The Voice - Top 12 Live Shows

Currently Listening To: Shakira - Empire

Here's a quick review on last week's Top 12 episode of The Voice - two contestants were eliminated from the competition.

Ranking the top 12 from the worst to the best:

Delvin Choice
Oh boy. Never sing Unchained Melody for a live show. It rarely translates to the big stage. That was a very unimpressive performance, and I'm not quite sure what he was thinking when he agreed to that song. Talk about throwing his contestant under the bus? Isn't that what you were doing, Adam?

Dani Moz
The second half of her rendition of Just Give Me A Reason was a disaster. And she started off so well too! I don't know how to rank her thanks to that horrendous second half. The only bright side was that she was pitch perfect on that high note? Cos the rest of it wasn't. Poor Shakira.

Bria Kelly
To be honest, I can't stand the fact that she is still on the show. Seriously. Her voice gets on my nerves. Even when singing a less shouty version of Rolling in the Deep. I have nothing against the arrangement, in fact I think that's the only good part of the song. That goat bleat however - it's horrible and she can't rid of it. If that's suppose to be her trademark, then I'm gonna pass.

T.J. Wilkins
Waiting for the World to Change is another song I would never select for a Top 12 live show. It's too boring and until now I have yet to hear an inspiring cover of it. C.J. from American Idol sang this for Top 12 too, and frankly speaking he sang it better. It's a good thing that he was more or less in tune for the whole song.

Jake Worthington
I love this dude's voice, but I didn't want Anymore of that performance. It was so boring, and sleepy and I only ranked him higher than T.J because it's slightly more interesting. VERY slightly.

Audra McLaughlin
She sounded promising during the practice sessions, but her actual performance was very insipid and dull. Angel of the Morning made me want to curl up and sleep. It's a good thing her vocals were pretty solid.

Sissaundra Lewis
There was nothing wrong with her performance, but I didn't quite relate to it. Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me is one of those songs that won't really appeal to the public, so with songs like that I don't think Sissaundra's chances of winning this competition is going to be high. I mean, let's be real - women like Sissaundra typically won't last long in a singing contest like this.

Christina Grimmie
She screamed some parts of the song but overall she did a pretty good job with Dark Horse. For sure it sounded better than any of Katy Perry's live performances. Other than that though, why pick that song? Based on previous experience, voters don't usually like this sort of songs. Will she outlast Bria in this competition? I sure hope so, cos I think she's a better singer and has a better personality too.

Kristen Merlin
Poor thing, her mic died about two thirds into the song. She just kept singing! Bravo lady, you have my respect. That and the fact that she sang Sugarland's Stay very well. Just my opinion though, she doesn't seem to be getting much love from other reviewers. That's worrying, cos I actually do like her and I want her to stay.

Tess Boyer
I really liked her version of Bon Jovi's I'll Be There For You. She sounded and looked amazing, and was in tune all the way through. She also sang with a lot of passion. No wooden faces ala Sam/Jess. The only minor complain I have about her performance was the somewhat odd song choice. She doesn't really seem like a Bon Jovi kind of girl.

Kat Perkins
Charismatic. That really is the best word to describe Kat, I think. Her rendition of Heart's Magic Man was by no means perfect, but somehow it stood out to me. She totally belongs on the stage. Her vocals were great, and at least the song choice isn't boring. Seriously, I can't believe she's a nanny! She looks totally bad-ass. I'm ranking her ahead of Tess and Kristen because of her stage presence.

Josh Kaufman
I guess the performance of the night goes to Josh, based solely on his vocal performance AND his stage presence, singing Sam Smith's Stay With Me. Although he was just standing in his place and not exactly prancing around on stage, you could feel his earnestness, his devotion to his craft and his emotions. That's something all of the AI contestants could stand to learn. And that falsetto! Just perfect.

I gotta say though, despite the mostly positive performances from the majority of the Top 12 contestants, there were no wow moments anywhere. Still better than AI's Top 12 I suppose?

