The Voice // A Talent Show Without The Talent

This morning I caught my first glimpse of the finalists for 'talent' show: The Voice and I'm honestly struggling to find words to express my views on the show as well as the contestants.

Now, I haven't ever actually watched an episode of the show so my opinions and views may be limited and are just coming from about five seconds of clips used on Lorraine this morning and a short interview. But normally if a show is using clips to illustrate their guests, they use something that portrays the show and the contestants' talents well?

What I came across was:

1) A Will.I.Am lookalike, 'mentored' by Jessie J and not the American rapper himself so it raises the question as to why she has chosen to fashion him this way. Maybe an infatuation with the man himself? Play it cool, Jessie.

2) Three other contestants who don't look like a celebrity (although I could argue that one had a striking resemblance to Velma from Scooby Doo but I'm not sure if a fictional cartoon character is valid) so are therefore forgettable, apart from their gruesome murders of some classic songs such as a screachy rendition of talent show audition favourite: Killing me Softly (Really? Way to show originality guys) which I'm sure will haunt me in my dreams tonight. 

Along with some pathetic jokes about how much of a 'legend' John Legend is (yet more originality from these guys) and tiresome anecdotes of a young contestant being awestruck by hanging out with Tom Jones, the interview with the contestants failed to rivet me at all.

I can see now why we hear nothing from the contestants of this show - who won last year's again? - if this is what they have to offer the world. And I certainly won't be tuning in on Saturday to see who wins to then be chewed up and quickly spat out by the music industry monster. I think I'll stick with Modern Family.

Blurred Lines // A Musical Mid-Life Crisis

I never fail to be disappointed by the British public's music taste and once again, I find myself scratching my head in confusion as I listen to 'Blurred Lines'. Most middle-aged men date a younger woman or buy a sports car when they're going through a mid-life crisis but for Robin Thicke, releasing a womanising pop song into the stratosphere seems to be the way to go.

The song also features Pharrell Williams and this was the main reason why I thought I'd see what all the hype around this song was as I am a fan of his work with N.E.R.D as well as his recent hit with Daft Punk but 'disappointed' is an understatement. Not only was I unimpressed by the song as a whole but the lyrics aren't the most creative I've ever come across and are simply crude. 'I know you want it' and 'you're a good girl' being the most apparent lyrics in the song are seedy, not to mention incredibly arrogant. Couple that with the fact the original music video for the song was banned by YouTube for being a bit too 'risqué' and it just says it all.

To add to all this disappointment, as I scrolled through Twitter one evening, a link appeared for a cover version of the song by rock band Queens of The Stone Age. It called out to me like a beacon of hope: 'yes, if anyone can save it, they can' I thought.

But no.

Not even Queens of The Stone Age can make that song sound any better to me. And so I came to the conclusion that the lyrics are so atrocious that it just cannot be saved. 

But somehow it manages to sell millions of records and top charts. Whether it's an infatuation for the artist's aesthetics, the reputation of the supporting artists or horny teenage boys needing to see the video, something's working for it.

But it's best to stick to the traditional methods of dealing with a mid-life crisis, Rob.