The Voice 2 - Live Round 1 - Team Christina and Team Blake - Live Blog Recap
Tonight, half of the Top 24 of The Voice 2 take the stage in the first LIVE show! American Idol better be shaking in their boots. After four weeks of battle rounds, I'm so relieved that the show is moving on to the next stage of the competition. Team Xtina and Team Blake will be performing tonight with 2 from each team being eliminated tomorrow night.
Who are you rooting for? Do you think the song choices will be more inspired and creative? Or, do you think they'll be duds?
I suspect that we'll get a mix of both. Those contestants the mentors want to move on will get better selection than others. Here's a quick video of the Top 24:
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Anyways, I will be live blogging the night's events. So, come back soon and often for my quick judgements on the talent. Oh, and tonight we get to VOTE!
Carson Daly reminds us that we can call, text, download songs, vote on NBC.com, and log onto their Facebook to vote for our favorites. OMG!
What the hell is Cee Lo wearing? He has some sort of muppet on his head, and that outfit? Um. Xtina looks especially gorgeous tonight. Go girl!
Jermaine Paul - Team Blake - "Livin' on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi
Blake advises him to live what he's singing. Great song. There are some major drums in the arrangement. He begins by entering from a lift in the audience. OMG. His vocals sound so good. He makes his way onto the stage and he's really working the crowd. Damn, he nails those high notes. Great way to open the show!
Xtina was impressed that he was able to swoop across the stage and really made it his own.
Here is his Facebook and Twitter. Check out his full performance HERE.
Chris Mann - Team Xtina - "Bridge Over Troubled Water"
He is the resident opera-trained singer. Xtina advises him to just be in the moment and that he has a "magical voice." Interesting song choice. It is a piano-infused arrangement, so his voice really gets to shine. He has a nice, clear tone. He just might be the vehicle to really take opera to the next level on the charts. ;) The crowd just loves him. I can feel emotion from him, but I just wish he gave a little bit more. Technically, he's fantastic.
Xtina gives him a standing ovation.
Here is his Facebook and Twitter. Check out his full performance HERE.
Raelynn - Team Blake - "Wake Up Call" by Maroon 5
Country girl! Blake tells her to make sure she has the timing right. This girl is a little pistol. The beginning is a little mushy. I honestly don't know what she was saying. Good thing I know this song. On the chorus, she really picks it up. I don't think this was the right song for her. Blake should have picked a Reba track. I get what he was trying to do, though. Her vocals were solid, but not too spectacular.
Here is her Facebook and Twitter. Check out her full performance HERE.
Moses Stone - Team Xtina - A mashup of "Stronger/Power" by Kanye West
This is perfect for him. Xtina tells him to kill it on the stage unlike anyone else can. The stage is bathed in red. As the song picks up with percussion, a dancer does back flips across the stage. This sure ain't Idol. Am I right? He has loads of charisma and stage presence. It's refreshing to see hip-hop represented. Maybe not the best vocal, but like Xtina mentioned, he's a different kind of vocalist. It's perfect for this show. That was hot.
Here is his Facebook and Twitter. Check out his full performance HERE.
Naia Kete - Team Blake - "Turning Tables" by Adele
Why this song?! OMG. The arrangement is quite sparse, save for her strumming (ever so lightly) on the guitar. Strings and piano slowly trickle in. She's not the strongest vocalist, but her tone is great. Her artistry is evident with this. I wasn't a fan of hers before, but I think I am now. I wanna hear the recorded track. There seems to be some natural cracks to her voice, and at times, on the higher register, she is straining. Overall, though, I loved this.
Xtina pauses...and says it was "cool." She said she would have preferred to hear the reggae version.
Here is her Facebook and Twitter. Check out her full performance HERE.