With Results:
Unfortunately the bottom 3 were Tess, Dani and T.J, with Tess being saved via #TwitterVote.

I can understand why Dani and T.J were there and then subsequently eliminated, but Tess? She was pretty darn good! I guess she doesn't have a big fanbase? I hope she'll survive to at least Top 6!

And I was way off about Christina. That girl's fanbase alone will win her this damn thing. Or so it would seem at this point of the competition.

Poor Dani as well, she had a bad week and I guess that's all there is to it. Not sure why Delvin was safe though. His performance was more bland and boring than all of the bottom 3.

Rock vs Country

Currently Listening To: Keane -  The Frog Prince

Finally we're down to the Top 6 of American Idol.
With the exception of C.J. and maybe Sam, I think we actually have a pretty decent Top 6.
It's still not much compared to last year's Top 3 but considering how this season has been I'd say that the end result is pretty satisfying. I've given up watching it on TV so I'm just watching the videos on Youtube, and (thankfully) bypassing the judges' comments. At least that'll make me a little less biased?

Moving on.
This week the contestants have to sing two songs each - one Country and one Rock & Roll.
It's quite a good theme as it gives the contestants a chance to sing a mixture of new and old songs. So how well did they do this week? Let's start off with...

C.J.
The Guess Who's American Woman and Zac Brown Band's Whatever It Is
Can somebody please tell me why has he been avoiding bottom 2 for the past...5..6 weeks? He started the song on the wrong pitch again. The rest of the song was slightly better, but in all seriousness - who in the world has been voting for him? Usually contestants like C.J. are eliminated quite early in the competition. What does his voters see in him? Why is he still here when even Dexter's gone? 3/10

So the first song was still acceptable (in C.J. standards) but the second one takes the cake for the worst Top 6 performance ever. That was like, watching him sing in the shower without the bathroom acoustics. At least he was kinda in tune. And that was still better Majesty's Let It Go. In hindsight, I think I still prefer C.J. over Lazaro (season 12 6th place finalist). It'll be mind-boggling if he survives this week. 3/10

Final Rating: 3/10

Alex
Neon Tree's Animal and Willie Nelson's Always On My Mind.
Um I don't know what to make of his song selections. His rendition of Animal was quite off pitch and nasally all over, so that's not good. Usually his reinventions are pretty spot on, but Animal just isn't one of them. So many rock songs out there and he chooses Animal? Seriously? 4/10

Always On My Mind was truckloads better. I had a problem with his look though. He looked constipated and uncomfortable in that suit and all I could think of was Elliot Yamin. Don't ask me why. These are the reasons why I can't rank him in the Top 3 tonight. In fact if not for his WGWG status I would be doubting his chances of survival. 6/10

Final Rating: 5/10

Sam
Imagine Dragon's It's Time and Shania Twain's You're Still the One
It's a good thing Sam's vocals are so strong because that performance was completely devoid of emotion. At least, that was the impression he gave to me. The unfortunate result was that bland, forgettable performance There were some bright moments in there but it's not good enough for even Top 12, let alone Top 6. 4/10

On the bright side, I thought You're Still the One was one of his best performances. A little conviction goes a long way. For Sam, that is. Solid vocals, but overall still very vanilla.  6/10

Final Rating: 5/10

Jessica
Jefferson Airplane's Somebody to Love and Dolly Parton's Jolene
I found Somebody to Love rather repetitive and although Jess sang well, I don't think that song did her much justice. Yes, it's the other way round. At this stage in the competition, the contestants NEED to choose songs that will draw people in to vote for them and honestly Jefferson Airplane isn't going to win her new votes. Unless the audience are big fans in the first place. Since she was in the bottom 2 last week, it's not a very wise decision on her part. 6/10

Now, her rock version of Jolene however was just brilliant. The way she sang it - I could feel the desperate plea to the judges in her voice. Not to mention her vocals were just perfect. I love this song, but I'll have to completely disagree with Keith on the arrangement. What was up with his attitude? It seems like he hates her even more than J.Lo does. In my opinion that rock arrangement was perfect for Jess, perfect for American Idol and a perfect way to prove the judges wrong. So yeah, thanks J.Lo for that kind comment even though she has been so hard on Jess for the past few weeks. At least she acknowledges improvement and good performance when she sees one. 9/10

