The Voice – So begins the real competition

Remember way back when? That long ago time when The Voice was about the singers and not the cheesy on-stage theatrics? (Oh … that’s right … that was just last season, wasn’t it?)

Well that nice little difference about this particular reality competition went the way of the dodo bird with the opening salvo of the live performances this week. Instead of quality singing, we got creeping fog and risers and theatrics and contestants tromping the breadth of the stage and an outdoor cafe-ish scene that made no sense and nakedness … just about all of which took away from the performances of The Voice contestants.

Granted: Some of those theatrics were needed to overcome what was lacking in a few of the hopefuls offerings. But it’s one of the things that’s leaving a bad taste in my mouth about this show that is slowly sinking into a same old, same old …

Jermaine Paul “Livin’ On A Prayer”
*ugh* Jermaine was more concerned with working the stage and covering every inch of it rather than the performance itself. Cornball and karaoke-ish. Sometimes screamy. In the opening 15 seconds I was already calling out for it to be “halfway there” …

Chris Mann “Bridge Over Troubled Waters”
Over-signing a song usually sounds like you’re … well … over-signing a song. Once in a while, it will work to your advantage. But those times are few and far between. Chris Mann’s version of “Bridge Over Troubled Waters” didn’t do it. While he may be good at what he specializes in, he is not “the voice” for this season. (Watching Cee Lo try to critique Chris while over-wearing that toupee wasn’t helping matters.)

RaeLynn “Wake Up Call”
You could see the defeat on Blake’s face as he announced she was doing a Maroon 5 song. (It wasn’t derogatorily intentional, just a little comical ribbing.)  Her performance was a little bit of a shitkicker. She seemed to ape Chris in over-singing the song … but to much better effect than he did before her.

Moses Stone “Stronger” / “Power”
Moses impressed as a rapper somewhat … sometimes. As a singer, he leaves a lot to be desired. Performing Kanye West tunes does nothing for him. You’d think it would work in his favor … but it didn’t. It showcased more of a need for dynamics in what he does rather than play to whatever strengths he has.

Naia Keti “Turning Tables”
Putting a twist on an Adele song could work against you … and voicing it crackly doesn’t help. She tried to emote, but it didn’t come out well. This was a mixed bag and I’m still on the fence about it.

Lindsey Pavao “Somebody That I Used To Know”
Lindsey’s got more of a “voice” than anyone up to this point tonight. But … she sing-song talked the tune almost to a point of drabness and it didn’t work for her as well as it could have. Not even the creepy mimes behind her could add any dramatics. Decent, but that was about it.

Jordis Unga “Alone”
She did put it out there. More convincingly than any of the others before her. Blake noted she worked the most difficult parts of the tune. I think he’s right. This was one of my two favorite performances of the night.

Sera Hill “Find True Love”
No one did really, really well this episode … but Sera topped everyone up to this point. Nice bit of voice showcasing, but the song itself was too Broadway or divaish for my taste. Still, I appreciated what she put out there.

Erin Willett “Living For The City”
Familiar songs usually do something for me, especially ones I really enjoy. There’s rarely any middle of the road with them and they go one direction or the other for me. This one? Worked just fine. Erin gave her own flavor to it. She’s got the presence and the wherewithal to pull it off. And she did. I did not like the way she started it out, but she brought it home. Worthy effort.

Ashley De La Rosa “Right Through It”
Something about this performance was awkward … off. A little bit frantic, but not that bad. The “angsty-ness” of it was what threw me, however. It didn’t nudge me in either direction as far as Ashley’s concerned.

Charlotte Sometimes “Misery Business”
*blech* Charlotte was on the verge of moan-wailing on a good chunk of this song. I like her, but this was a performance not to her advantage.

Jesse Campbell “What a Wonderful World”
I have personal reasons when it comes to listening and liking this song — it’s often a difficult one for me to listen to without welling up in tears. (It’s one of those “conundrum” songs for me.) I didn’t necessarily have that problem with this performance, however. What I didn’t like about it was the high range Jesse’s voice lended to it. Technically, not a bad performance — it harbored a few kinks, but wasn’t a bad way to wrap up the episode.

In the end, I wondered aloud if I was being “hyper-critical” about the contestants’ performances. I decided “not yet.” But … it’s coming.

Meanwhile, I predict trouble for Naia, Jermaine and definitely Moses.

Notes:

• Whoa. Reasonable hair. Distinctive yet uncommonly calm top. No strange chapeau. A bit too much eye make-up, but they can’t all be gems. What happened to Christina tonight? She was subdued in the fashion department and easy to look at for a change without the need to grimace or avert your eyes elsewhere when the camera was focused on her. And the downside … Christina? Don’t assume the other coaches are going to dis your contestant. React afterward, not beforehand.
• Cee Lo? Dump the cat … dump the wigs.
• I think I’ve gone most of the season without mentioning Carson Daly. That changes here: I’m so glad I had The Voice DVRd so I could skip his rankling commentary.
• Here’s my deal: At this point, The Voice isn’t about Team Tattoo, Team Alien Cleavage, Team Toupee or Team Country Boy. That portion of the show is over and done with. It’s all about who should stay and who should go. Nothing else matters.

Quotes:

“Are you allowed to grind your hips at that age like that … ?!?” — Christina commenting on RaeLynn’s performance

“I was actually waiting for Christina to start stuffin’ some ‘ones’ in some of those guys’ pants … there was male strippers on stage for God’s sake. What do you want me to say? There was male strippers on the stage on The Voice!” — Blake

Clacked by Michael Noble
on Apr 03, 2012 @ 13:10 EST5EDT