the bottom two tomorrow.  Either Christiana or Jackie V. will be with her.  Maybe Rayshun, despite how well he's charting.

Will continue to update throughout the night

ETA: Pryor has nosed up, and Britton has jumped up into guaranteed multiplier territory.  Spensha has also made a jump, as have Rayshun and Christiana, the latter two to the point that they have passed up Jackie F. and Kaleb, respectively.  Brynn has also nosed up just enough to pass Kyla.  Sharane, meanwhile, remains very much at the bottom, and I'm pretty sure is guaranteed to be in the bottom two tomorrow.

ETA2: Last one before I turn in.  Only change in position is Kaleb nosing back in front of Christiana.  Everyone else has either remained constant, moved up without overtaking someone else, or actually fallen (in the case of Sharane).

ETA3: So in the final hours, Brynn and Kaleb were the only two to rise.  Everybody else fell.  But Pryor and Britton are guaranteed to get the multiplier now.

Edited May 1, 2018 by Prin Holmes

[SunnyBeBe]

 I didn't watch last night, except for a couple of artists, just watched the other performances this morning online and voted for Britton, Christianna and Rayshun.  I'm seeing a trend with my preferences.  I'm not sure what it is, but, I'm not as impressed with Brynn as I was originally.   The artist that I like the LEAST is Pryor and I'm not sure why.  Maybe, that's because I don't understand his appeal. 

[peachmangosteen]

I fast forwarded almost all of the performances. I wish I could just stop watching, but for some reason I can't lol.

I can't at Pryor being #3 on itunes. And I actually like him! Did he say any actual words in his performance last night? Anyway, I hope he wins because it would be straight-up hilarious.

[Tony Williams]

15 hours ago, Prin Holmes said:

Thoughts on tonight's performances:

Pryor: More of the same from him.  Once again, more screaming with the volume turned up to eleven  right away.  He's on Blake's team, though, and he got his seal of approval, so it'll chart high, unquestionably.

Sharane: This was a bit of a comedown from her previous performances.  One should never attempt Mariah for any reason.  Even worse, she did the one song of Mariah's that she herself hates.  And Sharane just showed why she (Mariah) hates it.  I think she has her ticket to the bottom two punched tomorrow unless someone messes up a lot more.

Kaleb: It was good to see him do a fast song, but he had to fight with the band a lot tonight.  But even with the parts I could actually hear, it was just okay.  If there is going to be a battle of the country guys, I can easily say that Pryor is going to beat him, at this rate.

Jackie F.: Now, this is the Jackie F. I know and love!  That was an excellent improvement from last week!  She simply played that song, and I was very, very impressed.  The only thing I wish she had done was take the song in its original context rather than flip it into her own arrangement.  Still, she fully deserved the four-coach standing ovation.  Hopefully, she gets through tomorrow with no trouble.

Jackie V.: A good song for her voice, and she probably gave her best performance thus far.  A few pitchy moments, but on the whole, a very strong effort.  I don't really see her getting much farther, but with this performance, she'll likely survive tomorrow.

Kyla: Aretha was a good choice for her.  Unfortunately, I thought her performance a screaming, shouting mess.  I really don't get what the praise for her is all about.  But I guess I'm hearing something different.  She has a great voice, but all she does is scream, shout, and belt.  She doesn't sound like she's really connecting with her songs.  But apparently, the audience eats that up.  Oh, but @Dots And Stripes?  Sassing Adam and Alicia was not smart at all.  That might kill her momentum with fans.  I have already read comments by fans who did not care for that at all.  That's nothing for which to give her any praise.

Christiana: "Umbrella" is just going to be one of those songs that is going to be incredibly difficult to nail.  And unfortunately, I don't quite think she did.  There were some pleasant parts, but the rest sounded like a mess.  She might be in big trouble tomorrow.  That said, she could be a pioneer for a new combination of music.  She could be the first indie-R&B singer ever.  She has a nice R&B vibe, with some indie pronunciations.

Brynn: Hmm.  I don't think Lady Gaga was right for her.  Her studio version of this was a lot better than her stage performance, though.  She did the best she could with that, even though it wasn't her best performance.  She really could pull back on her rasp, though.  On the whole, not her best, like I said, but still decently solid.  She'll get through tomorrow.

Rayshun: Better then last week, but still not that great.  Too much screaming, and yes, like someone else said, it came off too much like karaoke.  He just might avoid the bottom tomorrow, but I think the lack of interest in him will catch up with him next week.  Also, Adam, if your contestant has to be saved by Twitter, he's not a frontrunner.

Britton: What a change to see him without his guitar, for once!  And he's with Livia Faith, who was eliminated in the Battles?  That's so cute!  As for his performance, this was probably one of my favorites of his.  He really nailed Ed Sheeran, which shouldn't be surprising, in hindsight, considering how well he and Jaclyn Lovey did in their "Thinking Out Loud" Battle.  A few runs were a bit off, but nothing overly distracting.  He did a fine job, indeed.  Either he or Jackie F. is unquestionably Alicia's main horse for this season.