Final Rating: 7.5/10

Jena
Heart's Barracuda and Carrie Underwood's So Small
What a way to start off the show! Barracuda was the perfect song for Jena to showcase her vocals and personality. She definitely caught everyone's attention even though she had the so-called death slot. Brilliant, energetic and memorable. 9/10

And then we have a Carrie Underwood song. Vocally I thought it was pretty strong but there were some moments where Jena's enunciation just got on my nerves so I couldn't fully enjoy the performance. Nevertheless, this dark horse is definitely shaping up to be THE contestant to beat. Yes, ahead of Caleb simply because she has shown a lot more improvement and made 'cool' song choices. Plus, she's female and not a WGWG so that gives her an edge of sorts as well. 7/10

Final Rating: 8/10

Caleb
The Black Crowe's Sting Me and Carrie Underwood's Undo It
You know what, Caleb is just...wow. In my eyes he is pretty much this season's Candice - very consistent and generally just kicking ass every week. This week is no different. What he did to that Black Crowe's song was just pure Caleb. To quote J.Lo, that was just pure rock and roll and awesome. Great vocals all the way through. And omg that wail - just perfect! 8/10

As for his second song - I know it's suppose to be the Country theme but Caleb pretty much just did his thing and rocked it. Another Carrie Underwood song. I'm not a fan of Carrie Underwood or her songs, so I'm kinda pleased with this arrangement. It was cool, and although I wish he could have made an effort to stick to the theme, I'm still pleased with the outcome. Keep it going! 9/10

Final Rating: 8.5/10

Who should go home? C.J.

Who will go home? Sam

Edit with Results:
C.J. is finally gone! *cheers* Long overdue.

The Voice - Gateway to the Live Rounds

The Voice continues to be more exciting than American Idol, but I'm not sure if the energy level will be the same moving into the live rounds.

Anyways, let's get right into the remaining 9 contestants who joins Team Blake's contestants in the Top 12 of The Voice Season 6.

Team Shakira

Tess Boyer

Oh yes, I'm so glad Tess is still in the competition! She basically went through the earlier rounds as cannon fodder but prevailed over the so-called frontrunners. Personally I think she is one of the best girls in the competition, seeing as she has the looks, the voice and also charisma. Here's hoping she won't disappoint in the live rounds!

Dani Moz

Dani's audition wasn't shown and she wasn't featured much in the Battle Rounds, so I can't say that I remember her performances. BUT over the last 2 weeks, she has proven to be one hell of a singer and her rendition of Edge of Glory for the play-offs rightfully earned her a spot in the Top 12. Plus, she kinda looks like Daryl Hannah.

Kristen Merlin

I think it's safe enough for me to say that none of Shakira's final contestants were pimped nor overly-hyped, and that is especially true for Kristen. She impressed me during her audition, and then after that she just kinda disappeared. None of her battle rounds were shown, so I had actually forgotten about her until the playoffs. Well, she didn't disappoint! Thank you Shakira for making the correct decisions.

Eliminated from Team Shakira - Deja Hall, Patrick Thompson.

Team Adam

Delvin Choice

Delvin isn't a  bad singer, but he hasn't been very impressive. Not sure about his chances in the live rounds. Then again, the other Team Adam contestants were even worse than him so deserves this more than they do.

Christina Grimmie

The Youtube sensation who didn't quite live up to the hype. Still, she is one of the better singers left in Adam's team and she has that tween/teen appeal. I really don't think Adam is going to be able to replicate his success from the previous season, what with a bland R&B singer and a not-quite-so-interesting pop artist. At most he'll only be able to rely on...

