Tag Archives: Team Adam

Postmortem: Season 4 Live Playoffs, May 27-28

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Little belated this week with end-of-month craziness, but here we are!

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‘The Voice’ Celebrates Memorial Day

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The Voice - Season 4

The Voice’s latest performance show fell on Memorial Day, but being on a TV show didn’t stop the singers from recognizing the holiday.

Some of the Top 8 artists said the occasion lent an extra significance to their performances. Others recognized loved ones who had served or who are serving. All of them agreed that they were happy to have taken the stage.

“The show must go on, isn’t that what they always say?” Team Adam’s Amber Carrington told TODAY.com after Monday night’s performances. “But I think it was really cool, because we got to sing and it was in memory of our troops and everything. We got to put on a show for people.”

“It was kind of interesting,” agreed her teammate, Judith Hill. “It was really cool to know that today’s Memorial Day and sing with that in mind.”

“There’s always that thought in our heads of ‘Oh, my gosh, it’s another week. We have to survive. We have to practice. We have to do all this.’ But [we were] able to get a little bit away from that today,” said Team Blake’s Holly Tucker, “and really remember all the sacrifices that people have made for us. I’m always thankful for that. So I made sure that people knew that today.”

She has several relatives who have served. So did both Amber and Judith’s grandfathers. Team Adam’s Sarah Simmons got emotional as she mentioned loved ones currently in the military.

“My cousin is in the Air Force and then one of my best friends is about to go to Afghanistan soon,” she told us, wiping tears from her eyes.

Yet as Team Blake’s The Swon Brothers pointed out, being a musician often means working on all sorts of holidays. “More than likely – judging by our past schedule – if we were at home, we’d be performing somewhere,” said Zach Swon.

Team Usher’s Michelle Chamuel agreed. “I’ve been in a band before [the show] for five years,” she explained. “We played almost every holiday. New Year’s Eve, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, Halloween.”

For those observing Memorial Day who still decided to tune in, the Voice artists expressed a desire to have brought something positive to a national day of remembrance.

“I hope that it could bring joy to people. I know we’re supposed to be celebrating our troops and our country. There are more important things than a singing competition show,” said Team Shakira’s Sasha Allen. “I don’t have any family members who’ve served, but I take it to heart, all the soldiers that have lost their lives for our freedom.”

(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.

Artist Update: Chris Cauley

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Chris Cauley

Chris Cauley has been hard at work since joining Team Adam in season two of NBC’s The Voice, and now he’s close to a brand-new EP. With just days to go on a Kickstarter campaign, Chris joined BFTV to tell us what we can expect from his new music and how he’s been since we saw him in the Voice battle rounds.

“This EP has really consumed everything. We’ve been working kind of on and off since November to be honest,” he explained of the five-song project. “Basically what we did, we kind of went back to Michael Jackson, the King of Pop and who I’m just the biggest fan of. The whole theme when recording was ‘What would Michael do?’ It’s a very, very musical EP, but a five-year-old could sing along to it because it has the hooks that pop music does. It’s kind of got a Michael Jackson meets Maroon 5 meets The Jackson 5 sound.”

The Georgia-based singer made a big move when he signed with Red Light Management, which also represents heavyweight artists like Alicia Keys, Dave Matthews Band, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill and Luke Bryan. “They’re one of the biggest management companies in the world,” Chris said. “We went all or nothing in this. We’ve got a full string section orchestra, live horn. Having Red Light on my side and having people waiting on it, we were like ‘We gotta go big for this.’”

Voice fans remember Chris for the different arrangement of Bruno Mars’ “Grenade” that landed him on Adam Levine‘s team, as well as the battle round where he sang U2′s “Beautiful Day” with eventual Team Adam finalist Tony Lucca. What you might not be as aware of is that he’s been a touring musician for a decade.

“What I want people to know I was on The Voice, but long before that I was grinding it out for 10 years,” he continued. “All the years of grinding and having nothing to show for it is kind of coming down to this. It’s been 10 years in the making.” To that end, Chris wants fans to see each Kickstarter pledge as not just a one-off donation to the new record, but “more of an investment into a career.”

With two seasons having happened since Chris was a part of NBC’s hit show, it’s no longer a huge part of his life. “I embrace it when it comes up, but it’s been awhile since I’ve used it to my advantage,” he explained. “Even during the show – I know producers hated hearing this – I was just being honest [and saying] ‘This isn’t life or death for me. This is just a fun, incredible experience. I’m content.’ Even my exit interview, I said ‘Tony deserved it.’

