S07.E18: Live Top 12 Performances

[Vandy10]

I discovered Hozier about 10 days ago, and I've been listening to his album nonstop since. I was so excited to see that a contestant was going to sing Take Me to Church on the show, but then I got worried that Matt wouldn't be able to pull off the emotion of the song. Because that song? Still gives me chills every time I listen to the original version, which I've done about 4000 times this week. Matt did it well, I thought, but I still prefer Hozier's more haunting version than Matt's more rock version. It's no surprise to me that Matt's charting the highest on iTunes. He sang the most current song of the night! But forget Matt not knowing the meaning of the song, I don't think the audience got it. When they started cheering loudly during the beginning "Amen, amen, amen" sequence, I was rolling my eyes the same way I did when the Matthew sang Hallelujah a while back. Neither of those songs is a church revival kind of song people!

 

What the hell was Danica wearing? Her hair looked great, but that white dress was never meant for her. Liked her version of Creep though. Nothing could be as good as Marty's, but I still liked the way she did it.

 

Didn't Tessanne do a killer version of Redemption Song on her season?

 

Someone pointed it out on TWoP a long time ago, and it becomes clearer to me every time I watch the live shows: Blake does THE BEST job, out of any coach, of selling his artists to the public. He makes sure the audience feels a personal connection with his artists, and in turn, wants to vote for them. Every time Carson throws to Blake, I see Blake ignore whatever question Carson's asked to say what he needs to about his artist. Nobody beats Blake in this area.

 

Last thought; no Sam Smith tonight. I really like Smith's album, but it was quite odd to me that they used 4 of his songs last week. Does nobody on the show coordinate song selection?! You'd think the producers would, at least, to prevent one artist's songs (from 1 album, no less) from dominating an episode.

[MelsW]

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.

 

Yes! I actually cringed when Ryan was singing/yelling/screeching at the end of his song and then the coaches were all swooning. I really thought it was my TV audio but  perhaps not. Also, Adam was bitching about not being able to hear Matt sing at all and I could hear him fine at home. What kind of second string slackers does The Voice hire for their audio? Every year, episode after episode, there are massive audio issues. I understand it is live but many live shows can pull it off just fine.

[Keekski]

No Sam Smith, but more Ed Sheeren. Another artist I could go without hearing on this show.

Matt was the best for me tonight. And I really still like Reagan. Everybody else, meh.

[tobeannounced]

After Matt's performance when the coaches said they couldn't even hear his vocal, I'm wondering if that is the reason they think some of these other performances were so awesome when they were clearly having some bad moments.  

 

Also, fine if you want Kohl's to be a sponsor for your show, but making everyone wear the clothes, especially the women (poor Danica and Reagan) is not working.

[Cementhead]

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.  

 

Yes! I actually cringed when Ryan was singing/yelling/screeching at the end of his song and then the coaches were all swooning.

 

 

 

Not a word of a lie; I was coming here to post those very same words because I was doing the same.  AW-FUL.  And in the practices Gwen keeps going on about how hot & cute he is and how he has to sell it better.  Umm, no.  I don't see the charm.

 

Sugar Joans sounds like Kathy Griffin.  Again -- AW-FUL.  And like Gwen with Ryan; I don't get what Pharrell sees in her either..?

 

I wasn't enjoying Gwen at first but I have come to appreciate what a big, giant dork she is.  I'm finding it very refreshing to see a 'celebrity' who isn't as polished and calculated as most of them come off.  I think all of her gaffes and some of the dorky things that come out of her mouth show that she is being sincere & in the moment. 

 

When Carson was trying to set up that whole "Things that Blake's Mom says" with Blake and Adam was YELLING his way into it?  That shit is so tired and played out.  And it occurred to me then that thankfully, there has been little to no bromance crap this year.

[Cramps]

Well the boards may not have liked Adam's choice for Damien, but America did--it's at 15 on iTunes at 9AM. Craig's at 13 and Matt's at 7. I think Chris is next in the 30s. So Adam's choices worked.

I was surprised that Danica picked Creep for herself. But not surprised that she didn't put any of the angst into it that the song needs. I wonder if she would have put more emotion into it if Pharrell hadn't Al Green-ified it. Her voice is perfect, but there is always an emotional disconnect.

PS- the Marty Casey references make me smile. Is he still recording?

Edited November 18, 2014 by Cramps

[Primetimer]

Stop trying to make #Lukified happen, Pharrell.