Kat Perkins

Arguably one of the best singers left in the competition, Kat is Adam's only bright hope for the live stage so I think she has a lot to live up to. All of her performances were shown (from her audition right up to the playoffs), and she more or  less nailed all of it. And I don't know if that's going to be a good thing for her since expectations will be VERY high. Best of luck to Kat.

Eliminated from Team Adam - Morgan Waller, Jake Barker

Team Usher

T.J. Wilkins

Okay, T.J. is by no means a bad singer but I don't think he has what it takes to be a star on the big stage. Above average voice yes, stage presence not so great. Honestly, Team Usher is starting to look like it's at a disadvantage.

Bria Kelly

Seriously, I can't stand Bria's voice and tone. In terms of goat bleat, she is actually worse than Jessica Meuse (Jess is bad enough). I wish she'd sing at normal levels all the time because her idea of high notes is 'SCREAM SCREAM SCREAM BLEAT'. Do. Not. Like. Either Usher teaches her to control her voice or she'll be going home VERY soon once she hits the main stage. Talk about overhyped.

Josh Kaufman

I present to you Josh, otherwise known as Usher's only chance at winning The Voice title. A four-chair turn who never failed to disappoint, Josh is probably the only contestant left on Usher's team that has some kind of chance at winning. Good vocals, good song choices, and I hope he'll continue making the right decisions.

Eliminated from Team Usher - Melissa Jimenez, Stevie Jo (a travesty! He should have been Top 3 instead of Bria or T.J.!)

Bad decisions aside, I'm looking forward to the live shows next week.

Here Comes the Bus

Currently Listening To: Muse - Uprising

Another delayed review for American Idol.
Shows just how dedicated I am to this season huh?

But seriously, I didn't really have the time to watch it last week so I just skimmed through the performances in Youtube. Anyway this week the contestants picked songs for each other, so it was quite interesting. Not a bad week but it was nowhere near great either.

Rankings:

So Who Went Home Last Week? Dexter did.

He sang Muckalee Creek Water, whatever that is. It wasn't a bad song choice for him but at this stage he needed to stand out badly. However, he didn't and I guess that's why he was actually eliminated this week. There goes the country chances this year. 3/10

Jessica - Gunpowder and Lead
Something about her vocals was off. She wasn't pitchy or anything - I just can't place what went wrong with her performance. And while that may not have been her best performance, the judges' harsh and unnecessary criticisms were completely unwarranted. I guess Jess is this season's roadkill for TPTB. Why though? What did she do to make them hate her so much? At least with Haley (Reinhart), I could understand. She was a threat to their beloved country duo. But Jess? Who exactly is she a threat to? Caleb? Sam?? 4/10

C.J - Gravity
First time in weeks he actually sounded decent I think. What a shame cos it really destroyed Dexter's chances in the competition (and probably Jessica's as well. Sad.) 5/10

Sam - Sail Away
I have never heard the song before, and yet Sam managed to make me love it. That's a huge improvement for him I think. He sounded good, genuinely felt the song for once and looked slightly more comfortable on stage. 7/10

Alex - A Team
Oooh, the only Ed Sheeran song I like. That was a good one from Alex, though I guess he didn't quite stand out? He's not as consistent as Caleb, but he has been doing pretty okay for the past 4 weeks or so. 7/10

Caleb - Family Tree
I'm completely unfamiliar with this Kings of Leon song (OMG! Kings of Leon on American Idol? I didn't think that was possible wtf), but what the hell I thought Caleb totally rocked it. He actually sounded like Caleb Followill (another Caleb zomg) in some parts. Damn, is he consistently good or what? Seriously, he's the only contestant who seems to belong in this competition. 8/10

Jena - Creep
Is this the first Radiohead song in American Idol as well? I can't believe Caleb picked this song for Jena - I don't think it's good news for him cos she totally slayed it! The best cover ever of Creep by an amateur singer in a singing competition. Especially since this is American-Freaking-Mainstream-Idol. 9/10

And Idol-Cameraman? Please stop zooming in on Jennifer's face every bloody second. I only watched the full show on TV for a couple of performances and all I kept seeing was J.Lo. You got that right. Not the contestants, but J.Lo. Cut it out, you're making all of us watching at home hate her, and I actually enjoy her critiques okay?

