#6 Anthony Evans VS. Jesse Campbell

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With similar vocal styles Anthony (left) and Jesse (right) were paired to sing "If I Ain't Got You" by Alicia Keys, by their captain Christina.  Both of the guys are very strong performers, although Jesse's cockiness can detract from his performance.  Due to Jesse's cockiness, Anthony is considered to be the underdog in the pairing.  Because both of these guys are so vocally able, it should make for a good battle.

Christina and Lionel Richie worked with Jesse to prepare for the battle.  The biggest critique was to make sure he didn't outdo himself.  Jewel and Christina worked with Anthony to prepare.  The only worry Jewel had was that Anthony could cloud the emotional prowess of the song by being really technical, she told him to keep it simple to really enforce the emotion.

They performed a breathtaking performance! It was a good battle to end the first episode of battles.  Their voices melded together beautifully and had similar tonal quality which allowed the audience to connect to the entire song emotionally, instead of perhaps only connecting while one of the contestants is singing.  Some of the notes they hit gave me goosebumps and if one of them doesn't win, I imagine they could have a very successful career as a duet.

They were so good Cee Lo couldn't decide, Blake and Adam both chose Jesse, but in the end it was Christina's choice.  It didn't really matter who she chose because they were both sooo amazing, but the range of the man she chose and the overall attitude makes him the better choice to move forward in the competition with him on her team.

This video does not contain the critiques or Christina's final decision.  If you wish to watch the full video you can find it on YouTube.

So if you had to choose who would it be? Or should they become a duet when the show is over?

#5 Jordis Unga VS. Brian Fuente

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In the second battle for Team Blake.  Jordis and Brian were peired to sing "Ironic" by Alanis Morissette.  Both Jordis and Brian are rockers.  This song poses a challenge for Brian because it is meant for a female vocalist.

Kelly Clarkson helped coach Brian in preparation for the battle, while Miranda Lambert helped coach Jordis.  Although Brian had some doubts about singing a song meant for a female, he sounded good while practicing and just needed to be confident in his voice that he can hit the higher notes he needs to.  Jordis on the other hand has the voice but was psyching herself out during practice, she has the power to overcome that though.  Based on their practices, Brian seemed to be the stronger vocalist going into the battle.

Jordis started the song strong and confident, setting the bar for when Brian joined in.  He reached the level Jordis had placed the song and might have surpassed it because he sounded more unique in his parts.  They both sounded good, but they probably could have sounded better.

Christina thought the whole performance was pitchy but decided to go with Jordis.  Adam agreed, while Cee Lo like Brian's stage presence and aggressiveness.  Based on Blake's desire for a rocker, I think his choice will pay out in the end even though the performance was a poor showing from both contestants.

SPOILER ALERT!! This is the full performance, including critiques and Blake's final decision.

So what did you think of their performance?  Who would you choose?

#4 Cheesa VS. Angie

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According to their captain, Cee Lo, both Cheesa (right) and Angie (left) have heavyweight voices.  For this duo, Cee Lo has chosen "Total Eclipse of the Heart" by Bonnie Tyler.  This is the first time, that I've noticed at least, that the song has two singers in the original version of the song.  This made the girls choose which part they wanted instead of, like others, making harmonies on the choruses and switching who would sing the verses.

For these two, the battle didn't start when they hit the stage, it started during the preparation.  They were trying to push the song out of each others ranges.  It started with Cheesa wanting to bump it up half a step (one note, ie. B to B sharp) and after feeling it out, Angie wanted to raise it another half step to raise it a total of a full step (so B to C for example).  Based on Cheesa's facial expressions, this seemed to worry her but she agreed to it.  But I could have been wrong.

To help during Cheesa's one-on-one, Cee Lo brought in Babyface.  And for Angie, Cee Lo enlisted the help of Ne-Yo.

At the start of the song, their voices sounded very similar.  However, Angie seemed to have a leg up when it came to confidence, she also sounded smoother.  By the peak of the song both were showing off their vocal power, here Cheesa might have had the edge because of the growl she can produce.  They both reigned in their voices to a nice soft and tender sound to create the emotional ending the song deserves.

