It’s time for another two-hour shot of blind auditions. What we don’t know? Whether Cee-Lo will bust out the cat again. We can only hope.
I’m live-blogging, but should anything go awry with Slingbox, I’m not advertising that fact so much.
8:01 p.m. EST – As we’ve come to expect, another recap of the second part of the blind auditions. Gotta fill up those two hours!
8:02 p.m. – A nice spin on the blind test. Our first contestant is 27 and from Houston, Texas. This person (it’s not clear whether it’s a he or she, but I’m leaning she) has been rejected by recording companies because he or she wouldn’t change his or her look. He or she is the quintessential “The Voice” contestant.
8:03 p.m. – Yeah, pretty sure this is a she given this pleasant but not awe-inspiring performance of “You and I.” Cee-Lo is the first to turn around for Sarah Golden. Next, Blake hits the button. This is going to be interesting, as she seems perfect for Blake.
8:05 p.m. – Blake thought Sarah’s voice sounded honest. Sarah tells Cee-Lo she considers herself a folk singer. Sarah goes with… Cee-Lo.
8:09 p.m. – Elley Duhe is up next. Her family has made a lot of sacrifices for her music career. Man, hope she can sing. And… she’s got a high, nasal quality that may just need some work… oh, that got pitchy. Never mind. No one spins for Elley. Adam tells her her last note was wonderful. Last note? Christina says she’s got lots of time to polish her performance. Blake is a little more honest and says she got pitchy, but he thinks she’s awfully sweet.
8:19 p.m. – Up next, Pip. Pip wears bow ties and suspenders. He thinks his voice is more mature than his 19 years would sugest. He’s singing “House of the Rising Sun.” Yes, not what I would expect from a kid in a bow tie. Adam spins around before the first verse is completed. Next, Blake, followed by Christina and finally Cee-Lo. He has an excellent voice, yes, but lacks the Eric Burden growl I associate with that song.
8:20 p.m. – Adam thinks it takes a real man to wear a bow tie, and he loves that Pip’s the exact opposite of what people would expect. So far, best argument. But Blake is damn funny. Not that you need that in a mentor, but still.
8:27 p.m. – Pip picks Adam, because Adam turned around first. And, you know, he’s a winner.
8:28 p.m. – Erin Willet‘s dad thinks she’s great. And he has pancreatic cancer. She’s putting on a brave front, but she hopes this is a chance for her to realize her dream. She sings “I Want You Back,” and Blake is the first to spin. And… that’s it? I thought she had a nice, earthy quality to her voice. Kind of surprised no one else bit. Christina says she has a lot of power and she was into it… but she didn’t turn around. Blake thought she had a powerful voice, so that’s enough.
8:38 p.m. – Katrina Parker works in an office in Hollywood, so Carson drops by personally. She might have acted like “a complete ninny for ten minutes.” David Grace was a football coach, but now he sings. Up first is David singing “Sweet Home Alabama.” I don’t think this is bad at all, but no one is spinning for him. Blake, though, clearly wants to…but doesn’t. Blake thought he’d bend into a note and thought it was weird. Not wrong, but weird. Adam also didn’t like the bendy moments. I think he was trying to put a spin on the song that maybe wasn’t the right fit. So… Katrina?
8:44 p.m. – Christina Millian! Wearing way too much make-up. Sorry.
8:49 p.m. – Ah, Katrina’s back. In 2008, she discovered her home had hidden mold that made her sick and stopped her from singing. Well, this is certainly a different story. Tragedy AND toxic mold! But her version of “One of Us” does not start off that well. Adam spins for her, though. Toward the end, she seems to find her path a bit more, though. Cee-Lo tells her she looks nice.
And then, my Internet craps out momentarily. But, in short, Adam won.
8:58 p.m. – Christina is still looking for her first artist. Will it be Geoff McBride? He has an old kickboxing injury, so he wears sunglasses all the time. It’s not a cool factor, dammit! He’s singing “Higher Ground,” and Christina spins first. Mostly he’s great, but there are a few pitchy moments. Still, definitely solid and can belt. Cee-Lo spins, too. Christina loves the first note he hit and she loves his energy. Cee-Lo tries to relate to him as a black man. Christina says she has soul, too. Geoff picks… someone after the break.
And again, Internet craps out. Yes, I’m an unhappy slave to technology. Dammit!
