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Why the Battle Rounds are the worst part of The Voice

Show-off notes, singers goaded for blood on stage, performances that belie the lyrics -Battle Rounds put drama ahead of talent.

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It was Gail Page who said it best ahead of her Battle Round on The Voice: “It’s not natural to sing over another singer.”

Unless you’re talking duets or more, she is right. Even then an artist sings ‘with’ another performer, not against.

A lead vocalist should be just that: the lead. Yet the Battle Rounds format of The Voice pits singer against singer where show-off notes are the prime target, not the interpretation of lyrics, storytelling, stage presence or even musicality.

With its boxing-ring, and goading by coaches to put “blood on the stage” the show turns the volume up to 10, with a frenzied gladiator audience that is even ‘sweetened’ with arena cheering.

Pushed into two minutes of stalking their prey, suddenly singers are expected to sing in styles other than their own. Crooners are prodded to become divas. Singer-guitarists are stripped of their instrument. Reggae singers are pitted against soulful duos. Finding a satisfactory key that complements both male and female voices fairly is a constant challenge. A song like Stephen Sondheim’s Somewhere is no longer about finding “a place for us” but a place that is winner takes all. Bitch.

While the Blind Auditions allow a performer to enter the stage largely on their own terms, the Battle Rounds have been noise-inducing, lacking humility and performer collaboration.

Thankfully coach Jessie J. has had the temerity to question some of the choices -the distracting, revealing outfits, and a lack of vocal light and shade.

But even her acts succumb to the format demands that insist this isn’t about being nice on stage. It isn’t about sharing a stage, it’s about Upstaging. A good coach should really be teaching one about being generous as a performer.

While The X Factor format similarly asks its judges to critique ‘rival teams’, these reality-variety hybrids are all about the drama, not the talent.

Oh for the good old days of Australian Idol.

14 Responses

  1. Last nights battle rounds made me wonder even more if they’re really necessary. First up, a guy who won the battle didn’t actually go through. Also the last two guys were equally talented but the one with the stronger backstory went through. Generally, the judges seem to know who they want to keep and select songs to suit those singers. Just my opinion. But I find it all a bit contrived… (I know. It’s reality TV. Should be expected!). But I’ll keep watching regardless. I enjoy the show. 😛

  2. What happened to last year’s X-factor winner? I don’t see anything from them if people want to talk about shows against talent… other Voice Winners are still getting exposure in Australia and as though it is a tough market than now before the Idol days & as to when X-factor started I believe. The Voice is a great show and the ratings speak for themselves and the show has always had a much better line up of coaches/judges than any other singing show in Australia.

  3. If you don’t like it, don’t watch it. Simple. Seems a lot of people do like watching it tho… It tops the ratings every night it’s on. Very few people from singing reality tv shows have long and majorly successful careers. Guy Sebastian and Jessica Mauboy here in Australia or Kelly Clarkson in the U.S being the exceptions. It’s a tough business. More is involved then just talent. Whether they win or not at least it get’s them some exposure and might lead them somewhere in the entertainment business or in pursuing music as their job. Rob Mills classic example. Not a huge recording success but now an established Theatre/Musical performer.

  5. The Voice has yet to produce the calibre of singers from Australian Idol.
    Guy Sebastian, Shannon Noll, Damien Leith, Wes Carr, Stan Walker have all had success both locally and some internationally, even though some were runners up – all becoming household names. I cant recall who won the Voice last year, nor where they ended up. Just wondering…if they’re promised ‘stardom’, where the heck are they?

  7. Last time I commented on the Voice I said this show was all about the judges. This time I say, “Wake-up contestants! You’re nothing more than Channel Nine glitzy bubblegum that gets chewed up by the production and then loses its flavor in no time.” Even the final winners over the years are rarely seen again. Not only do the contestants come across as tragics hoping for instant recognition and fame, all they end up being is short term product without any shelf life. But the judges always look good, their egos continually get stroked and their fame constantly promoted like they are some sort of pristine music gods.

  8. Couldn’t agree more.
    I enjoy the blind auditions but I watch on catch up to skip the back story and judging bits.
    This I miss all together, I’m not invested enough to care who goes through and who doesn’t. And like you said David, the singing isn’t that great in the battle rounds, and you can’t really blame them.. it must be awkward to stand up there singing against someone else. I’ll stick to Mastechef and come back for the live shows.

  9. The battle rounds are just an excuse for the coach to get rid of the ones they kind of regret turning around for or the less attractive ones. Makes the whole “blind” element at the start pointless in my opinion.

      2. FYI – I bought both Karise Eden’s albums. As for the other contestants of the Voice – never heard of them again.
        I agree with the pointlessness of the Battle Rounds. Although the singers can sometimes make it work (Anna Weatherup and Celia Pavey’s rendition of ‘A Thousand Years’ still gives me goosebumps.

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