Songland - General Discussion

[Whimsy]

Premiering May 27th.  This series provides a one-of-a-kind opportunity for talented up-and-coming songwriters to be exposed to and mentored by three music producers per episode who are responsible for today's biggest hits. The panel of producer-songwriters includes Ryan Tedder (lead singer of OneRepublic and Grammy Award-winning producer of Adele, Beyoncé and Taylor Swift), Ester Dean (Grammy-nominated songwriter and producer of Rihanna, Katy Perry and Nicki Minaj) and Shane McAnally (Grammy-winning songwriter and producer of Kacey Musgraves, Kelly Clarkson and Sam Hunt with 38 #1 country records). The series takes an inside look at the creative process and provides one winner per episode the opportunity to have their song recorded for a global audience by the chart-topping guest recording artists featured in their show.

[LakeGal]

This show sounds similar to the Canadian show The Launch.  Ryan Tedder has done both seasons of that show too.  

[sempervivum]

I'm kind of interested in this. I foresee lots of controversy over fan favorite songwriters getting screwed by having their song performed by the wrong 'chart-topping guest artist', unless the songwriters get to choose the singer?

I will also immediately change channels if we're subjected to sob stories about the songwriters.

[Angeleyes]

I caught this last night. I kind of felt bad for the songwriters because they had to agree to change their songs so much. They are in a vulnerable position of wanting their songs to be used and wanting to get paid as well as get their names out there. They can’t really stand up to the mentors. Ryan Tedder especially seemed to take the German guy’s song and turned it into a Ryan Tedder song. It sounded almost nothing like the original then John Legend didn’t pick it. Shane did a better job with the winning song of keeping the essence of the song while making it better. It’s kind of ironic that Shane’s contestant won considering there was a fight to work with Ollie and Shane lost out. 

[pezgirl7]

I'm surprised John picked the song he did. It was my least favorite and was a bit cheesy. But they did a good job of modifying it. I agree that the German guy's song was really turned into a Ryan Tedder song at the end. Even the lyrics reminded me of Counting Stars. But I liked the other guy's "throwback" song the best.

I loved watching all the writers tweaking the song together after they had just heard it. I'm in awe of people that have that talent. I wonder if that was really the first time they had heard the song though? I hope it was. 

[Gel]

I liked Ollie’s lyrics better before the changes.

[HolmesUltimateQu]

I really enjoyed this show! It was interesting to see a different aspect of how music is created. 

I wasn't surprised John picked the We Need Love song but it was cheesy. I loved Ollie's song much better and even added it to my spotify playlist. 

Ryan Tedder definitely changed that song a lot! My daughter and I looked at each other and both laughed and said that he turned it into a totally different song. 

I'm excited to see the other episodes. 

[realdancemom]

This show was interesting.  It's too bad that the country guy had to pitch to John Legend instead of a country artist.

I also liked Ollie's song the best.  I like the German guy's song too but at the end, it did sound like a Ryan Tedder song.  Wonder if he'll use it.

I think the winner's song does not sound the same as the original.  At first, it had more of a Reggae beat in some parts.  I do like the new version better but not for John.  She actually sounded better singing it.  John had a harder time reaching the high notes.

[Booklady1017]

On 5/29/2019 at 9:04 AM, Angeleyes said:

I caught this last night. I kind of felt bad for the songwriters because they had to agree to change their songs so much. They are in a vulnerable position of wanting their songs to be used and wanting to get paid as well as get their names out there. They can’t really stand up to the mentors. Ryan Tedder especially seemed to take the German guy’s song and turned it into a Ryan Tedder song. It sounded almost nothing like the original then John Legend didn’t pick it. Shane did a better job with the winning song of keeping the essence of the song while making it better. It’s kind of ironic that Shane’s contestant won considering there was a fight to work with Ollie and Shane lost out. 

They made it sound like it was almost a sure thing Ollie would win.

