The Voice, Episode 1: "The Blind Auditions, Part 1"
The Voice roared back to television last night and it was riding high. Sunday saw it beat out reigning champ, The Amazing Race, and win the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Reality Competition Show. Christina Aguilera and Cee Lo Green are back, joining Adam Levine and Blake Shelton. The originalm coaches were reunited and it felt so good, kicking the show of with a rollicking rendition of Joan Jett and the Blackhearts' "I Love Rock and Roll." It was nice to see Xtina and Cee Lo back in the giant red swivel chairs where they belong. I like Usher and Shakira, but I think I prefer the original lineup. It's not about the coaches though, it's about "the voice." So, let's look at the standouts in last night's blind auditions, that make me think this could be the best season of so far.
Kat Robichaud was the first contestant to face the coaches. The 29-year-old glam rock singer gained her love of music from her dad, who recently passed away. She loves David Bowie and Freddie Mercury and sang in a band for seven years. I thought her choice to sing "I've Got the Music in Me" was a little odd. She definitely has the rocker chick vibe going for her. I liked the rasp in her voice. Blake, Xtina, and Cee Lo all turned for her and that is when things took a turn. You could tell she was excited and when she was going for the high notes at the end of the song she got a little screechy. You could tell that Cee Lo really wanted her and was laying it on thick. It worked because Kat became the first member of Team Cee Lo.
Next up was 17-year-old, Caroline Pennell. Caroline described herself as shy and awkward, I would describe her as super annoying. Her cover of Ellie Goulding's "Anything Could Happen" was pretty much soundalike and that gasp when Cee Lo and Blake turned their chairs, was just too precious for me. Seriously, the chick reminds me of Kristen Wiig's over the top Taylor Swift impression come to life. It was just too much for me. She joined Kat on Team Cee Lo.
I was pretty much in love with 54-year-old Donna Allen the moment she appeared on my television screen. The brassy broad was a member of Gloria Estefan's Miami Sound Machine, but took a break to raise her son. From the opening strains of "You Are So Beautiful," I knew that my love was justified. She had a full, rich tone. It was gorgeous. I had chills. Adam and Xtina turned their chairs immediately and I was throwing a gospel hand right along with Xtina. In fact, I wished I had a fan in that moment, because it was getting warm in my living room. I was screaming at Blake and Cee Lo to turn their chairs. They didn't because they are dumb. In the end, Donna became the first member of Team Adam.
20-year-old, Matthew Schuler, is a multi-hyphenate. No, he isn't a singer/dancer/actor. He is a college sophomore/rugby player/bagel maker. After two bars of his cover of Young the Giant's, "Cough Syrup" all four judges had turned their chair. Matthew is a great singer, with a warm tone and he was pitch perfect, but I'm not sure why the coaches were so enthusiastic. He just didn't seem all that special to me. After many pitches, Matthew ended up being the first member of Team Xtina.
You could tell from the jump that 26-year-old, Nic Hawk, was going to be entertaining at the very least. He described himself as a cross between Amy Winehouse and Jessie J, the male versions, of course. Nic's rendition of Blu Cantrell's, "Hit 'Em Up Style (Oops)", started off shaky, but Adam must have heard something I didn't because he turned around almost immediately. Then, I realized that his voice sounds a lot like Adam's. That explains it. Cee Lo turns around too and they battle it out. It got real when Nic started flirting with Adam. I ain't mad at ya, though. It would be hard to concentrate if you had to look at him all day. Unsurprisingly, Nic goes Team Adam.
Shelbie Z., 21, is a hair stylist and a pageant coach. She used to do pageants herself until she gained some weight. Now, she is a country singer. Her version of Gretchen Wilson's "Here for the Party" was pretty paint by numbers. She was in tune. I did love her personality. She was very sassy and brassy. It was no surprise that she became the first member of Team Blake.
Josh Logan, 33, is a baby daddy who took time away from music to help support his son. Now, he and his porkpie hat are looking for their big chance. Josh's rendition of Alex Clare's "Too Close" was perfectly fine, but the coaches hit the nail on the head when they described it as just like the original. I didn't see very much originality in a lot of these contestants. Great voices, but there needs to be something that will make you stand out. If I wanted to hear something that sounded just like the original, I'd listen to the original. Be that as it may, Team Xtina snagged this guy.
Full disclosure, when I first laid eyes on James Wolpert, 22, I immediately thought he was a hipster douche. My opinion changed slightly when he said he was a student at Carnegie Mellon and how important a degree was. I was like, finally, one of these contestants has a legit back up plan that doesn't involve the words "do you want fries with that?" Then, he said he dropped out. Smh. Then, he started to sing Jack White's "Love Interruption." First off, a great song. It's one of the things I love about this show, they choose great songs. He had a really interesting voice. It was distinct, he wasn't trying to sound like Jack White. He was worthy of the four chair turn. I think Adam was a great choice for this kid.
So, there you have it. What did you guys think? Are you happy that Cee Lo and Xtina are back? Was that head tattoo real? It couldn't be, right? Xtina is looking banging, no? Were you impressed with the talent? Hit me up in the comments.
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