Adriana Louise Takes Down Pruitt to Advance on NBC’s “The Voice”

Posted on October 24, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

Adriana Louise will be putting up her dukes in the next round on The Voice.

During Tuesday night’s episode of NBC’s hit singing competition, Christina Aguilera pitted the 22-year-old Latina singer and New York City waitress against former Hollywood Records recording artist Jordan Pruitt in one the most competitive Battle Round matchups of the season.

From the first note, it was obvious the Team Xtina members were both in fierce fighting form while performing Katy Perry’s dancetastic “Hot n Cold.” Despite Pruitt’s experience as a Disney recording artist, the contestants were quite evenly matched.

“I don’t think we’ve ever had a battle that’s so even,” declared Voice coach Adam Levine, who picked Pruitt as the victor of the battle.

Blake Shelton complimented Adriana Louise being “a strong singer,” but also chose Pruitt as the victor.

Meanwhile, Cee Lo Green cast his vote for Adriana Louise.

“You really took the opportunity to take that high note,” said Green. “Oh, you’ve got that feist[iness] about you!”

But it was ultimately Aguilera’s decision to make. And the Grammy-winning songstress was quite impressed with Adriana Louise’s performance.

“You were able to hit some crazy notes,” said Aguilera. “That’s something that you naturally do have, and that’s what I connected with.”

When it came down to the final call, Aguilera picked Adriana.

“She’s a force to be reckoned with as far as a vocalist,” said Aguilera after making her decision. “It’s beautiful to see people like Adriana step it up like true stars.”

Adriana Louise now advances to the Knockout Round on season three of The Voice.

Rosa Advances to the Next Round on NBC’s “The Voice”

Posted on October 23, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

Daniel Rosa lives to sing another day on NBC’s The Voice…

During Monday night’s episode, the 21-year-old Latino singer faced off against Alexis Marceaux in what their coach Cee Lo Green considered a battle round of indie singers.

Prior to performing Adam Lambert’s “Whataya Want From Me” in front of a studio audience, Rosa appeared quite nervous rehearsing the song with Marceaux in front of Green and guest mentor Rob Thomas, the lead singer of Matchbox Twenty.

“I didn’t know what to think about the song because it’s very not me,” said Rosa after his rehearsal. “The nerves kind of came back again and I wasn’t really happy with that.”

But Thomas was able to look past Rosa’s issue to see something special in the Riverside, California native.

“I love Daniel. Obviously he has confidence issues, but that lack of confidence is the vulnerable part of him that comes out in his voice,” raved the Matchbox Twently front man. “And that’s really hard to find.”

Following Rosa’s head-to-head performance with Marceaux, coach Adam Levine couldn’t help but feel the love.

“Man, Daniel, I just love how you sing with all of your soul,” said Levine. “It’s like a physical reaction in you, it’s really genuine.”

Meanwhile, Blake Shelton and Christina Aguilera both believed Marceaux had won the round.

“Work on turning your performance out to your audience,” advised Aguilera to Rosa. “Because I wanted to engage so much with you.”

But in the end, the decision came down to Green…

“I did see improvement in both of you,” said the “Forget You” singer, who admitted having a stronger connection with Rosa. “But Daniel, his voice affects me in a kind of way; it hurts me in such a good way.”

And that’s all it took for Green, who admitted to being flawed in a fantastic way, to pick Rosa to advance to the Knockout Rounds.

Nevarez Advances to the Knockout Round on “The Voice”

Posted on October 17, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

Kayla Nevarez is still living her teenage dream of becoming a professional singer…

During one of Tuesday night’s battle rounds on NBC’s The Voice, Adam Levine pitted the 17-year-old Latina high school student against her more classically trained Team Adam mate Alessandra Guercio.

In a closely matched battle of teen sensations, Nevarez and Guercio performed Katy Perry’s “Wide Awake.”

Following their heated battle, Voice coach Blake Shelton complimented Nevarez on her voice and delivery.

“You have this really sweet sounding vibrato,” said Shelton. “And it’s cool when you do your runs ‘cause it just lays in there with what you do.”

Meanwhile, fellow coach Cee Lo Green called the soft sound of Nevarez’s voice “very endearing” and “precious,” but said he thought Guercio had won the battle.

But ultimately, it was Levin’s choice to make… And, the Maroon 5 front man declared Nevarez the winner, advancing her to the next round.

Castillo Congas His Way to the Next Round on “The Voice”

Posted on October 16, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

Julio Cesar Castillo has plenty of reason to “come on, shake your body baby, do the conga!”

