S08.E17: Live Top 12 Performances

[Tara Ariano]

The Top 12 vocalists perform.

[Donny Ketchum]

As I watch:

 

Team Adam

Brian: Once again, good vocals.  Once again, though, unmemorable performance.  Really don't understand most of the good comments he gets from the coaches.  He'll probably get saved by America's vote, though, for a couple of weeks.

Deanna: Weak start, get a bit stronger in the middle, but petered out close to the end.  I love her voice, but my mind wandered throughout most of it.  Forgettable and unmemorable.  Plus, I think nerves got to her in the first minute.  Will still make it through with the vote, I think, if she gets the Christian vote.

Joshua: As expected, a good vocal.  And just as expected, boring and uninteresting.  But he's constantly second behind Sawyer on iTunes, so he'll be good till the finale, boringness and all.

 

Team Pharrell

Mia: Great vocals and good energy, and she knew how to work the stage.  But the band drowned her out a few times.  She'll still make it through the vote, though.

Sawyer: As usual, amazing vocals, but I think the guitar hindered him to the point where he couldn't work the stage the way the better performances are done.  Nonetheless, he'll likely chart the highest again and survive the vote.

Koryn: Will have to edit later, since I lost my signal due to a thunderstorm and rain.  But it sounded like the coaches thought it was good, and she's courting the Christian vote again.

 

Team Christina

India: She took a risk, and I think it paid off, judging by how much the audience seemed to love her during and after the performance.  She had some times when she was drowned out by the music, though.  More production's fault than hers.  I think she'll get past the vote.

Rob: Strong start that got the ladies going!  Actually, it sounded and felt pretty strong throughout, from start to finish!  The audience gave him a lot of applause, so they very clearly loved him!  Could get through the vote, but if he charts as low as he did last week, he might need the Twitter save.

Kimberly: Saw hers, though!  Fantastic vocals, and a great way to end the show!  She'll get through with the vote, for sure!

 

Team Blake

Hannah: Vocals were beautiful, stayed almost perfectly on-key, and she worked the stage.  It was good, fun, and full of energy, and one I wouldn't mind hearing again.  Judging by her place on the charts, though, could be in trouble without the Twitter save.  And she might've been hurt by going first.

Corey: Good vocals again.  But also just as unmemorable.  But Christina has it right.  He has the girl vote for at least a few weeks.

Meghan: Lost the signal for her, but the coaches seemed positive it was good, so . . . I'll accept it.  Might pass on the vote.

 

As a side note, Hannah's mother's reaction to meeting Reba was adorable. :)

 

Decent episode.

Edited April 14, 2015 by Donny Ketchum

[Valny]

Deanna is toast.  But crazier things have happened so who knows!

 Corey could win this thing?(or however it was phrased) Nope Blake, not going to happen. 

 

Hannah is really growing on me, I hadn't given her a shot in the beginning of this competition. She's a lot of fun.

 

Shut up Blake, don't jinx Christina with that comment that she's going to win this season.  Actually, I think he's right but hush Blake!   She's got all winners on her team.

[kelnic86]

I had to lol when the coaches were actually praising Sawyer for missing a note. I love Sawyer, but that was unbelievable, imo.

[kechara]

I missed Sawyer and maybe the one before him. What did they sing?

[Archery]

I've heard many versions of Oceans, and Deanna did not do it justice. It's not a perform to the audience song; it's an intimate conversation . Her performance lacked focus.

Joshua looked and sounded exactly like Paul Simon, doing a Simon and Garfunkle song.

[Treebeard]

How does Blake not know that S & G song?? C'mon man.

Edited April 14, 2015 by Treebeard

[Dots And Stripes]

Kimberly Nicole is quickly becoming my favorite. I can't help but smile during her performances. She puts on a show. I wish she had a song which had not been covered so so so many times on singing competitions. The Voice is usually good with variety, so I was a little surprised this song made the cut.

 

Also, Christina choosing I Put a Spell on You made me miss Jacquie  (sp?).

 

Sawyer is probably my second favorite. I would like a Christina-Pharrell final two.

 

I also really liked Meghan. I was shocked to find that she didn't do better on itunes or have more followers. Was her duo not that big in the country world? I pegged her as a ringer with a built in base, but maybe not. She'll still likely make it pretty far.

 

Hannah, meet the bus. Bus, meet Hannah. Going first (again) after being saved by Blake. I have a feeling it's in part due to the fact that she picks up beat numbers that are good to start the show. Still, I'd rather see her stick around a few more weeks.

 

Bus, please also meet Brian. Performing second with a dull song, oh and it's difficult to sing too. Fantastic! It's obvious who is expendable.