On 5/29/2019 at 1:58 PM, pezgirl7 said:

I'm surprised John picked the song he did. It was my least favorite and was a bit cheesy. But they did a good job of modifying it. I agree that the German guy's song was really turned into a Ryan Tedder song at the end. Even the lyrics reminded me of Counting Stars. But I liked the other guy's "throwback" song the best.

I loved watching all the writers tweaking the song together after they had just heard it. I'm in awe of people that have that talent. I wonder if that was really the first time they had heard the song though? I hope it was. 

I wanted the guy Ollie to win, because I liked his song. I hope at least that Ryan Tedder would use his song (the German guy) and give him credit. 

[RedbirdNelly]

I enjoyed the show and was surprised Ollie didn't win.

[DaphneCat]

On ‎5‎/‎30‎/‎2019 at 11:53 AM, HolmesUltimateQu said:

I wasn't surprised John picked the We Need Love song but it was cheesy. I loved Ollie's song much better

I was actually surprised he picked it.  The comments were preachy and cheesy and yet he picked it.  Did he really just want the "We Need Love" hook?  Yes, it was better, but it was still a terrible song.  Ollie's was much better, I would also have taken the German guy's song - but with less "improvement."

[adhoc]

After I realized that those few mediocre songs (YMMV) were all we were going to hear for the evening, and the rest of the time would be spent making them more palatable (from my POV), I turned it off. I might check back next week.

Honestly, while that one contestant was singing that unoriginal sounding song about love, all I could think of was "What the World Needs Now" by Burt Bacharach (sung by Dionne Warwick).  Now that's a great, original song about love.

Edited May 31, 2019 by adhoc

[chenoa333]

Well, I guess I don't know jack $hit about music because I NEVER would've chosen the song that won. I found it bland and boring. Like a bowl of Cheerios with no milk.

Now I'm kind of disappointed that I just might not be that into this show. 

Edited June 1, 2019 by chenoa333

[Sounder]

I thought "We Need Love" as a bouncy song the way it was presented would be a hit for a Rhianna type artist.......not John Legend.   It's the chorus that's catchy enough to have people singing along.........and like they used to say on "rate a record" on Bandstand......"it has a beat you can dance to".......so who cares if the lyrics are relatable?   They don't need to be.   As long as it has that hook.

[chenoa333]

10 hours ago, Sounder said:

I thought "We Need Love" as a bouncy song the way it was presented would be a hit for a Rhianna type artist.......not John Legend.   It's the chorus that's catchy enough to have people singing along.........and like they used to say on "rate a record" on Bandstand......"it has a beat you can dance to".......so who cares if the lyrics are relatable?   They don't need to be.   As long as it has that hook.

I agree. And I can't understand what most of the singers are saying anyway. Elton John was on a popular British talk show a couple years ago. He was talking about his song Tiny Dancer and said many people thought he was singing "hold me closer Tony Danza". 

[Darian]

On 5/29/2019 at 1:58 PM, pezgirl7 said:

I loved watching all the writers tweaking the song together after they had just heard it. I'm in awe of people that have that talent. I wonder if that was really the first time they had heard the song though? I hope it was. 

I absolutely loved that. I used to sing in bands and write lyrics just with my band mates, but  I never even learned to read music. People around me could riff like that and it was one of my favorite things to watch. I am in awe of it, too. 

I think it keeps the judges involved and engaged at a different level, too. Didn't think I was going to watch, but I enjoyed it a lot.

[auntiemel]

Ollie's song reminded me of young William's song from This is Us:
     

[rollacoaster]

I am loving the passion and energy that will.i.am and the other musical artists bring to the show! Their love of the music and the process of creation shines through. They offered excellent feedback, and it was so much fun to what them riff on the songs on the spot. The young songwriters are so talented, and so very lucky to have this opportunity.

Just saw the end! will.i.am is truly the best. 

