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jork

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  1. It's funny about "Half Of My Heart" - that was the jam back in college days. John Mayer himself conceived of the idea of him being Tom Petty and TSwift being his Stevie Nicks, but that song barely has Swift, and certainly doesn't have the constant duet interplay of "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around". It's a very good song however, and you can tell it's very personal to Mayer and he's always at his element with his mid-tempo bluesy dream-state vibe. It's good to hear it on the show. But it's absolutely hilarious this was given to Anya and AJ. In theory, bluesy stuff fits both of them, but probably not this song because it's not personal to them. You probably need a legit songwriter with lived experiences to tell this story, and that's rarely on this show. Although TSwift and Mayer had a huge age gap when they sang it, it was mostly Mayer for most of it. Here, they were actually duetting, age gap exists, believability in the two embracing the lyrics is nonexistent. In whatever limited time we saw AJ treat it like a jaunt, probably because he knows this is a sabotage song. He also seemed to have a weirdly deferential style in what little we saw, with Anya carrying the song, which is hilarious if we swapped it with TSwift carrying the song and Mayer's on background vocals. Anya certainly put the Olivia Rodrigo spin on this one. It's unfortunate that the idea of AJ seemed better than the execution, but AJ always had pop sensibilities that seemed to undercut the folky core he represented himself as, and that might have confused the coaches. The battles are really a test for whichever contestant wants it more, sabotage song or not. It's also a test for deferential personalities. Ashley Bryant won off-genre against Elyscia, but also had the higher memorability/care factor with the vocal tinge/acrobatics. I'm guessing Bryan Olesen is in for Team Legend for the long haul? This really seem like a girl's season; I think Olesen, like AJ Harvey, has too much of an omnivorous style to paint a cohesive image for voters. He's gonna bite off more than he can chew at some point, even though his recorded work in his prime was awesome (and non-vote bait material, ironically). Schuesler gives the appearance of someone people might vote for, lookin' like Laine Hardy and having a performance style like a less distinct Noah Mac. He's got good musical taste, but I think he needs a tad more seasoning. He's not consistent throughout his musical choices, and his battle style was deferential. He might make the voting rounds because short of R&B belters, they need someone like him to round the genre numbers. I rep Huntington Beach, but historically, SoCal doesn't do anything for voters.
  2. I have a weird feeling this show is gonna make Ducote Talmage happen, if spoilers are wrong. Bad boy look, giving him all the country bad-boy songs between Wallen and Zimmerman, and the guy's just readily identifiable. Ryan Coleman could have been a blend of every country dude who previously got eliminated in battles. Seems like the type of dude country labels would throw out there and attempt to market. Dani Stacy impressed in her 30 seconds more than most of these other acts.
  3. Awesome work! Assuming it all to be true: 1) I like Chance's team a lot. Everyone has pop potential with R&B/swagger underpinnings, which means audience no likey. Dani and Maddi seemed like fairly obvious picks, and both for those sultry R&B stylings that's an obvious connection with his genre. Finally the rapper gets someone who pseudo-raps, it will be interesting to see how much Chance gets Maddi to indulge on that side. But that's a great fit for Maddi. The other thing is Chance obviously plays favorites (see Ray Uriel from last year), and as a producer, he's probably looking for urban chart/pop upside. Nadege fits that bill in a lot of ways. With stuff like Tyla, Chloe x Halle, Nadege is an approximation of that, and her battle with Maddi showcased her in a good light. This obviously means that Val went the way of Manasseh - Chance obviously has the church upbringing, but probably is looking for younger upside, or people who act younger. In his two seasons, Chance has brought a lot more women than men into the playoffs (only Kyle here, and he's a steal) so he obviously prefers working with women. I think Dani might surface with the Nashville connection, but Maddi's youtube connections might create an organic groundswell of votes. 