Both Adam and Christina were torn.  Adam thought it started out rough for both of them but that they each brought it at different points in the song, he tentatively chose Cheesa.  Christina, although torn also, opposed Adam and chose Angie due to her overall improvement as the song went along.  Blake was the most decisive of the judges, he chose Angie because of her clarity and diction.  The winner Cee Lo chose, though not who i would have picked, will do well in the competition because she is a true competitor and will do whatever it takes to win.

SPOILER ALERT!! This is the full performance including the critiques and final decision.

Tell what you thought of their performance or who you thought was stronger vocally.

#3 Chris Mann VS. Monique Benabou

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It's the battle of trained vs. untrained in this duet from Team Christina.  Singing "The Power of Love" by Celine Dion, we have the classically trained Chris Mann and the untrained Monique Benabou, who also admitted that she cannot read music.  This was the first mixed duet and as you will read later this impacted their performance.

Christina had Lionel Richie help her with Chris's preparation and Jewel help work with Monique in preparation for the battle.

Because Chris has had classical training, he has the tendency to get inside his own head and psych himself out, whereas Monique's lack of training allows her to connect to the song so deeply that, while sometimes it could hurt more than it could help, it could give her the edge she needs over Chris.

Because Christina paired a male and a female, it allows them to not only connect to the song individually but to connect to each other as well.  This connection between them bring a whole new aspect to the performance because they are able to work off each others emotions to make their individual performances better.  During the duet, this connection makes it seem like they are the only two people in the room which brings a more pure quality to the performance.

Photo Credit: Lewis Jacobs/NBC © NBC Universal, Inc.

As you can tell this connection was so captivating that their voices are almost irrelevant.  However, this is a singing competition so we can't eliminate how they sounded.  While it started out a little shaky but by the middle of the song they both sounded really good both individually and in their harmonies.  They both have such strong voices and sounded so good, choosing one over the other is impossible for me so I feel for Christina.

Cee Lo and Blake took opposing positions, choosing Chris and Monique respectively based on who they thought really brought it.  Adam was torn, based on his first instinct he chose monique but by the middle he said he really wouldn't have been able to decide.  Christina had a difficult choice because they both sounded amazing and they each had very strong qualities to their performance and character.  While I would agree with whoever Christina chose, I do believe her choice was the smarter choice as she looks at what's to come in the competition.

SPOILER ALERT!! This is the full performance including the critiques, from the judges, and the decision, from their captain, Christina.

Let me know what you thought of their performance and who you would have deemed the winner!

#2 RaeLynn VS. Adley Stump

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While Blake sees these two as his country girls, I believe they have very different voices.  Adley (right) is a power house vocalist who could probably sing more than just country and surprisingly has only been singing for 10 months, though you would know it by her voice and stage presence.  RaeLynn (left), on the other hand, is very country.  She has an air of innocence about her and a voice to match in a higher register with a strong country twang.

In preparation for the battle, Blake brought in Miranda Lambert (RaeLynn's "idol" in a way) to help work with RaeLynn and Kelly Clarkson to work with Adley.  Blake tasked the girls of singing Free Fallin' by Tom Petty.

The battle began with RaeLynn's soft voice and strong twang really setting the tone for the performance.  When Adley joined in her deeper tone really added to the performance.  For a power vocalist, Adley was able to reel her voice in, proving she can be soft and smooth as well.  Her voice, its deeper quality and smoother twang, entranced me during her solos.  Although RaeLynn's country twang really made her solo portions unique because not many singers have that quality to their voices.  During the chorus, Adley was able to let her power show more but in some cases it overpowered RaeLynn's so her harmonies were not distinguishable, even with her naturally higher pitch.

When it came time to critique, Christina started off impressed with RaeLynn's talent at the young age of 17, but thought Adley's power and confidence on stage made her the stronger performer.  Cee Lo agreed with Christina's choice of Adley, while Adam preferred RaeLynn based on her uniqueness.  Adam also stated that it would come down to preference for which style Blake wanted to keep around.  While Blake and my choices differ, I am sure his choice will do very well in the following round.

SPOILER ALERT!! This is the full performance with critiques and Blake's final decision.

Let me know your thoughts and who you liked more.

