S07.E24: Live Semi-Final Performances

[SunnyBeBe]

I wasn't thrilled with the songs again, but what's new?

 

 lol  I'm still pulling for and voting for my top 3 picks and favorites, Craig, Damien and Matthew.  But, I'm really worried and suspect that it will be Taylor and Damien who are eliminated tonight.

 

 Chris has been favored too much. He's on a roll and  may even win the thing, though, I don't consider the win that big of a deal on this show.  It is what it is and if Craig doesn't take it, then those other wonderful and gifted contestants will fade into obscurity as fast as they appeared on this program.  Not that Craig is more talented. He's not, it's just that the country scene lends itself to those artists.  He certainly can make it in Nashville, whether he wins this or not, IMO.  

[Sammich63]

The blatant favoritism for Chris has made me not like him at all.  I've never understood his appeal, but I did see it last night.  He and Craig are the consummate performers on the stage, and charisma on stage is very important.  I've also never really been a fan of T3N and I think part of it is because he just seems so bland on stage to me. I can't see myself sitting through his concert at all, but I do appreciate his talent.  The busing of Damien is the worst I've seen on this show, and I've seen it through the seasons.  There was no reason at all to place Damien first with both of his songs.  Unbelievable!!!  

 

Based on iTunes rankings, it appears CWB, Matt and Chris are the top 3.  Right now Chris has two songs in the top 10, but doesn't just the first song count for the 10X multiplier, or is it that the first song of the two that someone downloads will count toward the multiplier?  I agree that T3N will probably be the wildcard pick.  He's been pretty consistent with his iTunes downloads each week, and the young girls appear to love him.  

 

I prefer Matt to win, but I'm beginning to think that Chris may take it all. I see shades of Grimmie tampering, so maybe it will backfire on Adam and the producers.  I'm not sure if I can watch another season with Adam Levine.  I have to mute my TV when he speaks now because I find him so obnoxious.

 

I find CWB to be the real deal.  I think he means what he says about being blessed.  He's tried very hard for several years to make it in the industry and he just didn't have the luck.  He really wants this badly, but I just can't see him beating Matt or Chris at this point.  I also don't think the producers want a Blake 4th win.  CWB and Chris have the largest Twitter following, so I could see CWB in the top two with Chris.  

 

I have found Matt to be the most consistent of the remaining five contestants, so that's why I want to see him win.  I find him unique enough that I think he is marketable in a way that previous winners have not been.  However, I will be fine with either Chris, Matt or CWB winning, as I think they are all talented.  I just cringe at the thought of Adam gloating about his 3rd win next season.  

[pivot]

This is probably boards on boards, so I apologize, but I don't understand the annoyance at Blake for allegedly "pandering" to voters and "playing games". Isn't Blake's entire job to position his artist for the win? The win is made of votes, and if he suspects that a certain song will get some extra votes, I'm not sure why he shouldn't use it. There's irritation at Adam for choosing crap songs for Damien (and rightly so), but that seems in conflict with the anger at Blake for choosing a "good" song that might be to his artist's benefit.

The only time I complain about pandering is when Blake goes after the Christian vote. I don't like God mixed with my singing shows and I found Craig's entire segment, in part due to Pharrell's obnoxious comments, to be off-putting. Blake's contestants have done this multiple times throughout the years on this show when in possible trouble of not moving on, pull out the Jesus card. It's gross and no other coach does it. Yes, Matthew Schuler sang Hallelujah but 1 - that is not really a religious song and 2 - Christina doesn't have a long history of using Jesus to drum up votes for her contestants.

In Craig's favor, he doesn't seem to be a judgemental tool like Holly Tucker was who relied on Jesus like a crutch to outlast many more talented contestants.

Edited December 9, 2014 by pivot

[Mreid]

I wish the voice would do away with the itunes doubling votes, I love this show but im not buying the itunes music just so these guys can advance, just let people vote online or by phone.

[UsernameFatigue]

I don't understand why anyone would think Craig singing  "The Old Wooden Cross" is pandering. I am not a country fan in general, but do like certain artists. That said, it seems like the majority of country artists are quite vocal regarding their Christian beliefs. I haven't watched an awards show lately for country music, but when I have the first 'thank you' is to God, 99 percent of the time. Just like awards shows for rap. I think CWB would be pandering if he didn't sing songs that were true to his roots and beliefs.

