NBC’s ‘The Voice’ review: Meet Midas Whale, Sarah Simmons, and Josiah Hawley

The Voice“The Voice” premiere on Monday managed to do something very rare: live up to all of the hype established from the premiere. There was humor, great music, and the coaches actually seeming as though they are genuinely invested in what is going on. (Take that, Randy Jackson!)

We really tried to stay behind “American Idol” as the best singing show on TV since it is the original, but in watching that show in comparison to “The Voice” is like watching people sleep in comparison to a party. There is just so much more life here, in addition to people showing a willingness to do something more than a bazillion ballads.

Tawnya Reynolds – It’s a country singer. What do you want to bet that she picks Blake Shelton to be her mentor? But he didn’t turn around! Blake instead tried to campaign on behalf of Usher for this old-school crooner, but she instead went with Shakira. We have to say: just by pulling out a prop in an English-to-country dictionary, she immediately rose above Christina Aguilera as a coach and TV personality. Of course, she was picked to be the coach.

Josiah Hawley – Male model Josiah just realized that there is much more to life than being ridiculously good-looking. (If you get this reference, we turn our chair around for you!) This take on Maroon 5’s “Sunday Morning” was pretty soulful, and not necessarily perfect, he’s going to go really far if he makes it into some of the later rounds … especially with Usher helping him out.

Midas Whale – Okay, these two folk singers are awesome, and one of our favorite acts on any singing show this past year. Their name is great, their sound is great, and they even have a fantastic personality and sense of humor. Folk music is really in right now courtesy of Mumford & Sons, and we could see them going pretty far if they make it through the battle rounds. Their choice? Adam, and this is the first pair that Adam has ever had on his team.

Abraham McDonald – Abraham is one of those singers who really could benefit from coming back, mostly because he felt almost as though he was nervous and shake for much of the performance. Having a big voice is often not enough to make it through on this show; you need to have consistent tone to go along with it.

Cathia – She’s a Latin star, so of course she went with Shakira! This really was a move  We couldn’t really connect with the song given that we didn’t know any of the lyrics, but she does have a big personality and that can never be diminished when it comes to importance.

Sarah Simmons – All episode long, we were hearing about how Blake Shelton didn’t have a team member. They were setting up for her to be with him … right? We thought it was going to be a lock since she sounded like she was going to be a country singer, but instead, she was a little bit more pop / rock. Sorry, Blake: she also picked Adam.

Who was your favorite on “The Voice” Tuesday night? Be sure to share your thoughts below, and you can also check out our review of Monday night’s episode here!

Photo: NBC

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