After The Voice, The Voice

It’s high time for The Voice to show pride in its own

0

Alisan Porter was the only past contestant featured on Season 12 of The Voice. (NBC Photo)

Alisan Porter was the only past contestant featured on Season 12 of The Voice. (NBC Photo)

Time to jump on my soap box and scold The Voice for not doing more to promote past contestants on the show.

After all, we’ve reached the live portion of Season 13. You know, the portion where there will be guest spots to fill on results night.

NBC has already announced that Maroon 5 will perform the single “What Lovers Do” from its new album “Red Pill Blues” Tuesday night.

I guess you can’t begrudge Adam Levine a chance to plug new music on the show. But how selfless would it be if he and The Voice’s other superstar coaches acknowledged the fact that they need less help marketing music than past contestants, most of whom are trying to make it as independent artists?

Especially since the grand prize for winning The Voice — a recording contract — hasn’t turned out to be much of a prize at all. Just ask Alisan Porter, Josh Kaufman or Craig Wayne Boyd. Or Javier Colon, Jermaine Paul, Cassadee Pope or Sawyer Fredericks, none of whom are still with their labels. Oh, and where is that post-show album from Sundance Head?

What’s worse is when The Voice results night features artists with no connection to the show. You know, like Season 12, when the guest list included G-Eazy and Kehlani, Marren Morris, Charlie Puth, Zedd and Alessia Cara.

Why? Who knows? It isn’t like past Voice artists are silent. They’re producing great music. On a regular basis. They just need help getting it heard.

Shouldn’t The Voice, with its millions of viewers, help?

Shouldn’t producers show a little pride in the artists they’ve introduced us to over the seasons and the music they’re releasing?

In hopes that someone will eventually come to their senses in Voice la-la land, I’ll going to prepare a guest list. I’ll even recommend songs. I’ll keep it mostly current. And I’ll limit it to past finalists.

1. Season 4 winner Danielle Bradbery is about to drop her sophomore album — and her first in four years. Lead single “Sway” is a feel-good tune with cross-over appeal.

2. Season 11 runner-up Billy Gilman just released his first post-show single, and it’s a great feel-good tune called “Get It Got It Good,” co-written by the winner of another singing show.

3. Season 8 runner-up Meghan Linsey just dropped an album called “Bold Like a Lion” that includes “Say It To My Face,” a great swipe at Internet trolls that she recorded with Aloe Blacc.

4. Season 5 runner-up Jacquie Lee, going as just Jacquie these days, just released her first independent EP, and lead single “Am I the Only One” is a great re-introduction to a singer we met when she was just 16.

5. Season 7 winner Craig Wayne Boyd came out with his post-show debut album, “Top Shelf,” in late October. You know what’s truly top shelf — a song on that album called “We Sweat.”

6. Season 8 runner-up Joshua Davis also just came out with his first album in four years, “The Way Back Home” and I’d love to see and hear him perform “The Ballad of Lawrence Wotkyns King” live.

7. Season 1 runner-up Dia Frampton just released a holiday EP, though I’d rather hear a song (perhaps “Die Wild”) from her “Bruises” album from earlier this year. It’s one of the best post-Voice albums yet.

There’s seven potential guests, all of whom were finalists on the show, all of whom have released music within the last month.

Want to go back to earlier? The list of finalists releasing music in 2017 also includes Javier Colon, Adam Wakefield, Jeffery Austin, Jesse Larson, Laith Al-Saadi, The Swon Brothers, Jake Worthington, Michelle Chamuel, Josh and Allisan. And I’m probably missing someone.

And at some point, shouldn’t The Voice take time to acknowledge the success of Melanie Martinez?

Her debut album “Crybaby” — filled with songs she wrote — stayed on the Billboard 200 every week for two years. It reached that milestone in August.

Her music videos — in most cases, videos she directed — have been viewed more than 650 million times. She has more than 5 million followers on Instagram and nearly 6 million on YouTube. All of which makes her the show’s most successful alum.

Bottom line: In my mind, every single guest spot on the show should go to a past contestant. After all, they’ve helped make The Voice a success.

Since I don’t expect any of that to happen, here’s a playlist of the songs I’ve suggested. But, first, here are links to 2017 releases by past contestants, also complete with playlists.

2017 albums and EPs from former contestants on The Voice
2017 singles from former contestants on The Voice

Related Posts

Leave a reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *