Idol Chatter & Voice Views

The Voice returns for its 16th season with blind auditions episodes set for Monday and Tuesday.

Lots of changes are in store for fans this season, from the show’s schedule to the show’s format.

We return with one coach tainted by what transpired in Season 15 and one coach seeking a three-peat.

What hasn’t changed is the talent level. There seems to be plenty. Just follow the links at the bottom of this blog to get an early look at many of the singers we’ll meet in Season 16.

Here are some of the things to watch for in Season 16 of The Voice.

Hello, John Legend: He’s replaces Jennifer Hudson on the show. And while he’s unlikely to throw shoes at contestants, he does bring EGOT credentials to The Voice coaching panel. There’s an adorable video of wife Chrissy Teigen sending John off to his first day of filming with a Voice survival kit. On a more serious note, John notes that he’s been on The Voice as a mentor and performer and is thrilled to be a coach. “As someone who sings for a living and produces, the whole concept of being able to make someone’s dream come true with the push of a button is a really powerful thing,” he says in a Voice promo clip.

Bye, bye, Tuesdays: The Voice will air blind auditions episodes Monday and Tuesday. There might be a Tuesday episode in Week 2. I’ve seen conflicting reports on that. But the show has cut Tuesday episodes throughout the battle and knockout rounds (or what used to be the knockout round). The bottom line is likely to be a lot more montaged performance. It will be interesting to see if the show compensates by finally posting those on YouTube.

Another format change: I’ve been reading rumblings of a possible major format change on forum sites. And it’s backed up by “how to play” rules on the official Voice app, which includes talk about live cross battles and says nothing about a knockout round. Live cross battles, used on The Voice in other countries, pit contestants from different teams against one another. Possibly with fan voting. So stay tuned. Voice producers never tire of tinkering with a format that was better off left alone.

Family ties: Artists who auditioned for Season 16 include The Bundys, a sidling trio; Nathan and Chesi Arnett, a married couple; and Patrick McAloon and daughter Ruby Mac, who auditioned as solo artists.

Familiar faces: Dexter Roberts, a country singer who made it all the way to the Top 7 on Season 13 of American Idol, is back for a second shot at a televised singing show. And Lisa Ramey is back from Season 15. She failed to turn a chair last season, and her audition came so late in the process that all the Comeback Stage spots were already full.

Talented teens: With young female singers winning the last two seasons, keep on eye on LiLi Joy, 15, who fronts an all-girl band in California, and young pop singer Presley Tennant, who already has more than 37,000 followers on Instagram.

Kelly’s winning streak: Ms. Clarkson, of course, has two straight Voice wins to her credit, having coached Brynn Cartelli and Chevel Shepherd to victory. Can she make it three in a row? Oh, and major kudos to Kelly for the support she gives former contestants, from taking Brynn on tour with her to promoting their new music on social media.

The Adam Levine effect: Voice fans were calling for Adam’s firing and wondering why anyone would chose him as a coach after Season 15’s Top 10 Night antics, which saw him lobby for votes for a singer who couldn’t sing (Reagan Strange) over one who could and did (DeAndre Nico). But there’s really nothing to watch here. The Season 16 blind auditions were filmed before that ever happened. So Adam’s faux pas won’t deter anyone from joining Team Adam for Season 16.

The Comeback Stage: The Voice announced Kelsea Ballerini as Comeback Stage coach two weeks before Season 15. No word yet on Season 16. The Voice doesn’t often give up gimmicks, but maybe this one fell to the wayside. If so, good riddance. Last year’s Comeback Stage winner Lynnea Moorer showed potential, but clearly wasn’t as ready for The Voice as several artists eliminated before the live shows. Besides, I disagreed with nearly ever Comeback Stage decision Kelsea made. Update: Yep, it’s back. With Bebe Rexha and new twist. Told you this show never met a gimmick it didn’t love.

Bye, bye Apple music? Before Season 15, every Voice performance was available on iTunes/Apple Music. In Season 15, only performances from Top 13 night on were available for download and streaming. No word yet on what’s going to happen in Season 16. But, gee, it’s like NBC is trying to give singers fewer and fewer reasons to want to be part of The Voice. And, since the show scrubs YouTube videos after two years, those iTunes covers have been the only permanent way to listen to past performances. Or, in the cast of a montaged performance, the only way to listen to what we missed.

Apple Music bonuses? The Voice also changed voting rules in Season 15. Instead of awarding bonus points to every singer with a song in the iTunes Top 10, bonus points went only to the most-streamed artist on Apple Music. Their streams were multiplied by 10 for voting purposes and were supposed to carry over to the vote totals for the season finale. Under the new rules, Chris Kroeze was the only finalist to earn bonus points. He did it twice. Quite curiously, the show never said and has never released information on who earned the Apple Music bonus for the finale. I asked Chris this week. He doesn’t even know.

Now, links to those promised profiles …

SEASON 16 VOICE PROFILES

 

Abby Kasch
Alena D’Amico
Andrew Jannakos
Anthony Ortiz
The Bundys
Carter Horne
Cecily Hennigan
Dalton Dover
Dexter Roberts
Gyth Rigdon
Hannah Kay
Jacob Maxwell
Jimmy Mowery
Kalvin Jarvis
Karly Moreno
Kendra Checketts
Kim Cherry
LeBryant Crew
LiLi Joy
Lisa Ramey
Nathan and Chesi Arnett
Oliv Blu
Patrick McAloon
Presley Tennant
Rizzi Myers
Ruby McAloon
Savannah Brister
Selkii
Trey Rose