“Getting to the Live
Show is just magical... It’s really special”
~Christina Aguilera
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| NBCUniversal |
Last night, “The Voice” began its
Live Shows. This week the Top 20 perform over two nights, with the
results being shown on Thursday. Each team currently has 5
artists, but on Thursday, each team will be brought down to three—making
this year’s Top 12. After the performances, the viewers vote. Their
votes will put two artists from each team into the Top 12... the
third artist will be chosen by the respective coach.
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| NBCUniversal |
Monday’s show featured Team Adam and
Team Blake and opened with Christina performing with Flo Rida. Their
opening number was impressive and included a spectacular display of
morphing stage props, magician like movements, lights, dancers, and
ended with a couple of large confetti cannons. I wonder how much added
pressure that opening act put onto the contestants? Really... how do
you follow that?
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| NBCUniversal |
Shelbie Z opened the night for Team
Blake. She was given the song “Fancy” to sing. She added a hint of rock to her rendition, and it worked very well. Shelbie came out
with nothing but confidence and conviction. “Fancy” is a
character song. It tells a story, and Shelbie told it perfectly. Honestly, it could not have
been a better song choice for her. She easily nailed every note
and really set the bar high for the night. If one didn’t know
better, one would swear she has been doing this for years.
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| NBCUniversal |
Team Adam’s James Wolpert was up
next. Adam gave him “A Case of You” as his song. James brought
things down and sat there on stage with his guitar. He wanted to show
the viewers a more subdued version of himself and did the song
acoustically. Normally, in this kind of competition, an acoustic
performance is risky and tough, but he completely nailed it. Even
Adam’s face during James’ rendition was that of pure awe. James
was able to showcase his incredible vocal range with no distractions.
I have to admit... it was amazing.
Nik Hawk followed with “Blurred
Lines.” Blake’s choice of song for Nik was smart. Nik does really
well in the higher register and has a very strong personality that
comes to life on stage. Nik didn’t just do a cover of the song...
he made it his own. Adding an element of rap and working the audience
like a pro, he showed he is nothing less than a performer. Even
though his vocals had nothing to rave about, his stage
presence and personality made for a very entertaining and fun
performance. I noticed, too, that every coach commented on the
performing part of Nik, but none really commented on the vocal part.
Blake’s team continued the night with
Ray Boudreaux singing “Home.” Ray wanted to show the world his
roots and his ties to “Swamp Pop.” His performance started off
being back-shadowed by the entire band. The first verse showed us his
soulful tone and bluesy feel. By the second verse, he picked things
up and threw in some of that amazing gritty sound he has. He
worked the crowd and worked the stage as though it was his second
home. He took his personality and put it into every note. I thought
it was very well done and had a great feel and energetic mood.
Austin Jenckes continued Team Blake’s
run this evening with “She Talks to Angels.” He chose to go
acoustic as well, which added an even further connection with the song and the
audience. His voice is very powerful and easily filled the room. The
emotion and confidence could be seen on his face and felt in the
lyrics. I did find, however, that Austin put a little too
much power into a few of the verses. His vocals didn’t falter, but
I found it took away from the emotional feelings the song was trying
to convey. But he is a powerful vocalist, and the crowd loved it,
and the coaches loved it.
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| NBCUniversal |
Team Adam’s turn came again and Grey
was given “Still Into You.” Adam wanted her to be able to get
away from the wedding singer groove and move more into the rocker version
of herself. He wanted her to be able to discover her own being,
instead of just doing a simple cover of a song. Grey is one of those
artists on shows like this that just get better and better each week. She started her performance with the full band backing her
and instantly got right into the performance. She took the song and
made it hers. She involved the entire audience and used the
whole length of the stage to show her stuff. At times, doing a kind
of skipping run across the stage, her energy seemed to explode from a
limitless source... all the while, hitting the notes and holding her
pitch. She absolutely rocked it last night.
Adam’s team continued with Will
Champlin and “Secrets.” He began sitting and playing the piano.
His vocals were soft and okay. A little over a verse into the song, he got up
and stood on the stage and brought some power, before going back to
the piano for a softer finish. The performance was a bit boring, and
his vocals were a little soft. It was, however, very heartfelt and emotional,
but it really wasn’t one of his best... should've had a better song choice.
Preston Pohl was up next for Team Adam.
His song “Nothin’ On You” was great to show his power
and range. Preston's voice is very powerful and nothing less than unique. I
did find the rap/talking part of the song more pleasing than the
rest, and I felt that he put too much roughness into parts of the
chorus. He did do a great job with his performance, and all the
coaches completely loved it.
Blake’s last performer was Cole
Vosbury doing a rendition of “Maggie May.” He was set up on a
mini-stage amidst the audience... just him and his guitar. It was a
mellow but highly involving performance. Cole had a great tone and
solid vocals. It was well done, and he engaged everyone, but I
think the song limited him in showing his true range.
Tessanne Chin closed the show for Team
Adam. She was given “Many Rivers Across” to showcase a bit of her
heritage. From the first note, her power was evident, and her voice
just cut through everything. Where she was in the Blinds to where she
is now is incredible. The song allowed her to show us her remarkable
control and vocal range. She gave a nearly flawless performance and
had the loudest reaction from the crowd all night. She even earned
herself a standing ovation from her coach.
All the artists last night showed us,
with no doubt, that everyone of them deserves to be on The Voice. Even
CeeLo commented during the show that the talent this year is just
amazing, and I have to agree. It’s going to be very tough to see
any of the artists leave, but only 3 from each team can move on.
In my opinion, Shelbie Z (Team Blake)
and Grey (Team Adam) had the best performances last night and should
be ‘sure-things’ to make the Top 12. My other pick for Team Adam
is James Wolpert, and for Team Blake, I choose Austin Jenckes. The
third one for each team I’m really not sure on, but I will wager a guess
and say it will be Preston Pohl (Team Adam) and Cole Vosbury (Team
Blake). We will see on Thursday.
Watch The Voice every Monday and Tuesday on NBC! Check your local listings for times.
Go to nbc.com/the-voice for all the great info on the judges and artists.
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