Coverage for May 13 and 14:
Recap
Interviews
News
What fan of The Voice wouldn’t want to meet Adam Levine backstage before the show? Now you can enter to win a chance to do just that – simply by contributing to a good cause.
Adam has partnered with Omaze to create a dream experience for any member of Team Adam: to be flown to Los Angeles, where you and a friend will meet him backstage before a taping of The Voice during next month’s Season 4 live shows. It’s a great gesture to support one of Maroon 5′s charities of choice, Aid Still Required.
How do you get to be that lucky fan? Anyone 18 and over is eligible to win, simply by going to the entry page on Omaze.com and contributing a minimum of $10 to Aid Still Required’s efforts to provide trauma relief to victims of rape and those suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Haiti. Every entry translates to approximately 10 hours of trauma relief for someone in need.
You have until April 30 to enter to win this fantastic experience; click here to get started. For more information on Aid Still Required and their efforts in Haiti, you can also visit the charity’s official website.
The Voice continues tonight at 8 PM ET/PT on NBC.
(c)2013 Brittany Frederick/Big Red Chairs. Excerpts appear at Starpulse and Examiner with permission. All rights reserved. No reproduction permitted. Visit my official website and follow me on Twitter at @bigredchairs.
The Voice coach Blake Shelton releases his new album Based on a True Story today (and if you haven’t ordered your copy yet, you can do so here), but he’s not the only one from the show who’s put new music out recently. Here are a half-dozen other artists you know from the show who have turned out fresh albums or EP’s in the last few months.
Tje Austin, Dreamin’ Big (get it HERE): A member of Team Cee Lo in Season 1, this soulful singer returns with a CD he’s been working on for some time, and that extra time and effort shows in a pleasant R&B collection that ranges from the heartbreakingly touching (earlier single “Right For You”) to the more uptempo (“Not A Thug”) and the slow jams (“Back 2 Me”). He’s not necessarily upending the genre, but he doesn’t need to; he’s got a voice that practically melts in your ears. For those of you who need something smooth to relax with, this is the album you want to add to your collection.
Tim Mahoney Band, Shine Through (get it HERE): Tim Mahoney was responsible for one of The Voice‘s first-ever memorable moments, when coach Adam Levine mistook him for a woman during his blind audition in Season 1. His unique voice didn’t get the appreciation it deserved on the show, but Tim has continued to deliver solid, enjoyable rock ever since, and this new album is more of the same. Whether it’s the earnest title track or the simple and painful “It’s Over,” his album is perfect for those who love a good singer-songwriter without a lot of fanfare. This album also includes his Voice-inspired single, “Hey Adam Levine.”
Nakia, Drown in the Crimson Tide (get it HERE): The semifinalist for Team Cee Lo during Season 1 (who competed with Tje Austin during the battle rounds), Nakia is more than doing his part to keep the blues genre in the public music consciousness. Whether it’s the uplifting “Dream Big” or something like “Pieces and Castles,” this six-song EP from the Texan has plenty of soul and a certain funky element to top it all off. This is music from an artist who’s secure in his sound, and while it may not be for everyone, those who want something different than the usual pop and rock will enjoy this one.
Pip, No Formalities (get it HERE): A fan favorite during Season 2, Pip has definitely found his groove with this six-song EP, which comes off confident and catchy. Danceable beats mix with memorable choruses and Pip’s refreshingly clear vocals to create songs that will roll around in your head for hours afterward. This is a wonderful debut release that’s purely good, clean fun, and establishes exactly what sound fans can expect from Pip in the future. It includes his first post-Voice single, “Who Cares.” If there’s any issue with No Formalities, it’s that it leaves you wanting more. Of all the recent releases from Voice artists, this is the strongest.
Casey Weston, Find the Moon (get it HERE): Team Adam’s Season 1 semifinalist has put out her first new material since appearing on the show, and while you’d probably still call her a country artist, there’s a surprising amount of range on this new CD. This is the Casey Weston album we’ve all been waiting for. The distinct twang to Casey’s voice is put to good use across the board, but it’s the songs that change, with tracks like “Into Your Heart” having more of a pop-rock edge while others such as “Like You” stay closer to country. What’s most remarkable about Find the Moon is that you can hear the added maturity, both in Casey’s voice and in her lyrics, compared to her self-titled release from two years ago. You can also read the BFTV interview with Casey Weston here.
