Male Fail #5

Adam Levine is the newest, and probably not the last, man to wear a dress. It's a total male fail! I can only imagine the deserved jokes Blake Shelton will make about it on The Voice.

A Darn Good Coach

Believing in giving a "Good Job!" when its due, Jennifer Hudson is a very, very good coach on The Voice. I think she gives Adam Levine and Blake Shelton a serious run for their money. Much like Alicia Keys did. I really don't like how often she seems to bring everything back to her and her career journey, but as far as doing a great job at supporting and developing her team, she's pretty darn good!

Ruining The Voice

Before tomorrow's post honoring the 35th Anniversary of EPCOT Center / Epcot / "IPcot"(to be coming our way sooner than I'd like), I just have to address something on my mind regarding "The Voice". Yes, it's one of my favorite television shows. The live music aspect is fun and the hook of judges initially not seeing the contestants brings some great surprises. However, this season is lacking in a few ways. Or perhaps there's just excess. Excess Miley Cyrus, admittedly slightly more subdued than the past; and excessive anger or something going on with Jennifer Hudson. Does the woman ever really relax or smile? The intensity level just slices off any sense of fun when she's on the screen. And shouldn't a show like this be fun for both judges and contestants? Thank God for staples Adam Levine and Blake Shelton. Otherwise, I'd be gone. Bring back Gwen, or Pharrell, or anyone for that matter- except CeeLo. He's just creepy.

Stars are Born

This is the year. NBC's The Voice has struggled since inception to have a break out major artist discovered a la Carrie Underwood and American Idol.  But no longer.

Can I brag that I accurately predicted the order of the Final 4? Jesse Larson was an easy number four as he had been in the bottom three before. Equally gifted Aliyah Moulden was my guess for number three. Still young and developing- and her final performances were not as riveting.

That left Lauren Duski and Chris Blue. Both incredibly gifted and consistent in their performances. 

Lauren's cover of Billy Dean's Somewhere in My Broken Heart is now one of my favorites. It's beauty strengthens with each play.  Her voice is at once classic and unique. Beautiful and understated. The Dance was equally gorgeous. Even ending the series at number two, Lauren will have a long career in the music industry.

Chris Blue. Wow! 24K Magic was great- the man has the moves of Michael Jackson and much stronger pipes- but I longed for his take on Uptown Funk. It took Kirk Franklin's gospel gem Take Me to the King to predict and claim that he should be number one. Rhythm Nation was just the icing on the celebratory winner's cake. 

Now, we all know the NBC executives have money on their mind. So, let me add my few cents. This is the first season of The Voice in which I've purchased their songs on i-tunes more than one or two times. Fourteen songs in fact by these top four. And I'll definitely be buying the discs from Duski and Blue.

Up to the Mountain with Brennley Brown

Let me say it simply: A country star is born with Brennley Brown and her amazing rendition of Kelly Clarkson's lovely Up to the Mountain. Adam Levine said it best: It's a Grammy winning performance. Watch it below.

Just One Happy Family

One of the cleverest commercials I've seen in a long, long time! Gotta love the fact that Gwen Stefani is back and replacing the obnoxious Miley Cyrus. Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, and Alicia Keys carry on with Carson Daly. Love The Voice's new season crew!

Class and Trash Come to The Voice

In a surprise move, The Voice announces that the lovely and talented Alicia Keys is coming to Season 11. Joining Blake Shelton and Adam Levine, so much class, good taste, and talent. The exact opposite of the next coach to be announced: Miley Cyrus. Enough said.

The Voice Loses in the New Season

I love NBC's "The Voice". Yet, the opener for this season lacks in so many ways. 

Blake Shelton and Adam Levine are back, bringing the show its original spark of bromance and wise old sage advice for hopefuls wanting to make it big in the world of music. They each continue to charm contestants, viewers, and each other.

Newcomers to the chairs bring much less than those who came before. Gwen Stefani seems totally lost. Pharrell Williams is monotone and boring, not at all like the recordings he produces. Even the opening musical number, the superstar performance, left me wanting more. Perhaps both coaches will shine in later episodes when they actually get to direct and inspire their team members, but for now, the show suffers compared to its best seasons with Usher and Shakira joining Adam and Blake. Even the singers themselves are less interesting. Perhaps its time to give American Idol another chance.

