Episode 1
Terry: The first contestant of the season is a Scottish man living in Los Angeles who's stuck in the 80's (yep, you heard me right). He's singing "Baba O'Reilly" and he sounds pretty good. For a rock kind of guy, he's got a very clean voice with a hint of an edge. Adam and Cee-Lo fight for Terry, but he ends up as the first member of TEAM BLAKE, where I think he'll be a solid contender.
De'Borah: Immediately one of the most quirky contestants The Voice has ever seen, this daughter of a preacher man (and preacher woman!) bursts on the scene and pops with the audience. Her unique personality is matched by her interesting voice and a stage presence that is very...energetic, let's say! Her rendition of "Hey, Soul Sister" is enough to get Cee-Lo and Christina's attention, and after some deliberation, De'Borah becomes TEAM XTINA's first draft pick, where she could find some success.
Gracia: Yes, I'll admit, just like everyone else, all I saw at first was a little country girl who could sing and look pretty. Then, Gracia admitted that she can yodel. And man, can she! Her performance of "I Wanna Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart" is aided tremendously by the yodeling, and she's not a half bad singer too. Adam, Cee-Lo, and Blake turn around for her. Adam tries to woo her over by saying it's the best country performance they've ever seen on the show (RAELYNN SHADE!), but she ends up becoming the token blonde for TEAM BLAKE, but she has the potential to go far in this competition.
Garrett: At first, I'm cheering for Garrett because he's a New Jersey native and he's got a sad backstory (his father passed away and is his biggest inspiration), but when he starts his rendition of "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?", it's clear that he's not ready for the show, not yet. While he has a cool rasp, he has trouble with note control and stability, but the judges are very supportive of him and encourage him to keep on working (take that American Idol and The X Factor!), thus providing the first Kleenex moment of season three, as the audience cheers as teary-eyed Garrett exits the stage.
Devyn: The one thing I (and the judges) noticed immediately about Devyn is her beauty, and if she goes far enough into this contest, don't think that won't work in her favor. Anyway, Devyn is taking a major risk, performing a Christina Aguilera original in front of her. Her performance of "Ain't No Other Man" is pretty good, with impressive vocal runs and a bit of a breathy quality that might be an advantage if she ever gets to try out a ballad. Adam, Christina and Blake pound their buttons for this knockout, but it's pretty obvious that she's meant for TEAM XTINA, and that's where she ends up. If she can get better, she's a definite threat.
Bryan: One of this episode's highlights, Bryan comes on the scene as the son of Ray De La Paz, a famous Spanish singer, but Bryan refuses to use his dad's connections to get him success in the music industry. It doesn't matter because he won't need them anyway. His performance of "It Will Rain," an otherwise plain song, was awesome! He brought a new edge to the performance and sounded really, really good. Apparently, everyone else thought the same thing: all four judges turned around! But who gets to have this performer on their team? TEAM ADAM picks up it's first member, and he's already a frontrunner for this competition.
Daniel: Surprise! You thought you were done with Daniel Rosa from last season? Think again! Remember him? He sang Neon Trees' Animal, was just okay, and asked the judges for feedback, and now he's back this season, better than ever (or so he thinks). And he is better. But I'm still not that impressed by him. His take on "Somebody That I Used to Know" is unique, but his phrasing and pronunciation is still...off-putting, at least to me. Plus, for me, that song was already performed at its' best on The Voice by Lindsey Pavao last season. Still, it's enough to turn around Cee-Lo and Blake, and they, along with Adam and Xtina, recognize our old friend and are very happy to see him! Now he'll make it, how great! But what team is he gonna pick? He goes for his best choice, TEAM CEE-LO, but we'll see how far he makes it.
Anita: One of the most disappointing moments of the episode for me was this performance. After all the hype about Anita's background (she graduated for Berkley, a prestigious musical performance school), I was highly underwhelmed by her first performance of "No Woman, No Cry." Yes, I said first. After no judges turned around, Anita managed to coax them to let her try an a capella version, knowing she wouldn't be on a team anyway, and unfortunately, that is the version that she should've sang to begin with, because the judges really like it. The judges urge her to come back next season, and methinks this is not the end of Anita!
Joe: Joe, a member from alternative band Artist vs. Poet (who I've heard of before, go me!), is here because the lead singer of the band jumped ship, the record label lost interest, and Joe couldn't hold the band together. Adam and Blake like his performance of "Gives You Hell" enough to turn around, and, being a singer in a band before, Joe says he has to pick TEAM ADAM, which is a great fit for him. If molded correctly, he could be a big player this season.
