And, it's back. After a strong debut on Monday night (Sept. 22), The Voice season seven trucked on tonight (Sept. 23) with a whole new crop of mega-talented singers and the incessant banter between coaches Gwen Stefani, Pharrell Williams, Blake Shelton and Adam Levine.
Just two episodes into the season, and it's already getting pretty formulaic: singer walks onto the stage, belts out about 60 seconds of a popular song, the coaches turn around. They banter with the contestant for minutes and minutes, loft soft jabbing jokes at each other, beg some more for the contestant to pick them. Stefani talks about No Doubt or her clothing line (if the singer is a girl)... and then, eventually, a coach is chosen. Hug, hug. "YOU'RE GOING TO WIN!" The other coaches "Aw, snap" at their loss and then we do it all over again.
When does round two begin again?
Anyway, amidst all the banter and Stefani loving on herself, we had some singers. They were decent. Like last night, let's relive the best and worst of episode two.
The Good:
Taylor Phelan, "Sweater Weather": This alt-rocker was the big ticket of the night, with his praise from the coaches getting teased constantly on promos for tonight's episode. And, Taylor Phelan delivered with a Lumineers-esque spin on The Neighbourhood's "Sweater Weather." With a lot of fancy footwork (or "happy feet," according to Adam), Phelan was a truly magnetizing performer and his energy transcended the blind audition. A performer like this could really only match Pharrell, so of course, that's where he went.
Reagan James, "Give Me Love": Sometimes, you can be the most talented girl in your high school or even the second best known singer from your hometown (besides Kelly Clarkson), but that doesn't mean you're actually a solid performer or singer at 15 years old. Enter Reagan James, who is actually just that good. Taking on the Ed Sheeran song "Give Me Love," James channeled a bit of Christina Perri with a hushed alto tone that was a lot of pop with sprinkles of R&B and country. A versatile, rising singer with some real potential, James threw everyone for a loop by going for Team Blake.
Taylor Brashears, "You Ain't Woman Enough (To Take My Man)": Apparently, Blake Shelton was the only Voice coach who knew that Loretta Lynn originated this song... OKAY... Regardless, Taylor Brashers seems to come from another time. A food truck worker, this Nashvile resident was about as old school as country gets, with a down home voice that would've made major waves in the '60s and '70s. Is there room for her in today's modern pop-country landscape? Not so sure... but Blake felt he could guide her to success, and she agreed, eschewing the ever-popular coach Pharrell for Team Blake.
Maiya Sykes, "Stay With Me": Like last night, The Voice knew how to start strong and end strong, bringing in soul singer Maiya Sykes to close out the night. Taking on the modern heartbreaking track from Sam Smith, "Stay With Me," Maiya got almost immediate chair turns from all four coaches... and it's easy to see why. She sang with so much gusto and heart and pure soul, that it seemed as though the Holy Spirit were moving through her. She smartly went with R&B coach Pharrell and he couldn't have been more "Happy."
The Bad:
Menlik Zergabachew, "Santeria": With Gwen Stefani as a judge on The Voice and Tessanne Chin arguably being one of the show's more successful winners, it should have been fairly obvious that more reggae singers would flood season seven. Given, Menlik Zergabachew is the first one we've encountered on this crazy journey, but it's doubtful he'd be the last. It took a minute or two for him to get some chairs to spin... his cover of Sublime's "Santeria" was solid but lacked any real zest or more importantly... soul. What made the original song such a timeless rock classic was the strain and pain in the vocals, and Zegabachew almost got there... almost is the key word. Team Gwen, of course, because reggae.
Sugar Joans, "Chain of Fools": From a pedigree musical family, Sugar Joans is out to make a name for herself... so why not do it with a little bit of anonymity? Taking on the classic Aretha Franklin track "Chain of Fools," Joans attacked the legendary diva with tons of fervor herself. Channeling former The Voice coach Christina Aguilera, Joans sang the hell out of this song, busting out guttural growls and runs at any moment. It seemed a bit as though Joans just lacked control, which could be worked on with the right coach. Despite the bit of over singing, Joans managed to captivate the judges and connect with Team Gwen, which is where she ended up.
The So-So:
Danica Shirey, "Big White Room": Jessie J has never quite been the easiest singer to take on; she's got a big mouth and a big old voice to match it. So, when Danica Shirey walked on stage with promises of a once future at The Apollo, there were big expectations for a bombastic, soulful voice. Instead, Shirey kept things fairy restrained... the best adjectives to describe her are the boring ones: soft, pretty, nice. The best thing about Shirey is that she feels versatile... she could wander into rock, pop, shoot, she even could reach for a little country twang. With versatility like that, she'd be goofy not to go on Team Pharrell, and that's where she ended up.
Joe Kirk, "Lego House": A musical house spawned this 17-year-old cutie, who undeniably looks like a mini-Adam Levine. His little black vest and white button down shirt just screamed boy band, and Joe Kirk would definitely have fit well into the groups portion on The X Factor. On his own, Kirk's take on Ed Sheeran's "Lego House" was perfectly fine, nothing overwhelmingly sparkling. He shimmied his tiny self over to Team Adam, because of course.
Singers Jimi Milligan, Caitlin Lucia and Andy Cherry were sent home.
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