 

As much as I would like to warm up to Deanna, I just can't. The pandering was cute for one week, Adam, but even Deanna wants to do something different.

 

Overall it's a really strong group. I'm thinking Team Adam (minus Deanna) and Team Pharrell (minus Sawyer) and Hannah could be in trouble. 

Edited April 14, 2015 by Dots And Stripes

[ChicksDigScars]

Sawyer could come out and croak his way through a song. He's got the I Tunes vote. I think he's adorable, but I'm getting bored. Same thing, different week. Sit behind the guitar and ballad it out.  I missed Sarah this week. I wish the three girls had gone through for Blake. 

 

Right now, I see a Sawyer-Kimberly-Meghan final. Fourth place is a free for all. 

[Valny]

How many get cut tomorrow? Two? Three? 

 

I was all set to get mad at Pharrell for not picking a better song that was stronger on vocals for Mia, then learned afterwards that she was the one who picked it.   It was good is some spots but overall disappointed. And I was kind of surprised the four of them liked it as much as they did though.

 

Joshua looked and sounded exactly like Paul Simon, doing a Simon and Garfunkle song.

 

  I missed his performance, what did he sing?

On a shallow note, man...he has beautiful blue eyes!

Edited April 14, 2015 by Valny

[Noreaster]

I caught the last half hour live (so Joshua, Meghan, and Kimberly) and then watched the rest of the performances online.

 

I really enjoyed Joshua and Kimberly.  For Meghan, I found her performance underwhelming probably because I really like the original song. She changed the melody and phrasing quite a bit which threw me off.  I also think she needed to sing more softly at times. Still, she was one of the better ones tonight.

 

As for the rest, holy crap. A lot of bad and boring performances. I guess Rob was decent although I personally wish he would pull back on all the runs.  And Corey was enjoyable enough.  Not a particularly challenging song but he knows how to convey emotion when he sings.  As for the rest of the contestants, I think they can all go home.  Didn't care for any of them.  

[jjjmoss]

I'm assuming the producers would love a Kim/Sawyer top 2 since it would mean that a non-Blake/Adam judge would win. Top 2 tonight on iTunes so far, though Meghan's close behind.

[lyric]

I also really liked Meghan. I was shocked to find that she didn't do better on itunes or have more followers. Was her duo not that big in the country world? I pegged her as a ringer with a built in base, but maybe not. She'll still likely make it pretty far.

 

Interestingly, she's just behind Sawyer on iTunes right now (he's 23, she's at 30) while Kim is at 63.  Also interesting, there are several others charting as well, but Mia isn't in the top 200, as of yet anyway.

 

Yeah, Sawyer could stand to mix it up, for sure, or he'll risk being viewed as a one trick pony - but, man, I think the tone & texture of his voice are really compelling.

Edited April 14, 2015 by lyric

[Valny]

As a side note, Hannah's mother's reaction to meeting Reba was adorable. :)

 

  She was pretty funny, I cracked up  when she said she was going to take some of Reba's hair. What did Hannah say, something like, don't make it creepy?!  :)

And speaking of creepy, does anyone think it's kind of creepy when Carson kisses the top of some of the girls heads? Maybe not creepy, but....uncomfortable looking?

 

 

For Meghan, I found her performance underwhelming probably because I really like the original song. She changed the melody and phrasing quite a bit which threw me off.

  I'm going to pull a Blake here, and say I've never heard that song before. Who sings it?

Edited April 14, 2015 by Valny

[Noreaster]

Little Big Town sings "Girl Crush".  It's a fairly new song so don't worry, you're not pulling a Blake!   I just happened to catch it one time on the radio (country radio!) and there's also been quite a bit of controversy surrounding the song.  Some people think it's about lesbians and have been complaining to radio stations about playing it.  

[kelnic86]

Before the lives, I thought India was Christina's best chance at winning. But Kim has been charting really well on iTunes and has been turning in some killer performances so far. I hope Christina can keep that momentum going for her because it's looking now like Kim is her best bet for the win.