9:11 p.m. – Okay, the Internet gods are back. Erin Martin is, as a former model, super cute and has a very distinctive, little girl voice. Cee-Lo spins for her, and is thrilled that Erin is model pretty. He loves that her voice is bizarre and he thinks, quite naturally, she belongs to him. Blake thinks she’s a special sound and he’d love to be her coach. Adam is admitting he was too confused to turn around, but he loves her. So she has to pick between Blake or Cee-Lo. She goes with Cee-Lo, which really is the right choice, honestly.
And, for the third time, my Internet craps out. Apparently there are high winds in this area, or my Internet provider is full of crap. Probably the latter. FYI, Time Warner Cable? SUCKS.
9:24 p.m. – James Massone is from Boston. Totally miss his performance, but I watch it online much later (thanks, NBC, for making that a Herculean task) — his voice is very, very nasal and high. He sounds like a young kid, but that being said, he probably can work within the realm of R&B. He’s a 23-year-old white kid who sings like a black guy. Cee-Lo, Christina and Blake want him. Who will he pick? He doesn’t want to offend anyone, because everyone’s awesome, but he has to pick someone. Come on, Jason, do it! His first choice is Cee-Lo. Man, he’s filling up his roster FAST.
9:31 p.m. – Dear NBC — Jessica Simpson plugging “Fashion Star” does not convince me the show doesn’t suck.
9:32 p.m. – Winter Rae has blue hair and tattoos, but she’s an R&B singer. Digs Mariah Carey. This will be interesting. Her friend Perez Hilton may come to her audition. He’s a fan and does not have blue hair at the moment. She sings “Take A Bow,” and I’m surprised no one turned around. She had a pretty voice, though that may not have been the best song for her (or maybe not the best rendition, as while pretty, it doesn’t really progress). Christina was waiting for bigger moments and more range. Blake loves her hair. Adam tells her she shouldn’t lose faith in herself. So, Winter Rae is going back to her job at the bowling alley.
9:39 p.m. – Dear NBC – George Takei, however, might convince me to watch “Celebrity Apprentice.”
9:41 p.m. – Chris Cauley is 27 and was most influenced by his grandmother. He’s R&B, while she was bluegrass. He wants to live out her legacy. Okay, okay, let’s just get to the performance. I can’t get attached to anyone else who might be getting sent home. He performs “Grenade” with a fair degree of polish and Cee-Lo spins for him. Does Cee-Lo even have any open slots left? Adam spins as well. Christina thought he was really smooth, which Adam heard as well. He just waited for a long time… for no real reason, actually. Chris wants Adam and Cee-Lo to arm wrestle for him. They don’t, but he picks Adam anyway.
9:47 p.m. – Time for a quickie montage! Really, we couldn’t squeeze in full performances for everyone? This is a two hour show, for crying out loud. Adam snaps up Nathan Parrett, who performs “The Joker.” Brian Fuente is grabbed by Blake. Christina takes the show’s first MC, Moses Stone. Christina is making some interesting choices, have to say, though not a lot of them tonight.
9:51 p.m. – And forgot to mention – Cee-Lo is, of course, rocking the cat. As accessories go, you can’t beat a fluffy white Persian, really.
9:52 p.m. – Jordis Unga was in a punk rock band, and then a pop band. She believes “The Voice” is it for her. I hope that doesn’t mean she’s going to psyche herself out. She’s singing “Maybe I’m Amazed,” which is one of Adam’s favorite songs. Blake turns around before she gets out two lines. She’s good, but it seems her voice gets pretty raspy when she belts it out. Still, Christina loved the rasp. Cee-Lo picked her, too. Adam declares he’s the a-hole who didn’t pick her. Blake tells her he’s been waiting for her. She makes him want to be a better singer, dammit! Christina points out she has the time to give Jordis, which Cee-Lo wouldn’t. Blake says he’s currently touring with someone he picked last season. None of this is helping Jordis. She goes with Blake because he was the first one to turn around, which seems a little random as a selection method, but Blake is definitely a fan of hers. Blake’s just thrilled to have beaten Christina and Cee-Lo.
That brings us to the end of part three, and while Cee-Lo seems dead set on filling up his roster fast, there’s still plenty of space left. And yes, plenty of prime advertising time for NBC, who would find a way to spin out the auditions to three hours a night if they could.
Did you find an early favorite? Was there anyone you were surprised didn’t get picked? And whose voice was the biggest contrast to their image?