2) Reba's team feels very Reba, but kinda weak, with L as the only? frontrunner. L. and Ashley are very obvious picks. L. would be very hard to let go, given that the combination of her story, vocals, backstory and her vivacious energetic personality probably is found every 5 seasons, if that. They would at least put her through the voting rounds and see if the audience truly catches on (Beverly McClellan made it far way back then, so quite possible). I guess Reba is trying to make it up to Tom Nitti by advancing Ashley Bryant -- jk, I kid, I kid. Bryant is the only true country act among this crop of seven, so she's an easy advance. Her audition felt a bit karaoke night, and somewhat generic. Justin & Jeremy - I can't see it, but man, either this is Ray Uriel all over again, because to beat Jackie Romeo and Asher means that either Reba is trying to diversify her team at the expense of everything else, or they really stepped up. But based on what we know, feels a bit weak so far. 3) D&S have a strong team - Karen Waldrup's pipes, veteran trustworthiness and confidence automatically paint her as a frontrunner. AJ always felt like someone they would put to votes (see the L comment - you likely don't get someone of that ilk this good every 5 seasons; also, D&S need someone who kinda seemed like them back when they were in their mid-20s). Madison seems to have that glimmer in her eye and confidence, she's got that comeback arc, and she stands out. Definitely need to put to a vote. These were pretty obvious choices for them, and is not surprising. Whether AJ or Madison get votes depends on how heavily they both lean into the poppier side of the spectrum, or if they lean more towards meaningful songs. But so far, so good for both of them. 4) John's picks are somewhat by the book - he picks people who stay in their zone, and have a distinct identity. Gene Taylor, sure, old-timey R&Bey big voice guy, somewhat generic. Zoe Levert, riding the TSwift wave, looking and sounding like her (although a bit copycat and does she really embody the lyrics?). Olivia could potentially be a more mature-sounding Ruby Leigh, down to the Linda Ronstadt. There's something about Olivia's style and look that harkens back old age Americana and glamour, but I'm not sure if she'll lean into that further on the show. She's by far the most interesting. This is a fairly weak team, and I'm guessing Olivia would easily distinguish herself, possibly even for votes, but we'll see. Elims - I felt Bryan Olesen was a bit too chameleon-y for John to digest- sometimes the picture you get is all bombast and theatrics so far, and maybe John felt he couldn't get a grip on his true identity. That despite the similar age and Christian upbringings. Coach voting equity - we would think Reba has the best voting equity, almost certainly among this crop. But she and John have the weaker teams, ironically. But it only takes one. Also, lots of women this season, likely to get a woman winner. Power rankings (vote equity, ability to perform and actually get votes) based on this: 1) Karen Waldrup (D&S) 2) L (Reba) 3) AJ (D&S) 4) Maddi (Chance) 5) Olivia (John) 6) Dani (Chance) 7) Madison (D&S) 8] Ashley (Reba) 9) Gene (John) 10) Justin and Jeremy (Reba) 11) Zoe (John) 12) Nadege (Chance)
  4. So 3 playoff passes so far - L Rodgers, Nadege, and Bryan Olesen. Which one of these is the "D-Smooth" of the group, the one who gets the farthest? I'm guessing Rodgers will be the Manasseh Samone, Nadege will be the MaryKate Connor, and Bryan Olesen will be D-Smooth, and the last playoff pass will be the Ryley Tate.
  5. I wonder if Kamalei will go far. He seems understated, less invested and doesn't immediately hit like a Iam Tongi, but between the Maui wildfires and Hawaii being repped a lot recently, he seems like someone who will go far. Repping culture is something shows like these love, and he embraces that. Between "Over the Rainbow" and "Redemption Song", these songs allow him to achieve that potential. OK3 would go a lot better in X Factor. But the Voice likes their groups more wholesome and demure - GNT, Pinoy brothers, country husband and wife duo, mom and daughters, stuff like that plays more to their lane than "three friends who met up, girl power'd it, and harmonized very well". It's that whole argument between Kamalei and Gabriel again - being heartfelt versus being enthusiastic, but Gabriel and OK3 have a more contemporary pop feel that's done better than previous pop acts on this show. Heartfelt always wins. I do think Zoe has that understated T-Swift quality, down to the long and lanky frame. Doing a TSwift cowrite and a TSwift acolyte Marcus- er, Maren Morris song cements that. Ryan Argast must have wanted the free publicity, because the songs he sang were pandering to Dan+Shay, and to Karen. He's basically a jobber who puts them over, and purposely was fodder. I get that he's softened up and become more sentimental as we all do when we age, but this contrasts sharply with his Marina City work and upbringing. Would have liked to see a more rawkerish performance somewhere, but as such it's just another data point of wasted potential.
