TV Gripes: The Voice

In general, CBS is my most-watched TV network and aside from Law & Order: SVU, I usually give shows on NBC a pass. I made an exception for The Voice which premiered on NBC on Tuesday night in the 9 pm time slot. Carson Daly serves as host (similar to Ryan Seacrest on American Idol) while Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton are judges, of a sort. So, The Voice is a singing competition with a panel of judges and a host who greets contestants before and after their performances. From this little bit it sounds a lot like Idol doesn’t it? However, what sets The Voice apart is the fact that judges cannot see contestants as they perform and they select talent for their teams based solely on what they hear, not based on an image (what a concept!). Also, once each judge chooses their teams of eight, they will provide invaluable coaching and pit contestants against each other until they whittle their number down to four. The final four from each team will then go head to head until a single contestant is crowned The Voice. From there things get a bit convoluted… but I’m sure the producers will work it out in due time.

The premise of The Voice captured my interest, even if it didn’t blow me completely away, and from what I saw during the premiere I’ll definitely be tuning in to take a second and third look. After years of watching Idol (with the original set of judges), I know how tiring it is to watch people with marginal talent perform week after week. Still, there are things to recommend The Voice and here’re four reasons why I’ll be watching:

1.) I love the chemistry between the judges. Carson is a bit of a nonentity for me but all four judges are interesting and mesh well together; as the only female judge, Christina holds her own and especially during her banters with Adam, lets her spicy personality shine through. Adam is much more selective in exercising his options but when he does, his sales pitches are so well crafted that he could sell his own mother. Cee Lo is a colorful character and although I was surprised at some of his selections, there’s always some fun to be had when he’s around. Since I’m not much of a country fan, I didn’t know who Blake Shelton was until he came on Chelsea Lately to promote the show (somewhat) but he seems to be a funny and entertaining guy.

2.) Some of these people can actually sing. Aside from the mediocre selections who slip through the cracks with seeming regularity, a few contestants display genuine talent and throughout the two-hour premiere I felt a bit like a talent scout who matches artists with the right management company. I was invested enough that I felt bad for those who were not chosen (and rightly so). If producers would allow judges to throw some back or switch out their selections for more talented contestants in a pool of leftovers, all would be right with the show.

3.) Frenchie is back! Of American Idol notoriety (she was kicked off the show when it came to light that she posed topless to pay her way through college), Frenchie Davis did not give the best performance but I’m glad that Christina decided to take a chance on her. I’ve heard this girl blow on Idol and in the musical, Rent, and know that she is capable of much more. Hopefully she won’t disappoint.

4.) I just plain love music. Musicals, concerts, even karaoke! If singing is involved I’m there and with the entire premise of the show built around singing, The Voice is a must-watch. For now.

*Photo courtesy of NY Daily News

Music Gripes: Real Soul

I only needed to hear Leela James (Tell Me You Love Me) and Raheem Devaughn’s (Bulletproof) duet, Mr. Incredible, Ms. Unforgettable, once before I knew that I loved it. What’s not to love? This song exudes soul from the first note to the last. And, both artists are great in their own rights. In my opinion, they are underrated artists who are among the few who set the standard for what real music sounds like in an age where one song is starting to sound the same as the next and when fewer songs manage to move you and make you feel something with one listen. This song does that. It touches your soul and I at least, want to hear it over and over again. Happy soulful weekend!

Music Gripes: BET Awards, Chris Brown, Prince, and Everybody Else

Award shows, and the BET Awards in particular, know that in order to keep viewers coming back you have to give them something to talk about the next day. However, about an hour into the 3-hours long show, I thought that the BET Awards Show had missed the memo this year and was quickly on its way to becoming a snooze fest. Despite leading with heavy hitters like Kanye West, Usher, Alicia Keys, and T.I. the energy level was noticeably low to this blogger. No doubt, Kanye West’s opening of the show with a performance of Power while standing on a mountaintop a la Moses and special effects cranked way up was something magical to watch. But did it blow me away? Not really. Added to this, Usher’s follow-up slow number and Alicia Key’s compilation of her various hits did not impress. The show was going nowhere fast. Thankfully, the performances featured in the second hour kicked things up a notch and reminded me of why I continue to watch the BET Awards Show year after year (especially after the disaster that was last year’s show).

