Is The Voice on course to flop?

It all started so well for Britain's newest reality TV contest.

With a mass media operation exciting fans and drumming up support from the public, The Voice - the singing contest from Holland - launched to a ratings high of 10 million, the highest launch ever for a reality TV concept in the UK.

The concept is fresh, the judges are legends and the singers are VERY talented. So how come ratings have nearly halved in just a few weeks? Why can't The Voice, ironically, find it's voice with the UK audience?

It seems, to many, that the concept is just a little bit boring. OK, the Blind Auditions were fantastic. Genuinely great singers featured from the onset, and it was great to see the 'coaches' judging purely on The Voice. We saw singers from all age groups and all backgrounds performing and getting through to the Battle Rounds.

But it was the Battle Rounds where things hit a snag. You see, the unique concept of The Voice is the Blind Auditions. Now that they're over - they finished rather quickly, in my opinion - the whole idea of the spinning chairs and just focusing on The Voice is gone. It just turns into another music contest.

I personally liked the Battle Rounds, but sadly a lot of people disagreed. Ratings started to slip as some of the fan favourites, including Jessica Hammond who performed 'Price Tag' to critical acclaim, headed home. The problem was, a lot of the good acts were put against each other, meaning some great singers got through, but quite a few left too. The live shows then brought forward a mix of 'good' singers and some who, well, just don't really cut it.

And it seems the audience agrees with me. The most recent live show saw viewing figures drop to under 6 million, nearly half from the opening weekend. Many people I have spoken to have said it's boring now, the singers are dull and there's no chemistry between the judges.

And they're right. The judges/ coaches (or whatever you call them) do lack chemistry. Will.I.Am is very amusing, but his comments are too nice, the same with Danny and Tom. Tom is too old to know anything about the current music industry, and Danny is too unknown to really excite viewers. Plus, he stands up all the time (just sit down for once, please!) Jessie J on the other hand is an oddball; occasionally, she makes constructive criticism and she's usually right, but a lot of the time she comes across as a spoilt brat who is overshadowed by the three men.

The programme ideally sees itself as the 'nice guy' in the music world, but in reality, this never happens. We need a nasty record producer in there, and dare I say it, the show is missing the buzz and excitement surrounded by someone like Simon Cowell.

Although you'll never hear me admitting to liking the X Factor or Britain's Got Talent (both are terrible shows which exploit their own artists for a few laughs), you have to applaud them for being successful. Sadly, if The Voice can't pick itself up and raise viewing figures, ratings will fall flat. And no one likes a flat voice now do they?!

Pictures Courtesy of Wikipedia

Review of the Week: The Voice

Singing contests, reality tv shows and music programmes. I look back at the shows that have passed. Fame Academy, Pop Idol, Popstars and the ailing X Factor. Shows which, at the top of their game, were popular with the public and generally well received. But they got boring. The singers fell flat, the sob stories passed the ten minute mark and the judges went from A List to Z List. What is needed, is a new, fresh format to rival all other reality tv shows, and put raw talent back in the spotlight.

Which is why The Voice seemed appealing. When the US version hit screens last year, from the original Dutch format, I was excited. Watching clips on YouTube, it seemed like a breath of fresh air to an already crowded entertainment world. And when the BBC, after a bidding war with ITV, claimed the prize of the UK broadcasting rights, my excitement started to grow.

In the last few months, the BBC have been plotting something so huge, that even the big, botox-faced man himself, Simon Cowell, rushed back home to see what all the fuss was about. A format unlike any other show, four 'superstar' coaches, a contest that is rocking its way all over the world and an aim that goes back to basics. The Voice aims to please the nation.

And overall, it did please me. Last nights opening was beyond my wildest dreams. But before I delve in, let me give you a bit of a heads up.

Presented by Holly Willoughby (urgh, so dull) and Reggie Yates (oo, a bit better), The Voice on BBC One aims to find a singing superstar by judging solely on the voice of an artist, with the winner signing a record contract with Universal. In the 'Blind Auditions', four of the world's biggest singers - Will.I.Am (Black Eyed Peas frontman), Sir Tom Jones, Jessie J and Danny O'Donoghue (from The Script) - have their backs turned to the singer, facing the audience. By listening to the voice and judging on voice alone, the 'coaches' as they're referred to, choose who they want by pressing a red button and spinning their chair to reveal who is singing. If none of them press the button, then the signer goes home. If all of them press the buzzer, the singer decides who to coach them.

It sounds a bit complicated, but the fantastic first episode made it clear. It's a case of judging solely on the voice. It's not about how you look, where you come from, what your story is. It's about the talent. And the number one thing for me that was great about this show was that there was real talent. In fact, if you had all these artists on something like the X Factor, all of them would be chosen. But only the very best were picked.

In an episode which saw all four coaches singing to 'I've gotta feeling' (felt a bit cheesy, but showed off the singing skills of each coach), the show featured acts up and down the country, from working mothers, singers with confidence issues and even a boyfriend and girlfriend (was awkward, to say the least, when the boyfriend got chosen and the girlfriend didn't!) singing their hearts out.

All the singers brought something different to the stage, as did the four coaches. Jessie J has the current knowledge and popular appeal, Tom is the legend with plenty of experience, Will.I.Am plays the comedian - cool but with a game plan - and Danny shows a soft, caring side with his boyband looks. The part where the artist chooses the right judge is both fun and painful to watch, with each judge bartering for the act. In some cases, however, it did get a bit cringe worthy.

Yes, you can draw a few similarities to the other shows. It does feature a few sob stories, although moderately with a human touch, not just to exploit the artist. The auditions felt a bit X Factor-esque, especially when backstage. And the audience were still screaming and calling the shots.

But all in all, it is a fantastic concept for a show which the whole nation is tipping to be a success. The artists love it, the industry seems pleased and the critics are applauding it (unless you are Simon Cowell, whose dead horse - Britain's Got Talent - is lagging behind). It seems the BBC might have just found its own answer, indeed its own 'Voice' if you will, in the competitive singing contest market!

4/5 Stars

Pictures Courtesy of Wikipedia

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