  6. The irony is that Dan+Shay represent "country", but there's only 2 true country artists in this lineup (the perky Louisianian Karen Waldrup, and Ducote Talmage). Waldrup kinda reminds of Faith Hill, but her pop underpinnings might undercut frontrunner potential, barring heavy promotion. Talmage has that All-American bad boy look, and further reinforced that by covering Wallen, but again, doesn't scream frontrunner. Both are more pop/mainstream country, than trad country, so again, another thing that might work against them with voters. Of course, Shay has a ton of churchy R&B underpinnings, Dan was in an emo "Fall Out Boy" band before he escaped to the country, and the duo's brand of "boyfriend country" filled the vacuum of 2000s pop as 2010s pop migrated to hip hop and EDM. So not surprising they have quite a bit of R&B and pop on their teams. That isn't to say that they might steer Kyle, Ryan and AJ towards their brand of pop country. Pop: Justin+Jeremy, Frank Garcia, Madison Curbelo, Anya True, Kyle Schuesler, Ryan Coleman Folk: AJ Harvey Alt Rawk: Ryan Arghast Mainstream country: Waldrup, Talmage That's a lot of pop. By the way, between Schuesler (Emblem3's Huntington Beach) and True (Encinitas), that's a lot more SoCal than we're accustomed to on these shows. Did talent scouts really go hard in SoCal this year? Frontrunners? This is a fairly musically diverse team. Madison Curbelo has that whole "returnee to 4-chair thing" and she feels like someone Dan+Shay would be happy to promote/coach. I think she's a little too understated in style and doesn't have that arresting a voice/personality to ie, pull a Gina Miles, and there's a chance she'll box herself into Bob Marley/lighthearted reggae/70s pop songs, AJ Harvey has the look, the style, James Dean meets Elvis meets indigenous. Mid-20s, Dan+Shay again would be happy to promote/coach. If he stays on the folksy, meaningful song path and doesn't throw in pop songs just because it's cool to do so, he seems like someone who might do reasonably well. Justin+Jeremy are AZN Dan+Shay. Growth arc potential because of the unrefined aspects, bedroom youtube cover stuff. They sure love their British pop - 1D, Sheeran, James Arthur. We always talk about the Pinoy vote, but are they more style than substance? It feels that way. If it's top four, I'll round this with Waldrup, because they need country, and she's likely Dan+Shay's real meal ticket for conventional votes (because Dan+Shay can't move albums in the states and we don't know their coach equity). OTHERS: Ryan Arghast reminds of some combination of Mike Shinoda and Shinsuke Nakamura. The dude really faked the judges with his initial audition, because his Marina City work goes pretty hard. Dude should do a bunch of ironic Bowling For Soup type covers on this show ("Almost", "1985", "Girl All The Bad Guys Want", "Stacy's Mom") and scare the audience. Dan from his emo upbringing should vouch for this dude. He's not really for the Voice, but he would have really fit the music scene in the early 2000s with his style. I'd really like to see him advance and be more true to his music, just to see how the audience would react. Ryan Coleman seems like that generic "country/R&B/pop dude" who does all those, but nothing particularly stands out. Anya True=Olivia Rodrigo, if you squint hard enough multiple times over? She seems a tad awkward, and might need more time. Surfland's Schuesler looks like Idol's Laine Hardy, chose a good song that everyone who sings expects to do extremely well in, and he was decent. He's got a Zach Bryan freewheeling style so hipster country pop might be in the cards here. Frank Garcia's mariachi-R&B is an interesting blend as well.