As the host, Queen Latifah gave it a good effort. In her opening, she shouted out popular rappers and other entertainers, performed a rap to the beat of Drake’s Say Something and throughout the rest of the evening, she paraded some of the characters that she played in various movies and series (Hairspray, Set It Off, Just Wright) onstage. She’s certainly not the best host the Show has ever seen but it was a good effort nonetheless. However, the real highlights of the show came via the performances. There were quite a few "good" performances throughout the evening but the ones that stood out for me were the various tributes, the gospel medley (although Kirk Franklin is better at directing than he is at singing), and the Diddy-Dirty Money (why do we keep indulging him with these silly name changes) collaboration with Rick Ross, T.I. and Nicki Minaj. I have to admit that I was a little worried when Queen Latifah first announced him because as we all know, Diddy-whatever is not at his best when he is performing by himself. But then the beat dropped and the energy level skyrocketed and I scaled back on the low expectations that I had fostered since I first heard his name. The man definitely knows how to put the right combination of people together.

Singer Tyrese’s tribute to the late Teddy Pendergrast was nothing to sneeze at either. Crooning to an audience of women waving panties in the air, Tyrese’s smooth moves and rich mellow tones did Teddy proud. He wasn't too hard on the eyes either. And then there was the Prince tribute. The camera continually returned to capture Prince’s reactions throughout performances of some of his hits by Trey Songz who bordered on cheesy, Janelle Monet who is a new hot one to watch, Esperanza Spalding who had a nice fro but was not otherwise memorable, Alicia Keys who scared me for a minute when she climbed on top of the piano with her pregnant belly but who gave a great performance and Ms. Patti LaBelle. Patti Labelle was clearly Prince’s favorite. He did not seem moved or even amused by most of the other performances but when Patti sang Purple Rain, he was on his feet, laughing and clearly enjoying the diva. Apparently, a divo giving a diva her due! I got the sense that Prince would not have made it to the BET Awards Show if he wasn’t the guest of honor. From what I was able to piece together from his short speech, he stayed in his hotel room for much of the show and only arrived just in time for his tribute. And, he didn’t even perform any of his hits. Has Prince really gotten too big for the likes of BET? I think that would be a fair assessment!

At each award show, BET has been known to dig through its closets and drag out entertainers who hadn’t been in the spotlight for years, some of whom (in the months following the show) saw new life breathed into their flat-lining careers. Maxwell was one such entertainer a few years ago although I dare say, his comeback was inevitable. El Debarge was clearly this year’s artist in need of a recharge but was last night also Chris Brown's second chance at redemption? No doubt, CB will be forever associated with the beating that he gave ex-girlfriend Rihanna. We’ve seen his efforts to offer up apologies fall flat and we’ve heard news of declining records sale. We’ve seen spoofs like this one that make it clear that CB was tried and found guilty in the court of public opinions. He was definitely feeling the consequences of his actions, as well he should! But could that all be at an end after last night?

Last year, I was very disappointed in the obviously hasty performances that were meant to honor the King of Pop. This year, Chris Brown did a much better job of honoring Michael Jackson when he sang some of his more memorable hits (The Way You Make Me Feel). However, after a dance sequence, CB became choked up when he attempted to sing the lyrics to Man in the Mirror. Publicity stunt? That’s certainly the sentiment spreading across the net, a sentiment that is supported by the fact that by the end of the show, CB was awarded the Fandemonium award, an award chosen by the fans. What better confirmation does he need that he still has a thriving fan base? Whether it really was a publicity stunt or not CB played it just right. Who can help but soften up at the sight of a man-boy crying and being overcome by his emotions, expressing remorse? And with that single act, he did what his appearance on Larry King Live and numerous tired apologies couldn’t; Chris Brown resurrected his music career! I believed him when, while accepting his award, CB promised his fan that he wouldn't let them down again. I believe that, or rather, I believe that he won’t let himself get caught next time.

Music Gripes: Celebrating the Life of Michael Jackson, On the Anniversary of His Death

On this date one year ago, the world was rocked by the news of the passing of the “King of Pop”. In my post, Death of A Legend, I expressed the shock that I felt when I first heard the news of Michael Jackson’s death. I still feel some of that shock today that this truly international, larger-than-life superstar is no longer around to grace us with one more hit. But when we look at what he’s already given us, it doesn’t seem so sad. I, like all his other fans, will be remembering the life of Michael Jackson through his music and through the tributes that will be held in his memory throughout the weekend. I will be popping in the CD when I get home but you can check out your favorite songs on the Michael Jackson Channel on YouTube. Happy remembrance!

