<p>i think the Swon brothers have it, even tho I won’t pay for any of the finalists’ songs.</p>
<p>I think Danielle looks like Lindsay Lohan. Maybe that’s why I don’t care for her.</p>
<p>The teenage girl crowd will vote for the cute Swon brother (who really doesn’t do anything but strum his guitar). </p>
<p>I like Danielle ok. She seems to have held up well under all the stress/attention considering she’s only 16.</p>
<p>I think Danielle looked tired and a little disconnected last night. It may be sinking in to her that at age 16 she is about to embark on a full blown career because her mother signed her up for the Voice. </p>
<p>Bye, bye dates with boys of her age and background, proms and girlfriend sleep-overs. Hello education by tutors, the judgment of critics and rag magazines and the grind of recording and touring. Managers and accountants. Tax issues. And, the guys are mostly 10-20 years older than her. Ye-haw!</p>
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<p>I actually <em>like</em> country and I agree that she is robotic and sings everything exactly the same way. I asked H what he thought of her, as he passed through the room, and he said “Well, she doesn’t make any mistakes.” That about sums it up. Strong voice, no artistry, no personality, nothing to say. The one time she tried to throw in a little bit of vocal gimmickry–in the group number–it was not successful. But obviously, given the placement of her songs last night, the producers are aiming to make her the winner. And Adam dutifully played his part, that jerk.</p>
<p>Note that when Blake sang with her, he strove to sing behind her, provide some texture, and set off her monotone performance. When Usher sang with Michelle, they performed as equals. (Disagreed with the breakthrough choice. Should have been True Colors.)</p>
<p>I like the Swons. Although I don’t think they should win, I’d rather see them do so than Danielle. She needs to be taken under someone’s wing and allowed to mature until she has something to say, musically. Strong voice, but she’s not ready.</p>
<p>Haha, aren’t we showing our biases? Or should I say, y’all!</p>
<p>Blake did this and that wrong, yet he gets a chance to three peat and perhaps repeat as 1-2. Did you happen to see how un-CW the Oakies were last night? Mechanical and awkward? How else would anyone qualify that beloved Michele. </p>
<p>In the end, it all comes to tge person we like to hear more from. I could not stand watching Chamuel one more second, and I doubt we will hear more of her outside the little venues she will continue to offer her distinct “style” </p>
<p>Oh well, in the meantime, Danuelle is trending on iTunes with a 2-9-11 trio of punches, with 11 being that duo which is so criticized.</p>
<p>I said that I like country music and I like the Swons. Of course Danielle is “trending.” So what? Lowest common denominator? :)</p>
<p>BTW, I wasn’t criticizing Blake. I think he’s played the game very, very well, and his duet with the robot was very well done on his part and achieved what he set out to do. I am, however, growing tired of his corn pone and incessant “this is the most important moment in the history of music” BS.</p>
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<p>I didn’t hear that one, but I did here him say, “I seriously think this is the best season of the Voice so far.” Really?!</p>
<p>I only saw three interesting things last night on the show and they all involved Michelle. She sang one of my all time favorite Annie Lennox songs. I wouldn’t want to hear too many people even try a Lennox song but I thought it was great. The duet with Usher was the best song of the night to my ear. I’m not a big U2 fan so I actually liked it better than the original. I think the song was more of a challenge to Usher than Michelle. She’s very musical and good technically so it looked so effortless. I thought the breakthrough choice for her was the right one. I don’t think she’ll win because the demographics of the show tilt country, but I hope Usher continues to support her.</p>
<p>I think Michelle will win, but jeez Consolation, you’re being kinda hard on a 16-year-old!</p>
<p>I thought Blake distanced himself on the duet to make it less-creepy that he was singing a love song with a child.</p>
<p>Really? I’ve said I think she has a great voice and a lot of potential. And she’s 16 and doesn’t have much life experience to put behind her singing. Perfectly age appropriate. In what way is that being hard on her?</p>
<p>Okay, maybe saying she is robotic is being hard on her. 