Read the story

[Mya Stone]

Matt is the type of singer I tend to be drawn to.

I just bought the Hozier album based purely on that song. I've heard it on the radio and didn't know who sang it (and never remembered to google it). I can't wait to hear the whole thing.

Pharrell confuses me. He is such a visionary producer, yet his song choices for his artists are stuck in another decade. I thought we already went through the "Neo-Soul" phase in the late 90s with Erykah Badu and Lauryn Hill. (Both of whom, might I add, Sugar Jones only dreams that she was.)

Still loving my girl Anita. And man, I love how panicked and, well, real, Gwen is on live TV. She's just always like "Oh crap, I was just caught up in watching this stuff, what do you mean I have to TALK about it now?!" I prefer that to Adam's manic "I just HAVE to say this to you real real quick" BS.

[fluffysheap]

Bad show.  I agree with whoever said that there might have been a sound problem as most of the contestants are usually better than this.  Well, at least it proves they aren't lip-syncing, right?

 

I cannot imagine watching this show without a DVR... I am so sick of the coaches jumping up and down and saying it's the omgbestestevar when the contestant obviously sucks.  Especially on a night like tonight when almost everyone was bad.  If this is the best they can do, I'm trying out for next season.

My ratings....

 

12. Luke.  What a huge mistake.  And then he had to go on stage!  (yuk yuk yuk).  And he didn't really recover until about halfway through the song, the blunder was obviously bugging him.  Still, he's shown enough so far that I'll give him one free pass.  Saved only by this being the easiest round of the competition.

 

11. Ryan.  I finally figured out who he reminds me of!  It's Nicholas Brendon!  Bad pitch, and he wouldn't have been here in the first place if not for Gwen's crush.  Maybe Gwen can get chin implants on her next round of plastic surgery.  She's already unrecognizable (and that makes me sad because I always really liked her look and she already looked at least a decade younger than she is).  Aside from the constant pitch issues, I personally am not a huge fan of this song. I think "Come Undone" is a superior song in every way.

 

10. Sugar.  Actually not as bad as it could have been, and tonight's first victim of the Stylist Monster.  If you're going to go home, you might as well go home belting.  She is just the least talented singer remaining.  Why did they put her first?  This arrangement was nothing special, the singer certainly isn't, and they can't have known in advance that everyone was going to blow it.

 

9. Reagan.  This was not her best work.  I was amused by what they tried with her styling, but it didn't actually work.  1985-era clothes with a 1990-era song is not right!  So, I'm starting to think that Reagan has stopped trying her best and is just kind of winging it.  Maybe she had something going on this week.  Maybe she's starting to believe the constant fawning by the coaches (advice to Reagan, watch the show, they say that stuff about everybody).  But this performance was phoned in.

 

8. Taylor.  This was not his best work.  Taylor's strength is putting an innovative spin on a well-known song, and I guess that's what he did here.  It might have been more interesting if everybody else was doing power ballads and diva songs, but when everybody else is singing lullabyes, this gets a little lost in the swamp.  Maybe just the wrong week for this.  But, I'm starting to wonder when we'll get to see Taylor actually push his voice.

 

7. Danica.  Well, it was interesting, I have to give her that.  Good time for her to try something experimental since no one will accuse her of coasting (the worst thing that can happen to a technically good singer) and yet if it flops, there are lots of worse singers out there that she will probably beat anyway.  That said, what a truly strange and bizarre song choice.  For this song, you have to hate either yourself or your, for lack of a better word, target.  Ideally both.  And I am not getting that from Danica.  I'll play along with the arrangement, but the song just doesn't lend itself to Danica's gentle attitude.  For what it's worth, I liked her outfit; I thought this was the best she's looked so far, and the only one that was actually done up well by the stylists.  On the down side: What's with all the fans?  I guess the producers were as confused by this song as everyone else.

 

6. Craig.  I finally figured out who he reminds me of!  It's Richard Branson!  I felt this was a solid performance, nothing special (I guess I was expecting a little more excitement from Craig, and maybe I should have rewatched it with that in mind) but "solid, nothing special" is actually pretty good for tonight.

 

5. Chris.  I thought the song choice here was good.  He's a boy-band guy, so Nick Jonas is completely appropriate.  I'm expecting more songs like this from him.  Like everyone else, he had some technical issues, but after the NBC Elevator Music Two-Hour Special, I was ready for something a little more upbeat, even if the performance was merely solid, not outstanding.

