Blade's Box of Jams: Track #3 - If I Had Only Known

I'm turning on my headphones, and currently listening to... 

Reba McEntire

I was reading something about Reba as Ryan was walking out the door this morning, when he tells me, "I love you bunches."

Along with Dolly Parton, I have loved Reba since the beginning of time, and I don't know one gay boy who has never heard of this amazing artist.  Her songs are poignant, long lasting and heart enduring.  She wrote, "If I had Only Known" back in 1991 when she lost 8 of her band members in a plane crash.  It was such a heartbreaking time for her, and the rest of us who adored her so much.

Not one day goes by that I do not let Ryan know how much I love him.  You've heard me say it many times before, "he is the greatest treasure I have ever found."  I never want to say that "If I had only known," or that if today was the last day I'd see him, that I would have done things differently, because I have done everything any loving person could ever do.  And yes, I have tears running down my cheeks as I write this - it's because He is my happiness, He is my joy!

The Battle Rounds - Week 4

Last night, my partner Ryan, and I watched the final Battle Round of The Voice, and I'd have to say, I was really disappointed with the Judges this time around.  I don't think they were thinking straight, or maybe they were so tired from a full day of coaching their teams, that the last round didn't matter to them as much.  

Maybe I shouldn't be so harsh.  Surprisingly, I felt Blake made the right decision this week, and I blatantly disagreed with Christina's and Cee Lo's choices.

It's all or nothing for these ladies and gents - next week is the Live performances.  We'll get to see how well they were coached by their judges.
 
I have posted each week's Battle Rounds on my blog, so click one of the links below if you wish to see the battles for the first time or watch them again at your own leisure.

Battle Round - Week 1
Battle Round - Week 2
Battle Round - Week 3

Here's a look at last night's battle rounds...

In the following video, Jeff Jenkins and Casey Desmond battle it out, singing, "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" by Elton John

I already knew who I wanted to win this round.  I wanted Jeff to take this one home, but after watching Casey give him a run for his money, it left me speechless.  They worked really well together and their chemistry was fantastic, but in the end I felt Jeff should take it home, because of his vocal ability.  Adam Levine made the right decision, and went along with me on this. :-). Continuing from last week's record, I'm 11-2.

In the following video, Xenia Martinez and Sara Oromchi battle it out, singing, "I'll Stand By You" by The Pretenders

What a Hot Mess!  Both of these girls were shy from the 'get-go.'   It was evident in their coaching segment with Blake and his mentor, Reba McEntire.  While I felt Sara Oromchi had this to win it, she didn't perform it well enough to take it home.  Xenia wasn't any better either, but there's something about her voice that draws me to her.  She's soft, but I believe with the right coaching, she can do more with her voice than Sara.  I'm not sure if Blake is the right coach for the job, but he did agree with me on choosing Xenia for the win  12-2.

In the following video, Cherie Oakley and Lily Elise battle it out, singing, "Since U Been Gone" by Kelly Clarkson

I don't know what the hell Christina was thinking.  Lily? Really?  She was mediocre at best.  I'm sorry, but it was so obvious Cherie won this round, all the other judges agreed as well.  I do commend Reba McEntire for bringing up the fact that Cherie wrote a hit song for her. She's a true diva!  As for the disaster that was Lily, I think Christina picked her over Cherie, because of the slutty outfit she was wearing, and not for her vocal incapability.  She could have done so much more with Cherie, she was belting it out like nobody's mama. 12-3

In the following video, Emily Valentine and Curtis Grimes battle it out, singing, "Need You Now" by Lady Antebellum

What a great way to end the Battle Rounds!  Well, not so great, because the one I chose didn't cross Cee Lo's mind.  But it was the greatest performance of the evening.  Emily and Curtis ended their performance with a kiss, and what a kiss it was.  We all knew Emily had a crush on Curtis, because she didn't stop saying it throughout the show last night, but the kiss was definitely unexpected.  They were truly amazing together.  I felt Cee Lo would've been better off with Emily, because of her vocal range.  I thought she could take it further than Curtis, because he sings country, and country star usually stick to their own genre of music.  They don't broaden their horizons, and use their vocal ability to move beyond that. Good job to both of them though. 12-4

Remember! Next week the show goes LIVE; Make sure to watch it!

The Battle Rounds

Did any of you watch "The Voice" last night?  It was absolutely television at its best.  No, it literally was.  If you missed the first two weeks of auditions, that's okay, because this part of the series is even more exciting. I was kind of hesitant at first, but after Ryan and I watched last night's episode I had a change of heart.  I can definitely sit through 4 weeks of battle rounds compared to "let's go home" episodes of American Idol.

The way it works is, each judge, Blake Shelton, Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, and Adam Levine have 8 contestants.  They are to choose 2 members from their team, and let them know what song they're singing.   Once they learn of the song, they are introduced to a celebrity friend of the judge who will help mentor and advise them in preparation for the battle.  Christina chose Australian singer, Sia, Blake chose famous country diva, Reba McEntire, music producer, Adam Blackstone assisted Adam, and Cee Lo chose singer, Monica.

The stage is set up to look like a boxing ring (minus the rope) - it's very glitzy.  The singers are introduced by Carson Daly of MTV fame, and they walk onto the stage to sing their battle song.  Whoever comes out the victor will be performing in front of a live-studio audience in front of America, but their win in this round solely relies on their judge.

In the following video, Frenchie and Tarralyn Ramsey battle it out, singing, "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)" by Beyonce

Frenchie took home the win, and I definitely agreed with Christina on this. I thought Tarralyn had an attitude problem that needed to be adjusted. She wasn't very respectful. I'm 1-0.

In the following video, Patrick Thomas and Tyler Robinson battle it out, singing, "Burning Love" by Elvis Presley.

 

I totally disagreed with Blake Shelton on this, and so did my partner, Ryan.  I think he made a mistake playing the "country card" in choosing Patrick.  He needed to look at the fact that it would be much easier for Tyler to move beyond his vocal ability in the live competition.  Patrick could be his downfall, because of his inability to go beyond a "country music" mentality. 1-1

In the following video, Tim Mahoney and Casey Weston battle it out, singing, "Leather and Lace" by Stevie Nicks and Don Henley.

 

 I agreed with Adam's decision on this one - If Casey were to move forward in the competition. I think it would be a lot easier down the road. 2-1

In the following video, Vicci Martinez and Niki Dawson battle it out, singing, "Perfect" by Pink.

 

Wow oh Wow!  And what a battle it was!  This was definitely the best performance of the night.  My fingers were crossed that it would be Vicci taking this home, and it was!  I was thinking Cee Lo was going to pick Niki, but he obviously felt what I felt, Vicci was ripping it up "hardcore" and he saw something there - he saw a winner! 3-1

As I mentioned earlier, if you haven't seen this, you should.  It is definitely a million times better than IDOL.