Culture Fiend

No Luck for Vicci: Javier Colon Wins The Voice

But top four isn’t too shabby for Tacoma’s singer-songwriter.

Posted by: Laura Dannen on Jun 30, 2011 at 12:00PM 0 Comments

So much for my predictions: In the end, America (read: teenage girls) chose soft rocker Javier Colon as the first-ever winner of NBC’s The Voice, with oh-so-shy Dia Frampton taking second. Don’t worry about Beverly McClellan and Tacoma’s Vicci Martinez, though: The New York Times is already calling them the “season’s true breakout stars”— powerhouse singers and raucous performers. Expect a big homecoming for Vicci when she plays the Triple Door on July 23, showing off some of her new, Cee Lo-approved theatricality. I had a chance to interview her before the show ended—find out what she thought of her TV moment in our July feature Voice of Tacoma.

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Tags: Reality TV, Vicci Martinez, The Voice

Who’s Vicci’s Toughest Competition on Tonight’s Finale of The Voice?

Verdict based solely on last night’s duet performances.

Posted by: Laura Dannen on Jun 29, 2011 at 05:00PM 0 Comments

I’ve been watching The Voice the 21st-century way—through recaps on my computer—and didn’t really follow anyone other than our Tacoma girl Vicci Martinez until a few weeks ago. But after careful consideration of last night’s final duet performances, and a late-day cup of coffee that has me feeling chatty, here are my predictions for tonight’s final episode, in victory order.

The winner is either… Vicci Martinez or Beverly McClellan.

Team Cee Lo: Cee Lo Green and Vicci Martinez
Cee Lo and Vicci went WAY over the top for their final duet, ‘80s staple “Love Is a Battlefield” by Pat Benatar. What was the deal with all those kid dancers? I know one of the lines is “We are young,” but isn’t this taking things a tad too literally? It looked like they hired a bunch of short fly girls and boys to make Cee Lo and Vicci look taller. At least Vicci sounded strong, per usual, and she showed she can work a stage like a pro.

Team Christina: Christina Aguilera and Beverly McClellan
Have to give Christina credit: By choosing to do a duet on her own hit “Beautiful,” she hammered home the show’s conceit—that talent matters more than appearance—and gave Beverly a chance to show off some serious vocal chops. A bald, beautiful, 41-year-old lesbian has a solid chance of winning this show.

Team Adam: Adam Levine and Javier Colon
Loved the song choice (MJ’s “Man in the Mirror”), loved the sleek all-black suits, but just didn’t hear anything new with Javier’s performance. He’s got the look and a pleasant enough voice, but he doesn’t have that… spark. I’ve seen and heard it all before.

Team Blake: Blake Shelton and Dia Frampton
I tried, but I just couldn’t get into Dia’s waspy voice. When you pair her with Blake on the Tom Petty classic “I Won’t Back Down,” you almost feel like Blake’s holding back so he doesn’t overpower—or outsing—his protege. Dia would be great in a 200-person venue, but an arena? Don’t think so. She makes me want to yell “Sing out, Louise!”

Who do you think will win The Voice? It airs tonight at 8pm.

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Tags: Reality TV, Vicci Martinez, The Voice

The Voice Update: Vicci Martinez Sings Dolly Parton…and It Works

The Tacoma rocker looked strong on last night’s episode of NBC’s singoff. Time to vote.

Posted by: Laura Dannen on Jun 15, 2011 at 10:30AM 0 Comments

Rolling Stone is power-ranking the teams competing on NBC’s The Voice (not kidding) and last week, the magazine had Tacoma’s own Vicci Martinez leading Cee Lo Green’s team. She did a chilling rendition of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” last night on a candlelit set (borrowed from the Phantom of the Opera?). But now it’s up to us to keep her on the show. You can vote for Vicci online at nbc.com/the-voice/vote —none of that texting nonsense—and we’ll find out the results during next Tuesday’s show. Go Vicci.

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Tags: Reality TV, Vicci Martinez, The Voice

Vicci Martinez Makes It to Next Round of NBC’s The Voice

Tacoma rocker outsings Niki Dawson in “the best duet of the night.”

Posted by: Laura Dannen on May 11, 2011 at 06:20PM 1 Comments

I just heard that Tacoma rocker Vicci Martinez won last night’s elimination round on NBC’s The Voice in a too-close-to-call battle with 19-year-old Niki Dawson. Woo! Watch the clip above for a replay of their singoff: a duet of Pink’s “F***ing Perfect” that Adam Levine called the best performance of the night.

A few thoughts:

—I love that they’re referring to Vicci as a “fiery soul singer from the Pacific Northwest.” It makes the NW sound so much less soggy.

—Has anyone ever called Cee Lo out on his sunglasses-at-night thing?

—I should actually start watching this show rather than replaying clips online. I think I like it better than American Idol.

UPDATED 5/18/11. Vicci has a few weeks off from battling on The Voice, so she’s coming home to play a show at Showbox at the Market on Saturday, May 28. Tickets are on sale now.

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Tags: Reality TV, Television, Local Music, Vicci Martinez, The Voice

Watch Tacoma’s Vicci Martinez on The Voice

The spunky rocker gets her TV moment.

Posted by: Laura Dannen on Apr 27, 2011 at 10:00AM 0 Comments

Last time I saw spunky Tacoma rocker Vicci Martinez perform, she was singing her heart out on the Harbor Steps during a free summer concert. And now? She’s singing for Cee Lo Green, Christina Aguilera, Adam Levine, and Blake Shelton on NBC’s new show The Voice. Not too shabby, eh?

I didn’t get to watch the first episode, which aired last night at 9pm, but they break the whole thing down at nbc.com/the-voice. It looks like American Idol meets gym class dodgeball. The four “coaches” audition a slew of artists—who all seem pretty decent, no William Hungs here—and pick teams. Coaches mentor their players, then pit them against each other to whittle the teams down…long story short, there’s ultimately one Voice, who wins $100,000 and a recording contract. And 26-year-old Vicci looks like a contender.

At least Cee Lo seems to think so: “You inspired me and you touched my heart,” he said after she sang Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep.” Aw, Cee Lo. I’d join your team, too.

Watch Vicci Martinez on The Voice, Tuesday nights at 9pm.

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Tags: Reality TV, Local Music, Vicci Martinez, The Voice