#1 Tony Lucca VS. Chris Cauley

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Team Adam kicked off the battle rounds with former mickey mouse club member, Tony Lucca (left), battling it out with Chris Cauley (right).  Both of these guys are very strong members of Team Adam with similar styles.  For this reason, Adam gave them the task of performing "Beautiful Day" by U2 (an awesome song!).  In preparation for the impending battle, Adam brought in Alanis Morissette to help him coach and work with Tony, and Robin Thicke to assist with Chris in their one-on-one session.  With the impending battle approaching both contestants warm up back stage, with thoughts of what will happen if the outcome is not in their favor looming over them while they await their introduction into the ring.

What a way to start of the battle rounds!! These two certainly left it all in the ring in this battle.  Tony and Chris sounded so good together they could almost be a duet, their voices were very complementary to each other.  Why Adam paired these two together is beyond me, either of these guys could do very well in the next round of the competition.  I will never understand why the coaches pit two very strong competitors against each other knowing one of them will have to leave.

Tony started the song strong and when Chris took over you could barely tell because their voices fit so well together.  Because of this, when they reached the chorus and both of them were singing at the same time, the harmonies and depth they created with their vocals sounded amazing.  As the song progressed, I felt more of a connection when Tony was singing because his expressions made him look so into it and like he was believing what he was singing.  With Chris it seemed like he was trying too hard for that connection to the audience because he would smile at the end of a line and the smile almost seemed out of place and disconnected with his performance.

Before hearing the thoughts and decision from their captain they heard from the other three coaches.  Blake preferred Chris because vocally he was more consistent, while Christina and Cee Lo both chose Tony as their favorite.  For Christina it was more of a loyalty thing because they had worked together before, but Cee Lo liked how Tony connected to the song and his vocal strength.  Then they heard from Adam.  He had a tough choice to make, one that when he paired them didn't think it would be so difficult.  But in the end he had to choose and I agree with his choice of. . . . . . . . . . .  as the winner!

SPOILER ALERT: DO NOT WATCH IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO KNOW WHO WON!!

If you missed the battle check check out Tony vs. Chris on YouTube now and let me know who you thought should have won, or if you agree with their coaches' choice!!  

And the Battles Begin!

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Round two of the show consists of battles between two contestants.

How It Works:     1. Each coach pairs up his or her team, they are usually paired based on similar style, voice or genre.  This helps the coach create their strongest team of six to enter the final round.  The thought behind pairing similar contestants is to have the strongest vocalist for a certain style instead of having an entire team of strong vocalists that all sound the same and have the same style.  The downside to pairing this way is that sometimes the strongest vocalists get paired and then one of them has to leave. 

                         2. The coach will choose a song that the contestants will then sing together.  They will have solo bits, usually the verses, and parts where they are creating harmonies, usually on the chorus.  They will also get coaching from their coach and advisors.  Each coach has chosen two advisors to help them, one per contestant per battle.  Adam's advisors are Alanis Morissette and Robin Thicke.  Blake's advisors include his wife Miranda Lambert and Kelly Clarkson.  Cee Lo has chosen Babyface and Ne-Yo as his advisors.  Christina chose Lionel Richie and Jewel as her advisors.
                         3. They battle it out "in the ring."  The stage is transformed into what is meant to look like a boxing ring.  They also have intros for the contestants just like at a boxing match.  After they finish the song the coaches, first the three that aren't their coach, give their thoughts on the performance and who they would have chosen.
                         4. Their coach must then choose who they believe sang the song better.  Sometimes its not necessarily the better singer in the moment but the contestant that they believe will be able to grow more and have a shot at winning the competition.  This decision is far from easy, but it needs to be made.

In future posts I will try my best (no promises, everyone slips occasionally) to not give away who was chosen or kicked off but I will try to either include video or links to video of each performance so if you did miss it you could choose to watch and see what the coaches decided.  I will also be numbering them in the order in which they appeared on T.V.

And the teams are decided!!!

After 5 episodes and surely many more auditions than were put on the air, the coaches have finally filled their teams with 12 members.  The first to reach their quota was Adam, with Cee Lo and Blake close behind and Christina closing it out with a bang.  She ended the blind auditions by going on stage and singing with her final member.  If you were paying close attention you would notice that the coaches were wearing the same outfit in every episode.  This isn't because their wardrobe is weak, but because the blind auditions actually all happened at once and they broke it up to have it on the air.  In the first episode, airing right after the Super Bowl, there were 5 artists chosen and every show after that had an increase in artists until the final episode which dropped a little.

