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S07.E18: Live Top 12 Performances

Tara Ariano

By Tara Ariano
in The Voice (US)

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Cramps

Cramps

(edited)

Tonight's songs are now up on iTunes. I don't know how to spoiler it on my phone, so I'll just say the most surprising choices are probably Danica's (I'm guessing she didn't know this one either) and Taylor John's -- although both sound good in their previews. Actually most of the previews sound good, with a couple of the usual suspects annoying me as I expected they would.

Edited by Cramps
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pivot

pivot

Here are the songs:

Taylor - If by Bread

Ryan - Ordinary World by Duran Duran

Anita - Redemption Song by Bob Marley

Damien - He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother by The Hollies

Chris - Jealous by Nick Jonas

Matt - Take Me to Church by Hozier

Reagan - It Ain't Over Til It's Over by Lenny Kravitz

Jessie - Don't You Worry Child by Swedish House Mafia

Craig - You Look So Good in Love by George Strait

Luke - Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran

Sugar - Take Me to the River by Al Green

Danica - Creep by Radiohead

My thoughts:

Pharrell picked horrible songs for his team. Yikes.

Screw you Adam. He just hosed Damien. Always does this with his African-American Contestants.

Ugh, Gwen really? Her choice for Anita is so tired. That artist has other songs if you have to go to that well this early and they made it weirdly gossipy and took out the reggay parts. Bleh.

For the previews, Taylor's song sounds like all his other performances. It's a dirge.

I would have preferred a different song by that artist for Reagan, but it is still an interesting choice.

I love Jesse's song choice.

I think Blake actually has the best song choices tonight, followed by Gwen with good song choices for her men and the suck for Anita, Adam and Pharrell suck.

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TacoBoutIt

TacoBoutIt

Tonight's songs are now up on iTunes. I don't know how to spoiler it on my phone, so I'll just say the most surprising choices are probably Danica's (I'm guessing she didn't know this one either) and Taylor John's -- although both sound good in their previews. Actually all the previews sound good - although for some reason Sugar isn't previewable yet.

 

Love Matt McAndrew's choice, but I was hoping Gwen would choose that for Taylor instead (I think it suits his broody style better).  I was actually thinking that Chris' song would be a good choice for him.  Gwen's choices are...interesting? (Actually Anita and Taylor's preview just made me cry, in a good way)

All the song choices seem like tonight's show could be a pretty good one.

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Cramps

Cramps

(edited)

Been thinking about Danica's song choice. She's going to hit every note, but I question whether she'll convey any of the emotions that are NEEDED with that song. It could be a very odd rendition.

Pivot- I actually really liked the bit I heard of Damien's, but it will be hard for him to sell because it's so overdone.

I didn't know Matt's song, but thought the preview sounded great.

Taylor's song is such an elevator/dentist's office type song. I'm fascinated to see how it goes over.

Craig's country song is fairly dated sounding, but not in a good classic country type way.

Sugar and Jesse -- they annoy me each week and continue to do so.

Looking forward to tonight!

Edited by Cramps
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Padma

Padma

(edited)

Here are the songs:

Taylor - If by Bread

Ryan - Ordinary World by Duran Duran

Anita - Redemption Song by Bob Marley

Damien - He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother by The Hollies

Chris - Jealous by Nick Jonas

Matt - Take Me to Church by Hozier

Reagan - It Ain't Over Til It's Over by Lenny Kravitz

Jessie - Don't You Worry Child by Swedish House Mafia

Craig - You Look So Good in Love by George Strait

Luke - Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran

Sugar - Take Me to the River by Al Green

Danica - Creep by Radiohead

My thoughts:

Pharrell picked horrible songs for his team. Yikes.

Screw you Adam. He just hosed Damien. Always does this with his African-American Contestants.

Ugh, Gwen really? Her choice for Anita is so tired. That artist has other songs if you have to go to that well this early and they made it weirdly gossipy and took out the reggay parts. Bleh.

For the previews, Taylor's song sounds like all his other performances. It's a dirge..

I think Blake actually has the best song choices tonight, followed by Gwen with good song choices for her men and the suck for Anita, Adam and Pharrell suck.