 

I have thought for awhile now that CWB would win, but Matt really impressed me last night. Not that he hasn't all along, but on a shallow note I thought his looks might hold him back. While I prefer the U2 version of Still Haven't Found I was very impressed with Matt's. I would love to see him without those horrible glasses - I think there is a pretty good looking guy hiding behind them.

Edited December 9, 2014 by UsernameFatigue

[basiltherat]

Regarding the "religious" song "pandering" from Blake, from what I remember, the Grand Ole Opry shows always close with a "Gospel" song in which the entire cast (and most of the audience) sing along to a "religious" song.  That's something that has been happening for 70 years, so its not something that Blake pulled out of his butt for The Voice.  (Pharelll sactioning it will only add to the votes from his followers).  Other genres use "church choir" type groups; why can't country?  And I am an atheist.

[mercfan3]

Both of Chris' songs will get the multiplier, assuming he stays in the top 10 with Sugar, I believe. 

 

Like I said, I really don't understand the Chris favoritism. I like Chris the best. I like his voice the best. And he's a charismatic performer and obviously the most marketable for a record company. But there's no way he's going to win. So why push him so hard? 

 

But no, Damien has not been the worst bussed contestant ever. (Holly Tucker, Kristen Merlin, The Swon Brothers..remember that finale..) In fact, it's pretty normal for the person who performs first in the first hour to be the person who performed first in the second hour. Yes, he's gotten boring old songs..but the older people who watch the show actually like/prefer that style. Adam was just full on Adam with Chris and Damien's song choices all season..it was Chris that saved himself with his Bruno Mars pick. Damien picked a worse song for himself than Adam ever did. 

 

edit: It's pandering because so long as he does a decent job, he'll get a ton of votes. Country fanbases eat it up. It's just like if he sang a song that was an ode to America. 

Edited December 9, 2014 by mercfan3

[photo fox]

The only two religious songs I can think of from Blake's team have been this one from CWB, and the one from Holly Tucker. And both of those were contestant picks, I believe. And both of them had strong ties to those songs that pre-dated their appearances on The Voice. (I'm no fan of either CWB or HT, to be clear, or of super-churchy songs outside of church.)

I sincerely can't remember any others, but my memory for this show is blessedly short. Can someone remind me of the others?

[Nedsdag]

I was on another site and they were creaming in their panties over Chris's good, but not great version of the Bruno Mars song. I thought I needed my hearing checked. The fact that Adam sees him as a mini me last night made me like Matt more than I would've wanted to. His version of the SOA song was haunting, but the U2 song was clear karaoke/self indulgence. Nevertheless, I still like him better than Chris.

 

I didn't think CWB had a chance after the Merle Haggard song, but once he pulled out the Jesus/Red State/Christian pandering song and surprisingly did a decent job of it, he won me over...barely.

 

Poor Keanu Lincecum. I truly think his voice was shot from both performances. His falsetto was weak on "Falling Slowly," and I yearned to hear the other Taylor's version instead of his. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for him in the wild card. Hopefully his tween fans will pull him through.

 

Damien? I dislike anything Paula Cole sings, so when he turned it into a Lionel Richie-esque "All Night Long" complete with dance moves, I tuned out to the MNF game. 

[peachmangosteen]

In fact, it's pretty normal for the person who performs first in the first hour to be the person who performed first in the second hour. 

 

I didn't know that, but if it is true, then that's precisely why they're not gonna have someone they are favoring go first/precisely why they will have someone they aren't favoring go first.

 

And I certainly agree with you that Damien is in no way getting the kind of bussing treatment some others did. Which is why I should've given up on the show a long time ago!

[dizzyizzy01]

I didn't know that, but if it is true, then that's precisely why they're not gonna have someone they are favoring go first/precisely why they will have someone they aren't favoring go first.

 

I don't think they're intentionally favoring anyone on this show.  All the producers are trying to do is craft the show in the most entertaining way possible.  Not everyone will agree, but I can definitely see why out of all the second performances they chose to close with Chris.  Taylor wasn't particularly good with Blank Space, the U2 cover was awful, the Dawson's Creek them (really?!?), and a that fairly old Country song.