That's all for this week, folks. Now I'm gonna go listen to some David Gray.

The Voice - Playoffs (First Round)

Currently Listening To: Paramore - Decode

And so we've reached The Playoff Rounds of The Voice Season 6.

Most of the contestants that caught my attention in the audition rounds are no longer in the competition (Ria, Alaska & Madi, Emily B, etc.). But I'm not particularly upset because those who still remain are mostly amazing and will probably sing circles around the American Idol S13 hopefuls (with the exception of maybe Alex and Caleb).

As of now, only Blake has chosen his top 3 representatives:

Jake Worthington

I'm happy to see Jake still in the competition. He may be the country dude and he's not quite the looker, but I enjoyed his performances and he actually has a really good voice. In fact, he is what Dexter from AI should have been. All the best to Jake.

Sissaundra Lewis

Okay, so Sissaundra may be one of the best singers in the competition, however she tends to oversing plus she's not really the kind of singer audiences would vote for. In other words I have no idea how well she will fare in the live rounds.

Audra McLaughlin

Audra is a bit of a dark horse, I think. I don't remember her audition, and her battle round performances were pretty bleh in my opinion, but what she sang for the Playoffs definitely gave her quite a boost. She has really powerful country voice, with an amazing range. If she (or her coach) chooses good songs, she may be able to stick around the Top 12 for some time.

Contestants eliminated from Team Blake:

Madily Paige

Poor, poor Madilyn. She was paired with Bria Kelly during the Playoffs on Usher's team and naturally Bria won. (Although personally I thought Madilyn sounded more in control than Bria. I guess big pipes trump small pipes. As expected)

So Blake stole her, and was then promptly eliminated when she chose to sing (or was forced to sing) Zedd's Clarity. I mean, come on! Why that song? It's not an easy song to sing, let alone for an important moment like playoffs. What a waste.

Just take a look at this and you'll know why she was eliminated so harshly. That was a performance worthy of American Idol *cough*.

Ryan Whyte Maloney

Granted, Ryan wasn't that bad a singer but in no way was he primed for the Top 12.

His performance, though wasn't horrible, was nothing to shout about. At least he didn't falter as badly as Madilyn?








Now Blake's team has 2 good female singers (and one of them a country singer too) and one cherubic country boy, and usually that's a good thing. But, the other coaches have yet to make their decisions, so I can't say that Blake looks like he is set to win this shindig again.

Stay tuned for more on the other teams!

A Missed Week (Top 8 Redux)

Now Playing: Drake feat. Rihanna - Take Care

I totally forgot about American Idol this week!

So far I've only read reviews on the performances, and I can assure you that nobody was particularly impressive again.

Poor Malaya was eliminated from the competition after choosing to sing the anthem of death - "Through the Fire'. At the expense of C.J too!

How unfortunate for Malaya, she has improved so much while C.J hasn't. I'll update on the performances once I...have the mood to youtube them.

15/4/2014 update
I finally watched their performances and I've gotta say that I agree with the critics - last week wasn't a good week for any of the contestants other than Caleb and Jessica. Theme was 80's week (I guess that explains the disaster).

Rankings below:
Caleb (Faithfully) - That was good. Excellent vocals as always. 9/10
Jessica (Call Me) - I actually preferred her version over Haley's. Nice job. 8/10
Alex (Every Breath You Take) - Interesting arrangement with spot on vocals. 7.5/10
Sam (Time after Time) - Sounded great. Slightly more connected to the song and audience too. 7/10
Jena (I Love Rock and Roll) - I did not like it. Bland and uninteresting. 4/10
Dexter (Keep Your Hands to Yourself) - Did not like it, although he sounded reasonable enough. 3.5/10
Malaya (Through the Fire) - Horrible song choice plus pitch problems. Not good. 3/10
C.J. (Free Falling) - He was off pitch from the first note. What else to expect from him? Sigh. 2/10

As for duets, only Caleb and Jena's stood out to me.

