The Voice Season 2 Episode Recaps with DJ Kwokodile [Quarterfinals 2]

I might be repeating a little, but I think that Adam was the strongest to begin with and that Cee Lo was the weakest, boy was I wrong! Cee Lo is definitely the favorite to win with either Juliet or Jamar. The weakest is either Xtina or Blake.

Quick Summary:

Jamar Rogers: It's My Life [8/10] It was good, but not exceptional

Katrina Parker: Jar of Hearts [9.5/10] Definitely her A+ game

Mathai: I'm Like a Bird [6/10] She did amazing with the song she had, but the song choice was...

James Massone: Just The Way You Are [5/10] Didn't really like it.

Tony Lucca: ...Baby One More Time [9/10] Nice to see a better side to Tony, still don't like him.

Cheesa: I Have Nothing [9/10] Cheesa's best performance.

Pip: Somewhere Only We Know [6/10] Really pitchy, didn't like it.

Juliet Simms: Cryin' [9/10] Amazing stage, amazing voice, great song, not amazing.

Instant Eliminations:

They were the right choices, even though Pip was one of my favorites on the show, I did feel like he did the worst of all of the 4. James knew his time had come, and all of the rest did well but him.

America's Saved: Tony Lucca & Jamar Rogers

Mathai: Cowboy Casanova [9/10] I really liked this performance, even though she was nervous, it didn't show

Katrina Parker: Perfect [9/10] Really good, Katrina is good, she better beat Tony!

Cheesa: Already Gone [6/10] Really pitchy, didn't like it.

Juliet Simms: Torn [9.5/10] So good, good amount of rasp! Love it!

Eliminated Mathai & Cheesa.

I was really upset that Mathai was eliminated but Katrina is really good. I really wanted Cheesa gone, I wanted Angie in from the beginning, but Cheesa won, so I didn't like her very much.

EK5 with DJ Kwokodile 4/23/12

Lots of posts related to The Voice, sorry for that. Well here is my playlist for this week.

1. [Somebody That I Used to Know (Tiesto Remix){feat. Kimbra}] - Gotye
I really love the original and I love electronic music, so these really coincided well, great beat with creepy, yet good lyrics. I think this might my favorite rendition of the song!

2. [A Woman Like You] - Lee Brice
I love country and I love country songs that mention the words, fried chicken. I don't know why, but I love "Chicken Fried" by Zac Brown Band and this song! So chicken with a side of country please! I love this ballad, a lovely love song to his wife, I hope. Meaningful song with clever lyrics.

3. [Chasing The Sun] - The Wanted
I love listening to their song and when it aired for the first time on The Voice I was pretty happy. I think it is really catchy and Team Blake did so well with them!

4. [Payphone (feat. Wiz Khalifa)] - Maroon 5
I can say that I was among the first in the world to listen to the worldwide premiere! I saw it on The Voice and it has been in my head ever since. I will not include the link, because I don't think I will be able to find a clean version. (I only listen to the clean version, by the way)

5. [What Makes You Beautiful] - Sam Tsui
OK, I get it. I have hated on One Direction, but I don't hate on their songs, and I just thought it was more appropriately sung by Sam Tsui! His voice is so good and he made the song something meaningful.

Say Aah for a Part Of Lindsey Pavao from a Heart-Shaped Box who is Somebody That I Used To Know.

So continuing my series about contestants on The Voice. If you couldn't guess by the title, this person is no other than Skrillex hair, indie, Lindsey Pavao. I have so many favorites on this show, and she is one of them.

Lindsey before Skrillex hair!

Unfortunately, I don't have much things to relate with to Lindsey like I did with Mathai... I wish we had more in common, but we just don't can't say I am of pure American descent, or have a half-shaved awesome head, but we do have one thing in common, indie. Alright, I have a confession to make. I am very off pitch, so technically, we don't share indie, but we share our love for indie, there. Whew, spilling the beans feels better. Now everyone will want me to go on The Voice and embarrass myself. Well that is not happening.

So back to Lindsey, Lindsey Pavao is a 22 years old, I really hope I got that right... she is either 22 or 23. I am  pretty positive about that, but to the best of my knowledge she is 22 soon to turn 23. Well she just graduated from CSU, Sacramento, and until recently worked at Zen Sushi.

So during Lindsey's blind audition, She sang "Say Aah" by Trey Songz. For me, this was the best audition of the whole second season. I am a really big fan of new things and just pure genius. Lindsey was both of these things, and her song even charted on Hot Billboard 100 at 80! Only person of the season to get a Billboard slot for the blind auditions!

