The Voice Season 6 Premieres Tonight

Season 6 of NBC's 'The Voice' returns tonight with the first blind auditions of 2014. Through the first five seasons, the blind auditions have been the most exciting episodes of reality television music I have seen. We briefly get to know an artist getting ready to audition, and see them walk on stage, not knowing what to expect once the music begins to play. Well, that is not entirely true, for what we have learned is that there are no bad auditions, people seeking attention even if it is for performing badly. I remember the first season, and the excitement of watching and hearing Javier Colon sing "Time After Time" and Vicci Martinez sing "Rolling in the Deep", Nakia talk on Cee-Lo Green's "Forget You" and Beverly McClellan give us some Janis on "Piece of my Heart". This is a clip of Javier Colon, the winner of Season 1, singing Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time".

In Season 4, there were several auditions that impressed me. This was the season when Shakira and Usher joined Blake Shelton and Adam Levine as coaches, which I found to be a wonderful surprise. But, as I said, several of the auditions were memorable. I loved Judith Hill, and truly enjoyed Midas Whale. The Swon Brothers intrigued me, and Sasha Allen was just so impressive. But it was the audition of Michelle Chamuel that grabbed me right away. It was a harbinger of things to come, for she was impressive all season, finishing a close second. This is Michelle Chamuel auditioning with Katy Perry's "I Kissed A Girl".

Fast forward to Season 5 of 'The Voice', and a whole new series of auditions. This season, there was only one that really stopped me cold in my tracks, making me stop, look, and listen. When Jamaican singer Tessanne Chin took to the stage and began singing the opening lines of "Try", the song by the wonderful Pink, I was instantly engaged, and wanting more. Her voice is so rich, and so strong, I knew she would be special to watch as she sung her way to the title. This is Tessanne's audition, as she sings "Try" by Pink.

Tonight the journey begins once again. Season 6 begins on February 24, 2014, at 8PM on your local NBC station. To learn more about 'The Voice', visit the official website. You can also 'like' them on Facebook, and 'follow' them on Twitter.

The Voice - Review - Season 5 Final 3 Revealed

Left to right: Cee Lo Green, Adam Levine, Christina Aguilera, and Blake Shelton.

Last night, the Top 5 on Season 5 of 'The Voice' put in their Semifinal performances, and boy, was it special! Each of the artists offered everything they had with the songs they sang, with many offering their best to date. After the show, I gave my picks for the best and worst of the night, with Tessanne winning the evening with her brilliant take on Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water", and, for me, Jacquie Lee singing Sarah McLachlan's "Angel" on bottom. On iTunes, Tessanne made it to #1 on the single chart with her single. But she was not alone, as Jacquie Lee made it to #7, and Will Champlin went to #10. Not far behind, Cole went to #12, and James to #14. However, this season I have noticed that iTunes sales has not been a great barometer for results night, and with the numbers so tight, who knows? Can James survive tonight, being the first artist to get the Instant Save and stick around the next week? Can Cole and Jacquie keep Team Adam from sweeping the three finalist positions? With appearances tonight from Season 4 Top 3 Danielle Bradbery, Michelle Chamuel, and The Swon Brothers, can they offer advice to the contestants wondering about what might come next? Perhaps we will have the answers to these questions by the end of this post.


Left to right: Cole Vosbury, Jacquie Lee, Will Champlin, Tessanne Chin, & James Wolpert.

The familiar graphic comes on the screen, and soon we see Carson Daly on stage with the Top 5, and he introduces the judges. Soon the recap begins, and Blake claims Cole was the best, while Christina says it is Jacquie Lee who stole the show. Adam thinks Tessanne gave the best performance in the history of the show. These are all big words, and we shall see what the voters thought. But it was a good night on iTunes, for the artists have #1 on the Country chart, the Pop chart, and the Alternative chart, as well as #1 on the Singles chart. But now it is time to get the entertainment started, as the Swon Brothers sing "Later On", a brand new song I couldn't find anywhere, but is a strong single. You can purchase it tonight on iTunes. The guys look great, and seemed happy to be performing on the familiar stage. And Blake looked proud as can be of the brothers. After the break, we learn Adam is just so proud of his team making it this far, no matter what happens tonight. Cee Lo offers the notion that the artists can be professionals, and that someone must lose gracefully, while someone else should win graciously. Christina is so very proud of Jacquie, and how much she has grown as a young artist. Blake is sure Cole is not only going make it to the finals, he will be winning it all!. Then we see the weekly confessional, which was a bit silly. However, it did give Adam a chance to wish everyone a 'Happy Hanukkah' with a menorah in hand. Next up, Carson breaks in to give us the name of the first artist leaving the show tonight. That person is James Wolpert.



