'Voice': We've seen the premiere

Image Credit: Mark Seliger/NBC

In hopes to gin up excitement for new coaches Usher and Shakira, NBC screened the first two hours of The Voice today for journalists Monday before the fourth season premieres on March 25. As expected, the show was quick to trumpet the talents of its newest additions theyre multiple Grammy winners andinternational icons, yall! but the real test came when they had to sit down next to veteran show stealers Blake Shelton (whos as charismatic as ever) and Adam Levine (whos as picky as ever).

Favorable editing aside, the newbies have (so far) lived up to the build-up. Usher displayed the right amount of confidence (This is the show I wanted to be associated with because it has credibility, he said, in a not so subtle slight to American Idol) but also showed an amusing amount of humility especially when he called Nashville a state. Shakira, meanwhile, was less like a diva and more of a delight her precious accent making her all the more winsome, especially when she starts to talk trash by calling Levines season one win beginners luck. Thenewplayersmake good band mates, too: The premieresopening musicalsegment features Levine on drums, Shelton and Usher on guitars and Shakira on harmonica. Sounds odd, I know, but the combination rocked.

Naturally, every new contestant comes with a back story, likea redemption-seeking alcoholic, agiftedChinese teenwho was adopted by U.S. parents as an infant,and a soulful man who losthis twins at birth. If onlyExecutive Producer Mark Burnett wouldspread thosesad tales sparingly;thegirl who was bullied for having crooked teeth in grade school seemed painfully out-of-place next to a dude whose dying mother may not live to see the finale in May.

But dang, could both of thosecatssing!

Just a fewother nitpickylowlights: The tweets from the judgesthat flash ! onscreenare both inauthentic and annoying. (Like,Shelton and Levinereally managed to fire offthose Tweetswhile the audience was clapping?). Starbucks gets an obnoxious cameo backstage as the pre-performance drink for the families. (We know, we know product placement makes the world go round!). And the continued use of Christina Milianas the social media correspondent feels unnecessary and irrelevant, especially when all thebest stuffis happening on stage right after the chairs turn and before the contestant picks their teams. Youll want to hear what the new playershave to say. B+