Lindsey after her Blind Audition

So, I first saw her audition on a preview of the season, at first I thought it was pretty bad. Honestly I did, for 2 big reasons. First, I didn't even know the song, and 2nd she hadn't started :) So as we got to the middle, I was wondering who sang this and when I saw it was Trey Songz, I was really surprised, a rapper for real? So I youtube-d the song, and listened to it, I really liked it, pumped me up. So I went back to the song, and listened to it from the beginning. I was blown away. First, I know that The Voice does not provide special things like that, meaning, they don't know how to play that arrangement, so Lindsey must have done everything by herself! She is so ingenious! Secondly, I was blown away by that hidden power. Mostly on the show, I hear her soft side, but when her moments of power come, it sends me to the edge of my seat to soak in all the lyrics; to me it is just that powerful. I was extremely excited that 3 judges turned around, but was rather saddened that Adam didn't turn around and was even more saddened by the fact that he was surprised 3 turned around, because that must have meant he didn't think she was that good.

Ok, enough of "Say Aah", even though I could talk a little bit longer, but for sake of my sanity, let's keep going down or up the roller coaster. So, battle rounds... I must admit I do not really like the battle rounds all too much because of the fact one has to go home and usually my favorites are paired together. For example, I liked Anthony Evans and Jesse, but would have loved to see Anthony move on as well. I did not really like Lee's audition, but he had a good voice.

"Forever in debt to your priceless advice,iiice"

I didn't know again what the song choice was yet again, I guess I'm a hermit, but they were assigned "Heart-Shaped Box" by Nirvana. I was so happy to hear the amazing talent both of them put on the table! It was legit stuff, even though it was a bit creepy. My all time favorite line is the line that was on the preview, "Forever in debt to your priceless advice." Lindsey sang that very well. I was super glad that it was not really a battle, it was a beautiful duet. I was glad that Christina picked Lindsey.

Then comes her live round show, I was super excited to know that she was singing Gotye's "Somebody That I Used to Know." I was a little bit saddened at the fact that she didn't bring the power that Gotye brought in the chorus, I felt like she could really bring that well, but I was glad that the staging was good, and creepy. I downloaded the iTunes version and was quickly engaged and was happy to hear that she did bring the power in the studio version. She charted to #23 in iTunes, but she failed to chart in Hot Billboard :( she was #6 on the Bubbling Under The Hot 100. So close!

Creepy and Good coincided!

Last week I was so ready for a S&M/We Found Love Mashup! I felt she could turn it into something so amazing, but she failed to connect with it. I was a little disappointed with her performance with "Part of Me' by Katy Perry. I felt like she wasn't in sync with the band and didn't put it all out. I was happy with her iTunes performance, but I personally thought this was her worst performance of the season.

Bad picture, but best representation

Then I was super upset that she wasn't saved by America and was so nervous for her. I was preparing for the worst. But when Ashley didn't sing too well, I felt a little more optimistic, and when Lindsey started singing Mike Posner's "Please Don't Go", I remember why I loved her voice so much. It was everything I wanted, moving, versatile, special, and her powerful voice. I was totally with Christina and Cee Lo. I thought it was so moving and beautiful, and I was on the verge of ______. What? I didn't say anything! Maybe... For me, that was her best performance on the show yet. I was super excited by it and still am I still listen to it a lot and it is just Lindsey at her best. (Hopefully that means another vulnerable performance next week!) I was a little bit sad that it wasn't going to be on iTunes, but I downloaded it via Realplayer.

I can not wait for her next week! I am so glad Christina save her and she has what it takes to go extremely far. She better sing something so good next week! #PavaoArmy! Fave from TeamXtina! I'll include album covers!

Rumour Has It, that Sharon Mathai is writing a Love Song for no Ordinary Person!

New series of blogs! Well, if you haven't guessed it, I am going to be blogging about my favorite contestants on The Voice.Well today I am going to blog about Sharon Mathai, better known just as Mathai.

^--- notice the honors banner

Sharon Mathai, 19, fresh out of high school and into college realized her gift was singing. I can relate in some sort of ways to Sharon, because she is Indian and I am Chinese, so pressures are very similar. Since I am Asian, I live in the same environment, pressure in school and being a doctor. (For the record, my parents are not that type, but other parents are... just in case my parents stumble upon this) I do want to become a doctor, but by my own choice. My mom is not a "tiger mom", but there are quite a bit of tiger moms where I live. For those reasons, I feel like I can relate with her, but then again I don't quite mind and I do not have a different dream.