 

4. Damien.  He did as well as he could with a lousy song.  It's soooo boring, and while the sentiment is nice and all (and unlike so many others does not get misinterpreted by almost everyone that hears it) there is just no opportunity for a singer to shine here.  I know the song was a huge hit back in its day, and popular covers and all that, but I don't feel my life was enriched by this.  This should have been like an 8th-best performance except that everyone was just so bad tonight.  I originally rated it 3rd, but after reading my own comments, I decided that I liked Jessie better tonight.

 

3. Jessie.  One of the better performances of the night.  I went back and rewatched it because, right after she got up from the piano, there was this moment of dissonance where she sounded like she was really flat, but I think it was supposed to sound that way, because she held the pitch through a few words and it sounded much better after the accompaniment caught up.  I really liked her choice to do the first half of the song at the piano and then get up and do the second half engaging with the audience and singing in a more uptempo, belty style.  The obvious comparison is with Caroline, and that was one of Caroline's biggest problems, her lack of performing range.  Jessie isn't going to match Danica for vocal power or Reagan for stage antics, but she needs to be more than just the Lucky Charms marshmallow.  I'm glad she did it, and I'm glad it was her idea.  She's probably not quite as skilled as Caroline was, but she's a better overall musician, or maybe she's just got a better coach.  She's not likely to win, but I hope she does well.

 

2. Matt.  Can't believe I'm rating this second.  I think it's a testament to just what a good song this actually is.  Matt was in full-on James Wolpert mode, chewing the scenery and crawling around on the stage, and he has this problem where his falsetto is about half the volume of his throat voice.  I don't know if he can learn to improve that or not, but I hope he does, because his falsetto is unusually accurate for a male singer.  And the audience, and perhaps Matt, and maybe even Adam, had no idea what the song was about.  See also: "Born in the USA."  It's still a great song that must be as fun to sing as it is to watch.  Hoping I get to do this one in karaoke someday.

 

1.  Anita.  I didn't see this performance.  I watched the show, then at the end realized I hadn't seen her.  Went back and rewound looking for her, didn't see her again, and then got distracted and erased it.  Considering how bad everyone was tonight, by default, the performance I missed is the best!

 

Who I expect to go home: Ryan and Sugar.

Who should go home: Ryan and Sugar.  But if it's Luke, he can always try out for this!

Edited November 18, 2014 by fluffysheap

[pivot]

It wasn't mentioned on the show but Reagan has strep throat and had been initially misdiagnosed and had to go to a 2nd doctor and get antibiotics. I guess it was an ordeal. For that reason alone, I thought it was kind of shitty that Adam singled her out to give harsh criticism to. Not surprised, but still annoyed.

That doesn't excuse what they did to the Lenny song though. I think they changed it around too much and made the song pretty unlistenable. And she should have sang Again instead. Much better Lenny song.

[tmelange]

Pharrell, I know you're in a "bring back classic soul" phase with your producing work, but please stop trying to impose that philosophy on your team. You're about to embarrass yourself. Please and thank you.

[Lorimac]

I just think "If" needs to be sung like the singer has allllll the timeeee in the worlddd, and not rushedthroughit like Taylor John did.

[tobeannounced]

Stop trying to make #Lukified happen, Pharrell.

And please stop trying to make Sugar happen. Though I think America will do that for you tonight.

[beaker73]

Is there a rule that if you are Jamaican you're required to sing "Redemption Song"?

No shit.  I like that song and I like Anita, but come on. 

 

What am I missing with Ryan?  He was horrid last night.  Horrid. And he was getting praise left and right.  That dude cannot leave fast enough for me. 

[80sgirl]

Not only are Matt and Chris charting pretty well on ITunes (10 and 38 respectively) Hozier is at #3 with Take Me To Church and Nick Jonas is at #8 with Jealous right now.  I tend to doubt Nick Jonas' song was doing that well before it was performed on The Voice last night.

Edited November 18, 2014 by 80sgirl

[Noreaster]

I too enjoy Gwen's presence on the panel. She may not be the most articulate person, but she comes across as very genuine in her reactions. She doesn't really think about what to say, she just says it. It's fun. Music at the end of the day is supposed to be entertaining, and I get the vibe that she's enjoying herself.

Regarding Danica, I agree that she seems to lack the emotional connection when she sings. She needs to find a way to make her performances more impactful. There is such a thing as being too perfect. I think she needs to do less with her songs so people can better appreciate how talented she is.