[yourpointis]

http://www.lpb5.com/lpb1024.php?ref=lpb2&t=1428981427

 

 

10.    Kimberly Nicole   House Of The Rising Sun
12.    Sawyer Fredicks   Imagine
13.    Meghan Linsey   Girl Crush
55.    Joshua Davis   America
68.    Koryn Hawthorne   Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)
77.    Deanna Johnson   Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)
83.    Rob Taylor   I Put A Spell On You
84.    Corey Kent White   Why
103.  India Carney   Take Me To Church
111.  Hannah Kirby   Edge Of Seventeen
131.  Mia Z   Miss You
395.  Brian Johnson   If I Ever Lose My Faith In You

[Ketzel]

I enjoy Kimberly's performances, but tonight she did one thing that I really dislike -- she sang House of The Rising Sun with the lyric "It's been the ruin of many a poor boy and I, I know am one." No, no, no, just no. It's bad enough when male singers appropriate the song for themselves to begin with. When a woman sings it, I want to hear the original, traditional storyline, of a woman forced to make her living in a house of prostitution, with that poignant lyric "Go tell my baby sister, not to do what I have done, But to shun that house of shame and misery they call The Rising Sun."

[rollerblade]

And speaking of creepy, does anyone think it's kind of creepy when Carson kisses the top of some of the girls heads? Maybe not creepy, but....uncomfortable looking?

 

I must have blinked too quickly, but I think he kissed Adam's hand as well.

[Padma]

Rob, Kimberly and India all coached by Christina. How unfortunate! She absolutely has no love of the word "restraint" and--once again--I feel her coaching ruined some otherwise good talent.

 

I really hope that Corey and Hannah go home and Mia Z and Brian stay, but that's not going to happen, is it?

Edited April 14, 2015 by Padma

[yourpointis]

Wow #7,8 and 10 for Kimberly, Sawyer, and Meghan respectively. 

[Nedsdag]

After viewing tonight's show, I think they should end the show and give recording contracts for 3/4s of the contestants. Wow, what a night! 

 

There were some that were pedestrian (Hannah, Brian, Josh), some dull (Corey, Deanna), some off (Sawyer), but I truly enjoyed tonight's show.

 

The highlights:

 

• Kimberly, enough said.
• At first, I thought Rob was off on "I Put a Spell on You," but towards the end he picked it up. Enjoyable!
• It was inevitable that Meghan would go back to her country "roots," but she was powerful on that Little Big Town song.
• Where has Koryn been hiding over the past few weeks? Forget the gospel aspect, Pharrell. This was a phenomenal performance overall.
• Note to AI contestant JAX: Mia Z. showed how to make a song her own.
• India's "Take Me to Church" was interesting and not a copycat version like Matt McAndrew's version last season. I don't know if it will keep her out of the Twitter sing off, but it was a different side of her.

 

By the way, coaches, I don't think the "sound was off" on Deanna's performance. Deanna was "off" so to speak.

[Sharpie66]

Thank you, Ketzel, for pointing out the original meaning of The House of the Rising Sun. My favorite version of that song was done by The Weavers in 1959, predating The Animals by several years. Their version is sung by their female member, Ronnie Gilbert, and it is just gorgeous.

[Donny Ketchum]

Numbers as of now: http://www.livepopbars.com/lpb1024.php?Region=143441&Albums=0

 

5. Kimberly Nichole, "House Of The Rising Sun"
6. Sawyer Fredicks, "Imagine"
7. Meghan Linsey, "Girl Crush
34. Joshua Davis, "America"

42. Koryn Hawthorne, "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)"

55. Rob Taylor, "I Put A Spell On You"

57. Deanna Johnson, "Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)"

65. Corey Kent White, "Why?"

71. India Carney, "Take Me To Church"

77. Hannah Kirby, "Edge Of Seventeen"
92. Mia Z, "Miss You"

272. Brian Johnson, "If I Ever Lose My Faith In You"

 

Yeah . . . unless he's getting enough phone votes, Brian's in the sing-off, for sure.  Even a lot of last week's performances are beating him, which is, frankly, kind of dire.  Mia might be in danger, as well.  Just a question of whether or not Hannah can pull ahead of India in time or not.

 

On a side note, how very interesting to see Sawyer not winning for the whole group, for once!

 

ETA: Oops!  As of a few minutes later, a few people nosed up, and Rob actually moved ahead of Deanna!  Yay! :)

Edited April 14, 2015 by Donny Ketchum

[hincandenza]

I assume it's a bottom three and twitter save tomorrow?

Hannah: I just love her, she's awesome and fun. Her voice is like a laser it's so clean, and she works a stage like some badass 1980s rocker chick. I hope she sticks around.

India: I've really enjoyed her so far, but thought tonight was lousy, because major disconnect between words and performance. Her face, expression, and movements sang this like it was an Andrew W.K. "Let's party!" anthem. Meanwhile, the lyrics (and video) sing of a frustration with violent, virulent homophobia. I can't praise that kind of artistic misfire, even if her pitch was perfect.

