REVIEW: The Voice, Episode 2

Week two of the BBC talent show brought much the same as last time as the blind auditions continue. This time we had everything from a barefooted Morgan Spurlock lookalike to a star of the West End, and although there are moments of gripping entertainment I’m still not totally won over. It’s not so much the format as the way it’s presented, with the BBC still having a lot to learn about talent show production. Nevertheless it provided its few decent bits.

The act that will no doubt turn into the token comedy act of the competition is a married singing duo that are so indecisive they had to choose between Tom Jones and Jesse J by flipping a coin. They got Tom, if you’re wondering. Also performing was a welsh guy who won everybody over with a cover of Stevie Wonder’s Superstition, and a seventeen year-old opera singer who has never had a singing lesson in her life and belted out Nessun Dorma, but sadly for her nobody turned around. This highlights the most compelling part of the format, and on several occasions this week the judges admitted a prior knowledge of the singers’ backgrounds would have changed their opinion. But the most annoying singer of the week is sixteen year-old Holly. I didn’t understand a word she sang, and Jesse J agrees with me, commenting on her diction problems. She’s more polite than me.

One of the biggest flaws in the show is the abundance of contestants who have already had a taste of fame including Wicked star Kerry Ellis, a former Eastenders actor, and 80s popstar Denise Pearson. It’s really difficult to engage with the show when half the time we’re watching people in the business sing to other more famous people in the business. Not to say a record deal means less to them, but how can we care as much about them as Mr/Mrs Working Class who are struggling to get noticed and need a break? This is where Cowell’s intuition shines through, and maybe next year The Voice should play a little more on this angle too.

There was less banter between the judges this week which was disappointing, although the dynamic between the four of them is fantastic. Tom Jones seems to be playing the father figure to the bickering Jesse and will.i.am. Danny is just the boring cousin that nobody wanted to invite. But on another plus, I am loving the chilled out audience. They still shout, boo, and cheer, but unlike The X Factor it’s in moderation and we can still hear what the judges are saying.

Overall it’s an improvement on last week, but it still lacks pace. Even a montage of failed auditions was long and boring so it needs to be snappier. I watch The Voice on BBC iPlayer and I find myself constantly distracted by other things. The mid-show teaser for what’s to come didn’t help either, as the footage made it pretty easy to guess who was going to go through. Note to BBC: teasers and spoilers are two different things. Still, this is a show in its infancy, so I will persevere and I hope you do too.