If Reagan is sick, then I think her coach should have mentioned it. The coaches probably don't know what's going on with other teams.

[briochetwist]

What am I missing with Ryan?  He was horrid last night.  Horrid. And he was getting praise left and right.  That dude cannot leave fast enough for me. 

I only caught half of the show last night, so I just listened to him on Youtube, and horrid is the perfect word to describe that performance.  Or flat.  So very flat.  Did he seriously get praised for that?

 

I guess I'm alone, but I'm not a big fan of Matt.  I thought his 'Take Me To Church' was appalling, no connection to the song at all, hanging all over his bandmates, and then the theatrics on the stage.  I thought I was watching Aerosmith or something.  

 

I'm also not the biggest fan of Anita, I think she's ok, but to me, she's just a poor man's version of Tessanne Chin.  

[facingfacts]

the nick jonas song has been in the top 10 for some time before and has stayed top 15 overall

[blueray]

I was surprised that Danica picked Creep for herself. But not surprised that she didn't put any of the angst into it that the song needs. I wonder if she would have put more emotion into it if Pharrell hadn't Al Green-ified it. Her voice is perfect, but there is always an emotional disconnect.

I was disappointed by her performance. Creep is an edgy and well creepy song. Her version destroyed what makes that song good.

 

I'd say Danica and Luke would go home if it was up to me. Everyone else did a good job and I really liked Matt's preformance.

[dbell1]

snip ... Also, fine if you want Kohl's to be a sponsor for your show, but making everyone wear the clothes, especially the women (poor Danica and Reagan) is not working.

I hate how they try to put women on reality singing shows into a current style.  Not all clothes in style are right for a certain body type.  Even Danica said something on stage last night about not being styled like 'a mom'.  Kohls does have some decent flattering clothes in all sizes, but you wouldn't know it by the way they're dressing the contestants.  Danica's been wearing Frump and Reagan is wearing Junior Frump.

 

Cramps - Marty is still recording with The Lovehammers.  They've put out some decent music since he was on RockStar:Our Band INXS. Damn, I miss that show.  

[Sammich63]

It bothered me that Adam singled out two of Blake's contestants to offer his constructive criticism.  I don't remembering him saying anything negative to any contestants from the other two teams.  I also wish Blake had mentioned that Reagan had strep throat.  I thought she seemed a bit subdued last night and I can see why now.  I hope it's Ryan and Sugar leaving, but I think Reagan is also in danger of leaving.  I hated Luke's performance last night, but he is one of my favorites, along with CWB and Matt.  I also like Jessie, but I don't think she's catching on with the general public. 

[Cramps]

Thanks for the update dBell. RockStar INXS is definitely the father of this show- loved seeing Jordis make the transition.

The Voice Stylists must be stopped! What was the point of Gwen luring contestants with her LAMB line when they were just going to get stuck with Kohls and the Voice Stylists making them look like people who were doing karaoke after work?

[Padma]

When Carson was trying to set up that whole "Things that Blake's Mom says" with Blake and Adam was YELLING his way into it?  That shit is so tired and played out.

It -really- bugged me last night because just last week during Adam's time to comment he got in a dig at Blake--who responded--and Adam shot back "Sorry Carson, I just think it's so RUDE when he keeps interrupting me when it's my turn!" Does he ever watch the show and see how he acts, I wonder?

 

And ITA about the styling. Just let them wear their own clothes, please. From what I've seen they look so much better in them than what the show puts them into each week. And Ryan's haircut sure took some of his cuteness away--showing off the ears that stick out and the nearly lantern jaw. He's a cute kid, earnest with a great smile (not such great song stylings). But looks-wise, he looked a lot better on the blinds than what they've done to him here. Also...poor Danica. At least she realizes she's been put in Mommy Frump mode. Isn't she still in her twenties? Good for her for taking back her image--and also telling Pharrell the contemporary song she wanted rather than waiting for him to hand her "California Dreamin'" or some other old chestnut. 

Edited November 18, 2014 by Padma

[realdancemom]

Yes! I actually cringed when Ryan was singing/yelling/screeching at the end of his song and then the coaches were all swooning. I really thought it was my TV audio but  perhaps not. Also, Adam was bitching about not being able to hear Matt sing at all and I could hear him fine at home. What kind of second string slackers does The Voice hire for their audio? Every year, episode after episode, there are massive audio issues. I understand it is live but many live shows can pull it off just fine.

