Spoiler Alert! THE VOICE Season 7 Premiere Recap; Full Results & Pics!
By: Matt Tamanini Sep. 22, 2014
I'm sorry Blake Shelton, I have rooted for your team since the first season of THE VOICE, but no longer. Yes, you are still one funny, country rapscallion, but I will not be pulling for you to take home your fourth VOICE title. Yes, your single finger "Pick Me" gesture is still one of the most endearingly dorky things this side of Zooey Deschanel, but I can't in good conscience pick you to win. Yes, I did root for your future wife Miranda Lambert on the first season of NASHVILLE STAR, but I can't root for you anymore. The reason? Two words: Gwen Stefani.
Other than Kelly Kapowski, Stefani was my first celebrity crush. No Doubt's "I'm Just a Girl" video made me an instant fan of their Anaheim brand of pop-punk. So, now that she has joined THE VOICE as a coach, her team is now, by default, my favorite. There's also some other guy who wears a big hat on the panel now too Pharrell Something or Other.
In all seriousness, with the exception of Usher's not so subtle egotism and CeeLo Green being, well, CeeLo Green, Mark Burnett and THE VOICE has killed it in recruiting big name, intelligent, funny artists to mentor the show's contestants. And I think that adding Stefani and Pharrell Williams to the "bro-tastic" pairing of Shelton and Maroon 5's Adam Levine is going to make Season Seven that much more "Happy" and possibly "Bananas... B-A-N-A-N-A-S." Sorry, I had to.
The strength of THE VOICE is its revolutionary "Blind Auditions." As much as I love AMERICAN IDOL and SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE, there is no more compelling audition process on Reality TV. But to be honest, once the competition moves into the Battle Rounds, I tend to lose interest, as the focus not so slowly, and not so subtly transitions from being on the contestants to being on the coaches. For the first six season, this has prevented me from really connecting with a single singer. While there have been some that I have rooted hard for (I'm talking about you Sisaundra Lewis), I've never felt an emotional pull to anyone on THE VOICE.
Ironically, it is the exact opposite on AMERICAN IDOL. I will be the first one to admit (and I did regularly in my IDOL recaps earlier this year) that the contestants on THE VOICE destroy those on IDOL, especially early in the competition. However, one of the few things that IDOL has done consistently well over the years is to keep the focus (mostly) on the singers. So, by the time we get through the exhausting auditions and "Semi-Finals," we have developed decently strong bonds (through the TV) with a handful of competitors (my girl Jena Irene).
I am optimistic that Pharrell and Gwen, who both seem to be genuinely nice and talented people, will be able to bring some of that connection and human touch back to the show, starting tonight.
As I will be all season, I will be live-recapping tonight's Season Seven Premiere during the show, and then doubling back and filling in full reviews of each performance afterwards. So keep one eye on NBC, and one eye on BWW TV World tonight from 8:00pm-10:00pm.
As always, I invite you to leave your thoughts about the performances, or your thoughts about my thoughts about the performances in the comments below, or on Twitter @BWWMatt. Also, don't forget to follow @BWWTVWorld on Twitter and Like us on Facebook for all of the latest news, reviews, and recaps.
I will be back after the show with full reviews of each performance, and any pictures that NBC makes available:
Coaches Performance
Songs: "Hella Good"
Three-Word Review: Drop Dead Awesome
How is it possible that after seeing horrendous judges' performances on AMERICAN IDOL for seasons, that with one song, these four judges proved that they are not only mega-massive-superstars, but are real-deal performers as well? If we are going to get a couple of performances like this all season, I am already going to go out on a limb, and call this the best season in the show's history! Disagree? Tell me why in the comments.
Contestant: Luke Wade
Three-Word Bio: Half-Blind Soul Man
Song: "That's How Strong My Love Is" by Otis Redding
Chair Turns: Four-Chair Turn!
Coach: Pharrell WIlliams
Three-Word Review: Hot Holy Damn!
This guy had it. He reminds me of Season Six champ, and Broadway's next Pippin, Josh Kaufman, but with a bit more stage presence and confidence. Coming from Texas, and playing in local bars, I figured he was going to be a country singer, but when he busted out some Otis Redding, I was shocked, only to be more surprised by how incredible he sounded. While I don't want to get too excited too soon, he legitimately has a shot to win this thing.
Contestant: Clara Hong
Three-Word Bio: College Dropout Immigrant
Song: "Chuck E's In Love" by Rickie Lee Jones
Chair Turns: Adam, Gwen, Pharrell
Coach: Adam Levine
Three-Word Review: Unique, Limited Range
Clara's first few notes were really incredible, as evidenced by the fact that Adam and Gwen turned their chairs almost immediately, but after that, I really wasn't feeling her performance. As Pharrell said, her tone is "silk," but she had some serious enunciation issues. Now, granted, English is her second language, but her lack of consonants was distracting. Gwen noted Clara's stage presence, but apparently it was much more impressive in the studio, than it was on TV, because I didn't see it. Also, when she did get to the power notes, I was hoping that there would be a bigger pay off, but her song ended with a disappointing lack of range.
Contestant: Bryana Salaz
Three-Word Bio: Teenage Military Brat
Song: "Problem" by Ariana Grande
Chair Turns: Adam, Blake, Gwen
Coach: Gwen Stafani
Three-Word Review: Three Chairs, Really?
