Many viewers said that The voice is not really about candidates, it’s about the coaches – and they can have an opinion.
But after Monday’s introduction of Chance the Rapper and Niall Horan into the mix (read the recap here), I was… pretty much okay with it. They were bright and funny and, above all, engaged; there was none of the “Hey, what’s up” feelings that we’ve had from some coaches who’ve been there and gotten the T-shirt over the past few seasons.
Moreover, some of the talents showed real promise. Take, for example, former team member Kelly Clarkson who returned Tuesday with reinforcements after half a dozen seasons to compete again. WHO? Continue reading…
Sheer Element (Team Kelly), “Leave the Door Open” — Rating: A | Not quite as slick but smoother than silk, this trio of USC alumni – including Jej Vinson of Kelly’s Season 16 team – delivered an absolutely gorgeous take on the R&B smash that earned rounds of praise. chair to all coaches except Blake Shelton. And take it for what it’s worth, because I never do that: I actually went back and saw the number again, it was so good. (Want to do the same? Click below.)
Carlos Rising (Team Blake), “Changing the World” — Grade: C+ | The 28-year-old, who remembered Kelly as one of his earliest childhood crushes (ouch), did a perfectly competent job on his cover of Eric Clapton. There was nothing special about it. He had a nice tone (which Chance compared to Jamiroquai’s) and good control, but “nice” and “good” probably won’t get him past battles. Even Kelly, who toured with Blake, admitted she wanted to hear more dynamics.
Magnus (Team Chance), “Sara Smile” — Rating: C | Having aspired to a solo he had never been given while singing in choirs, this former college choir teacher finally had one on Tuesday. But, although his runs lasted for miles, there was a fallacy in the performance of the one-chair bend, as if he was not singing from the heart but sounding like someone was singing from the heart. At least his coach was high on him. Magnus left Chance ready to clear a space in his trophy case.
Kala Banham (Team Niall), “Both Sides Now” – Grade: A | Those first notes were so pristine that I would have immediately turned to Kala (pronounced like “koala without O,” she explained). In fact, she eventually won over all the trainers except Blake. (WTH, man? He’d never heard the Joni Mitchell classic?) Niall, who went so far as to block Kelly, marveled at the “brittle and tender” qualities of Kala’s vulnerable moments. However, his powerful notes were equally impressive. Live playoffs or bust!
Jimmy Fallon, “I Keep Forgetting (Whenever You’re Near)” | Ha. hyping It’s my jam by Blind Auditioning, the Tonight’s show the host made such a good impression of Michael McDonald that Chance actually seemed like he was fooled. As far as synergistic promotions go, this one was pretty good. But we better not have additional abridged performances later because of this!
So which of Night 2’s blind listeners made music to your ears? Vote for your favorite in the poll below, then hit the comments.