10 April 2012

The Voice: First Live Rounds (part deux)

According to Carson, if you're anywhere near electricity you can vote for your favorites.  This week on The Voice, Team Adam and Team CeeLo took the stage.

  • Katrina Parker - singing Smashing Pumpkins' "Tonight, Tonight"
    • Definitely a different take on a Smashing Pumpkins song.  Katrina has a lovely voice.  It sounded a little pitchy at the beginning - the breathy phrases need a more breath support - but she ended on strong notes
  • Cheesa - singing Thelma Houson's "Don't Leave Me This Way"
    • A great song choice for her.  I am much more impressed with her on this song than with both her blind audition and battle round performances.  She sounded much better so props to CeeLo's coaching and her hard work.  (I agree with Blake.  It looked like a Solid Gold performance but that also makes me think of the original performance by Thelma Huston)
  • Tony Lucca - singing Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes"
    • He sounded really, really good in a song that is extremely well known.  That said, I felt he was straining for the higher notes and that might hurt him in the long run.  I'd like to see him do more of a "rock" song than a "pop" song
  • Kim Yarbrough - singing Adele's "Rolling in the Deep"
    • God, this is such a hit or miss song because Adele is so big right now.  The second the intro kicks in you think of Adele.  I liked how Kim gave it a little more of a soul/R&B vibe, used the growls, etc.  The verses were better than the choruses, in my opinion - that first "We should have had it aaaallllllll" was definitely off on the pitch.
  • James Massone - singing Norah Jones' "Don't Know Why"
    • First of all, I have to say I loathe that hairband he wears (the letterjacket is an affectation but it annoys me less than the hairband).  There's enough grease in his hair to start with that he shouldn't need a hairband, too.  About the performance....  He has a very N*SYNC/Backstreet Boys/Justin Bieber (ugh, I can't believe I just wrote that, I am not a "Belieber") vibe so the sweet little melody of the song fit his voice.  His voice is changing (as he admitted) so the higher notes were shaky at times.  (He works the crowd, playing to all the little teeny-boppers so I have a feeling he'll make it through on the strength of the voting)
  • Juliet Simms - singing the Police's "Roxanne"
    • I loved her performance.  Juliet has this great Janis Joplin/Florence Welch vibe.  I love the hard rock edge in her voice.  I would love to see her in the finals - I voted for her and bought the single (and, for someone who never votes in these reality competitions, that is something).
  • Mathai - singing John Legend's "Ordinary People"
    • Ordinarily I don't like the "little girl" voice-types but something in her voice is really interesting.  It was a nice take on the John Legend song.  I thought the jazz club/lounge style fit her very well.
  • Tony Vincent - singing Tears For Fears' "Everybody Wants to Rule the World"
    • It was a good performance.  I think I was expecting more "rock" in the performance.  I kept losing him in the lower register ("the world" kept getting lost).  I do have to say that he has an affectation where he tips his back to the right on certain vowels - it's distracting and perhaps ought to be ironed out.  (Congrats to Tony on being a new daddy!  That has to be so tough with all the new baby things to add the pressure of a competition on top.)
  • Karla Davis - singing B.o.B's "Airplanes"
    • I give her a lot of credit for going against her comfort zone with this song.  The first chorus was a little off (nerves) but the next was better.  The "rap" sections weren't awesome but she did spit the words out so they could be understood.
  • Erin Martin - singing The Bangles' "Walk Like an Egyptian"
    • I. Do. Not. Get. Her. At. All.  I know CeeLo thinks she's hot shit but I just don't get it.  She blew the introductory "Walk Like an Egyptian" - the backing vocal was on pitch and she was not.  It's really hard to ignore at that point.  I thought that was a terrible performance as a whole.  It was boring (aside from the dancers, they were hot) and she wasn't engaging at all.  This is a case of a voice affectation I can't stand.  Sorry, CeeLo, I have NOT acquired that particular taste.
  • Pip - singing The Killers' "When You Were Young"
    • The Killers was a good choice for him to go a little more rock.  He has a similar sound to Brandon Flowers, not quite as rough though.  He has a good sound and I agree with Adam - he needs to look less "trustworthy".  If he wants to be more rock'n'roll he needs to get rough around the edges (both vocally and appearance-wise - try not shaving and lose the bow-tie/suspenders).
  • Jamar Rogers - singing Lenny Kravitz's "Are You Gonna Go My Way"
    • Awesome.  He killed it.  I would also love to see him in the finals - I voted for him, too.  (Poor Blake and his dislike of production numbers)

Side notes:
  • Dear CeeLo: thank you for not wearing that fringed jumpsuit, you look very spiffy in your suit
  • Adam, unbutton your top button.  You are not Forrest Gump (whom, with that hair, you are starting to resemble).
  • Poor Carson.  I also didn't quite know what to do when Blake, who I find to be the nicer judge in general, pretty much dissed Adam's entire team.  Then Adam commented that Blake's jacket was the color of crap.  Petty, dudes.  Petty and not fun to watch.
  • Xtina needs to find another adjective besides "dope".
  • The eyeballs in the backdrop of the staging for Tony Lucca's song were too on the nose and excessively creepy.  CREEPY.
  • As per usual, the band is freaking awesome.

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