I am not sure I am entirely onboard with the new judges yet. Usher just sits there with his feet in his seat and it takes Shakira a few minutes to get her thoughts out of her mouth. Personally I cannot see why anyone would pick Shakira as a coach. She does not seem like a person that could make good decisions on someone's career. I am hoping I am wrong.

Holy shit that was soooo good. Really entertaining 2 hours. The talent pool for the 1st episode was really solid.

The last girl Judith Hill, who covered What a Girl Wants, was freaking amazing. Although she's far from being an amateur having worked with Michael Jackson.

Loved the additions of Usher and Shakira. They brought so much positive energy to the show. Usher is funny as hell and has good chemistry with Blake and Adam. Shakira was a breathe of fresh of air. I know for now they are only slated for this cycle of the show, but I like them alot. It's nice to have a break from Cee-Lo and Xtina.

Felt bad for the young Chinese girl Leah. But being that she's only 15, I get that she doesn't quite have the maturity in her vocals yet.

The guy James Irwin, who's twins died, had a moving story, but he was very meh.

and go figure that Blake gets the attractive blonde twins. I fucking hate that song with a passion, but they were certainly nice to look at and they harmonized really well.

I think one of the great things about The Voice is the chemistry and interactions with the coaches. They always bring a smile to my face and make me laugh unlike the other singing competition shows.

You could tell that Shakira was pregnant. Her shirt was really tight and you could see a little of the baby bump.

First time watcher here(got a Shakira fan in the house)...That was DAMN entertaining.

Loved all the judges, but it's clear Adam & Blake have the most chemistry since this isn't their first rodeo. Even with Shakira and Usher being new it's clear the four of them are having a blast. That translates to the viewer and all of us were having a blast as well.

We only got through the first episode, but man, nearly all of them were amazing. Judith was clearly fantastic, but I really enjoyed the guy that did the Whitney song. Overall, despite Judith's wow factor, I think the guys were more impressive than the ladies.

Last contestant on hour 3 was amazing. Felt they were better than the MJ singer. Probably he best immediate impression since Javier Calone in S1. Seriously, chills.

If you were talking about Sarah Simmons "One of Us", then I completely agree. Bought it right away from ITunes. She was amazing and pure. Adam has a strong team so far, with all 3 of his picks.

I am so enjoying this season.

Yup, she is who I was referring to!

Night 2 was just as entertaining.

Adam and Blake were hilarious.

at Midas Whale speaking fluent Spanish with Shakira.

Sarah Simmons (the final girl) was pretty solid.

The Bronx chick Cathia was alright. However, I don't think she's going to make it past the Battle rounds.

Since I'm new this season(only seen a couple random episodes previously), has the world music, latino quotient been upped because of Shakira's presence? If so, it adds a lot more variety.

Also, this group of judges are so awesome together.

That was great. They're my favorite so far since they aren't you're typical radio artist, or hell you're typical artist that would be on one of these type shows.

Also add me to the list that loved the "One of Us" singer.

Monday nights episode was a lot of fun.

This show is just blowing away American Idol.

Absolutely love Shakira. So much positive energy and she has great chemistry with the other coaches. I'm surprised at how really articulate she is.

Really liked Monique, who joined Team Shakira. That was a match made in. Heaven. at how all the other coaches knew she was going to pick her.

That nerdy chick Michelle Chamuel was surprisingly good. Don't know if she has the vocal chops to make it past the Battle rounds. She was definitely different.

I also liked the young red headed R&B chick Taylor. Very cute and sounded good too. Perfect match for Usher.

Was not impressed with the blonde Julie who used to have a record deal. Her voice was kind of strange. Interesting that Blake remembered her.

Even when the contestants aren't good, I like how the coaches always emphasize the positive to help them get better. Hearing the shit singers on Idol got so old.

Kind of felt bad for the young Brazilian guy who got passed. I thought he had a good voice.

I'm on record as saying I watch talent shows for the talent not the judges, but I have to say... I completely agree. I found myself just smiling at several points. Whether it was Blake calling Usher Gusher. Or Adam consoling Blake with a hug, then Blake taking it a little too far.

And Shakira? Well, I already respected her. In addition to being hot in just about every imaginable way, I've seen her in interviews before and she struck me as both a good person and nobody's barbie doll. She's smart and she's hard working. Watching her groove to the girl singing Loca was fun.

Usher was the biggest question mark for me. He's certainly a far better choice than Nicki Minaj on AI.

I think I've gotten more laughs out of these 4 episodes than the entirety of this season of the Office.

I was laughing and smiling so much during the final singer on Tuesday's episode. The banter was at 11. So funny!

I felt Tuesday singers stood out more than Monday.

I agree with DJ that it was surprising the Brazilian guy didn't make it.

For me, Sarah Simmons is best to come through so far.

The last girl that Blake got had the most hauntingly beautiful voice. I hate to say it but he may be 3 for 3. Long way to go, but that girl is seriously talented.

Funny you'd mention that since one of the guys from Midas Whale was on American Idol (season 3, I think) and made it to the top 8 or so.

Watched the 2 hours from Monday and 1 hour from tonight.