I haven't watched this episode yet.  However, last week, I thought Ryan was off pitch in several places in his song.  But then Adam said that he was pitch perfect.  So I didn't know if I was just hearing wrong or if it was just different in the studio.  I never went back to re-listen to Ryan.

[Kromm]

"I love Bread" is not a phrase often uttered on American TV.

[Thorkim]

I also have to go along with people who feel the coaches don't hear what I'm hearing.  I thought last night was just shitty and a lot of them were flat, not good.  I'm not saying you have to go all American Idol on them and rip them a new one, but I did not understand ALL the praise because I just didn't hear it.

[TacoBoutIt]

I understand the idea of wanting to make a song your own but I'm a bit tired of song interpretations that don't seem to respect the integrity of the original song.  Whether it be changing the entire melody or disregarding the intention of the song.  For example, Danica's jazz lounge version of Creep took away all the creepiness. Adam is right, whatever she sings will sound great.  But a Al Green version of Creep was not something that was needed in the world.  Also Jessie's idea of "making a song her own" seems to be to not sing the original melody at all.  I'm not sure if it's because she's not capable or if she thinks that's what creativity is.

 

Tonight was ok.  My favorites were Anita, Craig, Matt and Taylor.  Taylor's recording of the version is much better and I was distracted by the butterflies above his head.  Like someone said "Take Me To Church" was going to sell like hotcakes as long as Matt did a serviceable job.  It's a terrific song (I'm biased as I will be seeing Hozier when he comes to town) and with a good voice, it is will most likely to well.  Also, it's a very popular song right now.  I thought Matt sounded great (much better than Ed Sheeran's version of it).  However, it was completely ruined when the two guitarists appeared.  Then it got so...cheesy.  When Matt rested his head on the shoulder's of the guitarists I chuckled a bit.  He's a great singer but that just took away from the performance for me (same with the hand grabbing during "God Only Knows").

 

I think Ryan and Sugar/Sophia are goners.

[Noreaster]

The coaches went so bonkers for Ryan's performance that I think there must be something that's not coming across well on TV. And as someone else mentioned, it's pretty weird that two coaches were complaining about the sound for Matt's performance. Whatever it is, the show has got to fix it.

I thought Adam's feedback throughout the night was really interesting. He was super focused on strategy. Besides the constructive criticism for Jessie and Reagan, he touched on strategy for Danica (the need for better song choices), Taylor (how this week's song choice was a nice change of pace and came at a good time to show off Taylor's voice), and Ryan (his voice is well-suited for rock). While he still couches everything with "I think you're still great", "You're awesome", etc, I think it's better than the relentless praise that typically goes on.

[limecoke]

Ryan has the voice and the looks but, boy howdy, that was just not good.  He was seriously howling at the end of that song and it was a wonder to me that the A, P, G and B all thought it was so good.  Maybe there's something wrong with my ears.

 

Last night's inductees into the Off Key Club were Jessie and TaylorThreeNames.  Damien, bless him, was a little off when he started but finished so well I can forgive him.  

 

I love "If".  It's a song that always sort of speaks to me and I totally agree with the comment that it needs to be sung slowly and thoughtfully.  Taylor did neither.  It was adequate but I don't think he "got" the song at all.

 

Can't help myself, I just love Craig and am glad to see he's doing well on iTunes.  Don't think he'll win but hope he lasts for a few more weeks.  

 

Please, show, let Anita sing outside her comfort zone because we need to hear something new.  She's wildly talented and I get that but she isn't Tessanne.

 

And please America...I'm begging you...send Sugar/Sophia home!  

[hincandenza]

Gwen looks like she's morphing into Angelina Jolie, which confuses the facial recognition part of my brain. But she's now my favorite coach this season, and I hope she comes back in the future. She seems sincere and genuine and committed.

Nthing the confusion as to how a hip and current highly successful producer like Pharrell is so far off and so dated on his song choices. He and his team have been a big disappointment. Also nthing the complaints about sound, and was glad to hear the coaches actually vocalize it on air. Maybe now the people in the control studio will push the slider named "Vocal Mic 01" up a ways, so we can actually hear The Voice of the singers. One flick of the wrist and suddenly the singers and songs will be twice as good!

Scattered feedback:

Ryan was just awful. I cringed at his vocal belting, and was surprised to hear praise. Same with Sugar; she sounded kinda okay during rehearsal but then tanked on stage. Again. Can't save her this time, Pharrell!