[mtlchick]

Out of the 3 songs, I felt that "Be Nice"  was going to be picked from the start because it seemed to be the best fit for BEP lyrically (especially the "Be Different, Be Nice"), so I was sort of surprised he went all 3.  Invincible was ok after it was redone, but I already forgot about Boxes.  It didn't surprise me that Be Nice was featured at the end with a Snoop Dogg addition to boot. 

It's the first time I watched the show all the way through and I think it would make for a fair companion series for the Voice.  Maybe the winner can finally get a decent song from this show.

Edited June 5, 2019 by mtlchick

[radiochik]

I was pretty meh on this show after the first episode but was pleasantly surprised when I really enjoyed last night's ep.  When the artist is more involved in the process, it makes for better tv.  will.i.am seemed so excited about it all and I loved when he rejected the one song because sometimes you just shouldn't give a song away.  He thought that guy should keep his song for himself and instead wants to work with him on it.  Seems like a genuine dude.  I like Kelsea Ballerini so I'll tune in again next week to see if  the show continues to get better.

[Babalooie]

Music person here.  I am really impressed with the quality of this show.  The panel of mentoring songwriters is top quality and the songs I've heard from the budding songwriters in the first two episodes are radio play quality.  A breath of fresh air!

[pezgirl7]

I liked "Be Nice" before they changed it, especially the beginning and ending of the song. Didn't really care for the middle part where they sang be nice. lol

I think it's amazing will.i.am scrapped three songs from the album to make room for the three new ones!

[Booklady1017]

15 hours ago, rollacoaster said:

I am loving the passion and energy that will.i.am and the other musical artists bring to the show! Their love of the music and the process of creation shines through. They offered excellent feedback, and it was so much fun to what them riff on the songs on the spot. The young songwriters are so talented, and so very lucky to have this opportunity.

Just saw the end! will.i.am is truly the best. 

This episode was much better than the first because of the heart that Will.i.am brought to the show. I like how invested he was in all 3 songs and the ending with him  was great too.

15 hours ago, mtlchick said:

Out of the 3 songs, I felt that "Be Nice"  was going to be picked from the start because it seemed to be the best fit for BEP lyrically (especially the "Be Different, Be Nice"), so I was sort of surprised he went all 3.  Invincible was ok after it was redone, but I already forgot about Boxes.  It didn't surprise me that Be Nice was featured at the end with a Snoop Dogg addition to boot. 

It's the first time I watched the show all the way through and I think it would make for a fair companion series for the Voice.  Maybe the winner can finally get a decent song from this show.

I agree about it being a good companion show. I thought Be Nice too was the best fit for BEP.

7 hours ago, radiochik said:

I was pretty meh on this show after the first episode but was pleasantly surprised when I really enjoyed last night's ep.  When the artist is more involved in the process, it makes for better tv.  will.i.am seemed so excited about it all and I loved when he rejected the one song because sometimes you just shouldn't give a song away.  He thought that guy should keep his song for himself and instead wants to work with him on it.  Seems like a genuine dude.  I like Kelsea Ballerini so I'll tune in again next week to see if  the show continues to get better.

I couldn't agree more. I hope the other artists are like Will.i.am

[hnygrl]

Like others have said, after the first episode I was so not impressed. At all. But I gave it another shot.

And I'm glad I did. LOVED IT. And yeah, Be Nice was always going to be picked, especially after he cleaned it up so nicely. LOVE that song now.

It was so neat of him to choose to buy all three. Good on ya Will.I.am. Good on ya.

I like it. Legit songwriters. Legit producers. Legit stars looking for legit songs to perform/buy. It's really fascinating to watch them work.

[auntiemel]

I am getting serious Bob Harper vibes from Shane McAnally.

[RedbirdNelly]

I really enjoyed the show. It's fun to snark on shows, but I also like to have shows that just make me happy. Thanks for being so invested, Will.I.am. It really added to the show. I also think it really helped since the 3 writers were not naturally churning out BEP songs--so it helped bridge what they started with to a BEP song.