“Tony and I got to be really good friends. We weren’t out for blood like they want you to be on TV,” he continued. The two still keep in touch, and Chris also opened for Tony on one night during his “Chapter Two” tour last year. He’s highly complimentary of his former teammate. “Without me even asking, Tony’s been typing about my Kickstarter,” Chris told us. “Someone asked a question, and obviously Tony has so many likes on Facebook, [but] I noticed he responded. He went way out of his way to get that one person to pledge, which was cool. I’m so happy for him.”

Chris also took the stage with another Team Adam alumnus, season one winner Javier Colon, recently in San Diego. The two share a mutual close friend, keyboardist Matt Cusson, and had met before but were surprised to find they were sharing the stage. “We didn’t even know each other was [scheduled for] the show,” Chris told us with a laugh. “It was booked through our separate college agencies. Javier didn’t even know I was going to be there. I didn’t even know I was opening for him. He’s doing really well.”

Now he’s hoping that he can enjoy some of the same success his colleagues have. “It’s been awesome,” he told us of the ongoing process to get his EP to the finish line. “I’d love for it to be a warm and fuzzy success story.”

You can pledge to Chris’s Kickstarter effort by clicking here, keep up with him on Twitter (@ChrisCauley), and check out him performing “Ordinary People” with fellow Voice alum Mathai below.

(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.

Photo credit: Dash Photography

Postmortem: Season 4 Live Playoffs, May 20-21

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Coverage for May 20-21:

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Postmortem: Season 4 Live Playoffs, May 13-14

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Coverage for May 13 and 14:

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Episode Recap: Season 4 Live Playoffs, Night 1

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The Voice - Season 4

Starting The Voice live shows – and first to sing for your vote -  are Team Adam and Team Usher. Fans know that anything can happen during live playoffs, especially on the first night. So how did the introductory chapter of season four go?

First of all, Team Usher has their own labeled sweatshirts. Their coach has brought them to the gym in order to get them in gear for their first group performance, which surprises Josiah, who didn’t expect to be working out for a singing competition. He finds out that singing and exercising simultaneously is difficult. Carson makes a slightly corny Floyd Mayweather joke before Team Usher performs “Black and Gold” on an appropriately colored stage. It’s exactly the performance you’d expect from a team coached by an R&B singer.

Team Adam’s Amber Carrington gets the first solo spot. The wardrobe department seems to love dressing her in black. She’s singing “Stay” by Rihanna, which is something simpler and more emotional than what we’ve heard from her before. In keeping with that approach, the setup of her stage is pretty minimal, allowing us to focus on the clarity of her vocals. Adam gives Amber a standing ovation, while Blake thinks she set the bar for the evening pretty high before plugging the official coffee carrier of The Voice.

Blake: Makes me want to thank Starbucks for this latte.

Number two on the set list – after another awkward Sprint Skybox segment – is Team Usher’s Josiah Hawley. His take on “Starlight” by Muse is stronger than the performances we’ve seen from him previously, but it still doesn’t quite reach out and grab you like other artists have done. Carson thinks it sounded great. Shakira thinks it’s Josiah’s best performance so far. Adam approves of Usher’s coaching. Then there’s Blake being Blake.

Blake: Looks like the world’s going to lose a male model. I’m gonna have to fill in.

Following that is Team Adam’s Sarah Simmons, who’s selected Sarah McLachlan’s “Angel.” It’s a song guaranteed to make people cry; ask Javier Colon, who did it in season one. Sarah’s voice has a tone to it that is reminiscent of McLachlan, so it’s a great choice and you can see the emotional connection she has to the lyrics. It’s also worth noting that Sarah almost always enunciates, which is something that’s underappreciated in music. Blake calls her angelic and tells his team to do that, while Usher offers just some mild criticism, before Shakira whips out some more Spanish. And Adam? Oh, just calls her one of the most incredible singers he’s ever heard. No big deal.

There’s another break in the competition for Carson to chat up Today‘s Savannah Guthrie and Al Roker, in the first installment of NBC cross-promotion. Once that’s over, it’s time for Team Usher’s Cathia and her version of Whitney Houston’s “I Have Nothing,” which has been done by Cheesa in season two and Devyn DeLoera in season three. We learn that the song was Usher’s choice, though, and he probably didn’t know that. While Cathia delivers a good effort, it comes across as more volume than emotion. Shakira doesn’t agree with the song choice. Carson doesn’t care what Adam thinks. Usher is a bit vague, talking more about how he believes in Cathia than anything else.