Spensha: Little Big Town made sense for her to cover, but I don't get the praise for her, just like I don't get the praise for Kyla.  Aside from the pureness in her voice, there is not much else to her.  I totally get her as a black female country artist way more than I got Keisha Renee from last season, but she is still not that good, IMO.

Just my thoughts.

I am the ultimate Aretha fan and Kyla did an excellent job.  As far as sass:  The truth can be jarring.  The voice Adam and Alicia heard last night is the same voice they heard when she auditioned.

They did not turn!  So do not pretend to cry about it now.

Regarding the comments on Rayshun's performance.  Do much screaming and lack of restraint?  Have you ever listened to Otis Redding? 

[sharifa70]

I think I’m suffering from Voice fatigue, and judging by the mere handful of comments here, I might not be alone.

Standouts for me were Kyla and...I dunno: my iTunes download of Janice Freeman on “I’m Going Down,” maybe? Anything from the “Good Girls” soundtrack? 

I still think Pryor doesn’t have a clue about dynamics, and though I didn’t fast-forward all of the performances they mostly left me completely unengaged. For me they’re becoming more and more just a group of inoffensive, generic singers who’ll fade away with most of the others as soon as the show ends. 

[SunnyBeBe]

40 minutes ago, sharifa70 said:

I think I’m suffering from Voice fatigue, and judging by the mere handful of comments here, I might not be alone.

Standouts for me were Kyla and...I dunno: my iTunes download of Janice Freeman on “I’m Going Down,” maybe? Anything from the “Good Girls” soundtrack? 

I still think Pryor doesn’t have a clue about dynamics, and though I didn’t fast-forward all of the performances they mostly left me completely unengaged. For me they’re becoming more and more just a group of inoffensive, generic singers who’ll fade away with most of the others as soon as the show ends. 

So true.  I will admit that I'm a little biased in favor of Britton, since he's from my area, and Rayshun as well.  If they weren't from NC, I'm not sure I would be watching at all.  lol  And when I think of how talented Brooke Simpson was last season....oh my...well, maybe, I was biased then too, but, I really thought she had great vocals. She was engaging, imo and I looked forward to seeing her performances.  Not so much this season for any of these artists.  ( She's been doing some things around the state since her almost win.  And, I think she has an album coming out, but, I don't know the details. ) 

Edited May 1, 2018 by SunnyBeBe

[Prin Holmes]

In the little bit of time before the results show begins, but I finally managed to post where everyone ended up at the close of voting.

[Kaiju Ballet]

20 hours ago, Prin Holmes said:

Sassing Adam and Alicia was not smart at all.  That might kill her momentum with fans.  I have already read comments by fans who did not care for that at all.  That's nothing for which to give her any praise.

I appreciate insights like this, as I don't have access to a lot of fan comments. It's evident that more goes into winning on this show than actual performances.

Also re: iTunes. When I saw the video of the huge auditorium filled with Caleb's "fans", I saw each attendee as several email accounts worth 10 votes apiece for the NBC website. Despite his sales not in the top 10, I think he'll make it through the next few rounds handily.

Thank you @SunnyBeBe for the Brooke Simpson update. Yes, that's a huge contrast with the people this season. The ones I rooted for have already been sent home.

[Dots And Stripes]

4 hours ago, Tony Williams said:

I am the ultimate Aretha fan and Kyla did an excellent job.  As far as sass:  The truth can be jarring.  The voice Adam and Alicia heard last night is the same voice they heard when she auditioned.

They did not turn!  So do not pretend to cry about it now.

Regarding the comments on Rayshun's performance.  Do much screaming and lack of restraint?  Have you ever listened to Otis Redding? 

Carson made an offhand comment about how strange it is that Kyla is on Team Blake. That's what made Adam and Alicia chime in. I don't see anything wrong with Adam or Alicia pretending they wish an artist was on their team, even if it's not true. It's a harmless lie meant to flatter. I also see nothing wrong with Kyla showing a little personality there. I like when people set themselves apart. It was all in good fun. I doubt Adam or Alicia were hurting over it.

[tpplay]

I liked both the Jackies last night and Alicia's young guy who sang the Ed Sheeran song (I liked him best of all and I haven't liked him before).  That's all.  

Pryor is - just - not going to make it in country music.  At all.  And he's awfully arrogant.  

I do like Kelly's country guy but last night?  Yikes.  So so so so boring.

Help, somebody - what's all this sass talk about?  (I always face forward through the so-called critiques.

Edited May 2, 2018 by tpplay

[TiredMe]

I’m still at a lose as to what people see in Pryor. He seems so generic to me. Since Britton seems like the best chance to knock off Pryor I’m gonna vote my little heart out for him. 

Christiana made my ears bleed but I usually like her so I threw her a few support cores. Poor thing that was terrible. 

Edited May 2, 2018 by TiredMe

[Prin Holmes]

32 minutes ago, tpplay said:

Help, somebody - what's all this sass talk about?  (I always face forward through the so-called critiques.