So during the blind auditions, Sharon, Mathai, oh dear... I'll just say Mathai from now on. So during the blind auditions, Mathai sang "Rumour Has It" by Adele. Personally I do not like Adele covers, because many of those covers never sound good and the shoes are never filled. That was an exception for Mathai. She put a spin on the song and made it her own. The coaches couldn't see, but her stage presence was amazing. She was so comfortable on stage, that it was a bit shocking. Most of the contestants were criticized about how they were scared, but she was praised on her excellent performance in all ways. Adam turned around in less than 10 seconds, that is how much he loved her voice, (bet he was pleased by her stage presence as well).

Adam Levine congratulating Mathai

Cee Lo and Blake turned around, but ultimately, Mathai chose Adam. This decision was a good on. If I were in her shoes, I don't know what I would do. Personally I think Blake would be the best coach, because he wants your opinion and tries to do the most, for example, Dia Frampton opened on his tour, and Gwen Sebastian backgrounded for him on his tour. I think that either Adam or Blake would have been good for her.

Then in her battle rounds, she was selected to against Nicolle Galyon and they were to sing "Love Song" by Sara Bareilles. I kinda thought that it was a little bit obvious, until Nicolle was allowed to use a piano. During the episode, Mathai also learned from Alanis Morissette to give each note its true value, and another thing good about Mathai is that she is fine with help and she takes it and applys it.  When the piano was taken away, I felt a little bit better. 

Mathai and Nicolle Galyon

I like to listen to country, but Nicolle's voice was a little bit bland. When the song started, immediately I felt good. Mathai was shining bright and unfortunately Nicolle was a little pitchy. I was really glad how the song went, it was a good duet. I was happy to here when all the other coaches praised Mathai and picked her, and felt even better when Adam chose her. 

Then comes one of my favorite songs from her. I love that Adam (or she) picked "Ordinary People" by John Legend. I thought that was a great way to showcase her voice And was I right, she sang it wonderfully. Her voice was so unique and made the song a whole new song. And with her dress and her hair, I kinda felt she looked a little bit like Princess Jasmine from Alladin, with a green dress and a head band. The song did chart on the Top 100 of iTunes. I thought she was superb and the next day on the results show she was the first to be saved! Personally, I think that even though Carson Daly says, "...in no particular order..." I think it is, because Jesse, Erin Willett, Mathai, and Juliet Simms were all the strongest I think. So I think it was, so in my opinion, Mathai was the most loved by America on Team Adam which made me really happy! I can not wait for... oh wow just 2 days! 2 more days for Mathai's next performance. Also please check out her cover of "Yellow" by Coldplay! (Go there by clicking Yellow)

Next week, I will be blogging about ______. I'll give you a hint... This person is... on The Voice! (BTW, don't count the little lines, they are irrelevant, or are they...) Update: Mathai's The Voice album covers!

The Voice Episode Recaps with DJ Kwokodile [17&18]

I'm kinda busy, so quick summary.
RaeLynn-She's Country [9/10]: Best performance yet.
Jesse Campbell-Halo [9.5/10] It was his best, because it was a current song.
Jordis Unga-A Little Bit Stronger [9.5/10] It was so good, but not the best, because Alone is the best.
Ashley De La Rosa-Foolish Games [8/10] It was ok, I liked Right Through You better.
Erin Willett-Set Fire to the Rain [5/10] It was not that great, Adele's shoes are a bit too big to fit
Lindsey Pavao- Part of Me [3/10] By far, worst performance yet.
Jermaine Paul- Against All Odds [8/10] One of his better performances, song was a bit bland though.
Chris Mann-Viva La Vida [9/10] He is not that great of an opera singer, but he is a good classical singer.

Instant Eliminations: TeamXtina: Jesse Campbell & TeamBlake: Jordis Unga
I personally did not like Jesse Campbell, he was really arrogant in Battles, and doesn't seem to listen to Christina's advice. He probably would not sell a record very well, yes his voice is amazing, but no buyers.

I would have liked to see Erin Willett go home, I thought she covered Adele pretty badly. Jordis did so much better, but just because she didn't get America's vote last time, she was eliminated this time.

Album Covers!

EK5 with DJ Kwokodile 4/16/12

Sorry for the overload of Glee (well, 2 songs, but more than usual). For the record, I do not watch Glee, I occasionally listen to the covers. I think Glee is a really bad show, but I do like the music they produce. This is shorter, because I have to work on my food post as well! I mean, Kid Fudi does.

1. [Roxanne] - Juliet Simms
I love this song so much! Not the real one, the cover by Juliet! Her gritty voice makes my day. The Police really didn't give the song justice like Juliet, sweeping the stage and winning America's vote! Wow, great job Julie!