He takes a break to team with Adam on a cover of “Superstition” complete with horns. It’s pretty darned fun, and it makes you wonder if the show’s going to ask Shakira and Blake to collaborate next (it’d be fair, wouldn’t it?). Once the coaches have left the stage, it’s time for Team Adam’s Caroline Glaser. Adam hands her Ed Sheeran’s “The A Team,” which is a pretty popular song of recent, so that adds to the challenge. She admits to being nervous, but it definitely doesn’t come across on stage. Blake comments on his latte again. Adam nearly facepalms.

Adam: Did they pay you or something?

Team Usher’s Vedo sings Phil Collins’ “Against All Odds,” which was previously done by another R&B vocalist, Jermaine Paul. But it’s another coach’s choice. Vedo doesn’t even know who Phil Collins is. After another emotional performance from Vedo that is pretty impressive for a guy who’d never heard of the original artist before, Shakira makes a comment about the universe and Adam busts out a faux-Italian accent. It’s one of the most random segments of coach feedback in the history of the show.

The spotlight then turns to the entirety of Team Adam, as they visit Adam’s family’s clothing store, meet Adam’s stylist and get some fashion tips before they gather for their group version of Florence and the Machine’s “Shake It Out.” But they do not have matching sweatshirts. As you’d expect from a team of ladies handed an epic song by a female vocalist, they nail their collaboration, particularly Amber and the ever-impressive Judith Hill. If one of them doesn’t win this season, they could always get back together as a group act.

After that comes Team Usher’s Michelle Chamuel, performing Cyndi Lauper’s “True Colors.” Usher thinks it’s a perfect song for Michelle, going so far as to bring out a mirror because he wants her to see how the song applies to her. Her rendition isn’t quite as alive as the one by James Massone in season two, but it has an earnestness to it that makes it likeable. Adam thinks it was a breakout moment for her, and Blake is annoyed that he didn’t get to say that first. The consensus is another great performance.

Last but not least is the woman everyone is waiting for: Team Adam’s Judith Hill. What’s she going to do in order to continue wowing the audience? That would be “Feeling Good” by Nina Simone, which Dez Duron did a fantastic version of last season, but if anyone can bring as much soul as he did, it’s Judith. Adam thinks this is a statement performance for Judith, specifically citing her former teammate Sasha Allen as tough competition. Not to discount Sasha, but Judith has nothing to worry about based on what she does, which is a rendition that wouldn’t be out of place on a Broadway stage. She knows how to command an audience, and considering it’s the audience that’s deciding her fate, that’s a very good thing.

Usher: You came out here and you took us to church.

On that high note, the first live playoff night draws to a close. Tune in tomorrow to see Team Blake and Team Shakira take the stage – and then watch Wednesday to find out which artists won’t make America’s first cut to be named ‘The Voice’ for season four.

(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.

Episode Recap: Season 4 Knockout Rounds, Part 1

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The Voice - Season 4

It’s now time for knockout rounds on The Voice: that last step before live shows, where 32 hopefuls will be narrowed down to the 16 artists who will represent the four teams for America’s vote. The first two rosters to get cleaved in half are Team Adam and Team Shakira.

Team Adam begins the night, with Adam assigning Amber Carrington to face off against Midas Whale. The knockouts allow the artists to choose their own music, and Amber selects Avril Lavigne’s “I’m With You” for her performance, which Adam approves of. He’s well aware of just how surprising she can be. The quirky dudes known as Midas Whale pick Stevie Wonder’s “Higher Ground” in order to move out of their folk parameters. Amber – who is rocking yet another amazing new look – sings her heart out again. You’d think the light fixtures were going to explode at some moment; that’s how good she is. The guys look just a smidge intimidated before they start, but they’re still as entertaining as ever.

Blake: I like Amber as much as I can’t stand Adam, and that’s a lot.

Blake and Shakira side with Amber, while Usher takes Midas Whale. The only opinion that matters, though, is Adam’s and he hands the first live show spot of Season 4 to an emotional Amber Carrington. It’s bro-hugs all around for the folk duo, who are still good-natured even as they’re leaving. Between the defeat of The Morgan Twins in battles and now Midas Whale in knockouts, the four-chair artists are beginning to fall.

