THE FULL MONTY CHRONICLES

This is the season that I watched with a vengeance. I knew that Candice Glover was auditioning. She was one of my favorites in Season 11. She didn't make the top 24. I needed her to make it far this season. She went on to win! So awesome. We had some judge changes. No more J Lo. No more Steven. We got Mariah, Nikki, and Keith. What a panel! So much drama and I loved it. Even though, at times, it took away from the contestants. They also added a Vegas round THE FINALIST CURTIS FINCH JR Nice smooth tone but just never delivered for me. PAUL JOLLEY Very nice voice but always picked the wrong song. DEVIN VELEZ I really liked his voice. Something just didn't click with the viewing audience. BURNELL TAYLOR Had a nice new school R&B sound. His stage presence could have used more finesse. LAZARO ARBOS Cute guy but was way over his head. Nice voice but he never found his footing. JANELLE ARTHUR Very good sound to her voice. She was just in the season with some ...

Alright friends! Summer is over. It was extremely busy. I went to China, fell in and out of love, and did so many other things. One thing that I did not do was blog. I missed it. With the Voice back for another season, it is time to dust off the critiquing cobwebs and get back into to action! I will also continue my American Idol Overhaul series. More blogginess coming at you soon!!!

Well here we are. THE FINALS. Once again, this season has had some really standout performances. Pretty awesome to watch. My first season of blogging for The Voice and I picked a good one. Awesome to have a representative from each coach in the finals. That doesn't happen very often. As always, I will rank the performances from least favorite to favorite. Hannah Huston/Pharrell Williams - Brand New : I love this song as a recording. Not sure how I feel about it live. Not sure how I feel about it as a duet in the finale. Hannah tried to give it her all but there isn't much that you could do with this song. Not her fault at all. Adam Wakefiedl/Blake Shelton - The Conversation : I get it. Country has it's own flair. It has it's own appeal. This kind of country is just not for me. While I enjoyed Adam's voice, I didn't like the two of them together. Just okay for me. Hannah Huston - I Call The Shots : This song would be fire with the right performance. I am th...

This is my only complaint with The Voice. I feel like their format is rushed when it comes to the end. Crazy to think that we will have gone from 8 to 4 in one episode. I would rather you do that early on. It will give us a better grasp for the type of artist these contestants will be and it will also allow the contestants to grow. Anyway, enough of my complaining. As always, I will rank the performances from least favorite to favorite. Bryan Bautista - Hurt : I absolutely appreciate the emotional delivery. Great song for that. I think that the key should have been lowered by a couple of steps. There was some strain there and it caused the emotion to be overshadowed. Your tone in the beginning was awesome. It was when you got to the chorus. That is when things fell apart. Especially during the bridge. I didn't feel that you had a grasp on the key change towards the end. Paxton Ingram - I'd Do Anything For Love : Really enjoyed his vocal with this song. He was giving it ...

Since I am a week late, let's get down to business. Like always, I will rank the performances from least favorite to favorite. Nick Hagelin - Hold On, We're Going Home : I hate this song choice period. I am glad that he gave us a good mix of natural and falsetto voice. That being said, you can hear the weaknesses in both. I just don't know if you can continue to have what it takes to make it further in this competition. The vocals just aren't ready. Paxton Ingram - I Wanna Dance With Somebody : I was digging the beginning but then you lost me with the arrangement and the whiny vocals. It felt very labored. I wanted it to end because you didn't make each transition fresh. You could have gone the extra mile with this song. Just didn't sell it enough for me. Mary Sarah - My Church : Love your tone but I wish that you would put more of yourself into these performances. You have not lived up to your initial audition yet. I remember feeling like you were so fres...

My apologies for the tardiness of this post. Busy life on the road with Ball In The House. Anyway, here are my thoughts about our Top 10. As always, I will rank the performances from least favorite to favorite. Daniel Passino  - I Don't Want To Miss A Thing : Really??? This song??? If you were going to do something completely different, I would have been on board. Such a bad bar karaoke performance. I am not a fan of your vocal tone with this song. When you went to your falsetto, it was a big ole' ball of NOPE. You didn't even prep for it. Your runs were sloppy and out of tune. Cringe worthy during the latter part of the performance. Just no! Paxton Ingram - It's All Coming Back To Me : Something about his tone really bothers. It is too whiney and immature. Especially on songs like this. It just doesn't sound mature enough to tackle a song like this. It was just "meh" to me. Nothing really sparkled but it didn't tank. Nick Hagelin - I Can't H...

Let's get right into it. As always, I will rank fhe performances from least favorite to favorite. Nick Hagelin - Your Body Is A Wonderland : I was all over the place in spots. The falsetto wasn't as connected as it should be if you are going to use it. Your vocals are not grounded enough for me. I am trying to get on board but I just can't listen to it anymore. Weak vocals in all aspects. Yes, I am mean lol. Owen Danoff - Fire And Rain : I love the storyteller aspect to his vocals but it came off as scared at times. You need to deliver an extremely focused and solid vocal to get more people on board to your performances. This song did not do you any favors unfortunately. Daniel Passino - Time After Time : Something just never sits right for me whenever I watch him perform. Something is missing. The vocals are there if he focuses on the voice instead of the showmanship. I loved the arrangement. Just needed to take it to the next level by losing himself in the music. ...