2.[Glad You Came] - Glee Cast
I won't really comment on these songs, but since they are on my playlist, you know they are good.

3. [Amazing Life] - Britt Nicole
Really great song, I love electronic and Christian! So it was a great mix, Britt Nicole's new album is on fire!!

4. [Somebody That I Used To Know] - Glee Cast

5. [Wake Up Call] - Maroon 5
I really liked RaeLynn's cover, and I tried Maroon 5's and it was really good too.





Sorry for lack of description and youtube links, focusing on food.

The Voice Season 2 Episode Recaps with DJ Kwokodile [#12]

In the beginning of the season, I thought that Adam's team was by far the strongest and Cee Lo's was the weakest. Now I am beginning to think that Adam's team is weak and Cee Lo's is quite strong! Let's see how this continues to flow. I also did this post late, but this is my judgement before the results show.

Team Cee Lo

1. [Don't Leave Me This Way] - Cheesa
I'm still a little bitter that Cheesa was able to move on and not Angie Johnson. Her performance was ok, I guess, I thought she could have been more powerhouse-y and I didn't feel like this song did her voice justice. Cee Lo is not that great of a song picker, unless he is a great strategist and wants certain people to get out because of a song. I don't think she will move on, America will not forgive her for Angie.

2. [Don't Know Why] - James Massone
His voice is really good, it is a unique take on R&B. I feel like his voice is always autotuned, because it sounds unreal at certain times. This song was a good choice (maybe Cee Lo really wanted James to move on) and the girls loved him. I think he will move on through America.

3. [Roxanne] - Juliet Simms
Hands down best live show performance yet. There were no really really great songs last show, but her voice was enough to dominate the stage! Her gritty voice was amazing turning a bad sounding song with good lyrics to a great sounding song with good lyrics. America will definitely put her through and I think she will be #1 on TeamCeeLo!

4. [Everybody Wants to Rule the World] - Tony Vincent
I don't know, I wanted something creepy or rocky from Tony. I got a pop ballad from Broadway and I didn't really like it. It didn't fit his personality. Way to go Cee Lo, purposely screwing one of your great apprentices. America will not put him through, but I think Cee Lo will save him.

5. [Walk Like An Egyptian] - Erin Martin
Call me stupid, but I actually this song exhibited her voice better than any other song, mainly because it was an old 80s song and all music back then sounded like that. America still hates her, but I think she did decent. America will not put her through, I think America hates her with a passion, a 1 and a half star on iTunes? Yea, Nuf Sed.

6. [Are You Gonna Go My Way] - Jamar Rogers
Great voice. I loved Jamar since his blind auditions, love the Seven Nation Army song, so smart! I was a bit confused on why only Cee Lo turned around, I feel like Jamar is the 2nd best on Team Cee Lo and I would imagine he would be high up on other teams too. I think that Jamar will move on through America's vote.

Team Adam

1. [Tonight. Tonight] - Katrina Parker

I was a bit shocked at this song choice, since I thought it was by Hot Chelle Rae, but then I realized it definitely was not, she was pretty good, but would have liked a different sound choice! She looks and sounds like Adele with that type of ponytail! Just blond hair rather than brunette! I think she will move on, but I don't know which way, America or Adam.

2. [In Your Eyes] - Tony Lucca

For some reason, I don't really like Tony. I think his voice is rather bland, like Christina, and just because he was a Mousketeer, doesn't mean his friends like Justin Timberlake, should give him publicity. I think America will move on, oh, and I thought his performance was pretty good.

3. [Rolling In The Deep] - Kim Yarbrough

I agreed with the coaches thinking that with an Adele song, it is too risky to try to cover. So many pitch problems and since it is modern, people will be able to compare easily. I think she did decent, I liked No More Drama, better and I don't think she will move on.

4. [Ordinary People] - Mathai

I loved Mathai ever since blind auditions as well. One fact that I learned recently is that her name isn't Mathai. Her name is Sharon Mathai, she wanted a more unique stage name. She was really good and I think America will move her on.

5. [Airplanes] - Karla Davis

I wish she could have done more with this song, like took it slower and put her own twist on it. I like her iTunes version better, because it is recorded many times and autotuned. I don't think she will move on.

6. [When You Were Young] - Pip

I was very upset by this performance, I never pictured Pip as a rocker and I still don't I miss his nice ballads. I don't know if he will move on, it will between him and Katrina.

 I really liked Cee Lo's team, and I was shocked that there wasn't an exceptional amount of talent. I can't wait for tomorrow's live shows! Sorry for being so late.