We switch over to Team Shakira, where it’s Garrett Gardner versus Tawyna Reynolds. Shakira wants to see which of these unique voices can best convey that originality in their performance. Garrett picks “Too Close” by Alex Clare, which his coach advises him to infuse with a little more attitude. Tawyna opts for the Pistol Annies song “Hell on Heels,” befitting her country background. Shakira tells her to stick with the yodels. It’s a battle of artists with guitars in the ring, with both of them giving pretty straightforward renditions of their chosen pieces.

Shakira: Coach Shakira wants to disappear right now.
Adam: You want to disappear-a?

Adam praises Garrett, while Blake likes Tawyna’s song choice but criticizes the yodels. Shakira admits that she asked for more of those and defends them. Usher interrupts to say that he was actually going to compliment the yodels. So basically, Shakira gets almost no help from her fellow coaches. She must agree with Adam on some level, because she selects Garrett to move forward, which blows his mind and understandably so. To go from rejected in the blind auditions before to all the way through to live shows? Way to go, Garrett!

Back to Team Adam. Amy Whitcomb tangles with Caroline Glaser, Adam’s steal from Team Blake. Amy’s song choice is “House of the Rising Sun,” which Pip performed in season two. Adam corrects some minor issues with her before ultimately giving his seal of approval. Caroline, who admits to some nerves given the strength of her new team, picks “Little Talks” by Of Monsters and Men, which we heard last year as a duet version by Terry McDermott and eventual winner Cassadee Pope. Amy’s rendition of her song is full of sass and ends in a big way. That’s a tough act to follow for Caroline, who nonetheless does her best, the unique sound of her voice definitely coming through in a track that works for her but isn’t so dynamic.

Blake thinks Caroline played it safer, but was more consistent, and so awards the win to Caroline. Usher disagrees. Carson bypasses Shakira so Adam can feel horrible about separating two good friends. He thinks both artists did better in their rehearsals, which he admits is not a good thing. He still has to pick, though, and he goes with Caroline. Then Adam makes his sad face while the girls hug it out backstage.

Team Shakira’s Kris Thomas and Mary Miranda get the next call. Kris picks a true classic, “What A Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong. Shakira warns him not to overdo things. On the other side of things, Mary elects to go with “Every Breath You Take” by The Police, which will be her first English-language performance on The Voice. Her coach admits via voice-over that she might not have picked that song. Is that going to be Mary’s first – and last – mistake?

Kris can’t possibly give a better performance than he does. You can just feel everyone going to their happy place during his stage time. Mary tries a slightly different version of her track, and it’s not necessarily bad, but it doesn’t have the same intangible magic. Adam picks Mary for trying something outside of her comfort zone, while Blake tries to figure out why Shakira put these two together in the first place, calling them Shakira’s “pets.” This incites laughter.

Blake: Everything I say is offensive, isn’t it?
Adam: Just today.

After Usher compliments both singers, Shakira has to make her decision. After mentioning Mary’s lack of experience, she ultimately decides to go forward with Kris.

Adam’s next draw – while he looks like he’s seriously depressed at this entire process – is Judith Hill and former Team Usher member Orlando Dixon. All eyes are once again on Judith, who picks Willie Nelson’s “Always On My Mind.” Hearing her sing, Adam declares that he quits, because he can only come up with one note for her. Orlando comes with K-Ci and Jojo’s “All My Life.” In his awesome nerd glasses, Adam advises Orlando to bring it back a little bit. Yet will Orlando be able to outsing the so far unstoppable Judith? From the look on his face as she performs, even he’s not sure. Then again, Judith looks similarly impressed when she hears him.

Blake picks Judith, though he’s annoyed that she both spurned him and did a Willie Nelson song.

Blake: Why don’t you just come down here and punch me in the face?
Carson: Go ahead. Please On behalf of us all.
Adam: I would really enjoy that.

Usher likewise loves Judith, and Shakira echoes that, adding that she doesn’t think this was Orlando’s best performance. It’s really no surprise how this is going to go down, but Adam takes a moment to compliment Orlando for being not just a solid singer but also a great guy. He then surprises no one by taking Judith to the live shows. More free hugs!

