The Voice: The Battle Rounds Part 1 Recap
First off, I haven't been lazy. Actually, let me rephrase that. I've been lazy, but with my schoolwork and not this blog. My grades haven't been that great lately and as an incentive to do better, my parents shut down my wireless internet. But enough about my prolonged absence. Once again, I find myself about three (update: seven) episodes behind, so this is what I'll be doing while I still can.
SO! The Battle Rounds! in my opinion, the best segment of the voice. At this point in time, I've already seen the first three episodes (update: ALL), but for your sake I'll do my best to not spoil it for those who haven't yet.
First up, from Team Adam : Tony Lucca vs Chris Cauley.
To be completely honest, These two don't really make much of an impression on me, not the way others have, I do remember that Tony has a raspish, John Mayer-like quality to his sound, and that he managed to turn all four chairs, but beyond that, nothing struck me as particularly thrilling. Chris I don't remember at all. perhaps I issed his audition entirely, or maybe Nothing was memorable. Either way, let's just get this out of the way so we can get to the more exciting stuff.
Their song is U2's "Beautiful Day", a track I'm familiar with only because The Sing-Off contestants covered in season 2. It's a nice song, but I'm not sure about how it will work for these guys here.
When their battle finally starts, I'm unsure of how to feel about it. The version I'm used to has the singers all one octave higher than what's going on here. Since I've never heard the original, I guess it's open to inerpretation, but still, something about it just isn't clicking for me. Adam pick Tony. No suprise there.
Battle Number Two, from Team Blake: Adley Stump vs RaeLynn
Ahh. yes. Some good material to work with. RaeLyn is one of my favorite contestants, and I have a great respect for Adley after seeing this segment as well, especially considering how I brushed her off in the Blind Auditions.
Their song is Tom Petty's "Free Fallin", which I didn't think was country, but I'll just go along with it. It's clear that this will be a match from which we can assume nothing. Adley is a powerhouse, while RaeLynn is a stylist. Both are a bit concerned that their own voice will not be able to compete with the other. RaeLynn's mentor Miranda Lambert encourages her to only worry about herself, and that if she doens't have a big lung capacity or the vocal agility, then to not try it, as it will only look like she'e trying too hard. Similarly, Adley's mentor Kelly Clarkson tells Adley that she may need to hold back abit, in order to show that while she does have power, she is every bit as capable of going soft and emotional too.
The actual battle begins, and I love how stripped down it is, with a gentle piano solo setting the melody, a not so subtle change from the synthesizers in the original. RaeLynn starts to sing, and I'm almost wincing. To be brutally honest, she's pitchy, missing some notes entirely. I love RaeLynn and I want to see her succeed, but right now, she's doing herself no favors. Then Adley comes in, strong and confident, and it's clear from the audience's reaction just who they're rooting for. Adley accentuates her solos with a classical country growl at times, and I gotta say, I never gave her enough credit for her voice. At this point, it looks like Adley's got this one in the bag, but then in the second half, RaeLynn finally breaks out of her own, eventually completely stealing the spotlight with her own signature growl. And then, just like that, it's over.
This makes me uncomfortable. RaeLynn was great in the second half, but lacked consistency in the first. Adley was strong and consistent all around. As a fanboy, I would've picked RaeLynn, but as a music critic, I have to go with Adley. So when Blake chooses RaeLynn, I'm left with mixed emotions and an uncertainty about how to feel. I'm glad that one of my favorites gets to move on, but I'm disappointed it came at Adley's expense. She is quite graceful in defeat however, thanking everyone for all that they've done, and leaving the stage with her head held high, which is much nicer than the losers who simply walk off without another word. If only everyone could be like Adley, the world would be a better place
Third Battle, from Team Christina: Chris Mann vs Monique Benabou
While I do remember Chris in his entirety, Monique I had to go back and watch the recap in order to get a glimpse of who she really was. Anyways, Chris and Monique’s song of war is Celine Dion’s “The Power of Love”, which seems quite form-fitting for their loud vocals. I favor Chris moving on after this battle, and since Christina seems to have a slight favoritism for him as well, we shall see who comes out victorious since one can never make total assumptions.
It soon becomes clear that both of these artists, while astounding in their own way, lack a key element to their performance styles that could be the down fall of either one of them. Chris, being a classically trained opera singer, has near-perfect technicality, but struggles to connect emotionally with the song. Monique, on the other hand, sings every syllable with raw passion, but is a complete novice in the nitty gritty stuff, unable to even read the sheet music provided for rehearsal. Their mentors both tell them that they need to loosen up a bit, and while it is a competition, it should also be fun.
The battle begins simply enough, with moderate length solos for each of them before carrying off into the belting and forte during the chorus. At some points, it seems to me that Chris is overpowering Monique, and at other times, it seems the other way around. The song itself really doesn’t do anything for me, but it does do a nice job of showcasing both the artists’ abilities. The battle then ceases and the standard applause commences. I’m unsure about who will be chosen to move on, but if I had to chooses, I would pick Chris. While to other coaches are split between them, Christina ultimately declares Chris the victor.
Fourth Battle from Team Cee Lo: Angie Johnson, vs Cheesa
Cheesa was a standout for me in the blind auditions, partially because of her song choice, and partially for her powerful vocals. However, Angie has about ten years of experience on her from her army band career, and has a pretty dang good set of lungs herself, so I shall be eagerly watching every second of this segment to soak in as much as I can. Also, remember, this is Cee Lo here, the most unpredictable coach there is, so we should assume nothing and expect anything.