 

I don't think Damien's being bussed by Adam or the producers; and again, I really dislike Adam so I'm not saying this to defend Adam at all.  Out of all the remaining artists, Damien doesn't come across as a guy with super strong convictions or ideas of what kind of artist he is, and he naturally seems to gravitate towards older ballads.  That MJ song was a perfect choice for him.  I guess in sum, Damien's got a great voice, but that's honestly all I get from him.

[nextian]

Yes photo fox, I said the exact same thing this morning, aside from Craig's song last night, and a Holly song that season (both of which were contestant's choice) when has Blake picked a religious song? I own all of Cassadee and Danielle's voice performances, and there are no religious songs there. I don't buy or listen to the overly religious country songs, so all I thought was wow Craig did a nice job with that song, but I wouldn't buy it. I just can't see what's wrong with picking a song that you know you will sing well that may connect emotionally with a large amount of your target audience. Isn't that the point, don't you want to pick a song that will get you votes? Aren't many people on here railing against Adam for his bad song choices for Damian, but Craig picked a song that is getting him votes and that's wrong? I doubt any of us knows for sure whether or not Craig is a very religious person in "real life" so how can we say for sure that he is pandering? Maybe he sings that type of gospel/country all the time and he knows he is good at it.

[limecoke]

Wow.  Taylor looks miles better without the hat but, good grief, that "Falling Slowly" was terrible.  It has certainly been performed tons better on singing competitions (see: Kris Allen).  Can't really see him making final three.  Wildcard, maybe.  Taylor is too sad-sack and pathetic for me.  There's just no joy in his singing...

 

I'm predicting Craig, Chris and Matt will be final three 'cause it's pretty obvious at this point.  Can't call winner between Chris and Matt but I'm thinking Matt.  He gets tons of votes for hair and glasses alone.  His voice does nothing for me and I hate that another Adam contestant will win.  My pick would be Craig but he's not going to win and I hope Blake manages to help him in Nashville.

 

It's a shame Damien won't make final three.  He has arguably the best voice in the competition but has gotten hosed by song choice and performance position.  Fingers crossed that he will be the wildcard.

[klarsonovsky]

It doesn't really seem fair that Chris got a song that hasn't been released yet. Most people won't have heard it so he's insulated from comparisons to original, and it has to boost his iTunes sales that the single isn't available anywhere else.

 

Will the elimination be done instantly via Twitter? That will suck for contestants whose fan base probably skews older, like Danica and Damien. (I know they are both in their 20s, but based on song choices I'm guessing their fans mostly aren't)

 

My pick to win is probably Taylor, because in addition to a nice voice, he's the only one who really has his own voice artistically and shows it consistently. We've never had a winner like that, which is probably a big part of why no past winners have really made it big yet commercially (I define making it big as having more than just one single that sells well.).

 

But I really like Matt and when he wins, he will have earned it.

Edited December 9, 2014 by klarsonovsky

[mercfan3]

It works the other way too. People like songs that they've heard before. Plus, a song like "Sugar" doesn't typically sell well, and IMO..it did because of how well Chris did with the Bruno song. 

[Noreaster]

Itunes as of voting close:

(http://headlineplanet.com/home/2014/12/09/voices-craig-wayne-boyd-claim-itunes-bonus-matt-chris-also-top-10/)

 

2) Craig Wayne Boyd (Team Blake) – The Old Rugged Cross
5) Matt McAndrew (Team Adam) – Make it Rain
6) Chris Jamison (Team Adam) – When I Was Your Man
10) Chris Jamison (Team Adam) – Sugar
15) Matt McAndrew (Team Adam) – I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
18) Taylor John Williams (Team Gwen) – Falling Slowly
23) Craig Wayne Boyd (Team Blake) – Workin’ Man Blues
26) Damien (Team Adam) – She’s Out of My Life
27) Taylor John Williams (Team Gwen) – Blank Space
58) Damien (Team Adam) – I Don’t Want to Wait

[Noreaster]

Last night, the show decided to go with coaches' choices first, then the contestants' (?) choices + homecoming clips second, but I wish they mixed it up instead. For everyone except Craig, the coaches' choices were better.  

 

FYI, since there might still be some confusion, tonight's wildcard is not a twitter-save.  It's regular voting (phone/email/itunes/text) with the window closing earlier than normal at 3am ET/12am PT.  

[SnarkyTart]

Just dropping off a post I made on October 2nd during the blind auditions.  Enjoy your win Craig Wayne Boyd.  This is the reason I didn't watch past the blinds.  Meh.