Shakira decides to put her Team Adam steal Karina Iglesias with Monique Abbadie. A rocker through and through, Karina opts for Lenny Kravitz’s “Are You Gonna Go My Way.” Paging Jamar Rogers. Four-chair artist Monique opts for Celine Dion’s “The Power of Love,” which season two’s Chris Mann and another Monique – Benabou – absolutely owned.  (Yet bafflingly, it’s one of the rare clips from that season that’s not somewhere on YouTube.) After Karina proves her rock and roll chops once again, Monique and her incredibly bright hair give us the ballad to end all ballads.

Adam sides with Karina, even though he doesn’t think she picked the best song for her voice. Blake also agrees that Karina didn’t have the greatest performance and uses that logic to pick Monique. Usher doesn’t think Karina could’ve picked a more energetic song. So everyone basically agrees to disagree. That brings things back to Shakira, who opts for Karina, although she makes a point of stopping Carson so that she can encourage Monique to keep going. Hopefully Karina will learn from this close call and be more careful with her song choice, because selection has broken many an artist in the live rounds.

Adam’s last knockout is between Warren Stone and Sarah Simmons. Warren takes Cutting Crew’s “I Just Died In Your Arms Tonight,” which shocks Adam given that Warren is a country artist. Warren has big plans for the song. He’ll need them to be big if he wants to beat Sarah, who’s singing “Wild Horses” by the Rolling Stones (which Adam and Alicia Keys once performed beautifully). Warren puts on a strong show, and dude deserves a round of applause for it. But then there’s Sarah. She just enraptures the entire room. It’s kind of stupefying, really. Watch as Adam hangs his head in mock self-loathing.

Adam: There’s life beyond country, bro.
Blake: No, there’s not.

Blake, Usher and Shakira all vote for Sarah, although Blake and Shakira also praise Warren for being great in his own right. It’s another no-brainer for Adam. Sarah Simmons moves on. Team Adam has an all-female – and very strong – final four.

By process of elimination, Sasha Allen and Shawna P are our final knockout of the night. Ex-Team Adam artist Sasha elects to sing the Etta James classic “At Last,” while Shawna chooses The Beatles’ “Baby I’m Amazed,” which has previously been tackled by both season two’s Jordis Unga and season three’s Terry McDermott, the latter actually during knockouts. Sasha gets her diva on in fine fashion and incites goosebumps (twice), while Shawna reveals a new side of herself. Carson makes the mistake of asking Adam for his input on Sasha’s performance.

Adam: First thing I thought was, ‘Man, am I a dumb idiot.’
Blake: And we agree.

Adam takes Sasha, though he loves Shawna, too. Blake thinks Sasha is a frontrunner after that performance. Usher is still frustrated that he didn’t steal Sasha. Shakira agonizes for a moment before she makes her final cut, handing her last spot in the live shows to Sasha Allen. Adam points out it’s like there are six members of Team Adam still out there.

Even with their numbers cut in half, with these knockout performances, Team Adam proves they’re still the team to beat in season four, with Team Shakira having both hits and misses amongst the field. Stay tuned tomorrow night to see who survives from Team Blake and Team Usher. (Be aware that, in order to accommodate this part of the competition, tomorrow is a two-hour episode as opposed to the usual one hour.) 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.

Tony Lucca Announces ‘Whole World Watching’ Tour

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The Voice - Season 2

Tony Lucca announced on Monday a slate of new tour dates that will have the talented singer-songwriter on the road from late July to mid-August.

Lucca, who was the finalist for Team Adam on season two of NBC’s The Voice, subsequently signed with coach Adam Levine’s 222 Records and is currently preparing his first post-show album.

It’s not the first big move for Lucca, who’s been working hard since his time on national TV ended. He previously embarked upon the nationwide “Chapter Two” tour last fall, released a new music video for his song “Like Love” in November, and returned to The Voice as a spectator in December.

Here’s the complete list of shows for Lucca’s new “Whole World Watching” tour:

7/29 – Spring Lake, MI @ Seven Steps Up
7/30 – Chicago, IL @ City Winery
7/31 – Indianapolis, IN @ The Rathskeller
8/1 – St. Louis, MO @ Old Rock House
8/2 – Oklahoma City, OK @ The Blue Door
8/4 – Dallas, TX @ House Of Blues/Cambridge Room
8/6 – Nashville, TN @ 12th & Porter
8/8 – Birmingham, AL @ WorkPlay Theatre
8/9 – Decatur, GA @ Eddie’s Attic
8/10 – Tampa, FL @ Jaeb Theater
8/11 – Orlando, FL @ The Social
8/14 – Vienna, VA @ Jammin Java (early and late shows)
8/15 – New York, NY @ Rockwood Music Hall Stage 2 (early and late shows)
8/16 – Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
8/17 – Philadelphia, PA @ Tin Angel
8/18 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Café (early and late shows)

Lucca will be joined by the band Honor by August for select dates. You can view the official video announcement with this article, and for more information, visit Lucca’s website at tonylucca.com.