The track for this battle is “Total Eclipse of the Heart”, a song I’ve never heard of by an artist I’ve also never heard of, that upon further research, was written before I was born. I guess this really shouldn’t be a surprise, since until I was about 15, the only music in my world was Disney and country, but we’re not gonna get into that. This blog is about everything but me, so let’s just move on.
Almost from the start, Angie and Cheesa run into conflicts. Angie thinks Cheesa is showing off in an attempt to intimidate her during rehearsals, while Cheesa grows frustrated as Angie continually raises the key of the song, to the point where they highest notes become a difficulty.
The battle then commences, with a gentle piano solo in the very beginning, which then fades into haunting solos that alternate between them, slowly building in pitch and intensity until they reach the chorus. I’m already torn. Angie has a higher range and slightly better dictation (how well words are pronounced), but Cheesa has more soul and depth, and seems to be better connecting emotionally with the track. It could really go either way. I also have to give props to Cee Lo, for he never fails to give a memorable and emotion raising performance. The song reaches its high point, with both ladies singing their highest note possible, with the most force they can muster, and then it quietly fades back into the gentle tone it started with, with a really nice melisma from Cheesa at the very end.
I don’t know what to say, because until this battle, I never realized just how similar their voices were. If you replay the battle and close your eyes, at times, you can’t even tell which one of them is singing. Adam chooses Cheesa for her power, but Blake and Christina both favor Angie for her dictation and overall improvement as the battle went on. Cee Lo, however, declares the battle winner to be Cheesa, and thus the first member of his team in the live shows has been picked. I do feel bad for Angie, since it really could have gone either way, but since my opinion counts for nothing at this stage, I wish her the best of luck in the future.
Battle Blake Numero Dos: Brian Fuente vs Jordis Unga
It’s never a good sign when they don’t even show your entire full Blind Audition, and it doesn’t help when your competitor is one of the earliest standouts in the entire competition. Last season, whenever this scenario occurred, the loser ended up being the one whose time on-screen the producers cut in order to make sure each episode filled its allotted hour. I’m sad to say that I’m expecting nothing less this time around, but since I don’t know Brian that well, I guess it won’t be a significant blow to me if (see : WHEN) he gets eliminated.
Blake describes these two as the rock powerhouses of his team and that the winner of the battle will be the one who makes him want to stand up in his chair and do that rock-hand-gesture thing I suppose people do at rock concerts. Their battle song is “Ironic”, by Team Adam mentor Alanis Morrisette, another artist I had never heard of until now. While we’re on the subject of mentors, this year they’ve really stepped up their game. Last year was a bunch of foreign singers from as far away as Australia, but this time around, most of them are actually recognizable to me. Since we’re on a Team Blake battle, it seems only appropriate to say that Team Blake has the best two mentors out of the whole season. Both Kelly Clarkson and Miranda Lambert got their own careers started on television, Kelly on Idol and Miranda on Nashville Star, and that experience proves vital to the development of their pupils before the upcoming battles. Not to mention I think both are fabulous.
On to the actual battle. Right away there are some serious pitch issues. Aside from that, both of them seem shaky from nerves, which strikes me as odd because they were both pretty good in their blind auditions and were consistent in their rehearsals. I remember them both being told that they needed to better connect with the song, but it looks like that isn’t happening. Adding all that together, I’m watching a battle that, at its best, is forgettable. To me, this one was the worst of the night.
When the battle ends, Blake expresses his disappointment with the final results, saying that neither of them did the best they could have, but since he has to make a choice, picks Jordis, which, once again, is not surprise at all. If I ever have the balls to try out for this show, but lose in the battles, I can only hope they show all my screen time.
Battle 1.6 ; Team Christina: Jesse Campbell vs Anthony Evans
The single father against the son of a preacher man (see Serabee from season one) Jesse was perhaps the biggest and earliest standout in the entire show, being only the second contestant in the Blind Auditions, yet the first to almost immediately turn all four chairs. Pair him with Anthony, who feels the pressure to live up to his father’s excellent and formidable reputation as a religious man and scholar, and we’re set for an interesting battle that will eventually end in heartbreak, Anthony seems nervous, but Jesse is prepared to do whatever it takes to advance, even if it means personally giving the boot to his fellow teammate.
Christina chooses the Alicia Keys classic “If I Ain’t Got You”, which seems to be an out of place song for two males, but since there’s nothing in their power to do anything about it, we just roll with it anyway. I’ve never been a huge Alicia fan; indeed I’ve never actually heard the original, but I’ve heard enough coves of it to know the general sound and to know that the two artists here will be sure to have fun rearranging the composition with runs and all that fun stuff. Anthony, being the underdog, is told he need to really bring it and give it his all, while Jesse is told to reel it in some, as melismas are great, but that they are unwise to add unless the singer truly means them.
Lets the battle begin. Quite simple at first, the two of them sound nothing like Alicia, but it should be enough to hold my already waning attention span for the duration of the shortened performance. The chorus hits, then the bridge, then the chorus again, and that’s where the action finally, truly begins. Up until now, Anthony has been good, but Jesse has been better. But here, Anthony seems to have remembered Jewel’s advice to give it everything and gives an incredible falsetto belt that steals the spotlight completely at one point. However, Jesse isn’t finished yet either, and lets loose a series of blitzkrieg runs and notes that are more than a match for the screaming coming from the other side of the arena. The battle then ends, and I’m actually leaning more towards Anthony, but I already know thst Christina will pick Jesse, and then the other coach unanimously agree, my suspicions are confirmed. Anthony, like Adley, handles his defeat with a gracefulness that just makes hime that much more admirable, something you certainly can’t say for a certain someone who just got eliminated. But that’s another episode.
One battle episode down, four to go. . . .yay
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