 

SnarkyTart, on 02 Oct 2014 - 10:52 AM, said:

If the audience is skewing female, more mature, and more midwest or southern, the show isn't interested in finding the next Justin Bieber.   However, I predict the show is very interested in keeping around an older Travis Tritt-type country singer who wears tight jeans and resembles a heftier Bo Bice.   I'm calling it now, that guy (whose name I don't remember) is in the final 3, no matter whose auditions we have yet to see.

 

 

[MelsW]

When Damien went first and the song Adam chose for him was some old Michael Jackson ballad, I did a big fat eye roll and started thinking maybe there is something to the “Damien is getting thrown under the bus by Adam” accusations. However, Damien went and picked his own song, which happened to be the Dawson’s Creek theme song, as interpreted by Peter Gabriel and sung by Damien. Game Over. Damien dug that grave for himself.

 

I am an atheist who listens to country and think accusing Blake of pandering to the Jesus vote is baseless. Other than Holly, the self-described Christian country singer who picked her own religious song, or CWB who picked his classic country song that is Jesusy, who on team Blake has sung anything religious? Who has Blake given a religious song to? (answer: no one).

Edited December 9, 2014 by MelsW

[ChicksDigScars]

Hmm. So Adam is letting Chris sing one of his songs. He must really like the kid.

 

He really likes HIMSELF more. 

 

don't understand the annoyance at Blake for allegedly "pandering" to voters and "playing games". Isn't Blake's entire job to position his artist for the win?

 

And it worked. CWB was in the I-Tunes Top 10 before the West Coast had even seen his performance last night.  Mission accomplished. 

 

I'm sorry, but when Damien started with the Michael Jackson tune, I just started laughing. There's a old, VERY politically incorrect stand up routine from Eddie Murphy, dated back to 1983,  where he impersonates Michael Jackson singing "She's Out Of My Life." He prefaced it by commenting how Michael CRIES during a performance, and girls start "dropping their drawers on stage,"  Think 1983. Michael was still considered a sex symbol, not a freak show. In the middle of the performance, Eddie stops singing, gets emotional and calls out, "Tito, get me a tissue...." 

 

OMG, I wanted Damien to say that SO MUCH. I'd have thrown him 10 votes if he would have. 

[realdancemom]

Chris should pick his songs.  When I Was Your Man was the first time that he really impressed him.  I liked some of his performances like the Nick Jonas one.  But Adam gave him that awful Don't song and Sexual Healing.

 

Taylor has really nice thick hair underneath his hats.  I thought he would keep it off last night.  I still like him but his two performances last night were off.

 

Country is not my thing but Craig did well.

 

I like Matt's first performance.  I like U2 and Bono so he would have had to be amazing for me to like the second performance.

 

I think Damian did a good job with Michael Jackson.  I think he was trying to do an uptempo second song but it didn't work.  He has done uptempo songs before and did well.  This was in group performances and one of his battles.

[Padma]

I think the only one bussed worse than Damien was Kristen. Also, re: Damien. I'd be really curious out of all of the songs Adam chose for him, how many were made famous by AA performers? Also: how many were first-time hits in the last decade? Then see how this compared v. Matt and Chris' assigned songs.

 

I'm glad someone else mentioned Matt's glasses negatively. I hate them! And while I've read lots about how he looks cute or like (cute) Harry Potter, I think they're ugly and I think they make him look ugly. Without them, or with a different style, I think he'd have a good look. Maybe he'll go on Broadway like Josh and get rid of them.

 

re: Old Rugged Cross.  I hated the choice, but don't think it was Blake playing the "religious card" since it's apparently a CWB standard. And it seems a big success in iTunes (Did anyone tell Damien to think about iTunes sales when he chose his song, that is, if he got to choose at all, which I doubt.)

 

I think the religious song might not have been so annoying if Pharrell hadn't gone into it so much. I guess he just assumes everyone loves to hear about Jesus and Christianity, even on a singing show. He seems so clueless with all his pandering. I took this as another version of his usual, "The people in Missouri/Nashville/Jamaica/the airport will be so proud of you." Or, when he's got to come up with something new "Your mother/father/students/baby will be so proud when they see this."  Amazing how quickly the live shows brought him from "awesome" to "annoying".