Jessica: This North Carolina native is as country as country gets, so I'm very excited for her performance of "Son of a Preacher Man." However, the performance lacks...something. No one turns around, unfortunately, because I think Jessica could've been molded into something better, but the judges tell her to come back, she says she definitely will, and Xtina wipes away her tears with a big hug. Poor Jessica!
Next, we see three failed performances that aren't really worth mentioning.
Trevin: Finally, we get to the best part of not only this episode, but probably the whole week, and maybe even the whole season. In the pre-performance package, we learn that Trevin is an eighteen year old singer stuck in the Bronx, where violence is a part of living. He's very soft-spoken and humble, and you kinda just wanna give him a big hug. His performance begins and within ten seconds, Xtina slams her button, and it's not hard to see why. To put it plain, this kid can sing. He's just got raw talent that can't be taught. His lyrical understanding, vocal runs, and vibratto, everything is just so fine tuned and for eighteen years old, what an accomplishment! Blake and Cee-Lo aren't very far behind Xtina, and as Trevin hits the final note of his song, Blake is on his feet, screaming at Adam, who does not push his button (mostly because he knows he probably won't be picked as Trevin's couch). My favorite moment is the very end of the performance when Xtina rises to her feet, jaw on the floor, pointing right at Trevin, with a face that reads "Ho-ly...CRAP!" As the judges bicker over why they're better for Trevin, he remains humble and honored, but by the end, he's picked TEAM CEE-LO, and I'm kinda glad...because now Cee-Lo may finally have a winner. A side note: his family and friends' reactions were the best I think I've ever seen. I love them...so much.
Episode 2
Adriana: The second episode starts with Adriana, a very pretty singer with a tragic past. She details a hostage situation from her childhood that she says inspired her to start singing. Her performance of "Domino" is really good, with great stage energy (and really, stage energy is essential unless your voice is out-of-this-world incredible). Even though it was a little pitchy, all four coaches heard something they liked, and the battle for Adriana begins. Christina comes out guns blazing, while Cee-Lo uses his creepy uncle flirting skills to try and woo her. It works in the favor of TEAM XTINA, who picks up a solid contender.
Casey: In what is sure to be a running joke this whole season, the next contestant's name is Casey Muessigmann (pronounced Musicman). HA! How funny! For a second. The Iowa native (wait, last name Musicman and he's from Iowa? Ten points if you understand what I'm getting at!) starts and Blake nearly jumps out of his seat. Yay for country music! Of course, Blake hits his button, but (surprise!) Cee-Lo joins him. Not that he needs to worry: Casey says his whole reason for coming on the show was to make country music on TEAM BLAKE. We'll see how long The Music Man (who is not Harold Hill) sticks around.
Aquile: Yes, that's a name, and yes, he's got a voice. When he was younger, he got his jaw wired shut after breaking his jaw and taught himself how to play the guitar. He sings a unique and original rendition of "Your Song" and it attracts Adam, Cee-Lo, and Christina. He's definitely got a cool voice, but I think a coach's opinion will only make him better Speaking of coaches, who is Aquile's? In a kind of surprising twist, TEAM XTINA gains a new member, but Xtina showed last season that she is open to variety (her final two were Lindsey Pavao and Chris Mann, hello!), so Aquile can go far.
The next four performances are all passes, although Ryan Fogerty gets a bit of a showcase (only because he's LeAnn Rimes' tour manager), but he's not impressive. Next!
Mackenzie: Young contestant Mackenzie has a truly tragic backstory (his might take the cake this season). He was put into an induced coma last year after suffering from congestive heart failure, but he made it out alive in time for Super Bowl Sunday 2012. Of course, fans will remember that the Season 2 launch of The Voice aired behind the big game, and Mackenzie's dad suggested he try out for the show. They looked up auditions that night, and now Mackenzie has made it! He's doing a rendition of "Pumped Up Kicks," which sounds awesome. His voice is really unique, and everyone loves it, specifically Cee-Lo, who is the only judge to turn around and thus, Mackenzie is automatically TEAM CEE-LO, and this Harry Potter-Justin Bieber hybrid looks to be a real competitor.
Julio: The final competitor of Night 2 is Julio, a mariachi singer who is doing something no one has ever done before on The Voice: singing an entire song in Spanish! Chris Mann did almost the same thing last season (he sang in Italian, and didn't sing the whole song in a foreign language). Still, Julio's "La Bamba" is fun, and I think Blake turns around because it's different, but he's joined by Cee-Lo, who was sold by the last note, which was very good, I'll admit. But in one of the biggest WTF moments of the season, Julio decides to go TEAM BLAKE. I mean...sure. I'll be curious to see what he does beyond this point.