Sawyer: Kid has an absurdly good voice, but that twitchy guitar work made me pause the DVR and go outside to smoke, just to calm down. I'm tired of WGWG acts; until Matt Bellamy auditions, they need to tell the singers that they aren't better than the guitarists in Our Band: House. He ain't going anywhere for a while, but I wish he'd focus on singing and ditch the guitar.

Koryn: Vastly improved; here, the hyperintense, angry singing worked on this song. I'm surprised, but I enjoyed this one quite a bit.

Joshua: Thank god the "drop the guitar" message got to someone. Very solid performance, and I like that his maturity gives him that "conversational" tone when he sings, the very thing I praised India last week. Good solid performance, he'll be aeound next week. Blake is right, he sings like he wrote the songs, and that's huge to me. :)

Meghan: I feel like Blake now, because I don't know that song, and the opening chords kept reminding me of the Supreme's "Where Did Our Love Go?". Like Josh, not perfect, but the work of a solid pro and mature artist.

Kimberly: This song is pretty overdone, and I have disliked Kimberly all season. I mention this, because that was one hell of a vocal bravura performance! I wish she'd dial back the melisma, but that was some serious throwback Aretha-esque singing. Freakish a set of pipes on that woman!

This week was MUCH better than last week, and no one was bad-just a few "meh" performances. The divide is starting to grow, and the top half is starting to become more clear and separate from the rest.

[Donny Ketchum]

Numbers as of now: http://www.livepopbars.com/lpb1024.php?Region=143441&Albums=0

 

3. Kimberly Nichole (Team Christina), "House Of The Rising Sun"
6. Sawyer Fredericks (Team Pharrell), "Imagine"
7. Meghan Linsey (Team Blake), "Girl Crush"
33. Joshua Davis (Team Adam), "America"

40. Koryn Hawthorne (Team Pharrell), "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)"

51. Rob Taylor (Team Christina), "I Put A Spell On You"

56. Deanna Johnson (Team Adam), "Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)"

64. Corey Kent White (Team Blake), "Why?"

68. India Carney (Team Christina), "Take Me To Church"

75. Hannah Kirby (Team Blake), "Edge Of Seventeen"
88. Mia Z (Team Pharrell), "Miss You"

262. Brian Johnson (Team Adam), "If I Ever Lose My Faith In You"

 

So Kimberly maintains her lead.

Edited April 14, 2015 by Donny Ketchum

[anonymiss]

I liked "Edge of Seventeen." Hannah wasn't bad but the song was better than her performance of it.

 

Mia underwhelmed me and seemed to be holding back, even with her falsetto which I don't think reached whistle tones. She would connect with the audience better if she got rid of the thick fringe obscuring her eyes. And she seemed to move and dress too "small" on stage this time.

 

I don't care for people like Corey who skate by on their apple pie looks. I agree Sawyer also has this to some extent. He's had some truly dull performances, but I always believe him when he sings. 

 

Koryn was trying to perform with gusto and it didn't move me. No variation. Just forced instead of a feeling of genuine emotion, unlike what Sawyer can do.

 

Joshua may be older but he's younger than women like Reba who might give him the attractive vote. (I just see a borderline receding hairline.)

 

Kimberly did well but that song's been done to death. I'd like to combine Mia's tone and range and Kimberly's power and stage presence.

Edited April 14, 2015 by anonymiss

[Koffee Kup]

 

Kimberly: This song is pretty overdone, and I have disliked Kimberly all season. I mention this, because that was one hell of a vocal bravura performance! I wish she'd dial back the melisma, but that was some serious throwback Aretha-esque singing. Freakish a set of pipes on that woman!

 

I skipped Kimberly last night and was getting intrigued to go listen to her performance, based on others comments, until I read the bolded.   I dislike Aretha with the heat of a zillion easy bake ovens so that put an end to any thoughts of seeking out the performance.  I I don't like loud, over melissma'd singing.

 

Still rooting for Sawyer and could feel the emotion when he was singing.

Edited April 14, 2015 by Koffee Kup

[Mocking Bird]

"Ah cain't unnerstan inny thaang yore say-in"--Reba McEntire

 

 

 

Don't get-and/or Meh:  Hannah (on the bubble), Magilla Gorilla Brian, Rob

Terrible:  India, Nervous Wreck Deanna

Awesome:  Kimberly

Would Buy 'cuz I'm Old:  Joshua

Great, but Bleecch! at the Amish Look:  Sawyer

Very Good but Don't Care:  Mia

Who?:  Koryn

Sang "Why?".  How Appropriate:  Corey

Intense Dislike Due to Styling Choices:  Meghan

Edited April 14, 2015 by Mocking Bird

[FormerMod-a1]

I'm surprised Ocean's is doing so well.  I thought it sounded horrible and for sure to be the bottom of sales.