The 21-year-old mariachi singer, who became the first-ever The Voice contestant to ever perform a blind audition completely en español, competed against soul singer and fellow Team Blake member Terisa Griffin during Monday’s episode of the hit singing competition.

In their Battle Round bout, Castillo and Griffin performed Gloria Estefan’s “Conga” in what’s being hailed as a “battle to remember.”

Blake Shelton, the pair’s coach, pick the song as a way of finding the “middle ground” between Julio’s and Terisa’s polar opposite singing styles.

The reaction of fellow coaches Christina Aguilera, Adam Levine and Cee Lo Green made for must-see TV.

“For the first time on this show, I’m kind of speechless,” declared Aguilera. Levine shared Christina’s quandary, but the singer did manage to give Shelton kudos on the strange duet.

“Blake, you’ve really outdone yourself on this one,” he said. “It was odd and it worked.”

In the end though, Shelton picked Castillo to advance to the next round of competition.

Rivera is “Steal” Alive on NBC’s “The Voice”

Posted on October 16, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

She may not have won the battle, but Joselyn Rivera can still win the war…

During Monday night’s episode of NBC‘s The Voice, the 17-year-old Latina singer from Miami faced off against fellow contestant Sylvia Yacoub.

Rivera and Yacoub, members of Team Christina, went head-to-head during their Battle Round bout by performing Beyonce’s “The Best Thing I Never Had.”

Following their hard-fought sign-off, Voice coach Cee Lo Green complimented Rivera on being “this little thing with a big voice.”

“You sounded so wonderful opening up this song,” said Green. “It’s like I’d never heard you. And, you really impressed me.”

Voice coach Adam Levine described Rivera’s performance as “amazing,” while coach Blake Shelton said Rivera’s smile “melted me.”

When it came down to picking a winner though, a torn Christina Aguilera picked Yacoub over Rivera, saying it was the Egyptian singer’s “fire” that ultimately swayed her vote.

But Rivera’s Voice journey was not over. Levine and Shelton both pressed the “steal” button, which allows the coaches to snatch up contestant who lose in the battle rounds.

After hearing both men plead their cases, Rivera ultimately picked Levine to serve as her coach moving forward.

Martinez Advances to Next Round on “The Voice”

Posted on October 10, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

The lights continue to shine bright for The Voice’s Melanie Martinez…

During Tuesday night’s battle round on NBC’s hit singing competition, the adorable 17-year-old high school student and photographer faced a tough challenge from her teammate Caitlin Michele.

Team Adam’s indie darlings tackled Ellie Goulding‘s “Lights,” turning the showy song into a poignant ballad. Despite Michele being a more seasoned performer, Martinez managed to hold her own, even changing up the song’s melody enough to make the song her own.

“It was probably the prettiest and most moving performance I think of the whole day because it wasn’t overdone,” declared The Voice mentor Christina Aguilera, adding. “There is no right and wrong choice.”

Fellow mentor Blake Shelton couldn’t pick a winner either, while Cee Lo Green gave a slight edge to the gap-toothed teenager with the two-tone hair and quirky style.

“It was a beautiful song. And, it was enchanted,” professed Green. “Something about the way that you end things Melanie. That breath is so sweet and it’s sad.”

In the end, Adam Levine, who said the pair couldn’t have impressed him more, decided to follow his gut, picking Martinez.

“I am so excited,” gushed Martinez. “Oh my God!”

She now moves on to The Voice’s Knockout Round.

“The Voice” Contestant Val Moves On to the Next Round

Posted on October 9, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

Diego Val’s journey continues on NBC’s The Voice…

During Monday night’s battle rounds, the 25-year-old Peruvian singer faced-off against his Team Cee Lo teammate JR Aquino, who happened to be his roommate and best friend on the show for the last two months.

The pair belted out Rick Springfield’s “Jessie’s Girl” in a pretty evenly matched clash and received rave reviews from The Voice mentors.

Adam Levine complimented both singers for a job well done, while Blake Shelton leaned more toward Aquino. Meanwhile, Christina Aguilera picked Val as the winner of the round.

“Diego, I really liked how you came alive at the end… and you got him out of the way and sort of took hold of making the most of the high notes,” declared Aguilera.

In the end, Cee Lo Green, who says the paor ran neck-and-neck, picked Val to move forward to the next round, saying:

“I think I can do something stranger with Diego.”

So Val, who watched MTV and learned how to play music as a young child when he was being treated in a poor Peruvian hospital for Perthes, keeps his Voice dreams alive as he moves on to the next round.

Shakira Replacing Aguilera on “The Voice” Next Season

Posted on September 17, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

Shakira will be springing into action on the next cycle of The Voice…

The 35-year-old Colombian superstar will be replacing Christina Aguilera on the upcoming spring cycle of NBC’s hit reality singing competition.

