The Voice, Episode 14: "Top 12 Perform"
I don't know, guys. I know that in the last recap, I declared that Team Adam was the team to beat. I may have been wrong. I mean, my heart still belongs to Team Adam, but there are contestants on each coaches team that could take this whole thing. If they keep it up with the phenomenal vocals and the surprising song choices, this will keep being the most entertaining season of the show yet. After the jump, we'll take a look at how the top 12 fared.
OK, y'all. You know how I feel about Caroline Pennell. I have not kept it a secret that I am not a fan. I will say that I enjoyed the song choice. Cee Lo gave her Avicii's "Wake Me Up." It's nice to hear something a little upbeat, a little dancier from this season's token female with the quirky voice. It started out a little rough and that weird backdrop wasn't helping matters. Once the beat picked up and Caroline got up and started moving she looked the most natural that I've ever seen her. That cloying preciousness that makes me want to vomit almost disappeared. I'm forced to say that it was ok. That was tough for me.
Last episode, Xtina inexplicably saved Josh Logan. He might as well have the words "canon fodder" tattooed across his forehead. Why should I even care about this? Ugh. Xtina gives the Adam wannabe Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror." The whole thing is pretty beige. The arrangment. Beige. The vocals. Beige. What was I talking about? I've forgotten. Moving on...
James Wolpert channelled his inner Brandon Flowers with The Killers hit, "Mr. Brightside." I love James, and I really loved this performance. James is very Flowers-esque and I could hear this song on a James album. That glory note in the middle of the song was magic. James is loosening up and I think it makes him more likable. There was some drama that he brought to the song that I was digging. I'm a fan.
Austin Jenckes is perfect for Team Blake. He's a likable guy on a likable guys team. Last season, Blake was pretty successful giving his team members little known country songs and they shined. He sort of employed this strategy with Austin by giving him Travis Tritt's "It's a Great Day to Be Alive." It didn't really work here. Austin sounded good, but like Josh, this whole performance was a little bland and forgettable. If Josh was beige, then Austin was gray. Is gray better than beige? Depends on your taste, I guess.
Jacquie Lee continued to surprise. Xtna sort of surprised me to with her choice of Jack White's "Love Is Blindness." She still completely blindsides me every time she sings. The maturity that she shows is so impressive and it's crazy. She really inteprets every single lyric of the song and I'm just blown away. She's awesome. Xtina maybe has a couple of contenders here.
Ray Boudreaux is a contestant that has really grown on me. I wasn't a huge fan when he first started, but he has really grown every week and this was his best performance so far. John Legend's "All of Me" was a great choice and it really allowed Ray to thrive. The whole thing was mesmerizing. I liked the slowed down temp, just Ray in a spotlight, really working that growly, super sexy voice. Every single part of that performance worked for me.
Kat Robichaud. I don't even know what to do with her. She was tasked with singing "Sail" by AWOLNation. The whole thing was just 1-800-TOOMUCH. It was overwrought and overblown and all around ridiculous. Nothing Kat does seems genuine and the whole time it sounded like she was shouting. Everything about the performance felt staged, including her "spontaneous" dive into the crowd. Give me a break.
Jonny Gray is a modern day Neil Diamond. I mean that as a compliment, I swear! All I could think of as Jonny performed his competent, pitch perfect rendition of Phil Collins' "Another Day in Paradise" was how I could totally see him rocking out to "Sweet Caroline." The song was a good fit for him, but it was a tad sleepy. Wake us up, Jonny!
Tessanne Chin wakes me up every single time! There was nothing I didn't love about her cover of Emeli Sandé's "My Kind of Love." She gives me chills and she seemed the most comfortable and the most loose on this song. There were no nerves. Girlfriend just got up there and sang the damn song. That is a Grammy winning voice, y'all.
How does one solve a problem like Matthew Schuler. He probably has the best male voice in the competition right now. Seriously. Even on a song that has been done TO DEATH, Leornad Cohen's "Hallelujah", the kid soared. There was not a note of tune and those glory notes! Hallelujah, indeed. Can we talk about his facial expressions though? Come on, man. Listen to the words of the song. Grinning cheesily through words like "it's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah?" No bueno.
Blake Shelton could very well be a mad genius. How else to explain his choice to give the Bearded One Miguel's "Adorn." Cole Vosbury once again proved that he was Team Blake's MVP. It was so crazy that it worked freaking perfectly. It was nice to see Cole, center stage sans guitar and really sing. It was very smooth and sexy and Cole just totally made the song his own. Well done, Shelton. Well done.
Will Champlin has been looking for his place in the competition. He sort of feels like the shows underdog. I feel like Adam is really in Will's corner. The Voice continues it's love affair with Imagine Dragons. Will sang one of the band's newest hits, "Demons." This was not a perfect performance, by any means. Will hit a handful of bum notes, but overall he continued his role as the comeback kid of season 5.
So, what did you guys think? Who are you rooting for? Is this the best season ever? Let me know in the comments.
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