So here we are – the second episode of NBC’s The Voice and the final round of the blind auditions. Things got a little complicated at the end of this one, but first – let’s talk about Lukas Rossi.
I believe I mentioned in my last recap that a big part of the reason I started watching The Voice was because Lukas Rossi (one of my favorite artists) was going to be on the show. It’s not into week two and there has still been no Lukas which leads me to believe there will never be any Lukas. Still love the show and I’m still going to watch but I couldn’t be more disappointed.
Here’s the thing about Lukas. He’s a talented vocalist and a talented musician. He’s a unique soul and that’s what makes me appreciate him as an artist. I know he has a lot of fans out there that are looking for information about him on The Voice and several of you have come to my recaps looking for that information. Unfortunately, I can’t give that information to you because I don’t have it. I have no idea what happened. What do I know? That Lukas needs your support. If you’re a fan, make sure you follow this link, sign up for an account (it’s free and takes about two minutes, if that), become a fan and vote for him every day. If you don’t know who Lukas is, follow this link and check out the videos and the free songs. If you’re a music fan, you’ll love Lukas as much as I do. Okay, now… on to the show.
As I pointed out in my recap last week, the comparisons between American Idol and The Voice really end at the fact that they’re both singing competitions. This week proved that. Each coach needed to fill eight spots on their team with the contestants who were auditioning. The problem was that only Cee-lo had a complete team by the time all of the auditions were done. This meant a second chance for some of the competitors, and that meant one of my early favorites found his way onto a team. In the end, each coach had their team. Let’s take a look.
Team Adam
Team Adam was the last team to be completed for one reason and one reason only. Adam was extremely picky when choosing his talent. He was waiting to hear someone special and only pressed his button them he heard it. As a result, he has an extremely strong team. He made some surprising choices but overall, I think he followed his heart and chose people he genuinely believes in. Team Adam is:
- Jeff Jenkins (from week one, performed Bless the Broken Road by Rascal Flatts)
- Rebecca Loebe (from week one, performed Come As You Are by Nirvana)
- Javier Colon (from week one, performed Time After Time by Cyndi Lauper)
- Devon Barley (from week two, performed I’m Yours by Jason Mraz)
- Tim Mahoney (from week two, performed Bring It On Home To Me by Sam Cooke)
- Casey Desmond (from week two, performed Born This Way by Lady Gaga)
- Casey Weston (from week two, performed Stupid Boy by Keith Urban)
- Angela Wolff (from week two, performed Rolling In The Deep by Adele)
Casey Weston and Angela Wolff were both second chance contestants whose second chance performances were aired back to back. They filled Adam’s last two spots. We didn’t really get to hear much of Casey Desmond’s audition but from what I heard, I really like her. My favorites on Adam’s team, however, are definitely Rebecca, Jeff, Tim and Devon although everyone he chose (and who chose him) is extremely talented. I’m excited to see what these performers bring next week.
Team Blake
If we learned one thing about Blake Shelton tonight, it’s that covering a song he’s close to (either his song or one of his fiancées, Miranda Lambert, songs) is not a great way to get on Blake’s team. With that said, he made some really surprising choices for his team and I think his team is much stronger for it. I also love that he chose one of my favorites to fill out his team following an awesome second chance performance. Team Blake is:
- Patrick Thomas (from week one, performed Live Like You Were Dying by Tim McGraw)
- Xenia (from week one, performed BreakEven by The Script)
- Elenowen (from week one, performed Falling Slowly by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova)
- Sara Ormchi (from week two, performed Imagine by John Lennon)
- Tyler Robinson (from week two, performed Hey Soul Sister by Train)
- Serabee (from week two, performed Son of a Preacher Man by Dusty Springfield)
- Dia Frampton (from week two, performed Bubbly by Colbie Caillat)
- Jared Blake (from week one and two, performed Not Ready to Make Nice by The Dixie Chicks)
I was thrilled to see Jared had been called back to perform again. I was even more thrilled to see him get chosen to join a team. Blake was clearly happy to have him as well. We didn’t get to see much of Serabee or Sara but what we got to hear sounded awesome. My favorites from this team thus far are Jared, Dia and Tyler.