Kim Yarbrough, Brand New Day (get it HERE): The Team Adam singer with the powerful voice from Season 2 has mostly been busy on stage and screen (did you see her on TNT’s Southland earlier this month?), but has just released her new CD-single. If you didn’t figure it out from her performances on the show, Kim can blow the doors off with the strength of her voice, and “Brand New Day” is an anthem reminiscent of power-pop singers like Kristine W. The original version runs a bit long, and it’s a little bummer that the album is comprised of remixes of one tune, but that one tune proves that a full album from Kim will definitely be intriguing.
The Voice continues tonight at 8 PM ET/PT on NBC.
For more on The Voice and its artists, you can visit BFTV’s dedicated The Voice blog, Big Red Chairs.
(c)2013 Brittany Frederick/Big Red Chairs. Excerpts appear at Starpulse and Examiner with permission. All rights reserved. No reproduction permitted. Visit my official website and follow me on Twitter at @bigredchairs.
NBC hosted a premiere for The Voice Season 4 in Los Angeles on Wednesday night, and pretty much everyone from the past three seasons joined the coaches on the red carpet. Scroll down to see pictures of familiar faces, from coaches Blake Shelton and Usher to Dia Frampton, Terry McDermott and Pip, just to name a few!
If you missed Blake Shelton‘s guest appearance on Reba McEntire’s sitcom Malibu Country last night, ABC.com now has the episode online here. Stay tuned for photos!
Fans of NBC’s The Voice now know everyone who will be helping the superstar coaches when the show returns for its fourth season in March.
It was announced today through Access Hollywood that Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott will be the mentor for Team Adam. She and Adam Levine previously collaborated on the song “Out of Goodbyes,” which appeared on Maroon 5′s third studio album, Hands All Over.
Access Hollywood is a production of NBC’s parent company, NBCUniversal.
This follows the previous reveals of the other three mentors. Team Blake has enlisted the services of Sheryl Crow, while Team Usher will have Pharrell Williams, and Team Shakira is joined by Good Charlotte’s Joel Madden – who is himself a coach on the Australian version of The Voice.
The Voice returns on March 25.
For more from Brittany Frederick on The Voice, visit Big Red Chairs and follow me on Twitter (@bigredchairs).
(c)2013 Brittany Frederick/Big Red Chairs. Appears at Starpulse and Examiner with permission. All rights reserved. No reproduction permitted.
Howdy, The Voice fans! You might have noticed things got a little quiet around here in January, and for that I apologize. As some of you know, I work as a full-time TV reporter, which means I had to go off and cover all the new shows coming out this month. On top of that, I got sick. So, I’ve condensed all the news from January into this one handy post.
Here’s some of the important stuff that happened this month:
Is there anything that I missed over the last month? Shoot me a comment and I’ll get it added to the site!
Adam Levine hosted Saturday Night Live last night. While it wasn’t a great episode – despite Adam’s best efforts – if you missed any of it, here are the links to most of the sketches in which Adam appeared. Make sure you check out the new Digital Short.
(Missing is the Maroon 5/Train/Jason Mraz/John Mayer bar feud skit.)
Did you watch SNL on Saturday? What did you think of Adam’s hosting debut? Weigh in by leaving a comment.
NBC has crowned its third ‘The Voice’ in just over a year – and on Tuesday evening, the winner, the runners-up and the coaches joined Big Red Chairs on the red carpet to give their final thoughts about the junior season of the hit series.
Team Blake’s pop-rocker Cassadee Pope was named the winner of the competition at the end of Tuesday night’s season finale, joining previous winners Javier Colon from Team Adam in Season 1 and Jermaine Paul from Team Blake in Season 2.
Her win was expected by most of America – and also by her fellow finalists, teammate Terry McDermott and Team Cee Lo’s Nicholas David. “Absolutely,” said Terry when asked if he had thought Cassadee would take home the title. “I think the biggest reason we had that feeling was because her songs had been reaching such a large cross-section of the public. Her continually crushing iTunes speaks volumes for itself.”
“She deserves it,” he continued. “The right person’s won.”
Added Nicholas, “I had a feeling i was going to go a long time ago – but I never looked at it like a competition. I’ve always just been blessed to be here.”
Even Cassadee, who previously stated that she tried not to be affected by the buzz, said she felt confident in her chances. “At one point I felt like ‘Okay, this could become a reality,’” she said. “I actually felt that back when ‘Over You; got to number one. I was like, ‘If this keeps happening I might have a shot.’”
It proved to be just one of her many charting iTunes hits that helped deliver her the title – as those iTunes downloads which were in the Top 10 singles chart at the close of each round of voting had their total number of downloads (which then translated directly into votes) multiplied by ten.