Thank you for the song list. I agree with everything you wrote above, especially re: Damian. But...he could have had anyone and bought right into what Adam was selling. Don't these guy pay attention? ITA this is what he does to AA artists. One old tired cliché choice after another.  I don't understand Gwen's choice unless she left it up to Anita and I'm writing off Pharrell completely (and Danica's choice? I'll bet anything that she had no input into the selection. But Pharrell can lose her and keep Sugar so all is well...for him, anyway.). Disappointing" doesn't describe that list--although about half of them -could- be good.  Blake FTW! (tonight at least)

Edited by Padma
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pivot

pivot

I am always baffled when AA contestants buy the bullshit Adam is peddling during the blinds, but apparently he is quite charismatic and wins contestants over. I can't think of one AA contestant on Adam's team that he didn't pull this crap with. I am just thankful that Sasha ended up on Shakira's team. We got to see her do some great stuff that Adam would never have given her (and that awful Bad Girls song that Adam totally would have given her).

I think Taylor's song is going to sell like hotcakes. It's one of those songs that the younger generation doesn't know and he turned it into an emo dirge, so I expect it will do well. He and Sugar are the contestants I don't get this season.

I just hope Anita can last another week or two but with that song choice it could be iffy.

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tmelange

tmelange

(edited)

Good grief, Pharrell. Do you realize that these songs need to sell on itunes, to the demographic of people who watch this show? This is a competition, not some esoteric exercise. Why save Sugar just to give her...Al Green. And Gwen. Stop the cougar moves on Ryan. You're making me uncomfortable. lol

 

Lord, I hate this fake pseudo-quirky singing. 

Edited by tmelange
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dbell1

dbell1

Creep doesn't need to be jazzy. And those pretty runs Danica just did were horrid. Stop singing cute and show some emotion.

And Marty Casey is still my gold standard for this song in a reality show. This was too many glasses of wine at a karaoke bar.

  • Love 6
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dbell1

dbell1

Was that Reagan or Reagan's mom they just showed?

Guess she got Danica's stylist this week. Are glitter football sweaters in at Kohls? That was like what not to wear or sing.

Stop slapping hands and concentrate on singing.

  • Love 3
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adhoc

adhoc

Disappointed by Taylor's rendition of "If".  He's got the looks and sound to do it justice, but he rushed it, IMO. Seems to me that the original by Bread was more thoughtful, more measured. Taylor seemed not connected enough to the sentiment behind the song.

 

Danica - Horrible song choice, but I love her voice and hope she makes it through. 

 

Luke - What is his appeal, again? And man, I thought he was flat.  

  • Love 1
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NewRadical

NewRadical

(edited)

I agree with the above comment; what I am haring and what the judges are hearing is completely different.


 

I also agree about the Marty Casey comment.. heck I'd take Lukas Rossi's version. 


I literally cringed when Luke forgot the lyrics. I feel bad for him. He looked so stressed and miserable during judges comments. Even with that I think he was one of the best so far. Which may speak to the subpar performances. I wasn't familiar with the song, so I hope he does a contemporary song with better recognition (unless that is a well known song, and I am just living in the Stone Ages)

Edited by NewRadical
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car54

car54

This show could be 1/2 hour shorter if they just played a little recording after each performance of Gwen saying "But it makes me wonder what kind of record you'd make"

This was like the bizarro universe of the wrong people singing the wrong songs tonight.

 

Some of the things some performers were saddled with were just wrong.   And I'm sorry but the Kohl's styling of some of them is really really distracting.

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NewRadical

NewRadical

(edited)

Tonight was not great. The fact that one of the better performances was of a Nick Jonas song (which I did not realize was a thing) makes me sad.

I thought this was one of the stronger seasons, but tonight proved differently.

I really like "Take Me to Church" but I feel like it's too soon to do a cover. It was alright but it just seemed like karaoke because I listen to the original pretty often. I was interested in hearing Adam's version he sang a couple bars in the training session haha

I think Blake does the best job of selling his contestant. Reagans performance was kind of meh so he just pushed the 16 year old thing hard. (edit, because I didn't notice said basically this same thing... I agree with you, tmelange)

Edited by NewRadical
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Noreaster

Noreaster

(edited)

Wow, so many weak performances tonight.  I thought about turning the TV off halfway through.  What the heck are the coaches hearing that I'm not?  I totally didn't get the raves for Ryan.  Fortunately things picked up a lot in the second half.  

 

My favorites were Chris, Damien, and Anita.  I think Anita's performance paled in comparison to Tessanne's in season 5, but she was still one of the better ones tonight. Luke was great too after recovering from his mistake.  

 

Matt was decent but I felt he could have performed much better based on what we've seen from him in the past. Craig and Danica showcased good vocals but bored me.  

 

Sugar and Taylor John Williams were okay. Ryan, Jessie, and Reagan were just plain bad to my ears.  

 

I'm still going to watch the show because of the coaches.  But talent is depressingly subpar compared to the earlier seasons. Maybe a touch better than season 6, but yikes, this season is not looking good.