[realdancemom]

I enjoyed this episode too.  Will.i.am helped all four song writers.  Three of them are now in his album and he wants to help the fourth record his own song.  Ryan also didn't make the song sound like a One Republic song either.   Be Nice was definitely going to be picked but Ester was also the right person to help since it's more in her wheelhouse.  Bonus to have Snoop Dog in it!!

[Lyinfait]

I am really enjoying this show. I wish I had a group to collaborate with on my music. It just looks like such fun. And that is how the show feels, fun and refreshing. I dread next season when they "fix" it as they usually do. Right now, it is a perfect little summer show that makes me happy. It helps that the professionals are so into it. Fresh blood gets everyone excited I think. 

I want to hear the music of the new songwriters. Some of them have such lovely voices. 

[HerkyJerky]

I like the song that Kelsea picked but I LOVE "CRUSH"!  I can't stop singing it.  I wish that the songwriter and the female singer (what did they call her?  Annie?) would put that out as a single.

[pezgirl7]

2 hours ago, HerkyJerky said:

I like the song that Kelsea picked but I LOVE "CRUSH"!  I can't stop singing it.  I wish that the songwriter and the female singer (what did they call her?  Annie?) would put that out as a single.

It actually was released as a single, sung by Annie. Songland releases all the runner up songs on streaming services, like iTunes and spotify. You can also listen to it here: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=a6tx0_W2oAY

Edited June 12, 2019 by pezgirl7

[RedbirdNelly]

I love this as a summer show. I hope it comes back next summer--don't ruin it with too long of a season or too many episodes. I always like all of the songs and the process and end up rooting for all of them. I did really like the song she picked. Describing a relationship as one-sided is not exactly something no one has ever done, but I don't recall hearing it in a song and I just like how he pulled all of it together.

[pezgirl7]

I was kinda hoping they wouldn't pick Greenlight so that it would be released with Able singing it. He has a really good voice, I'm surprised he hasn't performed before. But I Googled him and he's had a lot of issues, so it's probably a good thing that he 's not in the spotlight where there's probably more pressure and temptations.

[adhoc]

Wow, they chose "Greenlight", I'm shocked. (sarcasm)

• Remmi sings "Flickering":  "Thank you for coming, Remmi, uh, beautiful song..."
• Ori sings "No Pressure": "Thank you for coming, Ori, wow you're 18, good song..."
• Rynn sings "Crowded Places": "Thank you for coming, Rynn, uh, nice song..."
• "Able Heart" sings "Greenlight": "Able Heart, you're so incredibly gifted, that was a masterpiece, we'll have to cut this part of the show for time because we're going to sit here praising you for the next 10 minutes...."

Not sure I've ever heard the Jonas Bros sing, TBH. And if that's their genre (along the lines of Able Heart), well, that's why. Not my genre. 

Also, TBH, every song bored me except Crowded Places. That song felt fresh and catchy--but clearly not a song for 3 men to be singing. Poor Rynn, bad luck not getting a female guest artist. And they totally destroyed her song in order to make it something palatable for the brothers.

[Whimsy]

8 hours ago, pezgirl7 said:

I was kinda hoping they wouldn't pick Greenlight so that it would be released with Able singing it. He has a really good voice, I'm surprised he hasn't performed before. But I Googled him and he's had a lot of issues, so it's probably a good thing that he 's not in the spotlight where there's probably more pressure and temptations.

Yeah, he seemed very broken.  I really hope he's getting the help he needs and this is the starting point of a successful career behind the scenes where he can (hopefully) stay healthy.  I didn't google him, but I'm guessing an opioide addiction from the painkillers for his back. 

