The Best and Worst Advice Taylor Swift Gave on ‘The Voice’ This Week: An Extremely Deep Analysis

Caila Ball-Dionne | October 29, 2014 8:49 am

“Anytime I watch a performance of any kind I’m taking notes,” declared Taylor Swift on Tuesday’s episode of The Voice. Girl, we hear you, and are taking just as many notes on your mentoring stint during the Knockout Round. Judgment, after all, is a favorite pastime.

Some of the 1989 singer’s advice was solid, some was weak, and some was downright bat-ish crazy. Following the first week of Tay Tay’s stint on The Voice, here are the highlights of her mentoring wisdom.

Taylor Swift The Voice 2014 Blake Shelton

THE BEST:

* Team Blake Shelton’s James David Carter sang James Taylor’s “You’ve Got A Friend,” and he really needed to step up the mellow performance. Taylor encouraged him by saying, “You’re doing these really, really cool riffs, and I think that was what changed the dynamic.”

* Blake’s adorable teenage singer Tanner Linford had a shy stage presence until Taylor got to him. “There was one half a second where you glanced up at me. That’s a move I call working the cute boy factor, which I think you should do more of,” she told the youngster of his Train performance. Eye contact is always good, and Tanner having Taylor Swift call him cute on his way out is a sweet consolation prize.

* Blake’s indie singer Jessie Pitts defaulted to the same, repetitive hand gestures throughout her performance, and Taylor took note. “You have some comfort moves that you do,” she told Jessie. “The way to think about more things to do with your mannerisms is to think about the lyrics.”

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* Team Pharrell WilliamsTaylor Phelan planned to take his guitar on stage singing Clean Bandit’s “Rather Be” until Taylor stepped in. “You played guitar for about 7 seconds in the whole song. I think it’s a teddy bear,” she said. Though his non-guitar holding dance moves left a bit to be desired, it was certainly better than a non-played guitar.

* Team Gwen Stefani’s Troy Ritchie was all set for an energetic performance of Outkast’s “Hey Ya” when Taylor gave him a good idea to make it unique. “Thought: you do the entire first verse and chorus slow and acoustic,” she said. “Promote your album on The Voice.” Ok, so Taylor technically did not say this, but actions (alongside advertisement and bumpers) speak louder than words.

THE WORST:

* When it comes to dance moves, perhaps Taylor Swift isn’t the right person to dole out advice…but she does, anyway. She tells Team Blake’s Griffin, “I would love for you to go like this,” moving her arm up and down in an 8 Mile-esque hype man gesture (see Taylor’s dancing to Florida Georgia Line for further clarity). “It makes it more rock.”

* To Team Pharrell’s DaNica Shirey, Swifty encouraged doubting oneself by saying, “It’s nice when someone is doubtful of themselves, because when you’re coasting, you’re backsliding.” So…don’t believe in yourself too much? Nope, can’t get on board with this one.

* Team Adam Levine’s Toia Jones performed Beyoncé’s “Crazy in Love,” and Taylor wanted the focus more on the “crazy” than the “love.” “Make it like you’re absolutely out of your mind,” she advised, which sounds like a restraining order waiting to happen.

Taylor Swift Pharrell Williams 2014 The Voice

MOST CONFUSING: Team Gwen’s Bryana Salaz had the tendency to hit the songs way hard, way early. Taylor tried to explain pacing, but received nothing but vacant stares from the contestant when she said, “What is exciting for an audience is if you go slow, medium, fast, REALLY SLOW, FAST!”

MOST TERRIFYING: “Play with your eye contact a little bit,” Taylor told Team Pharrell’s Ricky Manning. “Think of your eyes as if they have laser beams or spotlights in them…use them as a sniper shot.” Note to any of Taylor Swift’s exes who have not already hired bodyguards: do so now.

Can she top this advice on Monday?

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