‘The Voice’, Season 2: Christina Aguilera Takes The Mic As Blind Auditions End
This week on The Voice the judges, or at least Christina, got pickier and picker, with fewer spots to fill on each of their respective teams. We heard the regrets of singers who didn’t get a single turn of the chair, we felt bad for 64-year-old Memphis singer Preston Shannon, and “jack of all trades” Cameron Novack earned a heckuva lot of out-of-place praise. But enough about those rejects! Jump below to see who found a home on the show, helping to round out the teams. (One so good, Christina couldn’t help but grab the mic and join in.)
TEAM ADAM Whitney Myer belts out a breathy soul-infused rendition of Alicia Keys’ “No One”, grabbing the attention of Mr. Maroon 5 first. who performs with her father and She’s no stranger to the road: The singer already performs in a band with her uncle and father. But we wonder how the family band will hold up now that Whitney has teamed up with the NBC singing competition; they have tour dates scheduled through March, including a stop at the South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin.
Whitney Myer, “No One” Whitney Myer – No One – The Voice 2012 (Auditions)
Orlando Napier was a reckless party boy that ended up in jail for fighting, and while locked up he used music as a way to get his life back together. Now he plays piano in a blues band with his father, and picks John Mayer’s “Waiting On The World To Change” as his audition. Adam’s won over after the first line of the song. With his team full, we get a look back at his pretty, young and trendy team. They could be an alternate universe of Glee (Kim Yarborough would be their Mr. Schue).
Orlando Napier, “Waiting On The World To Change” Orlando Napier – Waiting On The World To Change…
TEAM CEE LO All The Shields Brothers‘ dad wants is for his sons to get out on the road and earn their keep, which has the whole family cracking up. They want to punch America in the face with rock music, and we think they succeeded with Billy Idol’s “Dancing With Myself.” Cee Lo seems to have turned around mostly just because he wants to rock out with the brothers. Next he picks up Cheesa, (pronounced chess-uh NOT cheese-uh), waiting until the very last note of her deep and soulful take on Beyoncé’s “If I Were A Boy” to pull the trigger.
The Shields Brothers, “Dancing With Myself” The Shields Brothers – Dancing With Myself – The…
Cheesa, “If I Were A Boy” Cheesa – If I Were A Boy – The Voice 2012…
Wade — just Wade — is an 18-year-old aspiring R&B singer. He pulls off more vocal tricks and acrobatics in one verse of “Rehab” than most people do on an entire song. Cee Lo calls it a Staxx version of an Amy Winehouse Motown song, and said it made him nostalgic for Amy and her tragic loss. Wade just looks like he might upchuck from excitement the entire time. Cee Lo completes his team and we flashback though his group of weirdos and girls he’s successfully flirted with.
Wade, “Rehab” Wade – Rehab – The Voice 2012 (Auditions)
TEAM BLAKE Lex Land is nervous before she starts, but you can barely tell it in her vocal, a sultry take on “I Can’t Make You Love Me” by Bonnie Raitt. Unfortunately she gets more nervous after chairs start turning, but nonetheless Blake makes a strong case and wins her over for his team.
Lex Land, “I Can’t Make You Love Me” Lex Land – I Can't Make You Love Me – The Voice…
Adley Stump has only been singing for 10 months, and her mom reveals some TMI about Adley’s potty training history. She’s fresh-faced for sure, and as a country singer taking on “Last Name” she seems destined for Blake, even if Christina also tries to win her over. She’ll be something very raw for Blake to mold this season. His team is a true mix of all sorts of types, though, and country might not dominate for him this year.
Adley Stump, “Last Name” Adley Stump – Last Name – The Voice 2012…
TEAM CHRISTINA Christina is the most frugal button-pusher of the episode, with her only push for the whole first hour for Whitney Myer, who won over everyone else, too. She finally snags someone when Lee Koch arrives on the scene in a Spencer Pratt costume. Lee is a baker, but he wants to be a musician who bakes, not a baker who makes music. Christina makes her turn during the last bits, when Lee pulls in the harmonica on Bob Dylan’s “Like A Rolling Stone.” Stealthy!
Lee Koch, “Like A Rolling Stone” Lee Koch – Like A Rolling Stone – The Voice 2012…
We watch poor Christina suffer through girls and boys doing pitchy pop renditions as she waits for her final team member. We flash back through her diverse group (hip-hop to opera, and everything in between) before Sera Hill, a singing hotel desk worker, takes the stage with Mary J. Blige’s “I’m Going Down.” Once Christina feels her on the “who world’s upside down” line, she turns and finishes her team, but not before taking a mic and joining Sera on stage, who looks like she’s about to lose her mind. It’s nice to see that Christina is unable to take it down a notch, even when she’s showcasing someone else to win a show for her.
Sera Hill, “I’m Going Down” Sera Hill – I'm Going Down – The Voice 2012…
NEXT WEEK: We hope there are a million more moments like the Christina-Sera sing-off as we move into the Battle Rounds, just as long as they stay away from weird integrated marketing efforts (Betty White and Zac Efron singing “Lets Get It On” on that intense green screen was weird, and would only have been funny if Efron had dropped a condom from his pocket while promoting The Lorax.)
So who’s going to crumble under the pressure, and who will rise to the top? Let us know in the comments below, or on Twitter and Facebook.