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.

Meet Team Adam’s Sarah Simmons, Amber Carrington, and Amy Whitcomb

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The Voice - Season 4

On The Voice, Team Adam has established itself as the team to beat. Before they head into knockout rounds, BFTV caught up with three of Adam’s strong female artists – the phenomenal Sarah Simmons (pictured), surprising Amber Carrington and not-as-yet-unleashed Amy Whitcomb – to get to know them a little bit better.

Sarah told us that her four-chair blind audition “just completely wrecked my soul in a beautiful way. It was deeply humbling, overwhelming, and I know I’m only 23, but it’s been a hard life for me in ways growing up, and [I] just can’t believe this is happening. [I'm] blown away by the one above me opening doors to shine through, and to use all my pains and be able to pour them out through music.”

Her battle with Duncan Kamakana was one of the best in Season 4, and we asked her how the two of them gelled together so well in such a short period of time. “I love my buddy Duncan!” Sarah gushed. “Why we looked so uncomfortable in our band rehearsal is because it was a song that we weren’t used to singing, and also our voices are completely different, and we hadn’t had much time to rehearse it. Also, I believe why we started to gel even more is because our goal together was not to think about the outcome of the battle at all, but to put on an incredible performance and feel every note, every lyric together – [to] escape into the song and display it together.

“We were already by then good buddies, but became real, true friends following that from just being able to hang out here in California, and through practices [and] jam sessions. [I'm] so blessed to know Duncan, he’s a really a great guy, and a good friend,” she continued.

Would she consider recording with Duncan in the future? “Gosh, we would love that actually!” Sarah enthused. “We’ve been talking about doing that sometime after all of this. That’s what is so great about this show, is that not only is it an incredible opportunity, but you meet incredible souls and those friendships just are so appointed in such a beautiful way! [I] can’t wait to make music with a couple people here.”

Another person Sarah has affection for is her coach, Adam Levine. “Adam is such an awesome soul!” she told us. “Seriously, he genuinely cares for us, and wants the best for us. That’s real rare to find in today’s world, especially coming from an accomplished, successful, well-known artist like him. He gives so much time to us, and I am so grateful for that. A couple of my favorite times with Adam are listening to his advice, encouragement, and just being able to be really goofy with him. You would think being around someone well-known would make you feel nervous or something, but I feel completely comfortable like I’m just hanging out with a brother.”

If Sarah were in Adam’s position, who would she push her button for? “Good question!” she replied. “I would turn my chair for Patrick Dodd, Amber Carrington, Garrett Gardner, Karina Iglesias, Shawna P, Brandon Roush and Judith Hill. I love everyone – but man, do those voices I wrote move my soul!”

Amber Carrington shocked The Voice fans when she upset another four-chair artist, Sasha Allen, in the battle rounds. Who is this talented artist and how did she put on such a great performance? She told us how she went from Adam’s last pick to a true contender.

“Going into my blind audition I had no clue how many spots were left,” she explained, “but right after I was chosen by Adam and I walked backstage, one of the producers told me that Adam gave me his last spot on his team and I was totally shocked! I never imagined Adam turning for me at all. He was the last person I thought would turn, actually. He tends to be very picky and like voices that are very unique, and in my eyes I didn’t compare to the people on his team in the past. Come to find out, he really liked what he heard! I really feel like I am right where I am supposed to be and wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Even though Amber sees herself as a country artist, she definitely believes that she picked the right coach. “Adam has so much knowledge about so many little things that make what we do work,” she continued. “I don’t think it matters that he is not a country artist because he has helped me in many other ways, such as my confidence and believing in who I am, and not worrying about what everyone else sounds like. He is very into what makes everyone individual and that definitely shows with the artists who are on his very diverse team.

“He has definitely gotten me out of my comfort zone which is something I have needed,” she said. “I think I am really finding who I am while on his team because I am experimenting with songs and genres that I never used to even try. Whereas if I were to be on Blake’s team, as a fellow country artist, I would probably be doing the same songs I have done for years.”