DaNica looked her best- I prefer the long hair instead of the matronly bun- and I didn't realize till now how freakin' TINY she is! Great voice, but this was a poor song choice because it's about male insecurity and unrequited love/lust, and she wasn't embodying that at all. How weird as well that during the vocal climax of the song, the director cut to a blurry shot of DaNica through the back of one of the fans. Nice work, Kubrick.

Taylor was meh; I can see the appeal but he really does come across as kind of dim and just posing as a deep soulful artist- instead of being one. Good voice, but like DaNica he doesn't feel "real" to me.

I still like Reagan and her potential- but as someone mentioned above and I mentioned last week, I worry that her resting bitch face is indicative of a certain unearned pride. She is preternatural in her confidence and smoothness on stage, but glad Adam finally pointed out her breathy issues. She will tank in Jordis Unga like fashion (since we're making Rockstar references) if she coasts without self-improvement. Although I see from pivot she was apparently sick this week- she did look I'll on screen, or had a poor makeup job since she looked sweaty and acne ridden. She's got her MILF mom's good looks, but looked and sounded way off this week. I'd like to see her succeed, but that's up to her. As bad as Ryan was this week, the guy has been pure work ethic from the get-go, and I'd like to see that from Reagan because her ceiling is very high.

Damien needs to get out of this dated style of singing, show us something different. I fast forwarded through his because I've heard it all before. But he is super talented and had a great story, and he pours himself into the song- I wish he pulled back in fact, he's already well into in Jean Kelley overly dramatic territory. I think he'll last another week or two.

Craig was solid yet again. I don't love love him, but he seems of the final 12 the most ready to just get out there now that he's gotten some exposure- if he's not your cup of tea fine, he's not really mine either, but unlike many of the artists left, CWB seems "done cooking". As of right *now*, he seems the most deserving of a win. But a lot can change in a few weeks. And kudos to the person above who nailed it by comparing him to Richard Branson; I can't unseen it now. :)

I literally couldn't watch Luke, once he stumbled on the words I jumped ahead. I am to this day physically incapable of watching someone bomb on TV; I still remember being near catatonic when I watched Brooke on American Idol stop and restart a song. I hope he was at least decent when he got on track.

Chris and Anita bored me; although they were competent, they were forgettable. Jessie has eroded my last nerve when it comes to that goat-throated put-on voice. Her piano playing was decent, although not Dani Moz decent. At least she did more than the usual silliness of strumming a few chords then dropping the guitar and never looking back.

Matt was the best of the night for me. Current song, and a *good* song, and he sang the crap out of it putting 100% in. Wish he'd been better mic'ed for this one.

I expect Ryan or Sugar to go home, possibly both; they were on this mediocre night especially bad. I assume we're repeating the bottom 3/instant twitter save of last year, or is it just straight "bottom 2" this year? In any case, I really want Sugar gone, everyone else I'm meh on, although Matt, Reagan, Craig, and probably Luke I specific feel need to stick around the most out of our final 12. So long as they're safe tonight, I'm cool.

[Muffyn]

I discovered Hozier about 10 days ago, and I've been listening to his album nonstop since. I was so excited to see that a contestant was going to sing Take Me to Church on the show, but then I got worried that Matt wouldn't be able to pull off the emotion of the song. Because that song? Still gives me chills every time I listen to the original version, which I've done about 4000 times this week. Matt did it well, I thought, but I still prefer Hozier's more haunting version than Matt's more rock version. It's no surprise to me that Matt's charting the highest on iTunes. He sang the most current song of the night! But forget Matt not knowing the meaning of the song, I don't think the audience got it. When they started cheering loudly during the beginning "Amen, amen, amen" sequence, I was rolling my eyes the same way I did when the Matthew sang Hallelujah a while back. Neither of those songs is a church revival kind of song people!

Thank you!!!! The way people interpret any song with amen or hallelujah or any religious imagery as religious drives me crazy.  I end up defending these songs to atheist friends too damn often for my own good.  Well that and trying to explain how people can see Imagine a a religious song.  

 

I kind of weirdly love DaNica with her matronly look and powerful voice, but Creep was horrible.  Way to miss the point.  They could all use lessons on song interpretation.  

[viajero]

I think they were having real problems with the sound in this episode or at least what they were hearing in the studio was not what we were hearing on TV.  In any case, here are my rankings (from best to worst):

 

1. Matt - Perfect song choice and I really liked that he rocked it out this time as a change of pace.  I also find that the way Matt preformed it live provides an interesting contrast to the way Hozier performs it. (And if anybody has any doubts what this song is about, just watch the music video on You Tube.  It's like a punch in the gut).