Aguilera has decided to take some time off of the The Voice because she’s releasing her new album in November, and she’ll follow that up with a tour. Aguilera is expected to return next fall.

“We know we needed to find another of the world’s greatest female vocal talents, and Shakira instantly came to mind”, Voice executive producer Mark Burnett said about the search to find a replacement for Aguilera.

But Aguilera won’t be the only coach sitting out the next cycle…

Cee Lo Green is taking time off as he works on two albums and develops a comedy series for NBC based on his life. Usher has been tapped to fill in for Green next season.

“Usher is not just a singer or an entertainer, he is a global icon,” said Burnett.

Fellow The Voice coaches Adam Levine and Blake Shelton are staying put for Season 4.

When the network expanded The Voice to two cycles per year, NBC officials said that not all Voice coaches would be able to do both cycles of the show because of the demands of their music careers.

NBC chairman Bob Greenblatt said the network was “happy to accommodate” Green and Aguilera’s commitments.

“The participants on our show benefit from our coaches’ expertise and their continued success in the music business allows for significant new contributions to the contestants when they return,” he said.

Castillo Becomes First to Audition with Spanish Song on “The Voice”

Posted on September 12, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

It’s hard to believe in the first two seasons of NBC’s The Voice not a single potential-contestant had auditioned by singing a completely Spanish song.

But that all changed during the second episode of the hit reality show’s third season…

During Tuesday night’s blind auditions, Julio Cesar Castillo—a lifelong mariachi singer—performed Ritchie Valens’ iconic hit “La Bamba.”

“I started singing at the age of three, when I was around six, I fell in love with mariachi,” Castillo told the cameras before his audition. “For the last couple of years, I’ve been playing in a mariachi band three nights a week to support my family. In my family, me, my mom and my younger sister are the only one’s working right now. My dad was diagnosed with epilepsy. But it’s my time to do something more.”

The self-proclaimed “Mariachi Man,” who hails from Chicago, performed the entire song in Spanish… a big risk that paid off. Not only did Castillo bring the audience to its feet, he inspired a bidding war between The Voice coaches Blake Shelton and Cee Lo Green. (Surprisingly, Christina Aguilera didn’t turn her chair, even though she performed some air-maraca moves while listening to Castillo’s performance.)

Shelton immediately turned his chair around, and Green followed suit at the very end.

“You saw how quickly I turned around. I just think you have a very strong and technically good voice, it’s very powerful,” Shelton told Castillo. He then went on to talk about how Castillo’s letterman-like jacket reminded him of being in a school gym, and told Castillo to picture a banner hanging on the side of a gym saying “Blake Shelton, Season Two winner” to motivate him to pick him over Green, which Castillo did.

The Voice’s social media correspondent Christina Milian seemed to appreciate Castillo becoming the first contestant to audition with a song entirely in Spanish.

“I love that we’re showing some #LatinLove on #TheVoice this season!,” tweeted the Latina singer. “@JulioCCastle is killing it with the Mariachi vocals!”

Castillo, who learned to play the guitar at 10 and also plays the saxophone, writes on his Twitter page: “Madly in love with music and hope to some day live the dream I’ve had my whole life.”

It appears he’s officially living the dream as part of Team Blake on NBC’s The Voice.

Aguilera Mocks Her Fellow Coaches in Latest “The Voice” Promo

Posted on August 30, 2012 by Tom Castaneda

The upcoming season of The Voice may still be more than a week away… But, Christina Aguilera and her fellow coaches are pulling out all the stops to make sure NBC’s hit reality singing competition stays top of mind…

Following the release of the Olympic-themed promo for The Voice, NBC has released an entertaining promo clip to promote the show’s third season and highlights the celebrity coaches’ great chemistry.

The video features the 31-year-old half-Ecuadorian American singer, Cee Lo Green, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton—who were recently puppetized for Sesame Street— getting their imitations on, as they do their best impressions of one another.

For her part, Aguilera mimics Shelton’s Southern accent, saying “I’m married to Miranda.”

When asked to give their best impression of the only female coach on the show, Shelton twitches his right upper lip while Levine tilts his head right and left.

Meanwhile, Shelton’s impression of Green has him moving his head back in a mock snooze. The country music crooner later gives a blank expression when mimicking Levine. The Maroon 5 frontman, on the other hand, imitates Shelton’s trademark line, “Damn it, Christina!”

The Voice will kick off its third season on Monday, September 10 at 8:00 pm on NBC with some new twists, one of which will allow coaches to “steal” the other coach’s protégés during the battle rounds.

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