Idol Chatter & Voice Views

The show that deserves an award for doing the least with the most returns Monday night.

I mean, The Voice rounded up some pretty amazing talent for Season 2.

But if it’s managed to generate any buzz for its top contestants, I’m not hearing it.

Instead, I’m hearing an awful lot about contestants named Phillip, Colton, Jessica and Joshua.

And they aren’t on this show.

Blame The Voice’s second-fiddle status on bizarre song choices, too much focus on mentors instead of contestants, and a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants format that’s inexcusable for a show in its second season.

I mean, to hear Blake Shelton tell it, he had no idea he’d have the responsibility of eliminating a contestant on last Monday’s show.

Well, at least Adam Levine and Cee Lo Green and the rest of us know what’s coming this week.

The four remaining contestants on Team Adam and Team Cee Lo will perform Monday night (8 p.m. EST). One from each team will be eliminated by their mentor in those “dramatic instant eliminations.”

One Tuesday (9 p.m. EST), the top vote-getter from each team will advance. The other two contestants from each team will sing for a save.

And, by the end of the night, we’ll know the identity of the eight contestants who will compete in the semifinals next week.

Here’s how the teams stack up. (The link attached to each singer’s name will take you to a profile and pre-Voice performances).

Team Cee Lo:

Juliet Simms: She had better make the semifinals, because the former lead singer of Automatic Loveletter” is one of the most talented performers remaining. Her rocked-out version of “Roxanne” by The Police was one of the absolute highlights of the first live round. And the clear favorite among Voice viewers in terms of iTunes downloads.

Jamar Rogers: My guess is he’ll be the other singer from Team Cee Lo to advance to the next round. The former Idol contestant from Season 8 has been dubbed the comeback kid and got the pimp spot on the show two weeks ago. I thought his “Are You Gonna Go My Way” — complete with guitarists on stilts — was a little too cheesy, but Jamar’s got good range and great stage presence.

James Massone: How this guy survived a brutally bad performance of “Don’t Know Why” is beyond me. If that’s the best James can muster, he needs to head back to his dad’s auto repair shop. The sooner the better. For the sake of all the listeners at home. But he’s cute — a fact Cee Lo’s quick to point out — on a show that prides itself for finding the best voice. Hmm.

Cheesa: She’s the gal from Hawaii. Her family moved to L.A. so she and her brother could pursue a musical career. Cheesa was not voted into the quarterfinals; she earned her spot by earning Cee Lo’s save after a performance of “All By Myself” two weeks ago. She’s got a big voice, but too often sounds like she’s shouting instead of singing.

Team Adam:

Tony Lucca: The most talented member of Team Adam, with a resume that includes more than a half-dozen albums and nearly as many EPs. But the former Mickey Mouse Club colleague of Christina Aguilera is also a 36-year-old, laid-back singer-songwriter type and might not be what The Voice is looking for as it searches for someone who can catch on big once the show ends.

Pip: This is the guy who normally shows up on stage wearing a bow-tie, suspenders and bright-colored pants. Last time he performed, he decided to dress like that and try to pass himself off as a rocker. Big mistake. But he’s got a great voice, enticed all four judges to turn around when he auditioned with “House of the Rising Sun” and sounded great again in the battle round.

Mathai: If Tony or Pip stumbles, Mathai could find herself in the semifinals. She’s got the look — heavenly in green two weeks ago — and a unique tone to her voice. And, despite being only 19, she doesn’t seem intimidated by The Voice stage or the show’s more experienced contestants. Her blind audition version of Adele’s “Rumor Has It” had all three of the male mentors spinning their chairs around.

Katrina Parker: I’ll be surprised if she advances. She needed a save from Adam to advance two weeks ago and wasn’t overly impressive in either of her performances that week. Her best performance yet came when she sang “Bleeding Love” in the battle round against Angel Taylor.

Check back tomorrow night. I’ll be live blogging during the show and grading each performance as it occurs.