Sizing Up The Voice Performances

I continue to be impressed by the talent on The Voice. In fact, this could be one of the television show's most impressive line-up of singers, even rivaling the talent of judges Usher, Adam Levine, Shakira, and Blake Shelton. 

The true test of the appeal of the talent will be if the cash registers ring with sales. Aside from a few i-tunes purchases, I just haven't found an artist whose album I would buy.

This may change with Josh Kaufman. His blend of soul and rock hit the spot. I'd even go out on a limb and say Monday night's performance of the new tune by One Republic is even better than the group's version. That's saying quite a bit.

On that same vibe, Tuesday night's debut of singles by Will Champlin and Jacquie Lee left me cold. Their producers don't seem to know who these artists are, and the singers themselves seemed disconnected from the songs. Tessanne Chin, however, really rocked with a number that felt like a modern Whitney Houston tune without Whitney's unfortunate gruffer edges that she attained after years of abuse.

So back to Josh. And a plea of him. Please find the right producer who understands who you are and brings the best out. You may have found him in Usher. Just ask him- you never know.

I'll Be Your Adam If You'll Be My Shakira

Like the title of my catchy new song? I think it'd easily sell a million copies on i-tunes. Let's face it: The Voice is THE music television talent show. And who could be more fun to watch than Adam Levine and Shakira? Is it time for a duet? I think so!

The Voice's One to Beat

James Wolpert showed incredible chops and finesse doing Queen's great Somebody to Love, but it is Jacquie Lee that's the one to beat.    

Her incredible version of the Jackson5's classic Who's Lovin' You - wow- nothing short of stellar. Sets her apart for The Voice crown.

Voice Trumps Idol...Again

American Idol or The Voice? Watching both shows via on demand, I just have to say "Voice Beats Idol!" Shakira and Usher join Blake Shelton and Adam Levine to create the most playful group of coaches since Season One of Idol. Can't stop watching...

Lovin' The Voice

As a long time American Idol fan, I have to say that The Voice hits all the right notes. The nicer than last season Christina Aguilera still annoys me at times, and the talented Mr. Green's antics with the ladies are just creepy, but the constant bickering between bromancers Blake Shelton and Maroon 5's Adam Levine make for interesting television. Ultimately, the main gimmick does not tire out, and the contestants themselves are the real reason for watching. Talented and gutsy. It's competitive reality television at its best.

(Photograph copyright NBC/The Voice.)

The Voice Takes on American Idol

Just browsing through the selection of television shows the other night, and I happened upon The Voice. What a great surprise!While I expected this to be a slight variation of American Idol, this is actually something very, very different.The judges are actually the coaches as well.

The kicker is those auditioning do so without the judges being able to see who is competing. Brings the competition into a whole new arena. It's quite fun, especially when the judges turn around to see the contestant for the first time. Sometimes, they just cannot hide the shock on their faces when the voice doesn't match what the mind imagines.

Nowadays, a video friendly persona is a must, but it wasn't always that way. Back in the 1970's, artists were judged more on their craft than their appearance. Case in point: Karen and Richard Carpenter.

Over at A&M Corner, where many Carpenters fan congregate, there's always some sort of discussion about the poor image representation of Karen and Richard, their less than stellar album covers, and their fairly cheesy videos. It wasn't until late in their career that A&M Records executives finally understood how to market them. But back to The Voice...

All four judges/coaches, Adam Levine- the lead singer with Maroon 5, Blake Shelton, Cee Lo Green, and the always flamboyant Christina Aguilera, make for an intriguing team. Each brings wit, charm, enthusiasm, and in Cee Lo's case, a bit of raunch to the proceedings. (Why does it feel as if he hits on each of the female contestants? Is he trying to teach them it may take some moral compromise to get to the top?)

Adam- who has one of my favorite modern voices- comes across as very sweet and kind, while is Christina everyman's best friend. Blake Shelton, on the other hand, seems like the savvy music executive with a heart of gold. Always supportive but ready to make the right choice, showing great restraint in his selections. Think Idol's Simon Cowell without the bite. It's a nice change of pace.

Each judge builds a team of eight and the competition continues on from there. Lots of talent here and an very pleasant way to spend an hour. Sidenote: keep an eye on one of Adam's picks, Javier Colon. Not only is he an established recording artist, his October Sky duet with Vanessa Williams is an amazingly beautiful composition of his.

Once you check the show out, you may be hooked. The Voice has it all. I know I'll be watching each week!