Wow, that absolutely shocked me. A few notes in, I said, "She's not getting a chair turn." Then three seconds later, Adam turned his chair, followed immediately by Blake and Gwen. I get that Ariana Grande is huge right now (and of course us theatre folks have a special place in our hearts for her), but Bryana didn't give me much other than strained vocals, limited range, and out-of-tune "screlting."
Contestant: Dennis Bell
Three-Word Bio: Sangin' Dirt Contractor
Song: "She Used to Be Mine" by Brooks & Dunn
Chair Turns: None
Three-Word Review: Pitchy, Nervous Cowboy
The coaches were very kind to Dennis, blaming his warbley, out of pitch performance on being out of practice for the past 22 years. As, they say in the South, "Bless his heart."
Contestant: Damien
Three-Word Bio: TSA Attack Survivor
Song: "How Do I Say Goodbye to Yesterday" by Boyz II Men
Chair Turns: Four-Chair Turn?
Coach: Adam Levine
Three-Word Review: He's Just Aight
THE VOICE kind of took a bit of the suspense out of this one, by releasing Damien's Four-Chair performance ahead of the premiere. Damien clearly sang with the years of rejection behind him, but I'm not sure if his style really fits modern popular music. He sounds like a well-trained chorale singer. He had a certain proper quality that appeals to my high school choirboy heart, but I'm not sure that it will play well with the audience at large. And seriously, what does going by one name, while auditioning for a reality show say more, "Confidence" or "Delusion?"
Contestant: Allison Bray
Three-Word Bio: Second Chance Teenager
Song: "Merry Go 'Round" by Kacey Musgraves
Chair Turns: Blake, Gwen, Adam
Coach: Blake Shelton
Three-Word Review: Raspy, Strong Voice
Allison picking Blake was the biggest "Duh" of the night, right? Despite being turned down last season, as soon as Allison took Blake's advice to focus on her intonation, you knew she was going to join Team Blake eventually. But seriously, if you are a country singer, and Blake turns his chair, how can you NOT pick him to be your coach? I really liked Allison's voice. She has a cool rasp that not only lends itself to country, but a lot of other rock, folk, and soul genres as well.
Contestant: Megg
Three-Word Bio: Gwen Stefani Wannabe
Song: "Celebrity Skin" by Hole
Chair Turns: No Turns
Three-Word Review: I Dug It
I was disappointed with her performance, because I thought someone with the experience of going through USC's Popular Music program could be a contender, but she was a little too much screaming, and not enough singing for me. And again with the one-name thing...
Contestant: Taylor John Williams
Three-Word Bio: Dog Park Bartender
Song: "Heartless" by Kanye West
Chair Turns: Adam, Gwen
Coach: Gwen Stefani
Three-Word Review: Really "Rad" Vibe
This kid could win (I know I've said that already)! His voice has a mixture of strength and subtlety that makes me think that he could thrive in a lot of different genres. I always enjoy the singers on THE VOICE and IDOL that are more than just performers; singers that write songs, that take chances, that challenge themselves and their audiences are so much more interesting than contestants that stick to the karaoke tracks. I'm a fan already of this guy.
Contestant: Elyjuh René
Three-Word Bio: Teenage Momma's Boy
Song: "XO" by Beyoncé
Chair Turns: Adam, Pharrell
Coach: Pharrell Williams
Three-Word Review: Tons of Presence
What can you say about an 18-year-old kid who wears matching shirts with his mother to the biggest audition of his life? Well, I will say that he is an above average singer, with a crap-ton of stage presence. I found myself raising my right hand and saying "Testify" to the TV screen... ok, that might be an exaggeration, but his charisma more than made up for his vocal shortcomings.
Contestant: Bianca Espinal
Three-Word Bio: NY Subway Buster
Song: "Foolish Games" by Jewel
Chair Turns: No Turns
Three-Word Review: Terrible Song Choice
I thought Bianca had a really nice voice, but why did she pick a song that stayed so low in her register, and didn't give her many opportunities to show off her talent? I was disappointed by that part of her performance, but I would like to see her back next season with a more appropriate song.
Contestant: James David Carter
Three-Word Bio: Injured Country Athlete
Song: "Nobody Knows" by Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds/Keith Sharpe
Chair Turns: Four Chair Turn!
Coach: Blake Shelton
Three-Word Review: CMA Goes To...
Here's how this works. If you are a country singer, and Blake Shelton turns his chair, you are an idiot if you don't pick him as your coach. I know that, you know that, and Blake knows that. Therefore, Mr. Miranda Lambert knows that if he is going to turn his chair for a country artist, it has to be one that he is ready to ride until the end; and in James David Carter, he has one that has a shot to win this season. While his well-groomed beard and metrosexual fauxhawk puts him right in line with nearly every current male country artist, there was a calmness and confidence in his performance that only served to compliment his professional quality vocal. With Blake behind him, I am excited to see what the pair can come up with.
Normally when I recap IDOL or SYTYCD, this is where I would rank the contestants, but THE VOICE plays a different game than those shows. So, I won't really rank singer until the competition starts, but that doesn't mean you can't!
So, one night of Blind Auditions down! Did you see any potential winners? What did you think of the new coaches? Let me know what you think in the comments below, or on Twitter @BWWMatt. Also, don't forget to follow @BWWTVWorld on Twitter and Like us on Facebook for all of the latest TV news, reviews, and recaps.
I will be back tomorrow night, with Night Two of THE VOICE's Season Seven Blind Auditions.
Photo Credit: Trae Patton | NBC
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