It just ticks me off to think of her winning this thing. And I don’t think it would be god for her. She’s just not ready.</p>
<p>Let’s face it: Michelle’s only weakness is that she is not conventionally pretty or conventionally sexy. If she looked like Cassaddee Pope and wasn’t the child of Jewish refugees, she’d be a shoo-in. It makes me angry.</p>
<p>Obviously, I am too vested in this thing. It’s probably a good thing that I have to drive to Boston this evening to pick up S from the airport, and will probably miss the whole show. I don’t know if my blood pressure could take it. ;)</p>
<p>I don’t think looks are Michelle’s “only weakness.” And, I certainly don’t think this is about the fact she is the child of Jewish refugees. I didn’t know that until last night’s show. There have been other contestants who weren’t especially good looking. It’s not as if she’s disfigured or something. </p>
<p>Michelle is just plain awkward on stage. She not only moves awkwardly, she doesn’t make eye contact with the audience when she sings. It takes a way from her performance, IMO.</p>
<p>^^I agree. If Danielle is robotic so is Michelle to a degree. She always looks/acts exactly the same…angst ridden and doesn’t really show any personality unless you count the signature squatting. Does she really have to squat during every song? Even if she wins, I can’t see her being a commercial success. What demographic would she appeal to?</p>
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<p>It is all in the eye of the beholder! Her lack of conventional beauty is way too superficial an analysis. There are plenty of other elements that some of us notice or hear. There was a very good reason why she did not get a single chair to turn last year. She is not vocally very strong and does not possess a clear style of elocution. Simply stated, if we did not know the words she is singing, we might not grab more than half of what she pretends to sing. Perhaps, it is the overproduction, but the fact remains that her voice is often muted by the music. Her range is very limited, and Usher has done a remarkable job at hiding her vocal weakness *which was clear in the repeat of the Trouble song.) Had she picked Adam, she would have been gone after three weeks, because Adam would have “challenged” her. Imagine Chamuel singing Skyfall, or any of the horrible numbers he picked along the way to “take a risk.”</p>
<p>And there is the uber-annoying stage presence with the ubiquitous kneel-down. A real one trick pony, if there was ever one. Some obviously care for it; but others might not. </p>
<p>For all the love and adulation, she is a very average singer who was given her few minutes of fame. She will soon return to singing in small clubs and peddle her alternative music. Will Usher continue to support her? I think the odds are pretty slim after he cashes out his last check for his participation on the show. Those stars have better fish to fry. There is a reason why she was not uncovered previously by any major music concern: there are tons of average singers and hundreds of obscure rock bands that are way better. </p>
<p>Will the Oakies or Danielle fare any better? Probably not, but they have youth and brute talent on their side, and a style of music that is both more pleasing and forgiving to the ear. And, to join your earlier “attack” on the shallowness of the public, they also have the “look” and a style that is more 2013. </p>
<p>PS I did not like Pope a bit, but you have to look at her competition last year! The Voice has not had a SINGLE real star from the day it started. The closest thing that they might have is that this year they uncovered a star in the making that is still very rough. The rest is simply an amalgam of over-the-hill obscure singers whose best hope is some kind of backup gig. </p>
<p>PPS And if Chamuel ends up not winning, you could always find comfort in knowing that those shows rarely reward the best singer. Think what happened on the XFactor with Scott and that Melanie. As a last FYI, any of the girls who were in Fifth Harmony last year, would have made into the finals at the Voice. They picked the wrong show!</p>
<p>My husband comes from a musical family. Commercially musical. His father was a major arranger and composer His father an executive in several music companies. And before voice change Mr. Ellbud recorded a number of songs that were successful. He also has perfect pitch.</p>
<p>For the first time we are actually watching this show. He said that Micelle has one of the purest voices he has ever heard. Stage presence can be taught, but purity of voice…not so much.</p>
<p>Purity of voice --whatever that is-- is hardly the same as commercial success. Take a look at the … judges of this season. Is there one with a “pure voice” with (perhaps) the notable exception of Usher. Blake? Adam (lol) ? Shakira? </p>
<p>The pure voices end up singing in the background. :)</p>
<p>Michelle was a refreshing change from the parade of country blondes and talented but generic singers like Sasha and Judith Hill. She’s the only singer of the bunch that I would recognize in an instant on the radio, and I really appreciate uniqueness in a voice. (I guess another unique voice in the competition this year was Sarah–but not in a good way.) I don’t think Michelle she’ll win, but I’m glad the show introduced her to me and I hope the experience gives her career (and/or that of Ella Riot) a boost.</p>
<p>I don’t know what purity of voice is. Maybe Ella Fitzgerald had purity of voice. Michele was drowned out by the music in one number. If the show is “The Voice”, what is with all the background noise?</p>
<p>Ella and Joe Pass were gold. Just a singer and a guitarist. You could actually hear the singer. </p>
<p>I am not blown away by the singers on The Voice. I am not a professional but the singers
on the show can not be the best undiscovered singers in America. Just can’t be…</p>
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<p>That’s too simplistic. Coaching/teaching can improve stage presence. However, if it were that easy, everyone with a good voice could be a <em>star.</em> Michelle has apparently done a lot of live performing. She’s still awkward. I think Usher has helped her a lot…but she’s still well below average in stage presence. </p>
<p>Compare her to Danielle. Danielle looks at least 10x more comfortable up there singing than she did at the beginning of the season. In that regard, she’s definitely grown, and IMO, she’s grown a LOT more than Michelle has.</p>
<p>I’m not talking about their musical ability. I’m talking about whether they come across as a professional singer or as someone with a good voice singing at Kareoke (sp?) night.</p>
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<p>It is clear that we all have our favorites, and there is no need to explain or justify WHY we prefer some over others. This said, some comments are truly bizarre, and the “parade of country blondes” ought to be one worthy of being called. I am not sure what show you have been watching but The Voice has hardly been one akin to a parade of country blondes. It just happened that the country blondes were some of the best contestants this year. With a better coach than Adam, it could (and really should) have been a trio of country singers in the final week. </p>
<p>People, for whatever reason, have started to respond to a more modern CW. And it is obvious that voters have responded to the style of Blake on this show. It is not accident he has won twice in a row and ended up with 2 out of each 3 finalists for the past two years. And it was not accident that the winner of the XFactor last year was none other than a cowboy! </p>
<p>Obviously, it seems to frustrate people to a great extent (as the cornpone and parade of blondes comments indicate) but it is what it is. </p>
<p>And, fwiw, I do not follow CW or listen to it too often, unless it is a cross-over. Like it or not, the CW singers were better than the Ella Riot leftover. By a mile and a ten-gallon hat!</p>