Team Adam started out a little slow, unexpected because he won last year,  but picked up and was the first coach to fill his team.  Adam's team consists of Angel Taylor, Chris Cauley, Karla Davis, Katrina Parker, Kim Yarbrough, Mathai, Nathan Parrett, Nicolle Galyon, Orlando Napier, Pip, Tony Lucca, and Whitney Myer.  Tony Lucca was the first member of Team Adam and is also somewhat of a celebrity since he was on the Mickey Mouse Club with Christina.  Some standouts are Mathai and Pip, but every member truly has an amazing voice.

Team Cee Lo also only had one member after the first show but picked up by the end and filled his team second.  His team members include Angie Johnson, Cheesa, Erin Martin, Jamar Rogers, James Massone, Jamie Lono, Juliet Simms, Justin Hopkins, Sarah Golden, The Shields Brothers, Tony Vincent and WADE.  Team Cee Lo has one of the two duets in the competition.

Team Blake was third to complete his team.  Although Blake is a country singer his team members are diverse in their styles but he does attract the country singers that come on the show also.  His team members are Adley Stump, ALyX, Brian Fuente, Charlotte Sometimes, Erin Willet, Gwen Sebastian, Jermaine Paul, Jordan Rager, Jordis Unga, Lex Land, Naia Kete and RaeLynn.  Team Blake might seem like a bunch of misfits with incredible voices but Blake can coach and mold them into the stars that they are.

Team Christina, better known as Team Xtina, started out ahead but decided to get pickier as the auditions progressed, so she was the last coach to fill her team.  With members, Anthony Evans, Ashley De La Rosa, Chris Mann, Jesse Campbell, Jonathas, Geoff McBride, Lee Koch, Lindsey Pavao, Monique Benabou, Moses Stone, Sera Hill and THE LiNE she is sure to have a good showing throughout the competition.

This Monday at 8/7c starts the battle rounds, where the coaches must pair up their team and then decide who sang the song better.  This kills the coaches because they really don't want to see any of their team members leave.

Is the second season talent better than the first?

The first season of any competition show is more like a trial run.  If it does well they will continue the show the following year, if not it gets dropped.  Last year NBC's The Voice premiered and gave viewers a new style of singing competition.  There are basically four stages to the show: 1) Submit an audition to the show, 2) The blind audition, 3) The battle rounds, 4) The public votes. The audience only sees the last three stages.

All competition shows need to have judges right?  Well The Voice has tweaked that idea too.  The show has employed 4 big time artists, Blake Shelton, Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo, and Adam Levine, to be coaches instead of judges.  The show not only has the competitors competing but the coaches are competing also.  If a judge likes the voice they hear they turn their chair around to signify that they want them on their team.  If more than one coach turns around it then becomes the choice of the person auditioning to choose whose team they want to be on.  Having coaches instead of judges means that the competitors will be getting advise and coaching not just for the song they will be performing but that will last them forever.
To my knowledge, this is the first competition show where the contestants have to be invited to audition in the "blind audition" stage.  I like this because it means we, the viewers, don't have to sit cringing at the contestant that clearly can't sing.  The blind audition is also unique in that the contestants are chosen solely based on their voice.  This eliminates the bias related to how the person looks.  They accomplish the "blindness" by having the "judges" sit with their backs to the contestant and then if they like them then they hit their button and their chair will turn around and "I Want You" will light up on the bottom of their chair.

Due to its popularity season 2 has brought with it an increase in team size to 12 people going into the battle rounds.  In the battle rounds the coaches pair their team up so they have six groups each.  The coach then chooses a song for each group that they will perform together and then the coach must make the difficult choice of choosing which team member performed better and the other will go home.  This leaves 6 people on each team going into the public voting stage.  Once in the public voting stage it works much like any other competition show where the viewers decide the winner.  However, the twist is that the coach of the winner is also considered a winner because they "discovered the best."  The season 1 winner was Javier Colon and his coach, Adam Levine.

This show is also unique in that it incorporates new media into it.  During the show the coaches are tweeting about what had just happened and it shows up on the bottom of the screen so even if you don't follow them you can see what they are saying.  The buzz from the coaches is that the talent level of season 2 is so much higher that the coaches are choosing the competitors with unique voices.  They want something new and different for their teams.  I guess we'll see if they succeed.

Stay tuned for more season 2 news.