[Kcat1971]

It doesn't really seem fair that Chris got a song that hasn't been released yet. Most people won't have heard it so he's insulated from comparisons to original, and it has to boost his iTunes sales that the single isn't available anywhere else.

 

 

 

Well it is "available" if you buy Maroon 5's latest album which has been out for awhile.  And it's also been featured in a Car commercial which aired sometime this season during The Voice.  I really doubt that Chris' sales were increased do to any sort of supply and demand analysis.  If someone really wanted that song, they'd probably buy the Maroon 5 album over Chris's version.  (I have the album.  Its not my favorite song on the album.  I thought Chris did a good job with it, but I don't need to own his version so I didn't buy it.  I did however vote for him.)

[Noreaster]

I think the only one bussed worse than Damien was Kristen. Also, re: Damien. I'd be really curious out of all of the songs Adam chose for him, how many were made famous by AA performers? Also: how many were first-time hits in the last decade? Then see how this compared v. Matt and Chris' assigned songs.

This doesn't even make sense to me.  Let's look at all the songs that Blake gives his country contestants.  It's almost all songs by white people. What does that mean?

[rollerblade]

And here I thought AA performers meant the mega-superstars. You know... the B-list performers, A-list performers, and so on. :P

[Padma]

This doesn't even make sense to me.  Let's look at all the songs that Blake gives his country contestants.  It's almost all songs by white people. What does that mean?

Maybe it means that almost all country songs are originally recorded by white people.

 

I'll bet the answers to my two questions show a very different pattern of song selection for Damien v. Matt and Chris. Do I think Adam's racist? Not exactly. But for whatever reason, I think he -does- seem to think "black male Voice contestants should get assigned songs by other black males." Or, if that's too general, what's the reason he's doing it to Damien? This guy can sing  anything by anyone.  I also think the second question--about how dated the songs are that he's given Damien is also very telling. To me, that's "bussing".

 

I even like Adam as a judge, but I have very mixed feelings about him as a coach. And I hate how predictable the performance placement on this show has become (Damien = worst spot, then Adam's T2=very advantageous.)

 

I was impressed by Chris last night, but I think he should forget about his "false" (TM Pharrell)

[dizzyizzy01]

I think the only one bussed worse than Damien was Kristen. Also, re: Damien. I'd be really curious out of all of the songs Adam chose for him, how many were made famous by AA performers?  Also: how many were first-time hits in the last decade? Then see how this compared v. Matt and Chris' assigned songs.

 

 

I'll never agree Kristen was bussed, and I don't think Damien was either.  I actually think Damien's tastes veer towards older songs.  He's not a modern/current music scene guy.  His key influences on his facebook page are Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, and Marvin Gaye.  There's nobody from this century.  Adam gave him a song by one of the hottest artist's of the year, Sam Smith, and it was a song Damien didn't even know.  I think Damien's leanings towards older songs is his own personal taste, not Adam's influence, at least not entirely.

 

I even like Adam as a judge, but I have very mixed feelings about him as a coach. And I hate how predictable the performance placement on this show has become (Damien = worst spot, then Adam's T2=very advantageous.)

 

 

Adam doesn't pick the performance order; the producer's do.  And, right or wrong, they do it based on what they think makes an entertaining show.

Edited December 9, 2014 by dizzyizzy01

[peachmangosteen]

I think at this point either you believe there's manipulation on the show or you don't and nothing is ever gonna change anyone's mind either way. 

 

I'm glad it was pointed out that Chris' song was a new song because I spent his whole performance trying to figure out what the hell the song was!

[ennui]

I don't think it really matters who wins. The challenge is for the artists to make the most of this opportunity, and hope for something that continues after the show is over. I think Idol and Clay / Ruben taught us that you don't necessarily need to win.

 

I'll have to pay more attention to Matt, since so many are predicting his win. He's not even on my radar ... maybe I start channel surfing when he comes on?

[Ketzel]

I was impressed by Chris last night, but I think he should forget about his "false" (TM Pharrell)

I think the TM actually belongs to Randy Jackson. :-) I remember how annoying that abbreviation was when he started using it on American Idol.

[Noreaster]

Maybe it means that almost all country songs are originally recorded by white people.

Yeah, that's the point.  Most R&B songs are originally recorded by black people.  