Music Gripes: Introducing Michael Franti & Spearhead

Why haven’t I heard about Micheal Franti & Spearhead until about a week ago? As repetitive as I think Pandora radio is sometimes, they occasionally surprise me and introduce me to artists that I hadn’t heard about before. Such was the case when I first heard Micheal Franti’s Say Hey (I Love You) for the first time. When the tunes first started straining through my earpiece, I remember unlocking my phone so that I could see the info and commit the artist name and song title to memory for future listening. I was instantly captivated and as soon as I could, I took to YouTube in hopes of finding more by this “new artist”. There, I was rewarded in the form of another great song, Nobody Right Nobody Wrong and still I want to hear more. But why haven’t I heard about him before now? He’s fresh, interesting, soulful and more, basically everything that translates into good music. And, he’s been making those soulful tunes for about twenty years! From the way that Micheal explains it in a Billboard interview, he and his band adopted a grassroot approach where they took to the streets and brought their music directly to the people. And slowly but surely, the word is spreading one person at a time. I, for one, am happy that it’s finally reached me (consider this post as my effort to pass it on) and for the first time in a long time, I am contemplating buying CDs again.

Music Gripes: Drake Fesses Up, Rihanna Played Him!

G. gave me the heads-up about an article that’s supposed to be coming out in the N.Y. Times on Sunday. Supposedly, in the article, rapper Drake admits that he had a fling with Rihanna and goes into some details about the singer’s treatment of him. According to the news circulating the Internet including on this site, Drake says that Rihanna used him as a “pawn” and strung him along. Just like’s he’s done with many women. It may be little of me to admit this but it’s always good to hear when guys get a taste of their own medicine.

The fact that the industry-proclaimed ‘second coming of hip hop’ got his heart broken is not newsworthy to me but it got me wondering about how many celebrity relationships are really built on love and mutual attraction and how many are generated in some publicity machine. Obviously, since a lot of these people are in the same industry they are bound to see a lot of each other. It’s not farfetched to believe that they would form mutual attractions and develop true feelings. In fact, there are many celebrity couple who seem to be blissfully happy together (whether they really are is another story). But you have to wonder about some couples. Are they together because of something real or because of what the other person can do for their career?

We can look at Rihanna’s situation and see why being paired with Drake would be a good look for her. I mean, he’s garnered a lot of publicity surrounding his music even before he put out his first album! I’ve heard of other artists who’ve made a name for themselves from mixtapes but none of them were the answer to the claim “hip hop is dead”. Not before Drake. Or so they say. I’ve heard the singles that Drake released and they’re okay but I don’t really know what all the hype surrounding him is about. Who really knows? I just know that if it’s true that Rihanna really did give him a taste of what he’s been dishing out, she did womankind a good turn.

I Really Wanted to LOVE Glee

I’ve been humming the melody to “Don’t Stop Believing” ever since I saw the teaser for the new Fox Series, Glee, a few weeks ago. It looked like it would have several of the things I like: comedy, quirky characters, and lots of singing. Not since the premier of Ugly Betty had I been this excited about a new show. But alas, Glee doesn’t deliver on what it promised in the teaser and I think the root of the problem lies in it being too much.

There were definitely some things I liked about Glee:
1. There is that one girl who adds a gold start every time she signs her name (center) who reminds me a bit of Idina Menzel from Wicked and Rent (Taye Diggs' wife). I definitely see some diva quality in this character.
2. Some of the minor characters—cheerleading coach, football coach, principal—were interesting, if one-note, and I see entertainment potentional in them.
3. The musical selections were agreeable (who doesn’t love vintage Journey?) and the closing performance was nice and heart-warming (the kids can actually sing and have great harmony.)

I just don’t know if these few things are enough to entice me to invest an entire season of TV-watching time. Plus, there were things that I didn’t like:
1. The incessant humming throughout multiple scenes was beyond annoying. As much as the show would like to have the feel of theater, it’s just not there.
2. Aside from the Idina clone, the main characters as a whole are unexciting. Factor in the other dry, overly-neurotic, one dimensional characters and the lights dim a little more.
3. I’m not opposed to having multiple viewpoints featuring first-person narratives. I’ve experimented with the method myself and see the benefits of it providing insight into the psyche of several characters in an ensemble cast such as this but it doesn’t seem to be effective here. Or rather, I’m not feeling it! Character development might be better accomplished through dialogue between characters rather than through monologues.
4. Finally, Glee tries too hard to be entertaining and in my opinion, it fails.

Now, I’m not going so far as to write the show off completely. There are several shows that didn’t impress me out the gate but later grew on me. In fact, even if I don’t watch an entire episode, I’m amenable to tuning in for at least the last few minutes. If my predictions are correct, they’ll have a performance every week and that at least is worth seeing.