Besides, Adam’s choice of advisor did give Amber a little bit of country: “What I thought was so perfect was when I walked into the room for our piano rehearsal and Hillary Scott was who Adam chose to be our mentor,” she added. “That couldn’t have worked out better for me!”

Her battle matchup did prompt a little bit of doubt, but that didn’t last long. “When I was paired with Sasha, at first I did think that this was Adam’s way of just getting me eliminated because my opponent was everything I was not,” Amber admitted. “I kept trying to keep in mind, though, that Adam paired me with her because he saw something in me that could put up a good fight.

“I worked so hard on our battle song and I really tried to make sure and focus on who I am and not get too intimidated by Sasha’s big voice. My confidence definitely shot up after making it on Adam’s team, and I brought a totally new me to the stage the night of the battles – and it sure paid off!”

“Being paired with Sasha was a huge shocker for me – and actually my whole team. We all thought she would go against another one of the best on our team, Judith,” Amber reflected. “Being paired with Sasha though, win or lose, I don’t think I would have traded it for anything. I learned a lot from her and the whole situation. If you are around people who are worse than you, then you tend to just stay the same that you ar,e but if you are around people who are better than you, then you strive to be more. I was very intimidated by Sasha and her powerhouse voic,e but I also admire her for her strong personality and confidence.

“I feel like being paired with her pushed me to work harder and after I won that battle my mind was going insane!” she said. “I really and truly couldn’t believe it at first, I was just taken over by excitement because I knew that meant I was going on to the next round. Then I walked backstage and realized that I beat Sasha Allen in our battle, and I started to cry because I had worked so hard for this. Confidence is definitely rising throughout the show, because you work so hard for so many hours on just a short cut of a song and you stress yourself out over it all. When it finally pays off and you succeed, it is the best feeling in the world. You become proud of something that you created and you achieved for yourself.”

Now that she’s shown us what she can really do, “I really want to continue on the path that I have started,” Amber told us. “I feel as if I have kept climbing up a ladder with every performance I do. Something the coaches have kept saying is that I surprise them every time I am up on that stage and I don’t intend for that to stop. I want to keep learning new things from Adam and continue to stay out of my comfort zone, because I believe that is where I work best.

“Overall, my one huge goal is to just do songs that mean something to me and have something to say,” she continued. “[To be] connecting with America and speaking to at least one person that needs to either hear my story or the words in a song. I want to inspire others to never look back and to just live and chase after your dreams.”

One of the artists who’s deserved much more screen time than she’s gotten is Amy Whitcomb, who suffered from being montaged both during her blind audition and her battle round. Fans of singing competitions know that Amy was one of the members of all-girl a cappella group Delilah during the last season of NBC’s The Sing-Off. But how did she get from there to performing as a solo artist on The Voice?

“The Sing-Off definitely gave me a lot of contacts and enough exposure to really start branching off and pursuing my solo career,” she said. “I’ve been recording, performing, and teaching voice like crazy in between experiences, all preparing more for this solo opportunity.

“The shows are similar because they’re both reality TV, so I wasn’t blindsided by that aspect,” continued Amy, who said that her Sing-Off experience “definitely” helped her this time around. “I really wasn’t phased by the cameras, the lights, the rush, so I was really able to focus more on improving my voice and my stage presence. But being on stage without a group behind me has been a huge growing experience and has challenged me beyond expectations! It was tough. But I’ve come a long way!”

Fans have complained about artists being montaged numerous times, but how much does it really affect the artists? “My exposure has definitely been less, some of the least among the contestants, but my fans have been paying close attention to my seconds of screen time, supporting me on iTunes and spreading the word!” said Amy. “My fan base keeps growing. Sure, [it] could have been growing at a faster pace if people actually got to hear me sing, but I have to believe that in the long run, this won’t be anything that will hold me back. Plus, there is so much talent on this season and I’m grateful that my fellow artists – and now some of my closest friends – have gotten the screen time they need and deserve.”

What does she want to accomplish with her time on The Voice? “I want to fine-tune my gift and my whole package,” she said. “This experience has been about branding myself, establishing a sure direction, and tweaking what I need to in order to establish a professional status as a solo act.”

Is there anything that she’d be afraid of tackling in the next round? “I’m up for anything,” Amy assured us. “Ballads definitely scare me – it’s tough to sing in that vulnerable place of my voice under the nerves and pressure – but bring it on! I welcome all challenges.”