Here we are with the Top 12. I love the Itunes idea but I also dislike it. Sure, someone with a great fanbase will vote for them but not all fans buy their songs on Itunes. I am not sure of when I made my last purchase on Itunes. Someone could give an outstanding performance but lose the advantage by not having sales. Sucks but I guess those are the breaks. As usual, I will rank the performances from least favorite to favorite. Daniel Passino - Human Nature : Ugh. The first half was decent. Your stage presence is annoying. Just too much bravado for me. Then you went into your falsetto and you just lost your way. The notes were all over the place. Just not good at all. Nick Hagelin - Mine Would Be You : Still not there vocally. It wasn't all in your falsetto but your chest voice was very unsettled. I didn't feel a connection to the song at all from you. Owen Danoff - 7 Years : I am not a fan of the song choice. I like your vocal tone but I didn't feel the commitment be...

2nd round of live shows and I am ready to go! Sorry to say but this is definitely more entertaining than any of the last 3 Idol seasons. The Voice just gets it right.  I will rank the performances from least favorite to favorite by team. Then I will name the two contestants who should advance and who will advance.  TEAM PHARRELL Caity Peters - I'll Be Waiting : We all wanted to hear what she would sound like on an Adele song. This is not what we had in mind. Wrong song choice. She never quite figured out how to maneuver around the song. I wish that you had chosen a different song. Your voice is awesome but song choice will get you everytime. Moushumi - Love Yourself : I was rooting for you. This arrangement was just not right for you. Lots of opportunity to misstep. There were some uncertain vocal patterns in the ad lib sections. I just felt like it went nowhere. Lacy Mandigo - Love Is A Battlefield : I felt like there are songs that could have showcased your voice in ...

Here we go! Live rounds! This is when it starts to feel like American Idol. I am getting my fix in! LOL anyway.....the judges get to bring back an eliminated contestant. I am not sure how I feel about that. Some of these people are pretty much fodder for the prizes on each team. Cool to see if they surprise us tonight. I am going to run this like I did with my American Idol blogs. I will rank the performances from least favorite to favorite by team. Then I will name the two contestants who should advance and who will advance. Team Blake Paxton Ingram - How Deep Is Your Love : Interesting song choice. You were giving off an MJ vibe and I liked it in the beginning. Then you got a little carried away with the "hey"s and "huh"s. When you started jumping around the stage. Your vocal got lost.  Justin Whisnaut - Here's A Quarter : Nice voice but horrible song choice. If you get a second chance, you better nail it. There were times that you were sharp. It j...

The Knockouts!!! Now I prefer the battles because they are singing the same song. I like the knockouts because we get a preview as to what it will be like on the live shows. I will review each performance and tell you who should have won. OAN does anyone else want to be a judge on The Voice? I know that I really would love it. Especially with a spinning chair involved. Alright, I digress. On to the Knockouts!!!! Paxton Ingram - Hometown Glory Vs. Angie Keilhauer - Take Your Time Initially, Paxton's tone is a little too narrow for me. It comes off as immature. There are lots of things that he can do with his voice but he needs to broaden his sound. He delivered but I want him to really dig deeper. Angie totally picked the wrong song. I love this song but just not for her and not for this competition. Especially with the talk/rap in the beginning, she was never able to establish herself in the song. MY WINNER : Lesser of two evils here....Paxton Ingram ACTUAL WINNER : Paxton I...

It is extremely hard for me to not get emotional about this season coming to a close. 15 years of a legacy stopping tonight. I know that there are rumors of an American Idol 2.0 but it just won't have the nostalgic value that this particular show has. As for Season 15, I can't believe that I got the finale that I wanted. By Top 4, I had an idea of who I wanted in the finals. Season after season, I would have my dreams crushed when my second pick for the finale would get booted out 3rd or 4th place. That may have happened every season. Because I can't let it go just yet, let's take a trip down memory lane: Season 1: Kelly Clarkson and Tamyra Gray (4th) Season 2: Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken (I got my wish) Season 3: Fantasia Barrino and Latoya London (4th but I wanted Jennifer Hudson as well) Season 4: Carrie Underwood and Vonzell Solomon (3rd) Season 5: Katharine McPhee and Elliott Yamin (3rd) Season 6: Jordin Sparks and Melinda Doolittle (3rd) Season 7: David A...

Season 11 was probably one of my favorite seasons. New stage. Fresh voices. One of my favorite YouTube singers was on this season. Just a great season of singing. THE FINALIST JEREMY ROSADO Seems like a nice kid with a decent voice. Just not a star.  JERMAINE JONES Huge voice with a bass/baritone quality to it. The drama surrounding his exit was not necessary. I felt bad for him.  SHANNON MAGRANE Sweet girl but didn't have the vocal control to make it all the way.  ERIKA VAN PELT One of my favorite vocal tones to ever grace the stage. I don't know why America didn't get her but I sure did. Beautiful husky voice that had power to deliver any song. HEEJUN HAN Started out with potential but ended up being a joke.  DEANDRE BRACKENSICK Boy knew how to use his falsetto. Sometimes a little too much. There were songs where it really worked.  COLTON DIXON Nice solid voice. Had moments of good and then moments of what are you doi...

Season 10 brought on some change. It seemed like a brand new show at times. 2 new judges in Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler. The semi final round was a one shot performance. The talent seemed to be of all different genres and talent level. Overall, just a good season. THE FINALIST ASHTON JONES Fresh take on R&B that seemed to fit the current state of music. She came off as a diva but I saw her as confident. KAREN RODRIGUEZ Soft fluid vocalist with a latin flair. She struggled with song choice. THIA MEGIA Young lady with a different type of voice. Most of the time she was under pitch but her tone was so beautiful. NAIMA ADEDAPO She was jazzy. She was funky. She struggled with vocal consistency but left everything she had on the stage. PIA TOSCANO Polished singer with vocal range and control. She chose amazing ballads and even showed that she could go uptempo. There was no denying her vocal excellence. PAUL MCDONALD Interesting voice who just didn't push eno...