Last night, Adam and Alicia both keep so much praise on Kyla for her performance, but then Kyla had to ruin it by throwing shade at the fact that neither one of them had turned their chair for her doing her Blind.  (Only Blake and Kelly did.)  Alicia seemed to take it as well as she could, but it was pretty clear, by the looks on her and Adam's faces, that neither one liked it at all.  Hell, the entire audience reacted to that remark, and not at all positively.  Kelly and Blake seemed blindsided by it, too, but mostly played it off as amused.

[viajero]

I thought both Jackie's were greatly improved over last week to the point where they were the best of the night.  I also liked Britton for finally conveying some real emotion and Rayshun because he's just plain fun.   Kyla and Pryor were good, but very predictable with straight-up versions of songs that are completely within their wheelhouses.  Everyone else ranged from uneven to a bit of a disappointment.

Edited May 2, 2018 by viajero

[sharifa70]

3 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

So true.  I will admit that I'm a little biased in favor of Britton, since he's from my area, and Rayshun as well.  If they weren't from NC, I'm not sure I would be watching at all.  lol  And when I think of how talented Brooke Simpson was last season....oh my...well, maybe, I was biased then too, but, I really thought she had great vocals. She was engaging, imo and I looked forward to seeing her performances.  Not so much this season for any of these artists.  ( She's been doing some things around the state since her almost win.  And, I think she has an album coming out, but, I don't know the details. ) 

I liked Brooke a lot. Her cover of “What About Us” is still in heavy rotation on my iTunes. 

Rayshun is okay - I didn’t ff through his performance last night (though I definitely felt Duckie’s absence). I’m still waiting to hear what everyone else seems to hear in Britton. It’s not that his voice isn’t good, because it is, but I’m just not feeling him. Maybe next week....

[SunnyBeBe]

I suspect that Pryor has an idea that he is SIMILAR to country artist Randy Houser.  I LOVE Randy Houser.  He's awesome. My favorite is How Country Feels.  Link for him singing live with just his guitar in a studio, so take that into consideration.  He has a great voice, imo.  Pryor can't touch him.   I will admit that there is a little resemblance, but, that's where is ends. 

[Kaiju Ballet]

I forgot to add that Kaleb's performance seemed to be a really great showcase for the house band, which actually worked against him (IMO). They were more memorable to me than his singing.

[ChristmasJones]

I am no expert on how music is produced, but I find myself wondering how they set the levels for the lead vocals on this show vs. American Idol. On my TV, I have a very hard time hearing the vocals on this show. On AI, I can hear them much better.  To me, it sounds like the level of the lead singer on The Voice is set at the same level as the rest of the band, and so I can barely hear them. My TV is a flat screen and the speakers are at the bottom on the back, and I've had problems hearing dialogue in certain shows as well.  So that is what I thought was going on, but then I noticed I did not have that problem for American Idol.  Wonder if anyone else has noticed this.

[bluepiano]

On ‎5‎/‎2‎/‎2018 at 1:18 PM, ChristmasJones said:

I am no expert on how music is produced, but I find myself wondering how they set the levels for the lead vocals on this show vs. American Idol. On my TV, I have a very hard time hearing the vocals on this show. On AI, I can hear them much better.  To me, it sounds like the level of the lead singer on The Voice is set at the same level as the rest of the band, and so I can barely hear them. My TV is a flat screen and the speakers are at the bottom on the back, and I've had problems hearing dialogue in certain shows as well.  So that is what I thought was going on, but then I noticed I did not have that problem for American Idol.  Wonder if anyone else has noticed this.

When The Voice" started it really was about the voice,, and was different from American Idol in that they didn't have the overpowering band, army of back-up singers, and big production numbers. But after the first seasons the producers seemed to decide that America wasn't really all that interested in just hearing people sing, and started going in for the same kind of musical overkill as America Idol. The Voice evolved into being pretty much the same AI, with the band and back-up singers frequently overshadowing the contestant.

I confess I haven't watched the reboot of AI, but it's surprising to hear you say you can hear the singers better on AI. That doesn't say much for The Voice.

Edited May 7, 2018 by bluepiano

[Cramps]

No one has mentioned that Jackie Foster's boyfriend (shown in the audience with her parents during this episode), was one of the top 24 this season on American Idol. 

[Prin Holmes]

38 minutes ago, Cramps said:

No one has mentioned that Jackie Foster's boyfriend (shown in the audience with her parents during this episode), was one of the top 24 this season on American Idol. 

Is he still in the game?

[kassandra8286]

Oh, that's why he looked so familiar when they showed him in the audience! I was thinking it was because he looks like the boyfriend in Dear White People, lol. I do remember him talking about his girlfriend now that you mention it, but had no idea it was Jackie F. If they showed her watching his performance I didn't recognize her.

52 minutes ago, Prin Holmes said:

Is he still in the game?

No, he was eliminated when they went from 24 to 14. American Idol is on warp speed this year. They went from 24 to 14 to 10 to 7 and now 5. I think a week from Sunday is the finale.