The time is going by pretty quickly... we're nearly at the end of September and already three episodes deep into season seven of The Voice. After two strong debut episodes last week, the NBC singing competition dialed it back a bit this week talent-wise, allowing once again for coaches Gwen Stefani, Pharrell Williams, Blake Shelton and Adam Levine to shine again.
For the third episode in a row, it was clear that Stefani really knew how to sell herself to the talent. She may be "Just A Girl," but she's got the strongest personality of the four coaches by a long shot. It may be a but annoying and redundant to hear her talking about No Doubt or her work with the wish-we-could-forget Harajuku Girls, but she gets what she wants and seems to be building up the strongest team.
Shockingly, it seems like Adam Levine is becoming the least popular coach, though his team cannot be discounted.
But, for now, let's look at the best, the worst and the only so-so performances of the night...
The Good:
Kelli Douglas, "Danny's Song": This song is such a classic choice... it's like taking on any of the big numbers out there. But, Kelli Douglas pulled this off with every ounce of emotion that she had in there. It was truly a captivating performance, full of moments big and small. In what felt like the first real grab of the night, Douglas ended up on Team Adam.
Anita Antoinette, "Turn Your Lights Down Low": When coaches on these types of shows tell contestants to come back another year, for me as a viewer, it just feels like letting them down easy, ya know? Like, they're just being kind. But for former season three contestant Anita Antoinette, she was determined to make it onto The Voice. Rejected by all four coaches four seasons ago after a shaky, nervous rendition of Bob Marley's "No Woman, No Cry," she was back to prove she has what it takes with another Marley tune, "Turn Your Lights Down Low." Antoinette seemed to blend together the worlds of music, mixing deep Jamaican tones and patois with a smooth, poppy alto. Though the reggae artist was determined to re-win over Adam Levine, she went with the logical choice... landing Team Gwen in the other big grab of the night.
Blessing Offor, "Just The Two Of Us": All blind audition jokes aside, coach Gwen Stefani smartly compared this singer to Pharrell, but if only he had a few deeper layers to him. What was the most interesting thing about Blessing Offor is not his name or his impaired sight but instead it was his blend of country, R&B and even pop. It's a weird area in the music world that is largely ignored, but he makes it work way better than it should. Though Offor insisted he was all about Blake Shelton before walking out onstage, he wound up going to Team Pharrell.
Jessie Pitts, "The Story": It's hard to compare any version of "The Story" to the original Brandie Carlisle version, so we're not even going to try tonight. Jessie Pitts gave the song a soft, indie pop edge, bringing in the airy tone of Feist or Regina Spektor to the heartbreaking single. There's something very sweet and soft and feminine about Pitts' voice, so it's only fitting that she goes with the girl on Team Gwen.
The Bad:
Ricky Manning, "Love Me Again": The main way to describe this kid's voice is YOUNG. He looks young, sounds young and really just needs a bit of seasoning to him. Though Ricky Manning could hit some high notes, it felt like he was really struggling to grasp onto any real, solid tones. Chalk it up to nerves... the coaches did. Team Pharrell.
Troy Ritchie, "Out Of My League": The Voice editors seem to be playing really hard toward Gwen and Pharrell, even showing this total so-so audition wherein Gwen was the only coach to turn her chair. No banter! No light jabs and jokes! Troy Ritchie was just on Team Gwen. Is it boring to say this was the epitome of OK? 5/10, 2.5 out of 5 starts. Pure mediocrity. C-average. See you never after the next round, basically.
The So-So:
John Martin, "Sweet Pea": This guy really is just a nice, cute little "Sweet Pea." With this pretty little Amos Lee ditty, 25-year-old forklift operator John Martin was channeling that relaxed Jason Mraz, Jack Johnson vibe. With a plain white T-shirt and an acoustic guitar at his helm, Martin was just the right blend of relaxed, sweet and attractive (in the end) to pique the interests of Blake, Gwen and Pharrell. He ended up going for Team Blake, at the insistence of Blake's normal rival Adam Levine.
Mia Pfirrman, "Unconditionally": Even if you had never watched The Voice and had no intention of ever tuning into this program (begging the question... why would you read a recap?), you know Mia Pfirrman's "Unconditionally." Her high note has been the big focus of this season's The Voice commercials, and here she finally was tonight: belting out "UNCONDITIONAAAAAAL" like there was no tomorrow. Despite that big note and the eventual chair turn from all four judges, Pfirrman's performance tonight was one of the more inconsistent showings of the season thus far. Too much vibrato, too many runs, just too much. Ask any singer ever... there is a lot of strength in the small moments. You don't always have to go for it 100 percent. Pfirrman made the interesting choice of going to Team Adam, in a season where the Maroon 5 frontman seems to be falling out of favor.
Bree Fondacaro, "It Ain't Me Babe": Despite helping her father as a vocal coach, Bree Fonaacaro has a pretty odd voice... although she was definitely technically proficient. Billed as an indie pop artist, Fondacaro was very breathy and full of vocal fry. It was an interesting musical choice, and it's more interesting that her lone coach choice was Blake Shelton. With all the strong talent he's accrued over the last three episodes, it's hard to see Fondacaro making it too terribly far.
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