2 hours ago, adhoc said:

Wow, they chose "Greenlight", I'm shocked. (sarcasm)

• Remmi sings "Flickering":  "Thank you for coming, Remmi, uh, beautiful song..."
• Ori sings "No Pressure": "Thank you for coming, Ori, wow you're 18, good song..."
• Rynn sings "Crowded Places": "Thank you for coming, Rynn, uh, nice song..."
• "Able Heart" sings "Greenlight": "Able Heart, you're so incredibly gifted, that was a masterpiece, we'll have to cut this part of the show for time because we're going to sit here praising you for the next 10 minutes...."

Not sure I've ever heard the Jonas Bros sing, TBH. And if that's their genre (along the lines of Able Heart), well, that's why. Not my genre. 

Also, TBH, every song bored me except Crowded Places. That song felt fresh and catchy--but clearly not a song for 3 men to be singing. Poor Rynn, bad luck not getting a female guest artist. And they totally destroyed her song in order to make it something palatable for the brothers.

Lucky for me, my daughters weren't really into the whole pop scene.  I take that back.  My oldest was but that was pre-Jonas Brothers as she loved N'Sync, BSB & Britney.  My youngest is more the Jonas Brothers demographic but her favorite bands are The Beatles, Led Zepplin & Fleetwood Mac (heavily influenced by me, of course).  She did like their show, I think though.  I also think I still have a song about it being the year 3000 or something that pops up periodically on my phone (we shared an itunes account).  Besides that, I don't have much experience with their actual music but I am super impressed by Nick!  He is just so knowledgeable about music.  I have zero musical ability in my body.  I love this show because I love seeing the process and how they can just instantly know how to make the song work for them.  I am so musically challenged I can't even articulate what I'm trying to say.  But every week I am super impressed about the producers and the artists just jumping off of what they hear with suggestions, etc. 

But, the Remmi "Flickering" song- was there even ANYTHING left of the original song in the end?  To me, it sounded like a completely different song with a completely different message. 

I didn't really like Greenlight lyrically.  Just not my cuppa.  I did like Able Heart though.

I agree with Crowded Places.  I really like that song both lyrically and musically.  I liked both versions but the first one was obviously more personal to Rynn.  Maybe she can record it herself. 

[foxfreakinmulder]

I like this show a lot. I like all 3 producers/songwriters they seem down to earth. I am not musically talented at all but think all the songwriters I've seen so far sing really well. I'm surprised they are not auditioning on singing competition shows. But I guess that's not what they want? I'm not familiar with the Jonas Brothers or their music and maybe it's just me but they didn't seem too excited to be there. I did like that they said they wanted to work with all the songwriters on other albums. I really liked Crowded Places. I wonder if other artist watch this show, find songs they like and contact the songwriter? So far Will.i.am is my favorite for taking all 3 songs. I know the show isn't set up that way but Kudos to him.

[auntiemel]

Crowded Places was my favorite of the three, as well. I didn't even really like Green Light at all, actually, and was struggling to see why everyone was creaming their jeans over it. I felt like all they needed to do was give the vocals the voice box treatment and it could've been an old Zapp and Roger song.

Crowded Places, on the other hand, had a memorable melody and strong point of view. I liked the line in the original version about looking up the weather where the person is. And I liked the little trip around the globe bridge in the revamp. Too bad. I thought it could have been a powerful, popular ballad.

ETA: My eyes rolled so far back into my head when Ryan Tedder said the reason he wanted to rewrite the entire song and retitle it was because the word "flicker" is easily confused with "flick her" accompanied by junior high school level "humorous" gesturing  - dude...just say you didn't care for the freaking song and wanted to enter one of your own instead.

Edited June 20, 2019 by auntiemel

[dvr devotee]

5 hours ago, auntiemel said:

My eyes rolled so far back into my head when Ryan Tedder said the reason he wanted to rewrite the entire song and retitle it was because the word "flicker" is easily confused with "flick her"

Didn't he say one of the brothers was likely to make that comment? At first I was like "Sure, Jan," but then it occurred to me that one of them probably did make that comment after the writer first performed her song and left the room, and they cut that from the show because the guys are trying to move away from their immature, teenybopper image of 10-15 years ago.