  7. Other reviews from yesterday: AJ Harvey stands out a lot as a frontrunner. He's got the look, confidence, represents Indigenous people. He seems to have this bad boy sorta vibe - kinda Elvis, James Dean-ish; as he was performing, there was kind of an all-knowing smirk like "I know I'm good". Definitely heartthrob potential with the girls. Starting with Bob Dylan helps to establish a folksy lane that will endear him with older votes, and his presentation was good. It will be hilarious once he pulls the Ariana Grande "Breathin" switcheroo somewhere in the lives, but the dude has a lot going for him. Ducote Talmage has got that Aiden Grimshaw gritty, intense vibe, except brought to country music. Death grip on the mic, bad boy look again, firefighter, roll tide roll. Good song for him - The Voice's Wallen also had a sandpapery type voice. Again, heartthrob potential, but again, not sure if enough teen and pre-teen girls watch to care. Between him and Van Slee for the younger country spot - Talmage stands out more. Zoe probably has a growth arc. For a Swiftie, "Better Man" is kinda like that middle ground to ingratiate with Voice voters, especially to start with a ballad. She kinda reminded me of a religious schoolgirl from "The Sound Of Music" with that getup, which was interesting. Hopefully she just does all Taylor Swift songs through her run. Let's do "Bad Blood" when it comes to voting.
  8. Top three for sure in this season. She Whitney-ized a song that was steeped in the Brandy/Monica culture of R&B in the late '90s. She doesn't need any coaching, and probably could be coaching whichever judge she chooses. She's a tried and true archetype so we can probably game this all out, but on the show, she'll be successful. ETA: Many have mentioned prior, but there's a noticeable drought of AA diva belters who have won the show outright. She could be the one, especially in a perceived weaker season like this.
  9. It's hard to believe Chance giving Nadège a Coldplay song if she's starting with Daniel Caesar/Kali Uchis. Thought it would be somewhat obvious that would this season's resident song flipper, Dani Stacy. Edited: Could be Maddi, since youtube stars will try to adapt songs into their style, and Coldplay definitely went through that era. Rap interlude in "A Sky Full Of Stars"? Also, who's the hipster who did David Gray's "Babylon"? That guy's no Rivers Cuomo. And shoutout to William Alexander, doing a really meaningful TikTok fueled song (Lizzy McAlpine's "Ceilings"). Transformed a folk-pop song into a wistful, sincere *there's some light in the end of the tunnel* version of the song, with Christian undertones. His version showed incredible control especially for his age, you empathized and believed. A really good first impression. Also shoutout for looking like Max Christie, or Jordan Fisher, or whatever. He might be heavily song dependent but in sports, we'd deem him as someone with a lot of upside.
  10. Olesen seriously looks like RHCP's Flea, especially in 1989's "Back To The Future 2". Especially with the fauxhawk. First impression was this dude was more "rawker" than rocker. The song doesn't help. Might be a personal bias here, but out of OneRepublic's lucrative catalog, that one always got a skip when it came on during those lucrative 2010s. It just felt like fake energy, and this performance was by-the-numbers. Olesen with his Christian rock background gave this song the whole worship hands treatment, but giving a song "the Sunday morning" treatment has been done so many times on this show it felt nondescript. That being said, there's no denying his energy. He's definitely a performer, and will bring a ton of energy into the lives. His background also suggests he's got a ton more to offer on the show. He's also got a bit of an alternative, dancey, emo sound, you can tell he was influenced by the early aughts heavily and all of its chameleon nature. Christian music tends to veer towards samey-samey, as every band Nickelbacks and cribs off each other's sound, but his work stands out among Christian music, as his music could have fit even on pop radio at the time. I heard Owl City, Maroon 5, Fitz and the Tantrums, Tame Impala, Dashboard Confessional, Relient K in a lot of his early VOTA work. But all that is unique for this show, and informs my upbringing as well, so I'm a fan overall. Dude feels plantey though. Professional MVs back in the aughts -that MV screams "alt rock radio" I'm surprised it didn't hit those charts. But cool work:
  11. I remember when LANCO first got on radio sixish years ago with "Greatest Love Story". Definitely a one-hit wonder in the country music sphere, and most country folks don't know who they are. I liked what they represented at the time, more than the song itself. They were kinda this grassroots, rootsy, boyband-kinda looking country group, which made for an interesting mix. Super hard workers, caring for their fans, having great chemistry and collective energy. Their lead, Lancaster, is energetic and charismatic. Country at in the mid-2010s was trying to form their own boyband types with 1D's success. LANCO was kind of an acute musician version of that, but definitely aspired to be something more. But radio and the public never took to them. It's a good song, and country songs about small town young love is a tired trope, but a good trope. Van Slee can sing, the song is age-appropriate for him, he's earnest and impressionable. Kinda looks like Dan+Shay, or some AI hybrid of them, which is probably why he was cast. He's clearly got a presence on socials - dude gigs, cowboy hats, has your typically country hipster Gen Z playlist chock full of Tyler Childers, Jack Johnson and Zach Bryan. He's definitely got more in his skillset than what he presented in his audition.