[Kcat1971]

Well first off, let me say that due to family issues (previously mentioned 8 year old was having a minecraft meltdown) I missed quite a lot of the show.  The only performance I missed completely was Rob but I didn't feel the need to go back and watch it online- seen 1 "I Put A Spell On You" by Team X-tina, seen 'em all, I figure.

 

Given that Sawyer, Mia & India performed in the middle of the show I was expecting something HUGE at the end.  Koryn was better than expected.  I just don't care for Megan at all.  I like Joshua but it was a little underwhelming.  I'm not sure what to say about Kimberly.  I think in person it was probably great.  But frankly, it didn't quite live up to my expectation.  I think she's got an amazing voice and she has a great stage presence.  It just didn't fully come through on the TV for me.  Also I completely agree with the poster above who would have liked the original lyrics!

 

One last comment.  I want to like Deanna.  I want to root for her.  I want her to over come her stage fright.  She gets no votes and no sympathy from me after ruining Oceans last night.  I dislike pandering for votes immensely.  If she had done the song justice and had explained that it had special meaning for her, I'd have given her the benefit of the doubt and not assumed it was pandering.  But, when she expresses that she wasn't sure about it, and then doesn't do very well on it, I can't help but assume it was pandering.  (I'm looking at you, Adam.)  On the other hand, I'm tempted to throw her a few votes for doing a song that hasn't been done to death on singing shows. (I'm looking at you Rob & Kimberly!)

[Kcat1971]

I'm surprised Ocean's is doing so well.  I thought it sounded horrible and for sure to be the bottom of sales.

 

Are you familiar with the song outside of last night's performance?  It's hugely popular in Christian music right now.  I am wondering if the studio recording is better than what Deanna did last night.  If she had done well I probably would have bought it, but I agree it sounded terrible on the show last night.  I think the song was picked to reach a target audience, and I think the iTunes sales show that it probably did reach that audience.

[desertflower]

We sing Oceans at our church sometimes and the girls in our worship band sing it way better than Deanna did. I like her, she's gorgeous and does have an interesting voice, but she didn't do as much with the song as she could've. There are parts in that song that can be really soaring and dramatic and she missed some opportunities with it. Of course it didn't help it was a chopped up version.

I really dig Hannah, I know she won't make it to the very end but she's entertaining and her voice is awesome.

I liked Kimberly better this week; last week even though everyone was raving I thought there was something off-putting about her voice. But this week I agree she was great.

[Princess Lucky]

Did Corey just pull a Reghan? All he has to do, with that cute lil' face and that sweet (if bland) voice, plus the country hits Blake is giving him, is to sing decently. He blew it. I don't think he'll be going anywhere this week but come next week all bets are off. Plus, with Meghan doing so well (and back doing country, and nailing it -though I didn't know that song either) Blake may just bet on her for this season. To be fair, I don't think he's pushing as hard (how many times can he win in a row?), this is one of those seasons where he lays back, but still. Somebody from team Blake's gotta be in the final 5-ish. And, I don't care, I adore Hannah. She'll also likely be eliminated soon (if not tonight) but I love that girl. Oh well.

 

Mia's terrible sales are proof, yet again, that song choice is everything. If she goes home while others stay it'll be a travesty (and I don't even like her, but she's a way better singer than the likes of Deanna, Corey or even Sawyer). I appreciate Sawyer's voice but I feel I'm both too old and too young to appreciate him (I'm 30, not 13 nor 55). And I do like Koryn but I doubt she'll go that far. Still, that's how you conquer your nerves.

 

Xtina is nailing it this season. Kimberly is awesome. Different enough but also professional, not relying "quirky" but having the chops to back it up. I like Rob, I don't think he'll go far either but he's a fun performer. And India is probably one of those contestants who are overqualified vocally but can't resonate emotionally (with the audience, not with the songs). Still, her performance was interesting and she's a great singer.

 

Team Adam is unimpressive. Deanna is also pulling a Corey, being cute but flopping live (not as badly, but still) and I'm 100% sure that if she wasn't as stunning as she is she'd get nowhere near the lives. Her voice is raw and interesting, but she's very inconsistent pitch-wise and a very timid performer. Brian is there as fodder. Joshua has a lovely voice but he bores me. I do think that an innovative song choice might get me to like him more. Something like when Cole Vosbury (speaking of Blake not going in as hard as he could) did Adorn. If Joshua keeps singing these lil' ditties he'll put me to sleep.

 

A very even season, all things considered. I'm not seeing a Blake or Adam victory, which will be good.