 

2. Anita - While her vocals were not up to Tessanne's version, I actually thought she may have done a better job at getting across the essence and feeling of the song.

 

3. Damien and CWB (tied):  They both did professional mistake-free but completely unoriginal covers of classic songs in their respective genres.  Not sure why anybody would want to bother to download their versions, but obviously a lot of people have done so.

 

5. Reagan - I think she has star quality on stage and I actually kind of liked the arrangement, but she continues to get breathless towards the end of her performances.  Maybe should try to just focus on the vocals next week.

 

6. Chris - A serviceable performance, but nothing about him really grabs me. He suffers from a distinct lack of charisma in comparison to most of the other male contestants in this top 12

 

7.  Sugar - I actually thought her vocals were okay on this one, but there was nothing particularly interesting about her performance. 

 

8. Jessie -  Started out really good, but went way downhill after she got up from behind the piano.

 

9. Taylor-3 Names - easily his worst performance of the season.  As others have said, he was too rushed.  Horrible song choice.

 

10. Danica - the vocals were good, as usual, but did she even bother to try to figure out what the song was about?  Inexcusable considering that she picked the song.

 

11. Luke - I don't think he ever quite recovered from his flub at the beginning. 

 

12. Ryan - horrible in pretty much every way.

 

Should be going home:  Ryan and Danica

Will be going home:  Sugar and Jessie

Edited November 19, 2014 by viajero

[hks]

I was disappointed by her performance. Creep is an edgy and well creepy song. Her version destroyed what makes that song good.

 

Yes! I hated the version she went with -- and the thing is, PHARRELL is the one who suggested she sing it that way! I was appalled when I heard him suggest that, and then she did it the whole damn song. It just worked against it so badly.  The only time I enjoyed it was the last two lines, where it was just her, and she was singing it the way it was actually intended.  I have to believe that she actually would have been amazing if Pharrell hadn't jumped in with his incredibly stupid advice. (Advice I found surprising due to his success as a producer). 

 

I actually cringed when Ryan was singing/yelling/screeching at the end of his song and then the coaches were all swooning.

 

Me too! I had to fast forward because I was embarrassed for him. And then...the Judges loved it? So much? I really do think we hear something completely different from what they do. 

[susannot]

(And if anybody has any doubts what this song is about, just watch the music video on You Tube.  It's like a punch in the gut).

 

Yes.  If I am correct, the music video is based on actual scenes of gay-bashing in Putin's Russia.

[fluffysheap]

Muffyn wrote:

Thank you!!!! The way people interpret any song with amen or hallelujah or any religious imagery as religious drives me crazy.

I once had someone ask me (this would have been 2006) if The Killers were a Christian rock band...

[hks]

When they started cheering loudly during the beginning "Amen, amen, amen" sequence, I was rolling my eyes

I completly agree that most people don't realize the meaning of the songs like Take Me To Church or Hallelujah as intended. However, my guess is the extra cheering during the "Amen" sequence was because that's the quiet part of the song when audiences tend to 1) cheer loudly always and 2) be heard more because it's the quiet part.  (And three, it is the most beautiful part of the song when you hear Hozier's version. It's anguished).

[ToxicUnicorn]

2. Anita - While her vocals were not up to Tessanne's version, I actually thought she may have done a better job at getting across the essence and feeling of the song.

I agree.  I liked Anita's version much, much more than Tessanne's.  I felt it...I actually listened to the words and understood what it meant this time.  It was the performance of the night for me.

 

Team Pharrell:

 

Sugar: This was fine, but nothing special.  I don't dislike her as much as others seem to, but aside from her look, I find her completely forgettable..  

Danica: As soon as her song was announced, my daughter paused the playback and played me 2 versions of Creep so I could hear what it was about.  Cut to Pharrell adding the high hat and I made my daughter leave the room so I wouldn't have to listen to her complain nonstop. I generally don't listen to lyrics, so I have to say I enjoyed listening to Danica's voice.  For the first time, I didn't mind her runs and I thought the thing held together musically.  Then again, I wasn't at all invested in the song (despite my daughter's efforts), so I completely understand that if you were, you might think it was ruined.  

Luke: I don't connect with Luke.  At all.  I feel like he has the opposite of charisma.

 

Team Blake: 

 

CWB: I sort of enjoyed it.  I like that song and it was a perfectly fine version.