Team Cee-Lo
Cee-lo Green clearly has a hell of an ear for music and it shows in the people he chose for his team. He made some choices that shocked me – absolutely stunned me – but I can definitely see why he chose them. He isn’t just looking at this competition as a chance to help an up and comer grow but is looking at it as a chance to grow as an artist himself. This team has some of the best talent on the show and is going to be a force to be reckoned with. Team Cee-Lo is:
- Vicci Martinez (from week one, performed Rolling in the Deep by Adele)
- Kelsey Rey (from week one, performed American Boy by Estelle)
- Tje Austin (from week one, performed Just the Way You Are by Bruno Mars)
- Emily Valentine (from week two, performed Sober by Pink)
- Niki Dawson (from week two, performed Teenage Dream by Katy Perry)
- Nakia (from week two, performed Cee-Lo’s Forget You)
- Curtis Grimes (from week two, performedBlake’s Hillbilly Bone)
- Tori and Taylor Thompson (from week two, performed Stuck Like Glue by Sugarland)
Cee-Lo was the only coach with a full roster heading into the second chance round and I have to say, most of my favorite contestants are on his team. While Emily had a few weak parts in her performance, I think the culprit was nerves and you’ll see her really come around in weeks to come. I was pretty surprised that Cee-Lo took Curtis and Blake didn’t, but Curtis was great. I suppose I’m just glad someone took him. Tori and Taylor are just too cute for words and Nakia? Forget about it – love that guy!
Team Xtina
Christina had an incredibly strong team and I can’t wait to see what the contestants she chose will bring to the competition. She has some of the strongest female singers in the group. I can’t wait to see what they do in the weeks to come. She also has a pretty diverse group which I think is really going to work in her favor. Team Xtina is:
- Terralyn Ramsey (from week one, performed Breathe by Faith Hill)
- Frenchie Davis (from week one, performed I Kissed a Girl by Katy Perry)
- Beverly McClellan (from week one, performed Piece of my Heart by Janis Joplin)
- Cherie Oakley (from week two, performed Gunpowder & Lead by Miranda Lambert)
- Raquel Castro (from week two, performed Bleeding Love by Leona Lewis)
- Julia Eason (from week two, performed Mercy by Duffy)
- Justin Grennon (from week two, performed Drops of Jupiter by Train)
- Lily Elise (from week two, performed If I Ain’t Got You by Alicia Keys
Lily Elise was the last artist to join Christina’s team, and I was thrilled to see her get that spot. Christina said she regretted not pressing her button the first time around so it was nice to see that she didn’t make the same mistake twice. I love Lily. We didn’t really get to see much of Justin but once again, I really liked what I saw. Julia and Raquel took on two of my favorite songs and they did a fantastic job of them both times. My favorites from Christina’s team are some of my favorites in the whole competition – Frenchie and Beverly.
- Carson and the Coaches
Summary and Predictions
I’m really liking the format of The Voice thus far but the coaches are almost more entertaining to watch than the contestants. With that said, this is an incredible crop of talent and I’m finding myself getting more excited to see what’s coming in the future. I’m not pleased at all that Lukas was shown in the previews for the show and wasn’t shown on the actual show, but focusing on that any further, I feel, takes away from the talent on the show. These folks all deserve their time in the sun and I’m not going to take that away from them. Would the show be better with a hefty dose of Rossi? Yes, of course. Every show would be letter with a little Lukas. By the way – did you head to this link to vote for him yet?
As of right now, I don’t really have a favorite. It’s far too hard to make predictions this early in the game, as much as I’d like to. Next week is the start of the battle rounds and I’m interested to see where it goes.
How about you guys? Any thoughts on the show? Who do you think is going to be left standing at the end of the show? Which coach would you most like to work with and what are you excited about seeing? Sound off in the comments section below, share this recap on Facebook and Twitter and finally, make sure you come back next week for my complete recap of NBC’s The Voice.