That was a (The Voice) Battle Round worthy performance from both Caleb and Jena! And I wouldn't have known who to choose (leaning towards Caleb though). 

Vast Improvement

Currently Listening To: Yuna - Rescue

For the first time in weeks I wasn't disappointed with -most- of the contestants. That's a good thing, right? *obsessed*

This week they sang their audition songs, so we can see how far they've progressed from the first day until now, and if they are able to recreate the magic that got them this spot in the first place. 8 performances and 4 duets, let's see how they fared:

Malaya and Sam - Colbie Caillat and Jason Mraz’s Lucky
Ouch I think that was easily one of the worst performances in S13. And that came from two of the better vocalists! What the hell man. 0/10

C.J. - The Allman Bros. Band’s Soulshine 
Alright, it was significantly better than last week, but he still wasn't hitting the right notes. Most of the time. If he survives this week then he is one lucky dude. 2/10

C.J. and Dexter - Darius Rucker’s Alright
You know, Dexter sounded decent actually but he's duetting with C.J. so...yeah. Boring song and boring duo. 3/10

Jena and Alex - Pink & Nate Ruess’ Just Give Me a Reason
As far as duets go, I think this was a pretty weird pairing. At any rate they sounded pretty good, with Alex sounding better than Jena. She did miss a couple of notes. 3/10

Sam - Ed Sheeran’s Lego House
I won't deny that he sounded pretty good, but something about those dead eyes stops me from enjoying his performances somehow. I don't usually mind guys like Sam much. However, with Sam I really feel like shaking him or whacking his head to...I don't know, wake him up? Snoozefest. 4/10

Jessica & Caleb - Stevie Nicks & Tom Petty’s Stop Dragging My Heart Around
Kudos to the rock couple! I'm not familiar with the song but that was a really good pairing. Both Jess and Caleb sang really well, and they actually connected with each other and the audience too. Good job to both. 6/10

Caleb - Aretha Franklin’s Chain of Fools
A rock version of Chain of Fools. Very interesting. I'm really loving Caleb's voice, but there were a few moments where he didn't quite hit the notes. Not his best performance. 7/10

Jessica - Blue Eyed Lie (Original Song)
Oh yes we have an original Meuse song here tonight. I don't know why but I didn't really enjoy it much. I mean she sang it well, and she does have some decent songwriting skills so...I guess it's the tone of her voice that kinda gets on my nerves. 7.5/10

Dexter - Brett Eldredge’s One Mississippi
He may have been singing a ballad but this is the best he has sounded for weeks. I guess I can cross him off the bottom 3 list for the time being? 8/10

Malaya - Aretha Franklin’s Ain’t No Way
Well well colour me impressed! Excellent vocals this time. Oh my gosh, I think Malaya's the contestant who improved the most this season. Whoever it was that trained her to control her voice should be given a gold medal. And a hug! This week is the first time I genuinely enjoyed Malaya's performance and she totally slayed it. (But what's with the Aretha Franklin this week? It's not Aretha theme week!) 8/10

Jena - Adele's Rolling in the Deep
Now that was an interesting arrangement for Rolling in the Deep. I can't even begin to tell you how sick I am of that song. In other words, Jena actually did a good thing by totally rearranging the tune and making it her own, thus catching the attention of the audiences (and people like me). 8.5/10 

Alex - Fairytales (Original Song)
Alex definitely needs to be a songwriter. That was really good for someone who has no professional experience in song writing! Very impressive. Great vocals, great song, and I'm glad that he's finally got a chance to record and release it as a single (of sorts). 9/10

Who will end up in the bottom 3? Sam, CJ, Caleb/Malaya
Who will receive the least votes? CJ

Peace out.

Edit with Results:
Sam received the least votes! But he was saved by the judges. Did he deserve the save? Hell no.
Another interesting to note is that Malaya was in the Bottom 3 as well, just as I predicted. After that excellent performance? Wow. Not a good sign for her...