You can watch Sarah, Amber and Amy continue on as The Voice begins its knockout rounds 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.

Artist Update: Tim Mahoney

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Tim-Mahoney

While The Voice is going full steam ahead, one of BFTV’s very first favorites from the series is moving forward in his career as well. Tim Mahoney – the season one member of Team Adam that Adam Levine infamously thought was a woman when listening to his blind audition – not only has a new album out, but is broadening his teaching career, too. BFTV recently caught up with Tim to get the dish on everything he has going on.

Tim dropped his newest album, Shine Through, earlier this spring following a handful of individual songs, including his playful TV experience-inspired track, “Hey Adam Levine,” which caused a sensation when it debuted. “Post-The Voice, I have come out with a few singles, [but] as far as a new release of original material, it’s the first time since 2007,” he said. “I did want to do it different this time. I wanted to make it feel like we’re all musicians playing together, so we recorded it mostly live in a few days. The only tracks that are not [live] are ‘Hey Adam Levine’ and a track called ‘Truth Can Hurt.’ Not a lot of overdubs; didn’t want to get crazy with that. I didn’t want to make it seem too shiny.”

That’s because Tim has always been a down-to-earth working musician, traveling throughout his native Minnesota playing his gigs and paying his dues. Aside from The Voice and a previous audition for Rock Star: INXS – the series which fellow Minnesotan and season two Voice artist Jordis Unga placed fifth on – he hasn’t attracted the kind of national attention that other artists from reality competition series have.  He’s just quietly continued making solid pop-rock music.

“There’s a track on there called ‘Shadow’ which, it’s a really mellow, dark song, but I do feel it’s one of the best I’ve ever written,” he said. “I was with a girl for a fair amount of time, and we split up, and that song is about her. There’s some really fun stuff. The song on there I kind of just think is fun is called ‘Put A Line There.’ The single’s actually a song called ‘Shine Through,’ which I wrote for a guy who wanted me to write him a song [as] a surprise for his wife, and I ended up liking the song.”

As it’s coming up on two years since the end of Tim’s season of The Voice, does he now officially consider the show part of his past? “I’ve already kind of moved on but people haven’t,” he said. “The show is so big now. I talk about The Voice every single day, and I don’t choose to. I just mean that [it happens], from tweets to somebody mentioning Adam Levine. But hey, if it gets a few more people to a show, who really cares?”

Next month, Tim is turning his reality-show experience into a course to help others who have the same ambition. Entitled “Nailed It: How to Audition for The Voice and Other Vocal Competitions,” the one-day class will be held at Minneapolis’s MacPhail School of Music from 2-4 PM on Sunday, May 5. The cost is $50 and it’s open to hopefuls ages 15 and up. MacPhail voice instructor Andrea Leap will be teaching alongside Tim.

“I had the idea when people were calling and sending me messages asking [about] trying out for The Voice,” he explained. “They would ask, ‘Should I do it?’ One example was Chris Mann from season two. We had a two-hour conversation, and I told him he should try out and stick to his Josh Groban vocal style. He did just that and came in fourth place.”

In his MacPhail class, Tim will cover not only the obvious aspects of reality competition, such as song choice and performance, but also other less-discussed parts, such as the business and legal issues that await should you happen to make it onto TV. Anyone who’s interested in the course can find more information at Tim’s website (timmahoney.com).

While he may not have won The Voice, the longtime working musician has carved out a steady workload for himself. So what will make him consider his career worth it? “I think as you get older, those [things] change a little bit. At least with me they did,” he said. “You start to look at the reality of it. I’ve been living for music for awhile and I’ve done well. I started to realize if you can just touch some people, that’s the success.

“I had a woman who came to me about three months ago and said, ‘I love your music, I wonder if I can get it before it comes out,’ and she said the reason why was ‘Because I probably won’t be alive when the CD comes out.’ She has this extremely rare disease and she was hoping to get my new songs before she died,” he continued. “I went and visited with her. I brought my guitar and an unreleased copy of this new record, played some songs for her. And she still is alive, she didn’t think she would be. But it was kind of surreal. She said that day kind of made part of her life complete. That’s making it.”

Shine Through is now available on iTunes and through other music retailers. For more information on Tim Mahoney, you can visit his official website or follow him on Twitter (@timmahoneymusic).

(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.