Edited by Noreaster
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pivot

pivot

This is definitely the weakest top 12 they have ever had by far.

My rankings for tonight:

1. Anita - Wrong Marley song for her but she sold it with such conviction that it gave me chills.

2. Matt - Not a fan of his at all but he sounded amazing on that song though I am not sure he got the meaning of the song at all.

3. Damien - Hate this song but he puts so much emotion into the lyrics and he really connects with the song and the audience.

4. Jessie - She should have stayed at the piano the whole time but it was good.

5. Reagan - I thought this was a weird version of the song. Not sure I liked it but she has the best stage presence of anyone on this season and she sold the song well.

6. Chris - Adam has such a man crush on him. He's Adam's Grimmie for this season. I wasn't impressed by her last season and am not impressed by Chris this season.

7. Ryan - boy was that boring. But, it didn't offend me on some level unlike everyone below him.

8. Taylor - I am not sure he connects to songs all that well but it was sang well.

9. Luke - Even though he screwed up, he sounded great.

10. Craig - He needs faster songs that cover up his many vocal weaknesses. Not good. Not good at all.

11. Danica - Horrible arrangement with no feeling or connection to the lyrics.

12. Sugar - I'll never get what the coaches see in her. Never. She butchers everything she sings.

Unfortunately, on iTunes all of the women are bunched together at the bottom. If this show becomes another American Idol, where only interchangeable white guys can make it far, I am done.

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Valny

Valny

I'm starting to wonder if something is wrong with my tv. I am not hearing anything the same thing as the judges. Both Sugar and Ryan didn't sound good to me.

 

 I know, I don't know what they were hearing but I sure didn't think some of them were anything to write home about.

 For me it was Reagan and Ryan who I thought were weak(really? they thought Reagan sounded good? It wasn't even a strong vocal song, I don't like when they pick songs that don't showcase the vocals enough. It's the Voice for pete's sake!

..and I can't remember all that many other performances to critique because it wasn't a fantastic night all around. It's like others have said, it's not a good season at all, at least not compared with the others were they had some amazing singers knocking it out of the  park. 

When Luke was going on I switched over to Dancing with the Stars. I don't know, I just didn't feel like listening, it was a ho hum night and  maybe because I didn't know the song he was going to sing...but I didn't really care.  So he forgot the words?  Did he recover well?

But I'm really digging Craig. He's pretty much solid everytime. He has that natural country,southern rock voice. He might be the one to beat. And the country vote is usually pretty big.

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LakeGal

LakeGal

The show is really on the Adam train.  Pharrell's singers had all sang and Adam still had 2 singers that had not sang.  The other 3 coaches all had their saved singer sing first.  But Adam's saved singer Chris actually sang last for him.  Adam was the only coach who got to comment on all the singers.  3 times they did not let Blake talk and the other coaches were passed by once or twice.  Is there a reason that Adam is the sainted one?   

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Ketzel

Ketzel

Is the production team having their own unholy competition to see who can make the singers look/sound the worst without actually getting the show cancelled? I won't even waste time critiquing the fashion or the hairstyles, except I think whoever put Damien into that ill-fitting suit probably earned a few bonus points - how was he persuaded to go on live TV looking like that?  Do the singers not get to see themselves in a 3-way mirror while trying on wardrobe? And if they do, why did Sugar agree to those shorts?

 

The lighting was beyond distracting. The growing flock of madly flickering butterflies around Taylor 3 Names actually made me laugh out loud at what should have been the emotional high point of the song. The repeated refusal to light the singers' faces until after they've started to sing is annoying and it makes it harder for the singer to draw in the audience. And poor Anita - I couldn't even find her until halfway through the verse.

 

Most of the contestants left have demonstrated an ability to sing on pitch. So I can only attribute the multiple sustained flat notes to bad miking. I thought they probably couldn't hear the band. I think all of them, and the judges as well, are going to be pretty horrified to hear this on video.

  • Love 4
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pivot

pivot

That happens with Adam's contestants every season. They change rules to accommodate his contestants and they frequently close the show. I think he much throw tantrums behind-the-scenes or something and the other coaches just let him get away with it.

I am really disappointed that almost all of the women were bunched up together in the beginning of the show and that Anita's one chance at the end of the show was wasted on Redemption Song. She should have done Could Have Been Loved by Bob Marley or any of his other songs. This wasn't the one for her.

I am definitely not going to make it through a top 6 with all guys. Chris, Ryan, Taylor, Craig and Luke are all on the same level of meh for me. I can't take all 5 plus Damien in the top 6. Please let us at least keep Jessie, Reagan and Anita for a couple more weeks.