Episode 3
Samuel: From the start, I like Samuel's look. That's why I'm a little surprised when he starts singing. He's singing "Redemption Song" and it's definitely got a Jamaican swag to it that I wasn't expecting. Still, he sounds really good and I like it alot. Apparently, so do three out of the four judges. While Xtina and Cee-Lo try to put up a fight for the youngster, Samuel decides to join TEAM ADAM, which I think was probably his best choice.
Chris: This was a story of a bad, baaaad song choice. "Glad You Came" is fun to dance to, but not impressive to sing to. You kinda feel bad for the kid (he used to be in a boy band with Jesse McCartney, but he went under the radar, ready to reemerge), but his vocals on the song are kinda rough. He's certainly an impressive dancer, and sometimes that can mess with a performer's vocals. And this show is called The VOICE! Anyway, no more Chris, or the three competitors behind him for that matter.
Nelly's Echo: In depth artist name aside, Nelly is originally from Nigeria where he had to flee as a kid due to civil unrest. He now resides in Maryland and is ready to share his voice with America, since music helped him cope with his situation. His rendition of "Ain't No Sunshine" is pretty good, and it gets Adam and Xtina to turn around, which makes for some funny banter between these two bickerers. Still, Nelly decides to go with TEAM XTINA.
2 Steel Girls: We finally have our first duo of Season 3. Notoriously, duos have had bad luck on this show: Elenowen from Season 1 and The Line from Season 2 were both shockingly eliminated during the Battle Rounds after really strong Blind Auditions. Can 2 Steel Girls break the curse? Well, it's too soon to tell. But based on their song, "Before He Cheats," I'm thinking they'll definitely need some help from their coach to help solidify their sound if they want a chance at getting far in this competition. Speaking of which, who is their coach? Although Cee-Lo made a good case, the girls picked TEAM BLAKE.
Lisa, MarissaAnne, and Loren: These three made it, but I barely heard enough of them to make an opinion about their voices. The one thing to note here is that MarissaAnne is only fifteen. She and Lisa end up on TEAM XTINA, while Loren becomes a member of TEAM ADAM. The whole purpose of this segment was to show how everyone was passing over Cee-Lo, who pressed his button for all three girls. But that doesn't last long...
Domo: America, get ready to meet the contestant you'll love to hate. Domo comes on the scene, popping and locking, thinking she's the best thing since sliced bread and her you-know-what don't stink. She calls herself the "Lady GaGa of China" because, you know, that's every little girl's dream. I'm ready for a trainwreck when she sings, mainly because I don't wanna see this girl on my TV screen. Unfortunately, she's got some talent, singing "Don't Cha" and Cee-Lo picks up on it immediately (fun fact: Cee-Lo wrote that song. Altogether now: "WHAAAAAT?!"). She struts her stuff for him, and he clearly loves it. After leading the crowd with a chant, "When I say DO, you say MO!", she officially becomes a member of TEAM CEE-LO, and I'm pretty sure this girl is this season's Erin Martin, possibly worse.
Nicole: The night's best performance comes from soft-spoken Nicole, a self-described hippie who lives in a community of hammocks and blankets (I kid you not). Still, Nicole says her true passion is music and she didn't sing in public until very recently. For her Blind Audition, she'll be singing "Hallelujah" and she sounds just gorgeous. She's really got a good voice on her. Apparently, everyone thinks so, as all four judges turn around. First Adam, then Cee-Lo, Christina, and finally, Blake. While the judges deliberate who she is best for, Nicole admits she was originally going to pick Blake, but the power of the first push has something over her, and she becomes a highlight for TEAM ADAM.
Who were your favorites of premiere week? For me, I'm looking forward to hearing from Bryan, Joe, Trevin, Mackenzie, and Nicole. Let me know who you like in the comments section below!
Evan
This was such a great week of auditions from some really talented people. My favorites had to be Trevin and Nicole (just don’t make me choose between them). I also really liked Devyn, and I am eager to hear more from her. I was talking about the show with a coworker at Dish, and they couldn’t get over DOMO. I thought she was a little obnoxious, but she seemed like she would be a fierce competitor. I was split between which show I wanted to watch last night. I will admit that I went for the premier of X-factor, but I was able to catch up with a recording that my Hopper automatically made for Primetime Anytime. I love how even with everything starting at once I can watch all of my shows without setting a million timers. I can’t wait to see how all of the teams fill out, and hopefully poor Cee Lo is shown some love next week.
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