Also, thanks to Nick's facial hair, we now know that the artist's interviews do not take place on the same day as the songwriters first present their songs, despite the artists wearing the same clothes from the presentations. His facial hair was much more prominent in the interview scene, and I doubt his hair grows that much in one day of filming.

I woke up today with a lyric playing in my head: "Give me the green light, give me just one night." I looked it up and, lo and behold, neither Greenlight's concept or even its title is the slightest bit original. John Legend put out "Green Light" in 2008. If a one-hit-wonder had put out the song in 2008 I'd say, eh, no big deal. But when it's part of the songbook of a current and (very) popular artist, and the Jonas Brothers are trying to forge a new identity for themselves, putting out this song seems lame. And considering they didn't do a video for it, nor is it on the album they just released two weeks ago, I'd say they felt the same. (And it's not as if they didn't have the time to switch things out--according to her Twitter, the Leona Lewis episode was filmed April 2nd.)

Edited June 20, 2019 by dvr devotee
I a word. Plus grammar.

[adhoc]

Oh, one more thing. I think "Crowded Places" suffered from being sung by a mediocre singer (Rynn). Not sure it's allowed on the show, but she should have had a stronger singer/performer do the "audition" segment.

Random comment...  I'm amused by the "professional" names. Is this something that all song writers are encouraged to do? Or is it coincidence that 3 out of 4 contestants have these little nicknames?

Remmi = Rachel Smith

Rynn = Kathryn Kempthorn

Abel Heart = John Paciolla

Ori = Ori Dulitzki (look, his real name!)

[auntiemel]

5 hours ago, dvr devotee said:

Didn't he say one of the brothers was likely to make that comment? At first I was like "Sure, Jan," but then it occurred to me that one of them probably did make that comment after the writer first performed her song and left the room, and they cut that from the show because the guys are trying to move away from their immature, teenybopper image of 10-15 years ago.

That's true, he did say that one of the guys was likely to say that. In my mind, I put that off as meaningless buffer, like when people want to express an opinion but don't want to take the heat for it, so they frame it as, "I've heard people think..."

It didn't even occur to me that he might be paraphrasing an actual comment that ended up on the cutting room floor! DAYYUM! 🤣 I think you might be right!

[hnygrl]

Really not a Jonas Bro. Fan. At all. I do not like either them, their music, or their musicality.

But the song they chose is really really good, and what they did with it? Really good.

The other song, Crowded Places? I really hope it gets produced. It's really good.

This is a really good show.

[pezgirl7]

3 hours ago, hnygrl said:

The other song, Crowded Places? I really hope it gets produced. It's really good.

Here you go:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahjwYiObKA0

As I said before, Songland releases all the runner up songs on streaming services, like iTunes and spotify. 

[Raja]

On 6/20/2019 at 1:51 PM, adhoc said:

Oh, one more thing. I think "Crowded Places" suffered from being sung by a mediocre singer (Rynn). Not sure it's allowed on the show, but she should have had a stronger singer/performer do the "audition" segment.

Well at least two of the writers had another singer, once the pro collaborator and the other a hired voice rather than the songwriter to attempt top get the sale that I have seen in the second round so far. They both said it was gender matching the artist though. 

We just have to accept that the songwriters attractiveness, visual and vocal, was part of the audition process which made them one of the original four in the first place. And their singing had to be good enough for us not to turn off the TV. With the artist commitment to recording at least one song I will think that they have the incentive not to cut their best shot because of the performance. 

[Kelloggirl]

I've always been interested in the the process of songwriting, which to me, seems like magic, so was interested in checking this show out, and boy am I glad I did. I missed the first episode but saw the one with will.i.am, and man, is he a hoot! Loved it. So much talent, and good-natured mentoring, no fake reality drama, etc. Great summer show!

Although I do think the winning song choice is pretty telegraphed. But a minor nitpick, really.