[Primetimer]

Plus: Reba's here, and all the moms are excited.

Read the story

[Archery]

How many get cut tomorrow? Two? Three? 

 

I was all set to get mad at Pharrell for not picking a better song that was stronger on vocals for Mia, then learned afterwards that she was the one who picked it.   It was good is some spots but overall disappointed. And I was kind of surprised the four of them liked it as much as they did though.

 

  I missed his performance, what did he sing?

On a shallow note, man...he has beautiful blue eyes!

He sang "America." ("Kathy, I said as we boarded a Greyhound in Pittsburgh. . .")

[waving feather]

Deanna is also pulling a Corey, being cute but flopping live (not as badly, but still) and I'm 100% sure that if she wasn't as stunning as she is she'd get nowhere near the lives. Her voice is raw and interesting, but she's very inconsistent pitch-wise and a very timid performer. Brian is there as fodder. Joshua has a lovely voice but he bores me. I do think that an innovative song choice might get me to like him more. Something like when Cole Vosbury (speaking of Blake not going in as hard as he could) did Adorn. If Joshua keeps singing these lil' ditties he'll put me to sleep.

 

That's the unfortunate thing about Deanna. Last week she sounded flawless but she's pitchy and tentative here. Like she doesn't even want to sing the song. I love her voice but she's lucky she's young and gorgeous with her inconsistency. Both Brian and Joshua bore me. I just don't see star quality with these two. I enjoy Joshua more when I'm just listening to him rather than watching him. He makes weird faces when he sings. That's for Team Adam. Deanna still could win but she needs to buck up.

 

I adore Hannah. Her voice is not one of my favorites but I love watching her on stage and 100% of the time I don't have to worry about her being pitchy ('cause she never is). She's just so solid and entertaining. She won't win but I'll enjoy her as long as I could. It was genius of Blake to give Meghan that song "Girl Crush". The lyrics are interesting and Meghan sang the heck out of it. Last week Blake's song choices for some of his contestants were questionable but I thought he nailed it for all 3 of his contestants this week. Sadly, Corey is the weak link and song choice can't help him if he can't deliver it. That's Team Blake, but Blake just seems to be enjoying it this season, instead of being in competitive mode.

 

I'm not a fan of Rob's vocal styling and I can never take that song seriously on singing competitions. I love love loved Kimberly last week. Like, one of the best performances ever on singing competitions kind of love. She sang well again this week but I had a harder time connecting to her. It's the song choice. And Haley Reinhart did it better, IMO. India was probably my favorite of the three. Well, until she went to touch the audience hands, which took me out of the mood of the song (and that song is all about mood). Overall, team Xtina went down a few notches in my books due to song choices.

 

Mia is such a natural and she's ready to be a popstar. It's all so effortless for her. If she can tap into her vulnerable side, she'll be golden. To me, Sawyer sounds the same every week, but that's not a bad thing because that's his signature sound and it never hurt Phillip Phillips. I still don't get Koryn. She attacks every song in the same manner. It became less impressive each time. Team Pharrell should be fine for now.

[FormerMod-a1]

Are you familiar with the song outside of last night's performance?  It's hugely popular in Christian music right now.  I am wondering if the studio recording is better than what Deanna did last night.  If she had done well I probably would have bought it, but I agree it sounded terrible on the show last night.  I think the song was picked to reach a target audience, and I think the iTunes sales show that it probably did reach that audience.

Just because a song is popular doesn't mean people will buy it from someone who sang it horribly and vote for them in doing so. If I *love* a song and someone sings it as horribly as Deanna did, I would never buy it, even if the studio version was better than the live version.  Why would I want to vote for something that sucked?  What I have done in the past is buy the original (if I didn't own it already) or maybe some other versions or covers of it, but I would never vote to keep the person that did it a major disservice by butchering it so horribly. 

[pivot]

I'm surprised Ocean's is doing so well.  I thought it sounded horrible and for sure to be the bottom of sales.

You never go wrong pandering to Christian voters on these shows.

I thought Deanna sounded awful and it was clear she wasn't happy about being forced to do another Christian song in that segment with Adam. Reminds me of how Adam kept giving Damien crappy old soul songs until he finally got to pick a song and it was current and his best performance. Adam did the same thing with Tessanne and reggae songs. One time is fine. More than that they end up getting pigeonholed.

I am hoping Hannah can pull off an upset and not land in the bottom 3. She and Rob were my favorites last night oddly enough since neither are my favorite contestants.

My bottom 3: Deanna, India and Corey

Actual bottom 3: Mia, Hannah and Brian with Mia getting the twitter save.