Her coach, Blake Shelton, had plenty to say about Cassadee’s victory and how he would continue to support her after the show, as he has done with many of his artists throughout the history of The Voice. “She knows that this doesn’t end with the finale of The Voice, [our] relationship,” he told reporters. “I don’t want to make one dime off of her in my life, but i do want to see her go on to be a superstar and end up in relationships in this business that are the best for her.
“If I’ve got to get in the way of something that she doesn’t like or she doesn’t agree with, then I will because I’m her friend,” he continued. “I’m her friend, I’m Terry’s friend, and I will be until the day I die. I just want to see them do whatever it is they dream of doing because they’re good people and they deserve it.”
His fellow coaches Adam Levine and Christina Aguilera – who celebrated her birthday on Tuesday – also weighed in on Team Blake taking the title for the second straight season. “It’s not about did the right person win,” said Christina. “I just think that she kept improving week by week and I think we all recognized that.”
Agreed Adam, “It was her moment. Cassadee excelled at the best times. We’re really happy, even though it’s not our team, we’re happy for Cassadee.
“We chose Cassadee, too, she just didn’t choose us,” he quipped. “We all chose the winner, damn it.”
The coaches closed the season with one final performance reflecting on their three seasons together. As previously revealed in September, Christina and Cee Lo will not be part of The Voice Season 4. They will be replaced by Shakira and Usher respectively.
However, both Christina and Cee Lo are on record as saying they want to return for Season 5, as the series has been renewed through that fifth cycle, which is expected air in the fall of 2013.
What’s next for each of the three finalists? “I’m going to release something quick,” said Cassadee, who asked her fans to support the new music she’ll put out.. “I have to, and it’s going to be great.” You can keep up with her on Twitter at @CassadeePope.
“I’m going home,” said Minnesota native Nicholas, who has family time and Christmas shopping on his to-do list, as “I haven’t really had time to do anything except the show.” He can be found on Twitter at @thefeelin.
“I’ve always been motivated by new music and being part of it and creating it,” said Terry, who added that he has “an idea and direction” for what he wants to do next. His Twitter handle is @TerryMacMusic.
All three artists reflected on the many accomplishments they’d achieved through being part of The Voice‘s third season. “There’s so many, from the chair turning to meeting all the people,” said Nicholas. “Meeting Cee Lo, to sing with Cee Lo, meeting Bill Withers, to sing with Smokey Robinson. it’s a freaking adventure of a lifetime and that’s the truth.”
“I’ve been lucky enough to meet some wonderful people along this ride and really form relationships with some great people,” concurred Terry. “It’s made it such a pleasurable journey. there’s been nothing negative about this experience.”
Cassadee was able to perform with her musical idol, Avril Lavigne, and remarked that “I met her and she just blew my mind with how nice she was and how thankful she was to have me there.”
Still, she added, she’s ready to see what the music world has in store for her next. “I’m absolutely happy to move onto the next chapter,” she added.
The Voice returns in just over three months – Season 4 premieres on March 25, 2013.
For more from Brittany Frederick on The Voice, visit Big Red Chairs and follow me on Twitter (@bigredchairs).
(c)2012 Brittany Frederick/Big Red Chairs. Appears at Starpulse and Examiner with permission. All rights reserved. No reproduction permitted.
Adam Levine might be out of the running on The Voice, but on Wednesday night he received a great consolation prize: two Grammy nominations.
Levine and his band Maroon 5 earned recognition in the ‘Best Pop Duo/Group Performance’ category for their hit single “Payphone,” and their most recent album Overexposed was also on the short list for the ‘Best Pop Vocal Album’ trophy.
Maroon 5 has won three Grammy Awards and been nominated for six others. The band also performed at Wednesday’s nominations concert, televised by CBS.
The Voice coach Blake Shelton is also a nominee in the ‘Best Country Solo Performance’ category for the song “Over” from his album Red River Blue.
His wife – and Team Blake’s advisor in Season 2 – Miranda Lambert was nominated in the ‘Best Country Album’ category for her release Four the Record.
Another Voice advisor, Kelly Clarkson, is up for four prizes. Her album Stronger is a nominee for ‘Record of the Year’ as well as ‘Best Pop Vocal Album.’ The title track is also a contender for ‘Song of the Year’ and ‘Best Pop Solo Performance.’ Clarkson also worked with Team Blake in the second season.
The Grammys will be awarded on February 10 at 8 PM ET/PT on CBS.
The Voice continues next Monday at 8 PM ET/PT on NBC.
For more from Brittany Frederick on The Voice, visit Big Red Chairs and follow me on Twitter (@bigredchairs).
(c)2012 Brittany Frederick/Big Red Chairs. Appears at Examiner with permission. All rights reserved. No reproduction permitted.