[lyric]

I think at this point either you believe there's manipulation on the show or you don't and nothing is ever gonna change anyone's mind either way.

Yeah, I gotta agree with you peach - though I will throw one more theory on the fire, just for kicks.  I do think the producers want to make the most compelling show possible, regardless of how 'fair' the performance order shakes out. Though I do wonder why, in that case, why not place your most 'popular' contestant(s) last?  Isn't that the one most people will stay tuned to watch? 

 

So, part of me think they might want to make Chris happen - and maybe even wanted Grimmie to happen last year - because they believe they're best positioned, for whatever reasons, to become a credible 'star'.  Not because they have a financial stake in the winner's success (such as Idol does), but without the prize meaning something, why even bother with the pretense of a competition?  Then it just becomes a showcase of hopeful artists, and the premise, judges, 'battles', etc. become sort of pointless if there's nothing really at stake.   To be clear, I don't believe this, necessarily, just tossing it out as a possible motive.  What the hell...

 

I dunno - it's fun to speculate on behind the scenes shenanigans... but yeah, I doubt there's intent to favor a specific judge, and if they were to do that - why pick Blake or Adam - only to ensure more lopsided teams in the future (read: BORING) nor do I think they 'bus' people because they just don't like them - I think decisions they make are purely to sustain the show's revenue foothold, ultimately.

Edited December 10, 2014 by lyric

[NewRadical]

I agree that I don't think there is an attempt to favour one judge... If that was the case then I think Christina would have been noticeably favoured  (and maybe she has, I really don't watch a whole lo, but she was arguably the biggest star when this show started).

But I do end up thinking Adam and Blake's teams end up getting favoured because their artists sing songs that are more likely to be big on itunes.. I am not sure if thats because great artists seems to go with them (Adam and all his four chair turns; Blake getting the best country artists), or they are better at keeping great artists (Pharrell eliminated most of his talent before lives and Gwen had Craig and chose Anita), or if they just pick better songs for their candidates.

I also think Adam's smugness plays a factor. Personally, I notice more favouritism because I get annoyed with him and his marketing as the four chair terms. So maybe it's in my head but stop being so smug, Adam!

[Muffyn]

I think the only one bussed worse than Damien was Kristen. Also, re: Damien. I'd be really curious out of all of the songs Adam chose for him, how many were made famous by AA performers? Also: how many were first-time hits in the last decade? Then see how this compared v. Matt and Chris' assigned songs.

 

I'm glad someone else mentioned Matt's glasses negatively. I hate them! And while I've read lots about how he looks cute or like (cute) Harry Potter, I think they're ugly and I think they make him look ugly. Without them, or with a different style, I think he'd have a good look. Maybe he'll go on Broadway like Josh and get rid of them.

 

re: Old Rugged Cross.  I hated the choice, but don't think it was Blake playing the "religious card" since it's apparently a CWB standard. And it seems a big success in iTunes (Did anyone tell Damien to think about iTunes sales when he chose his song, that is, if he got to choose at all, which I doubt.)

 

I think the religious song might not have been so annoying if Pharrell hadn't gone into it so much. I guess he just assumes everyone loves to hear about Jesus and Christianity, even on a singing show. He seems so clueless with all his pandering. I took this as another version of his usual, "The people in Missouri/Nashville/Jamaica/the airport will be so proud of you." Or, when he's got to come up with something new "Your mother/father/students/baby will be so proud when they see this."  Amazing how quickly the live shows brought him from "awesome" to "annoying".

It was Pharrell that took it over the top for me,  Old Rugged Cross, while not a song I enjoy, is a country classic.  Pharrell made me want to throw things at him to get him to shut up.  Take it down about 50 notches, mm-kay?

 

I think Chris has improved greatly throughout the competition.  Because he has not yet fully defined who he is or performed so much that he is set in his ways, he has been able to use the coaching and the experience to his advantage.  I find him charismatic without being smarmy.  His voice is good and could become much better with more coaching.  Same for his performance style.  The Voice hasn't been very successful with their contestants after the show.  To me, win or lose, he has a chance of success.  

 

CWB really stepped up and now he's slipping back into old habits.  He has to be careful not to become another good bar band singer.  There are plenty of them out there.  He really needs to keep focusing on those little changes (not just talking about his hair) that made him that much better.  With his Eagles song last week and his songs last night, it felt too much like he's done those many times before.  