James handles with the news of leaving well, and thanks his coach for a great time together. James gives all his fellow contestants a hug, and it truly gracious in this exit. There is a big hug for his coach, and we are off to another commercial. When we return, it is time for the second place contestant from last season, the wonderful Michelle Chamuel. She sings "Go Down Singing", a song that was featured on my blog a few weeks ago.

I like the song very much, and was proud to make it part of my music library the first time I heard it. You can purchase "Go Down Singing" from iTunes and Amazon. We come back to Carson, and he reveals the first finalist of Season 5. Tessanne Chin is the first artist to make it to next week's finals. She looks both surprised and elated, and hugs the other contestants before collecting a big hug from Adam Levine. There are commercials, including the one featuring the elfin Blake, which still makes me giggle. There is a Twitter Q&A session, but this soon ends and it is time to greet the season 3 winner of The Voice, ready to perform. Carson introduces Cassadee Pope, who sings "I Wish I Could Break Your Heart".

The song is nice, but not ultimately that special to me. "I Wish I Could Break Your Heart" can be found on Cassadee's debut album, 'Frame By Frame'. You can by the album from iTunes and Amazon. The album also features the single "Wasting All These Tears", and Blake comes out with the plaque certifying the single earned a Gold Single status, with over 500,000 downloads. That is quite an accomplishment, so a hearty congratulations is due! After a commercial break, the third former member of Team Blake returns to the stage as Season 4 winner Danielle Bradbery comes out to sing "Never Like This" off her debut album.

"Never Like This" can be found on her self-titled debut album, 'Danielle Bradbery'. You can purchase the album on iTunes and Amazon. The song was a good one, and the album is well-worth checking out. After chatting with Danielle and Blake a bit, it is time to get back to the results with Carson. The next artist making it to the finals is Jacquie Lee. She and Christina are excited, and run to give one another a hug. This leaves Will and Cole fighting for the last slot in the Top 3. Before going to another commercial, we see a promotion of the upcoming Olympics, featuring Danielle's recording of "My Day", and it looks like a great fit. After the break, we learn who will be moving on, and who will be going home. Interestingly enough, they are the final two 'steals' in the competition. Both thank their coaches, and it is time for Carson to give the last results of the evening. The last artist to be a finalist is Will Champlin, and that means Cole Vosbury is going home.



That was certainly a surprise, as Coach Blake is eliminated from the competition. Christina has one artist in the finals, and Adam the other two. Can Christina be the first woman coach to earn the win? Or can Adam earn his second win of the series? Tune in next week, when the Finalists will return to the stage to see if they can keep the dream alive! To learn more about 'The Voice', visit the official website. You can also 'like' them on Facebook, and 'follow' them on Twitter.

Michelle Chamuel • Go Down Singing

When we last saw Michelle Chamuel, she was the last representative standing of Team Usher on Season 4 of 'The Voice', and the only artist not under the direction of Blake Shelton to be on the finale. Michelle was well-loved, and deservedly so, having put in several incredible performances while on the show. Whether she was singing songs by Taylor Swift, Cyndi Lauper, Pink, or Katie Perry, Chamuel seemed unstoppable all season long. Her journey was cut short by one place on the show, finishing up a strong second. While many singers on reality competitions claim we have not seen the last of them, quite often that is the case. With Michelle, I had faith it was the not the last time, and as she just released a new single, I see I am right!

On November 19th, 2013, Michelle released "Go Down Singing", her first recording since being on 'The Voice'. The song was brought to my attention by JD Doyle of Queer Music Heritage, who loved the song right away. As she did on the show, Chamuel seamlessly combines Electropop and Soul to make a great sound, very much like the sound she cultivated on the show. The message of the song it also a great one, calling us all to stand tall and strong, not matter what others are saying. It is the perfect message for the slightly quirky girl from Massachusetts. Click play and give a listen to Michelle Chamuel's first post-show single, "Go Down Singing".

Of course, it is not a surprise the song would be a perfect fit for the singer, as she co-wrote it with Producers Theo Katzman and Tyler Duncan. I loved it when I first heard it, and my feelings only grow stronger with each listen since. You can purchase "Go Down Singing" from iTunes, Amazon, and Bandcamp. To learn more about Michelle Chamuel, visit her official website. You can also 'like' her on Facebook, and 'follow' her on Twitter.