Reagan: I sort of enjoy her, too.  

Jessie: She can go.  I'd like a seat at the Caroline Pennell table, please.

 

Team Adam:

 

Damien: I love Damien's performances.  I love all of his emotion.  I know his style and that song are old and dated, but so am I, and I can't help myself: he delivered, and I loved it.

Matt: I'll give him this much, he went for it.  He was entertaining, and clearly he will be around for ever.  Not my thing, but I don't begrudge him his success.

Chris: Another one who I don't get at all.  However, I think he has more presence than Luke.

 

Team Gwen:

 

Every time I saw Gwen, I thought of Barbara Eden in the 1970's.  Every time.

 

Ryan: I thought he started out well and then, yikes, it started hurting.  I liked his makeover - the new hair and the ears sticking out and the toned down smiling all worked for me.  He looked far more current.  But, yes, I have no idea what the coaches mean when they praise his pitch and skills.

Taylor 3 names: He had a lovely voice and I enjoyed his version more than the original's.  I like that I can understand the words when he sings.  I agree the tempo was far too fast, but that was the way they had planned it, so at least he was not rushing it because of nerves or something.  I thought he did well.

Anita: I loved, loved, loved hearing her tender side.  Less sass and more of that, please.

Edited November 19, 2014 by ToxicUnicorn

[Vandy10]

I completly agree that most people don't realize the meaning of the songs like Take Me To Church or Hallelujah as intended. However, my guess is the extra cheering during the "Amen" sequence was because that's the quiet part of the song when audiences tend to 1) cheer loudly always and 2) be heard more because it's the quiet part. (And three, it is the most beautiful part of the song when you hear Hozier's version. It's anguished).

Maybe. My mind didn't go there because I just didn't think Matt was that impressive during that part of the song, which might be because I am so familiar with Hozier's version, and I didn't think Matt matched the original's power during the "Amens". But if the audience doesn't know the original, they might've been suitably impressed by that section. Plus Adam did say during his critique that he thought the "Amens" were the best thing ever done on the show (or something equally hyperbolic), so you might be on to something.

Edited November 20, 2014 by Vandy10

[kj4ever]

I think I would have liked Matt's version way more than I did if I wasn't such a huge fan of the original.  I agree the Amen's in Matt's were blah compared to Hozier.  That's the chance you take when you cover something very current, but he was also pretty lucky that maybe a lot of The Voice audience didn't know the song.

 

I've been thinking about how to comment on this episode since it aired.  I was just dumbfounded by the amount of eh, blah, and eww this show produced.  I just can't believe we are getting into the top 10 now and with only a few shining moments sprinkled about most of these people just seemed so not good.

[mercfan3]

I honestly blame Pharrell for a lot of that. He made some awful decisions and we lost a lot of the talent from this year because of that. 

 

Sure, everyone has to get rid of some good people. I would have preferred Troy or Bryana over Ryan, or Mia over Damien. (I don't blame Adam for choosing Chris over Taylor P. because at that point, bonds are formed and so Taylor had to be voted in if he wanted to beat one of Adam's favorites.) But Pharrell..sheesh..

[kj4ever]

I honestly blame Pharrell for a lot of that. He made some awful decisions and we lost a lot of the talent from this year because of that. 

 

Sure, everyone has to get rid of some good people. I would have preferred Troy or Bryana over Ryan, or Mia over Damien. (I don't blame Adam for choosing Chris over Taylor P. because at that point, bonds are formed and so Taylor had to be voted in if he wanted to beat one of Adam's favorites.) But Pharrell..sheesh..

Pharrell has been an epic let down after he seemed so promising....I really don't want to see him next season unless he gets his act together.  Maybe they could do a last minute switch with Alicia Keys.  She had her shit together!

[rollerblade]

I'm so confused as to who's picking the songs. Why do some singers have the option to pick while others had to sing what their coaches chose for them?

My first exposure to Creep was the acoustic version, and I just don't like any of the "rock" version I heard afterwards. Danica should have done the acoustic imo.

[mercfan3]

From what I understand, it's a combined effort from the coaches/contestants/producers. 

 

The contestant is never forced to sing anything he or she does not want to sing. How they come up with songs depends on the coach, I think. From what Jacquie Lee said, often times contestants get to make lists of songs they'd like to do, but it really depends on the coach and contestant. 

 

For Danica..it's likely she said she wanted to sing Creep and the Producers and Coach approved it.