[AwesomO4000]

Was last night's episode a new one?

Apparently I am awful at picking the winning song, because once again my favorite didn't get chosen, and in this case it was my least favorite one that got chosen.

I'm going to have to watch this episode again. I missed some of the beginning, and my favorite song was first, and I think I liked it better before it got changed.

[slaterain]

Yup - it was new. I also didn't like the chosen song and it was my least favorite of the three. Part of it had to do with the songwriter's style - I am all for a quirky voice/affectations in songs - but I had a hard time really hearing the song when she sang it. I would have been happier with either of the other songs (although I liked the really happy guy's one better as it originally was combined with the initial suggestions more than the final produced one). I think I will need to hear Meghan's version to see if it makes more sense - haven't had a chance to listen to it yet.

[Raja]

It reminds me ultimately of Rockstar INXS. The artist is looking for the best fit, not what the studio or viewing audience thinks of as the best 

[slaterain]

I'm not mad that she picked my least fav one - as I said - I still need to hear her version to see what she saw in it and envisions for it. Who knows - It may make me like it more!

I love that the artist gets the final say. Doesn't mean I can't kinda wish for a different song to win! 🙂 Actually there have been a few times where I have liked another song more but actually agreed that it wasn't the right fit for the artist. I do like that they allow all the songs to be available for streaming. 

[foxfreakinmulder]

I don't know who the pop guest artist is but she had great energy and seemed to be really nice. I didn't care for the song that was chosen either and when the girl sang it I couldn't understand a word she was singing. My favorite was the first song, I can't remember the title now but at least he's going to get to work with one of the producers/artist which is really cool. I wonder if the guest artist being female related to the song she picked because it was a female singing it and so she could relate to it more? I remember on one show one of the producers had a female sing in place of the male song writer to relate to the female guest artist that was on.

[adhoc]

Actually, although I liked NONE of the songs last night, I was very happy Mr. I'm-so-cool guy did not get picked. I thought for sure he was the one. (The guy they said looked like--was it Justin Timberlake? Or someone? That guy.)  He got on my last nerve.

Here's the problem I'm having with this show, and which you guys have already alluded to. It's not about who might have a really cool/potential hit song. It's about taking the songs of 3 people and re-formulating them for the singer du jour (or de la semaine, more properly).

Therefore, I really liked Rinn's Crowded Places, but not only was it not the kind of song that would be picked by the Jonas Bros, it had to be re-worked to be more like the kind of music they would do. And I hated the rework. It was like someone asked Rinn to do the song while on a major sedative. 

I'm glad all 3 of the selected artists get to have their songs on iTunes. But I wish TPTB would tweak the song selection process. (But I don't know what that would look like.)

New name for this show: Generic Song Land (How to plug in the right generic formula to turn your unique, if not-all-that-great song into a perfectly serviceable, and almost completely unoriginal, song just like hundreds you've already heard on the radio.)

Edited June 26, 2019 by adhoc

[Bridget]

Kole’s enunciation was absolutely non-existent - and I had the closed captions on! I couldn’t understand a single word she sang, especially during her first performance. I thought it was so bad that I was genuinely baffled that it was a contender.

All I kept hearing in my head was (an imaginary) Blake Shelton telling these songwriters how imperative it is to have a singer pronounce each word or else the audience stops paying attention. It’s quite true.

Last week’s winning song (pink haired guy who worked with Ester Dean & Jonas Bros) was a prime example of why shoving 747284 words into eight bars is never a good idea. From what little I saw (and heard), even the Jonas Bros were omitting words at the end of certain lines and it didn’t seem like it was on purpose. I just don’t get it.

Other than that, I’m loving the show. The chemistry between Ryan, Ester and Shane is palpable. From Shane’s comment that he still hasn’t met the Hemsworth brothers (from his vision board) to him thinking Ester was complimenting his shoes - he’s hysterical!