Lindsay Pavao - Team Xtina - "Somebody That I Used to Know"
Oh, great song! Xtina tells her to match the energy of the band on the choruses. There are masked dancers! OMG. Creepy. She's seated in between them. Oh. Her voice has a lovely tone. She's subdued on the first verse, and then blasts open on the chorus. She doesn't have a huge voice, but like Xtina said, she has texture--which I adore. Fantastic.
"Those clown suits freak me out," Adam starts off. (OMG ME TOO!) He wanted to feel more strength on the chorus.
Here is her Facebook and Twitter. Check out her full (or partial) performance HERE.
Jordis Unga - Team Blake - "Alone" by Heart
OMG. This song!!! She's seated simply in the audience. This is the perfect song for her. She makes her way to the center stage. She has some nice melodic changes. Once the chorus kicks in, her vocals soar into high gear. Then, midway, she pulls back the bridge, before plowing down with some vocal runs. DAMN GIRL! I think you just sailed into the next round! VOTE VOTE VOTE!!!
Blake said she really took a risk. Yay!
Here is her Facebook and Twitter. Check out her full performance HERE.
Sera Hill - Team Xtina - "Find Your Love" by Drake
Xtina advises that it's more about swag than singing sweetly. She's seated on the stage amidst lots of shirtless guys. She's in a all white pants suit. Vocally, it's solid, but doesn't give me anything especially unique or different. She is working the stage, so there's that. Towards the end, some of the runs are all over the place (pitchy). Definitely not as good as her audition.
Here is her Facebook and Twitter. Check out her full performance HERE.
Erin Willett - Team Blake - "Living for the City" by Stevie Wonder
Blake tells her she has a tendency to over think things. The stage is decked out in old time fashion. She's seated at a piano. OMG. I love her hair! She was one of my favorite gals during the battle rounds. Midway through, she gets up from the piano. Damn girl, work it. She adds character and vocal power at just the right times. AWESOME!
Blake gives her a standing ovation and says it was the best vocal and passion of the night. Heh. Cee Lo said she had a lot of soul.
Here is here Facebook and Twitter. Check out her full performance HERE.
Ashley De La Rosa - Team Xtina - "Right Through You" by Alanis Morissette
Oh. Great song. She's on the center stag with lots of lasers. OMG. Her vocals are solid, but this may not have been the right song for her. Xtina should have gone more mainstream pop or R&B with her. However, I do love this girls tone. It's quirky...but powerful. With the right song and arrangement, she could do great things. I'm just not completely feeling this. Hopefully she stays around another week, though.
Adam said she was the most-improved of the night.
Here is her Facebook and Twitter. Check out her full performance HERE.
Charlotte Sometimes - Team Blake - "Misery Business" by Paramore
Oh. Cool song. Blake says she's full of crap. LOL. She's softened the song. The arrangement is primarily piano. The stage is bathed in blue. Eery. She has an interesting tone, but I can't quite understand what she's saying. Despite her lack of enunciation, her vocals are pretty good. She really nails on the high notes. I appreciate what she wanted to do with the song, but it lacked in...something.
Xtina applauded her for taking the song big where it needed to be and pulling it back where it needed to be.
Here is her Facebook and Twitter. Check out her full performance HERE.
Jesse Campbell - Team Xtina - "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong
He's closing the show! Center stage, bathed in a single light, he starts out the performance with a piano-infused arrangement. Then, the rest of the band and orchestra kicks in. This is a lazy song choice, but his vocals are great. He's one of my favorite guys. As the song progresses, he doesn't quite take it where I expected (he should have gone bigger sooner). At the end, he slams in some great high notes and vocal runs. He can SANG!
Adam says he's the dude to beat. OMG.
Here is his Facebook and Twitter. Check out his full performance HERE.
Top 2: Erin, Jordis
Middle: Jesse, Lindsay, Naia, Charlotte, Chris, Moses
Bottom 2 Blake: Raelynn, Jermaine
Bottom 2 Xtina: Sera, Ashley
Who was your favorite? Who will be eliminated?