  • Love 4
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selkie

selkie

And Marty Casey is still my gold standard for this song in a reality show. This was too many glasses of wine at a karaoke bar.

 

I'll join you in the Marty Casey love because he made Creep all creepy and stalker-like as it should be if you go by the lyrics. No matter what musical genre you're using with that song, there's a certain underlying emotional context that needs to come through.

 

I'm getting rather bored with this crop of singers. The only ones I really remember an hour after broadcast are Craig and Anita, and Craig is in part for shallow reasons.

  • Love 1
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tmelange

tmelange

I have always been a fan of pharrell, but I don't think he gets the mainstream aspect of this competition. His propensity to stray off the path has not done his team or the individual artists any favors. His song choices are getting worse and worse. He pulled in Al Green 2x tonight with two different artists. Al Green is great, but he's not really a suitable go-to for this competition. I think all his positivity and ability to smackdown Adam are great qualities, but he may find himself knocked out early. I'm no longer that enthused that he's locked in for next season. I'm bored.

 

However! He did say tonight that he'll be working with his artists off the show, so there's that.

 

And why does Gwen look so strange? Is it just b/c her hair is different? She seems tired. It's interesting that the lives aren't showing any real difference in the personas of the new judges. They aren't particularly funny or interesting, but they are articulate.

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mercfan3

mercfan3

I picked on Adam in the song thread last week, so I'll just say..Matt's song choice was how you pick a song. All he had to be was mediocre..and look at the itunes sales roll in.  I still wasn't happy about Chris' song choice, but he sang it extremely well. He's such a talented singer, I hope he gets the chance to have a real moment on the show. Damien gave one of his best vocals, IMO. But he still misses notes in ways that are really glaring when you sing that style. 

 

For Gwen's team, I love Redemption song, and it meant a lot to Anita. I thought she did a beautiful job with it. TJW was pretty good himself. Another beautiful song, but I can see where people might think it's boring. Ryan..lol. Goodbye.

 

I can't with Pharrell's decisions. Danica sang her song well. Luke kind of sang his song well. Sugar..lol..goodbye. 

 

With Blake's team, there is just something about Reagan. My ears tell me she's off pitch, has poor breath control, and really isn't ready for this yet. But still..I like her, and she's an exciting contestant. Craig's song choice was boring. It'll probably do well and rake in the votes. And Jessie started off so great but then it went downhill fast. 

  • Love 1
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Padma

Padma

(edited)

Shallow end... I hope I'm wrong and Reagan really doesn't have that "teen bitch face" that I saw tonight, that it was really just nerves.

Also... did Craig and Blake get matching turquoise contact lenses (Adam too)s? I noticed Blake's eyes two weeks ago (matching his shirt, lol) but tonight was the first time for Craig (whose also gotten blonder. Looking good!  And I guess Mrs. Shelton agrees,  lol)

 

I can't tell if the weakness this season is the singers or the song selection. I'd love to have more women stay, but who? Anita, definitely. Then...?  Maybe Danica just for choosing Creep and trying to get out of "Mom mode".  Jessie and Reagan for being Team Blake? (And I'm taking his word for it that their unique and important artists). I thought it would be Ryan I'd want to go, but he's working hard and doing his thing fine (and, Yes, Gwen. He's cute.)  

 

As for Chris, he's a good singer. I guess I don't see the looks that Adam does.  As for Anita, I greatly preferred how she looked  more feminine in rehearsal, including her hair , to what the show did. She always looks chubby the way they dress her but in rehearsal she was quite thin and pretty. But her voice was powerful.

 

Blake's so good with getting people involved with his people: CWB has a great survival "getting better every week" story; Reagan is a creative artist already "at only sixteen" and Jessie "is so much like Miranda".  Plus, Mom weighing in is something new.

 

I guess I'd send home Sugar and Jessie.  The ones I'd be upset to see leave are Damien, Anita, Luke, Taylor, and CWB,          

Edited by Padma
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tmelange

tmelange

(edited)

I think it's easily Ryan and Sugar going home tomorrow. And we have the typical beginning to lives: Adam and Blake keep their teams intact, and the new judges start losing contestants left and right.


I think Ryan is the only guy who hasn't charted in the Top 100 yet tonight, so I think a combination of going early and not being that memorable is going to tank him.

Edited by tmelange
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mercfan3

mercfan3

I think it's easily Ryan and Sugar going home tomorrow. And we have the typical beginning to lives: Adam and Blake keep their teams intact, and the new judges start losing contestants left and right.

I think Ryan is the only guy who hasn't charted in the Top 100 yet tonight, so I think a combination of going early and not being that memorable is going to tank him.