  12. Nathan Chester seems like an interesting guy - wanting to bring back James Brown style Motown, but also presenting himself as cool and level-headed when chatting with the judges. And cheesecake? Unless you're vegan, dude's got the right mentality. Did the guy also say he was influenced by Golden Age musical theater? Sounds like a student of the game. Wanted to mention that Dani Stacy mentioned the "Destiny's Child" influence growing up. Here's hoping for that Aaliyah cover soon! Been seeing a lot of those Chloe Kohanski comparisons, what with the short blonde hair and rasp. Was a fan of Chloe in her season, and Dani's a good 6-7 years older in her early 30s, and with RVLife she presents as more road/world-weary which could possibly help her get through the slog of the competition and secure votes better. Chloe was also more informed by the '80s, Dani just seems like a straight-up song flipper informed by 90s music. Curious to see how she progresses on the show.
  13. Gabriel Goes - super cool name by the way - seems like he could be a star. Not on this show of course, because he's just too different, but dude has the vibe, the look, the personality, the rapport and the energy. Excellent flow, riding the beat like he's riding the wave. Positive vibes and shakas. If he presents like that, it seems like he would already be a hit in the cabana parties all over Oahu, or whatever tourist trap he and his band are jammin' in. Also, a really cool song choice that seems to perfectly fit him. At least it isn't Santeria. Needless to say, it's a breath of fresh air. Emblem3 was the last surfer dude musical act we had on these shows, and they were unique even back ten years ago. We've also had a few reggae folks cover Sublime over the years. But Gabriel seems a lot more present and joyous for the show, so I think he could possibly be a cut above, provided he accentuates his lane. Chance is definitely an experimentalist, he'll fit well there at the least. Obviously Gwen and Adam Levine would seem to be better coaches for him. The Jason Mraz comparison seems lit. "Geek In The Pink" and "The Remedy", early SD by-the-wavefront Mraz fly boy rap vibes there. From spoilers - was this the dude who sang Beach Boys in the playoffs?
  14. Yeah, not surprisingly as someone who built a following off 2010s youtube, she's probably informed by the Becky Gs and the Cher Lloyds that were prominent back then. Obviously at 25, she's still at that marketable age, and is the type of contestant that would been more prominent in the early to mid 2010s. We're talking about the Christina Grimmies, the Jake Barkers, the Madilyn Baileys, the Holly Henrys. It's always good to see these sort of contestants though - many of them are now usually in their late 20s/early 30s, but she got her start so young that she's still only 25. Kind of crazy. She's obviously put on more of a hip hop/rap aesthetic - although we probably should have seen it coming when she did "Price Tag" way back when, which is all about swag, flow and cadence. Her rap style? At least so far - it's more like commercialized rap, which is still equally offensive to Voice watcher ears - think Becky G, Cher Lloyd, XFUS rap type stuff, and less like say, Doja Cat. But that's just the first impression. She came into prominence during that era of rap, so it's not surprising she's imbibed a lot of its qualities. She's good. Good for what she's trying to convey, good for attempting to relate to people her age, etc. The vocals are also there, the song choice is super current. Totally acute for voting purposes, but she's probably hoping to pull a Grimmie and activate her former youtube stans, if they still care, for this. I actually think it's somewhat possible, but the care factor for the Voice is so nil not even sure casuals will lookie-loo and vote. If she were in XFUS in 2013, sure. But today? Hm.
  15. How do you go from "Sex and Candy" to "I Will Survive"? That's points off right there
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