[DeLurker]

Kimberly Nichole (Team Christina), "House Of The Rising Sun" - I loathed this song before they started to air singing competitions.  Now I loathe it exponentially.

Sawyer Fredicks (Team Pharrell), "Imagine" - He bores me despite having a great voice.  Does nothing interesting with it.
Joshua Davis (Team Adam), "America" - Decent cover, but did not make it his own in anyway.

Rob Taylor (Team Christina), "I Put A Spell On You" - Lacks the charisma and presence to me to sell this.

India Carney (Team Christina), "Take Me To Church" - Enjoyed this despite being sick of the original

Hannah Kirby (Team Blake), "Edge Of Seventeen" - Never enjoyed this and this has not changed.
Mia Z (Team Pharrell), "Miss You" - Covering Mick gives you a LOT of room for making it your own, but I turned the channel the minute she sang "I mizz you".  Mia does not impress.

Brian Johnson (Team Adam), "If I Ever Lose My Faith In You" - See Joshua Davis.

[ChicksDigScars]

 I Tunes (as of Tuesday, 11:30 AM):

 

2. Kimberly Nicole: House of the Rising Sun
3. Sawyer Fredericks: Imagine
5. Meghan Linsey: Girl Crush
26. Joshua Davis: America

 

I'm okay with these four making it to the end. No lame duck on the judging panel on Finale Night. Last year with Adam owning three spots, was just too much. (but watching him lose to Blake's guy despite that, was delicious)

 

33. Koryn Hawthorne: Stronger
37. Deanna Johnson: Oceans
41. Rob Taylor: I Put a Spell on You
44. Corey Kent White: Why
51. India Carney: Take Me to Church
64. Hannah Kirby: Edge of Seventeen
74. Mia Z: Miss You

 

Poor Brian. Not in the Top 200. I think Adam chose badly last week. Brian is a nice guy with a pleasant voice, but the save should have gone to Tonya.

 

Quirky girls (or cute boys) seem to do well in the Twitter save (Hannah). Bye, Brian and Mia.

Edited April 14, 2015 by ChicksDigScars

[JeanneH]

I did not watch this live, and have not yet read other comments about it yet.  That said, holy smoke, Kimberly just blew the roof off that place, in a very good way. Best performance of the season (and I do mean performance, singing and how she performed the song).  I also liked Megan a lot, but I think she did better with this one country song than with songs from the other genres she's performed in so far. And I thought it funny how her accent kicked up more than a notch when talking with Reba. (the way it was edited, I would have loved to have seen what was said in the 30 seconds before where they started that clip - it appeared as if Reba already knew her)

 

On the opposite side of things, I'm glad someone finally called Mia on her mumbling. I wish someone would have called Sawyer out for missing that note in his song, instead of everyone making excuses. OK, they seemed to be having tech issues - which female singer did they say they couldn't her the first few lines of her song? - but a tech issue for just one note when the notes immediately before and after were fine? Not buying it.

[Padma]

I enjoy Kimberly's performances, but tonight she did one thing that I really dislike -- she sang House of The Rising Sun with the lyric "It's been the ruin of many a poor boy and I, I know am one." No, no, no, just no. It's bad enough when male singers appropriate the song for themselves to begin with. When a woman sings it, I want to hear the original, traditional storyline, of a woman forced to make her living in a house of prostitution, with that poignant lyric "Go tell my baby sister, not to do what I have done, But to shun that house of shame and misery they call The Rising Sun."

Seriously! I hated her performance for exactly this reason. Sing about a woman, regretting her life, warning another woman...When you sing as "a poor boy" it makes me think you have NO idea of what the song is about. They ding people for that when they don't emphasize a lyric properly, but when you sing something and give it a meaningless point of view...just no.

 

I would get rid of all but 2 belters (since it seems we're stuck with that style): Mia Z and Rob. (Bye, Meaghan, Koryn, Hannah, Kim, India). I'd also lose some of the most boring ones--Deanna and her pandering songs and bland Joshua and Corey. Who would that leave? Brian, Mia Z, Rob, Sawyer. Yes, that's an F4 that will never, ever happen.

[Steph619]

Damn, I really like Hannah and Mia and it's too bad that they're both charting low after last night's performances. It's a shame that either one of them or both should go home when they're more talented in my opinion than some of the other contestants.

From the Blind Auditions, I thought that India would be the front runner on Christina's team, but as the competition has progressed, that now seems to be Kimberley. She had a really great performance last night. On the other hand, I didn't like India's song choice for her voice at all or her performance.

