We were finally introduced to NBC’s singing competition The Voice tonight following a barrage of promos and hype from the network. After taking a little time to get familiar with the show’s concept thanks to some explaining from Carson Daly, and a bad-ass performance of Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy” by the coaches, things got underway and I have to say the show delivered with some seriously compelling and fun entertainment.
Each week we’re going to do an after-show break down by providing a brief introduction and photo of each performer, which judge they are now under the trusted tutelage of (if they got picked of course), and then let you vote for which team you think has the best chance to win the competition. Lets get started!
Adam was extremely patient in going after his team. All the other judges had two of their eight slots filled before Adam landed a performer. A regular looking Joe from Texas with some serious pipes got it going.
Jeff Jenkins:
Jeff was great in his performance of “Bless the Broken Road” by Rascal Flatts. In his after interview with Daly you could see how nervous Jenkins was as his neck was flushed with blood. All the judges wanted him but Adam was shall we say persistent and landed Jeff.
Rebecca Loebe:
Adam’s patience really paid off with Loebe. She was creative and bold with her soulful rendition of Nirvana’s “Come As You Are.” Christina was impressed too but Adam landed perhaps the most impressive performer of the evening. During her intro Loebe revealed that she’s homeless and living out of a car as she tours and plays music.
Javier Colon:
I’ve already profiled our man Javier as his beautiful rendition of Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time” was featured prominently in one of the show’s early promos. Javier has the full package and could very well win it all. All four judges wanted in and I believe Adam is lucky to have him.
Blake as you might have figured favored the performers who had a country flavor to their singing. He pushed hard on the straight country acts and was convincing in his ability to draft for his team.
Patrick Thomas:
Patrick Thomas got his ten gallon hat country croon on with Tim McGraw’s affirming mega-hit “Live Like You Were Dying.” Adam, Cee Lo and Blake all wanted a piece but Patrick went with Blake and his heavy country sell. Thomas is originally from Texas and now lives in, you guessed it, Nashville.
Elenowen:
Elenowen was the lone duet from the evening and the husband wife team took the judges by surprise. They obviously weren’t prepared for the duet action. They sang a personal favorite “Falling Slowly” from the film Once originally performed by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova. Blake won the day over Cee Lo for their talents.
Xenia Martinez:
You want obscure? An initial search didn’t turn up any images for this 16-year-old from California. I had to go with the just posted pics courtesy of NBC. Xenia was reserved but sang the song “Break Even” by The Script well enough to draw the attention of Blake and Cee Lo. Blake pushed hard and when he won he hugged the young singer calling her, “My Little Xenia.”
Cee Lo really spoke from his soul when he commented on the performers and was consistently refreshing. Lets just face it, dude is cool. It must have been hard for anybody to have not chosen to go with Green as their coach.
Kelsey Rey:
Kelsey had some seriously soulful pipes with Adam, Christina and Cee Lo wanting in on her action. She sang the song “American Boy” by Estelle. She has already had quite a bit of success on YouTube and was emotional when discussing how her good looks had actually been a hindrance and how proud she was that her voice alone landed her a spot with Cee Lo.
Vicci Martinez:
Vicci hails from Seattle and took on the song “Rolling in the Deep” by Adele. Christina and Cee Lo pitched for her talents with Martinez going with Cee Lo’s heart connection. She heads The Vicci Martinez Band and was actually a participant in the original American Idol but backed out because she felt the contract was too restrictive.
Tje Austin:
Austin had an old school afro and an old school smooth voice. Adam and Cee Lo wanted Austin after hearing his version of “Just the Way You Are” with the unique artist teaming up with Cee Lo. Austin hails from Austin, TX and his MySpace site boasts over 3 million hits.
Christina was all about the girl power and maybe a little pants removal from one particularly good looking cowboy. Here is who became part of Aguilera’s team from tonight:
Tarralyn Ramsey:
Tarralyn is a seasoned R&B / Gospel singer from Jacksonville FL. Christina, Cee Lo and Adam all wanted her when they heard her rendition of Faith Hill’s “Breathe.” This girl is all about the pipes so she went with little miss powerhouse Aguilera to be her coach.
Fenchie Davis:
Christina was the only judge that wanted the previous American Idol participant and Broadway performer. Frenchie went edgy with the song “I Kissed a Girl” by Katy Perry. You could tell Aguilera was surprised by who was singing and a little unsure about her decision. Cee Lo joked that he could personally relate to the lyrics of the song.
Beverly McClellan:
Beverly was a bald tatted out rocking lady who brought it with everything she had on her performance of the oft covered Janis Joplin hit “Take A Piece Of My Heart.” Christina and Adam were in but with devil rock hands in tow Beverly went with Christina. McClellan hails from Ft. Lauderdale, FL.
That was what went down on an exciting premiere of The Voice. Now here’s an ongoing poll so you can let your voice be heard!