Really good shows. Lots of really talented people. I'm psyched for the battle rounds next week. I think all the teams are pretty talented. However, since Team Blake is the defending back to back champion, this may not be his strongest roster. I think Shakira and Adam may have the strongest rosters,

As far as the contestants from this week:

I was really impressed with Ryan Innes, who sang Gravity. He's a great catch for Team Usher. Really soulful voice for a white guy.

I also really liked Sasha Allen on Team Adam, who sang the Dixie Chicks song.

The last girl who got onto Team Usher was also pretty good, Jessica Childress.

It's crazy how this show seems so hip and current with their contestants and Idol seems so dated and irrelevant. Do they not have the same songs available to them? Why do the Idol contestants have to sing all these old songs? The singers on the Voice love music and are artists..they interpert music and know the artists they are representing. The singers (except Kree and Candice) don't even seem to know any artists they are singing. They have a good voice and want to get famous. They don't live music, don't feel music and it shows. They are puppets. That is the difference.

The talent is Ridiculous on the Voice. Idol is just ridiculous.
That last girl that Usher got really connected with me with her song choice and delivery. Plus she is just adorable. I think they all got one singer that could be a winner. This should be fun to watch!~

Very strong season so far (after a slight dip last year...or was it second season?). Anyway, really like Shakira & Usher. Upbeat, positive energy & interesting to see the learning curve with new judges (and to see show acknowledge it with comments from Adam & Blake).

Nice talent mix & good variety as opposed to too many singers just alike (especially with the female vocalists). Shaping up to be a great year.

Pretty much a waste of time & breath comparing to the 'other' show. More natural & spontaneous (banter enjoyable), background stories poignant but not milked to death, little filler & product endorsements, no time wasted on the ridiculous initial "auditions", and judges who really seem to like each other & actually care about contestants. Comments are also thoughtful, constructive & specific, and coaching seems genuinely helpful in most cases. The real deal vs. hype.

Even the host far better than "the other". Fun to watch him with the families/friends imploring the judges to push their buttons.

I was busy and tired last Monday/Tuesday, so I got to the Battle Round episodes a little late. Last night to be exact.

Anyways, some really good performances.

The highlights for me was Judith Hill vs Karina Iglesias. I think Judith is already a top contender. Not surprised that Shakira stole Karina.

Amber Carrington vs Sasha Allen was also a damn good performance.

Even though Amber won, I'm glad that Shakira kept Sasha in it. She's up there with Judith.

I wasn't in love with any of Usher's teams performances.

Week 2 of the auditions should be interesting. Still a lot of good performers left.

Really, really like the new judges. Both bring a lot of positive energy & lots of smiles. They've grown into the roles nicely.

CeeLo had a tendency to lean toward the novel or weird, which I felt hurt his crew. Christina...hard to tell if anything was going on behind those melons.

Anyone else get the impression that Usher is a bit weak in the coaching realm? I'm sure he has the producing experience (especially with Pharnell on board) & knows what he's doing, but his song choices don't seem to emphasize his team's strengths. Also, don't know if his tactics always work (standing across the room to be 'seduced' by the girls, dressing down the guy for laughing, etc.).

Yeah, I think they finally have some people that match Adam and Blake's energy and entertainment. CeeLo just always seemed out of it to me, like he was more interested in showing off his own weirdness than getting his contestants to win. And Christina rarely seemed to be having fun, especially past the Blind Audition rounds.

After last night, have to take back my doubts about Usher's coaching. He was right on point.

Shame that Patrick got jettisoned & no one picked him up. The guy could flat-out sing.

Man, the folk duo has been my fave since the blind auditions and they didn't disappoint in the battle either. While most battles feel like a tug of war, their battle with the Memphis crooner felt like a trio. They were amazing together. It's a shame he couldn't move on further.

I doubt Midas Whale can pull out a win, but that's who I'm rooting for.

That's what's crazy about this show compared to AI. The people sent home in the early rounds, and even the blind auditions of the Voice would be finalists on AI. That's why it's so damn entertaining. Everyone can flat out sing. There's none of that gimmicky "let's put on some asshat that clearly can't sing so we can all have a laugh" bullshit.

Since I'm new this season and I'm not really into pop music, have any of the previous Voice winners gone on to do anything yet?

Season 1: Javier Colon released an album. Got very little fanfare.

Season 2: Jermaine Paul. No news on his album's status.

Season 3: Cassadee Pope. Has already completed recording her album. No release date yet.

I really have no interest in the type of music in these types of shows but my wife likes it. But I have to agree with people above about the plain fun and good feelings generated by the 4 judges. They all seem to be having fun and are great interacting with each other. I actually like watching the banter and the coaching. This show is far and away better than AI. I think they should either rotate the judges or stick with Usher and Shakira. Ceelo and CA bring little and nothing to the show. Going back to them will be a major step backwards.

If they are going to continue producing 2 cycles per season, they should definitely keep Shakira and Usher in the rotation for the spring season. It keeps the show fresh.

Out of all the music talent shows right now, I have to say The Voice is easily the most entertaining.

I'm so over AI and even though I watch it, X-Factor is so over-produced and Simon is a shell of his old self. Plus, that show has so many more problems besides being over-produced. They can't even get a fucking album out for their 1st winner and have changed hosts and judges each season.