[rollerblade]

Mia's terrible sales are proof, yet again, that song choice is everything. If she goes home while others stay it'll be a travesty (and I don't even like her, but she's a way better singer than the likes of Deanna, Corey or even Sawyer). I appreciate Sawyer's voice but I feel I'm both too old and too young to appreciate him (I'm 30, not 13 nor 55). And I do like Koryn but I doubt she'll go that far. Still, that's how you conquer your nerves.

 

Song choice clearly isn't everything if your name is Sawyer. I mean, #3 on itunes for that turd. I even prefer the faux punk princess version to his. (in case that wasn't obvious, I'm talking about Avril)

 

Why is Pharrell so bad at picking songs for his team?

[Kcat1971]

Just because a song is popular doesn't mean people will buy it from someone who sang it horribly and vote for them in doing so. If I *love* a song and someone sings it as horribly as Deanna did, I would never buy it, even if the studio version was better than the live version.  Why would I want to vote for something that sucked?  What I have done in the past is buy the original (if I didn't own it already) or maybe some other versions or covers of it, but I would never vote to keep the person that did it a major disservice by butchering it so horribly. 

 

I personally completely agree with you.  Which is basically what I said in the post I made before I responded to you.  But as Pivot said

 

You never go wrong pandering to Christian voters on these shows.

 Unfortunately, it seems like a certain segment of voters do not share our views.  I don't understand the reasoning behind it at all, but i recognize that it seems to be true.  The coaches seem to recognize it as well.  So that's why I asked if you were familiar with the song.

[limecoke]

I love you Reba!!!  You told MiaZ that you couldn't understand her words and she's been sliding by with that non-enunciation crap for weeks.  However, she was still a mush mouth in her performance so apparently she knows better than a professional. She's good, though and has a good chance to win. 

 

Sawyer is so unique and such a cutie, it's easy to root for him and I'm thinking he'll last till the finals.  However, (and I know this is blasphemy), I loathe "Imagine," so wasn't awfully impressed last night.  I'm also sick to death of "House of the Rising Sun," so meh on that performance.

 

I'm not familiar with "Oceans," but Deanna's performance sounded very off to me.  I like her though and think she'll make it through.

 

Not sure who's going home but guessing one of them will be Brian, which is a shame because he deserves to stay on vocals.

 

 

 

You never go wrong pandering to Christian voters on these shows.

If Adam picked "Oceans" for Deanna, does that mean he was betting on the Christian vote keeping her safe?  Deanna seemed reluctant to sing it at all.  I suppose there are times when it's pandering but betting there are lots of times when it's not.  I've seen it done on this show and on AI and sometimes it truly seems a heartfelt choice by the vocalist (if they picked the song).  I absolutely loved Craig Wayne Boyd's "Old Rugged Cross" last season and bought it on iTunes.  But he was my favorite and I loved everything he did so it didn't sway me one way or another.  Conversely, "Oceans" didn't make me run to vote for Deanna because, really, she did a poor job.   A fairly atheistic song like "Imagine" wouldn't make me vote against Sawyer.  I like Sawyer and hope he stays - I'm just sick of the song.  

Edited April 14, 2015 by limecoke

[Cementhead]

I love you Reba!!!  You told MiaZ that you couldn't understand her words and she's been sliding by with that non-enunciation crap for weeks.  However, she was still a mush mouth in her performance so apparently she knows better than a professional.

Yep!  I haven't understood a word out her mouth since she started. Probably has something to do with the fact that she literally sings with the microphone smooshed right up against her mouth. 

[Ketzel]

I love you Reba!!!  You told MiaZ that you couldn't understand her words and she's been sliding by with that non-enunciation crap for weeks.  However, she was still a mush mouth in her performance so apparently she knows better than a professional.

I didn't get Mia being arrogant and disregarding Reba's advice. I actually thought she was trying to enunciate more in the beginning of the song, but then she lost it. I think she's done that lazy slurred-singing for so long, it's going to take time for her to kick the habit. If she survives this round, I'd be very curious to see if she improves a little more next time. Edited April 14, 2015 by Ketzel

[BeReady84]

So I had to create an account JUST FOR THIS. I never write on boards (just stalk them). But I had to talk about Deanna's song. I have quite a few Hillsong albums but I never heard this song before. So I made myself listen to the original before watching her version. Someone was right when saying that this isn't quite a performance song (even though the band performs it). It's like singing a love song to one person (in a weird way). But if Deanna wasn't feeling the song then it makes sense that she couldn't really get the audience to connect (because she wasn't connected).

I think her version wasn't really good. Like at all. But I'm glad Adam picked it because I just listened to the original song like a million times on youtube and I will be buying that. NOT her version. The original in my opinion is so so good.