[Padma]

Yeah, that's the point.  Most R&B songs are originally recorded by black people.  

True, but my feeling is that there was no reason to give Damien old R&B songs except for the reason I've already said. Especially on Team Adam where "Experimentation!" and "Out of Your Comfort Zone!" and "Trust Me!" are the Team Adam mottos.

 

Also, when Damien chose his own song to sing (finally insisted on it), he chose Adele. So I don't think he was committed to only doing decades' old R&B chestnuts.

Edited December 10, 2014 by Padma

[ToxicUnicorn]

Chris has come on strong the past two weeks.  I thought he had no charisma at the beginning of the season.  This week, I really enjoyed watching him perform.  He nailed "Sugar".  (Which: random segue alert: reminds me of the highway PSA I saw yesterday: "Drive Hammered, Get Nailed")  I liked his performance of "When I was Your Man" as well, just because he did it differently.  Will Champlin still owns that song for me, though.

 

Chris has become my favorite, just as Will was last season.  He seems like an introvert who is really into music.  I like that.

 

Damien's performance of MJ's "She's Out of My Life" was stunning.  Good job, Damien.  I agree, he has the strongest voice left - it was between Danica and him this season, I think. 

 

Matt: Performance quality - A+, Vocals - B'ish, which are elevated by his sheer charisma.  I still find him only ok, but I wouldn't be surprised if he strolled away the win.

 

CWB: I've decided I really, really do not like his southern rock delivery.  I just don't find him that outstanding.  He absolutely deserves to be a working musician, but I disagree that he could be the next big thing.  Having said that, his second song was probably my favorite performance of his, because he got lost in it rather than being seeming so self-aware.  The religion and the Blake/Pharrell comments didn't bother me (whereas Holly Tucker rubbed me the wrong way).  Sometimes, people sincerely sing their hearts out about religion.  Ok, then.  Still - not at all my favorite, and I would be disappointed if he won.

 

T3N: Worst night ever for him, but it was nice to see him smile.

 

I'd be happy with either a Chris or Matt win.  I dearly hope Damien gets to keep singing as a career and someone can take him under his wing.  Maybe he should only record and not be allowed to perform more than one song live at a time.  The way he performs now is begging for a parody, which is too bad, because he is wildly talented.

[ChicksDigScars]

CWB really stepped up and now he's slipping back into old habits.  He has to be careful not to become another good bar band singer.  There are plenty of them out there.  He really needs to keep focusing on those little changes (not just talking about his hair) that made him that much better.  With his Eagles song last week and his songs last night, it felt too much like he's done those many times before.

 

Which is what I think he was doing with Old Rugged Cross. I'm not into classic Country, I'm more of a new Country Rock fan, but old classic country has its roots in Gospel. And Old Rugged Cross is DEFINITELY not a honky tonk, "hey, bartender," and "show us your boobies," song.  

 

I did think that the Jesus church lighting behind Craig was a little ham handed. But that's not his call (rolling my eyes at YOU, show).

 

I wonder, if the I-Tunes vote had been in play during Burnett's old Rock Star INXS days, would Marty Casey's "Hit Me One More Time" have broken the Top Ten? I think it would have. Probably JD's "Pretty Vegas," as well. 

[Noreaster]

True, but my feeling is that there was no reason to give Damien old R&B songs except for the reason I've already said. Especially on Team Adam where "Experimentation!" and "Out of Your Comfort Zone!" and "Trust Me!" are the Team Adam mottos.

 

Also, when Damien chose his own song to sing (finally insisted on it), he chose Adele. So I don't think he was committed to only doing decades' old R&B chestnuts.

I don't mean to go back and forth on this, but here's my view. Giving Damien old-school R&B songs is a legitimate strategy intended to help him get far in the competition. It's not throwing him under the bus, and I don't get making it about race. As mentioned a couple of times in other threads, Adam's history with African-American contestants show there's been a variety of strategies employed. For Damien, the song choice strategy actually matches well with his competencies and genre preferences. And again, Damien has in fact been given a recent song with Sam Smith in the live playoffs. 

 

Of course, feel free to criticize the strategy and song choices. I'm not really trying to argue that Adam's strategy was a great one (although I tend to be more results-oriented and this strategy did succeed in getting Damien to Top 5). And I imagine another coach more well-versed in R&B/soul may have gone with better/newer song choices (then again, maybe not...see Pharrell). But overall I don't really understand the Adam sabotage or race argument. 

