'The Voice' has lots of singers who fit the 'Idol' mold of young, innocent ingenues with psycho stage moms. But it also has long-suffering adult pros, with a whiff of thirtysomething despair in their voices. That adds an edge of realness.

It takes only one bad amp to turn your ears to oatmeal: That's how old hippies became Yanni fans.

The hungry feeling and the lonely feeling merged until it was hard to tell them apart.

If the girls keep dancing, everybody's happy. If the girls don't dance, nobody's happy.

Monogamous musicians are like vegan hockey players.

We all get as miserable as Erika M. Andersen sometimes, but we rarely approach her musical-ideas-per-miserable-minute ratio.

You know the Prince song where the girl's phone rings but she tells him, "whoever's calling couldn't be as cute as you?" I long to live out this moment in real life.