 

Also butchering the song probably got him too. 

 

I think Gwen will keep Anita and TJW for a little while (at least another round) but Pharrell could lose another next week. (or both. It could be both.) 

  • Love 1
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burntheflaws

burntheflaws

Matt's performance was the standout of the night for me. It's the first time this season I've been compelled to buy a song (other than Team Gwen's "Riptide," but sadly they never make studio versions of team performances). Weirdly enough, I wasn't a huge fan of it while he was performing. I thought he sounded great in the chorus but I was busy lamenting over how I wish he'd done some kind of acoustic performance. But after listening to the studio version I'm so hooked. Granted I hadn't heard Hozier's original song before this episode—rushed to Youtube to listen right afterward—but I'm just really excited to finally be excited about a performance.

 

He's been my favorite from the beginning, and I'm still rooting for Luke and TJW. Chris to a lesser extent. Still a little heartbroken that Bryana isn't here anymore. I always have a female in the running, so I don't know what happened. Bryana was my favorite girl this year, so there goes that. I can appreciate Anita's talent, but I can't really connect to her song choices and style. Jessie's okay but there have been so many great "quirky girl" voices in the past (I will go down with this Caroline Pennell ship) that I can't really root for her wholeheartedly. Not a Reagan fan at all.

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tmelange

tmelange

I'm thinking about pharrell's choices and we've had Aretha, Stevie, Marvin, Al Green (and Joni Mitchell as an aside). I want to pull pharrell aside and whisper in his ear that when these kids say they like to sing "soul" music, it doesn't mean what he thinks it means. LOL He better contemporize his song choices, or he's going to be cheering on the sidelines. 

  • Love 4
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AwesomO4000

AwesomO4000

Creep doesn't need to be jazzy. And those pretty runs Danica just did were horrid. Stop singing cute and show some emotion.

And Marty Casey is still my gold standard for this song in a reality show. This was too many glasses of wine at a karaoke bar.

 

When I hear "Creep" on the radio, I still think of Marty's performance of that song all these years later. I still don't know how he didn't win that competition.

 

I'll join you in the Marty Casey love because he made Creep all creepy and stalker-like as it should be if you go by the lyrics. No matter what musical genre you're using with that song, there's a certain underlying emotional context that needs to come through.

 

Marty was good at doing creepy when he wanted to. I still remember when he drew Brittany Spears "Hit Me Baby One More Time" and did a totally dark, creepy-ish and memorable version of that song. It was awesome.

 

Tonight family kept calling me on the phone during the show for some reason, so I didn't get to see all that I wanted to, but was glad I got to see Matt's performance. Good song choice and I thought he sang the hell out of it. I only got to see part of Danica's "Creep" and I said on the phone "oh, I like this song" but soon after that it was "oh wait, no. That's not right." And then I thought of Marty Casey.

 

I liked Taylor, but I like that song. A classic Bread song always makes me think of "Aubrey" and then I have to resist going to look for that song and playing it, because it makes me want to cry every damn time.

  • Love 2
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morediva

morediva

The killer is Pharrell knows what kind of dirty pop soul-but-not-really-old-school-soul sells in the mainstream. He's done it with Justin, Britney, Robin Thicke, etc. I'm not sure what he's doing on this. Nor am I sure why he's so enamored with Sugar cuz her singing is not so sweet to me.

  • Love 5
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Padma

Padma

The killer is Pharrell knows what kind of dirty pop soul-but-not-really-old-school-soul sells in the mainstream. He's done it with Justin, Britney, Robin Thicke, etc. I'm not sure what he's doing on this. Nor am I sure why he's so enamored with Sugar cuz her singing is not so sweet to me.

That's it. He does know. And Aretha, Green, Gaye etc., great as they are, aren't it. So..why? Why is he doing this? I don't get it.

  • Love 1
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glitterpants

glitterpants

(edited)

I'm annoyed by Jessie's tendency to flatten every melody she encounters under the guise of "making it her own".

 

Adam had both the best song choice (Take Me To Church) and the worst song choice (He's Not Heavy). He's really trying hard to get rid of Damien, isn't he?

 

Danica sang very well, as usual, but... is this a version of Creep that anyone really wants to hear? Maybe I'm wrong and she's burning up the iTunes charts.

 

Loved Taylor, Matt and Anita (in spite of the cliché song choice). 

 

I thought Ryan was slightly painful to listen to, but Gwen's little "I listened to it 15 times in the car! I was so excited I couldn't sleep last night!" speech after his performance was hilarious (even more so because I really don't get it).

Edited by glitterpants
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