Edited December 10, 2014 by Noreaster

[rollerblade]

Yea I don't see anything race-card at all. But Adam could give him better old school R&B songs, like that usual vote-grabbing powerhouse - A Song For You. Even those Idol "classic" Superstition or For Once In My Life would have been better than Dawson's Creek. He was great on his Battles, which was an upbeat song; so not like he only excels with ballads.

 

Performance can be coached. Look at Carrie Underwood. She was stiff as hell during Idol, even on Alone. Leona Lewis is another example.

 

That said, there was no way he could've beaten Matt/Craig/Chris, given their respective songs this week, so he was stuck on 4th either way. We'll see if he'll get a better sing order next week haha.

[mercfan3]

Damien picked the Dawson's Creek song. I feel like any criticism for Adam's song choices goes out the window with Damien's pick. 

At the end of the day, that's who Damien is as an artist. He's an old school R&B singer. And I actually don't mind that Adam went with lesser known songs. 

 

His constantly forcing Chris to do pop dance boyband songs, when Chris very clearly was also an R&B singer (although, a different type..Damien's more powerful, Chris more of a crooner..like an Usher style..) was not only a poor strategy (IMO, Chris could be a front runner instead of third or fourth finisher if we got more songs like "If I Was Your Man" and less songs like "Jealous.") but it also isn't the musical style that he wants to be in. He flat out said that he was uncomfortable with Uptown Funk. 

 

But I also think it's unfair to say that Adam outright busses people. He doesn't. I think he tries to do what is best for his contestants. He can just be out there sometimes. And yes, he has his favorites. Every coach has their favorites..but the worst I would say Adam can be is neglectful of them. (Which worked pretty well for Will.) 

 

Now the show..the show definitely did not want Damien in the finale..(And pimped the heck out of Chris..) 

[Muffyn]

Proving that I am secretly 104, whenever I see "busses" I think kisses.  Adam needs to keep his lips to himself.  

[realdancemom]

Chris peaked at the right time.  Monday was his best performance night.  In contrast, Taylor's voice was tired unfortunately.  However, I also noticed that Taylor was playing with his ear piece during Blank Space.  Do you think he was having sound problems?  I know it has happened on the show before and could explain why he was sometimes off.

[rollerblade]

That's interesting. I thought Jealous was Chris' breakout moment. He gained *SO* much momentum from the Top 12 week and continued on strongly, albeit at half the rate as that particular week. Though I suppose no one gained as much momentum than Matt with Take Me To Church.

 

In contrast, I was kinda disappointed with his When I Was Your Man (especially after reading the east coasters rave reviews). That probably has a lot to do with Bruno's perfect performance of the same song on the same Voice stage couple seasons ago. Gosh that was so perfect, 100x better than the album version. I also thought Will Champlin did a bit better job (imo) with that song than Chris. Not quite as great as his Secrets though.

 

I guess we're all different individuals with different preferences and opinions. :)

[mercfan3]

I thought Chris performed all of the songs given to him well. I prefer R&B Chris to boyband Chris..but the kid sings on pitch and delivers every time he gets thrown up there. 

 

But the reality is, songs like "When I Was Your Man" attracts more voters than songs like "Jealous." The Voice audience is skewing older (why the strategy of older R&B songs weren't bad. My older family members love Damien..and the songs Damien sings.) Heck, even "Sexual Healing"..a ridiculous song choice if there ever was one..did better on itunes..likely because it's not current pop. 

 

Now that being said, "When I Was Your Man" is my absolute favorite performance...probably this season (although Taylor's "Royals" and two of Matt's are up there for me..). I thought he sang it better than Bruno (I like the falsetto changes)..and the ending was just..so perfect. 

Edited December 12, 2014 by mercfan3

[realdancemom]

I did like Chris' performance of Jealous but then Adam gave him Sexual Healing and I think there was another song in between.  So I think he lost momentum.  I didn't watch Will's season but I loved how Chris performed When I Was Your Man. 

 

FYI - I am older so I don't mind older songs like what Damian sang.  I just don't think people should sing Marvin Gaye because it's like singing Witney's songs.  You will always be compared to them.  It's also the reason why I didn't like Matt doing the U2/Bono song.