S08.E21: Live Top 8 Performances

[ChicksDigScars]

10:00 AM I-Tunes:

 

2. Sawyer (Same old, same old, stand in one place, hide behind the hat and guitar, and sing something ballady. He has a nice voice, especially for his age, but I'm seriously BORED)

7. Joshua (Damn. Bored again. Adam's fans are desperately trying to save him)

12. Kimberly

23.  Corey  (Nice cute kid, but OMG. Snoooooze. Dear Blake fans...SAVE THE GIRLS)

26. Meghan (once again, should be higher)

29. India

36. Koryn

44. Hannah (damn)

 

Meghan SHOULD be a lock for the Final show, but if this keeps happening, she could be gone the week before that. I don't like how the "cute boys" are outpacing the girls, who should be dominating this year.  The three guys left are blending into one big ballady "meh" for me. Man, I need some growly, manly Craig Wayne Boyd or something similar.  I need some leather. Some mike dropping rock and roll. Hannah can't be the only one left with balls. 

 

Blake should lose someone tonight, but I fear it will be the WRONG someone. 

 

Maybe if the show would let Meghan or Hannah CLOSE the show instead of reserving the last half hour pimp spots for Sawyer every week? Just a thought. Sawyer doesn't need pimping. He can open the show and still be fine. 

Edited April 28, 2015 by ChicksDigScars

[Hildegard802]

"did Gwen Sebastian write "Sangria"? I like Blake's singing but that's another terrible song choice for him, imo. And Gwen's "snaky" sorta dance-like gestures behind him are distracting, not sexy or whatever they're supposed to be. Pretty bad, both of them."

Gwen always does distracting movements that add nothing to the performance, whether she's Blake's backup singer or not. But when she's in backup singer mode, it's really distracting, and she needs to stop it. If she was doing a duet, she would be able to get away with some of it, but she's shoved so far to the back, she can't be viewed as anything but backup.

And yes, that's a horrible song, as horrible as "Honey Bee" or whatever that travesty is called.

[hincandenza]

I simply adore Hannah, but that wasn't great; her song selection killed her chances last night.  She needed something deeply personal and slowed down to explore a smoother, softer side of her voice- which Christina gently hinted at, a little late- and she didn't do that.

 

That's what the coaches are for: how did neither Blake nor Cee-Lo even suggest "Have you considered something that isn't some boring, repetitive 80's pop song?".  On the other hand, of all the songs she could pick, she "picked" a song from the last Mad Max movie?  And oh look, a brand new Mad Max movie is coming out in just a couple of weeks, being advertised during the commercial breaks!  What are the odds, the first singer is singing a song from the previous entry in that movie franchise?  Man, this show is chock full of coincidences!

 

Even with a likely product-placed song choice shoved down her throat, Hannah did hit all the notes and not sound like a foghorn on the fritz, so that should put her above at least 4 other people on tonight's show.  But this is a "singing" competition; they shoved her in at the top to be forgotten, she's not a cute and unthreatening teenage boy, so that should be that.  Eh, maybe she'll win the instant save, but I doubt it; this isn't about vocal performance.

 

Kimberly annoyed me in a way I can't explain; I felt an angry knot in my sternum hearing her sing.  I liked the arrangement, especially Paul's piano work- it was very Amanda Palmer in its stylings (well, except that AP actually covered Creep, but she did so on solo ukulele), although having since watched part of the Haley Reinhart video yes, this was clearly a stolen arrangement.  I'd FF'ed through the prep session, so I don't know if they paid homage or claimed Kimberly did this "all on her own" or whatever they like to say. 

 

At least I watched the whole thing, wanting it to get better, but other than the lovely little "cabaret" stylings of the piano, I wasn't digging this.  But regardless: her singing was again overblown and bombastic.  That seems to be the theme for the night, "overblown and bombastic".

 

Joshua was not what you might call overblown and bombastic, and I actually appreciated it.  He was a bit soporific, but at least he stayed in his voice's sweet spot this week.  I don't get excited by him, but I appreciate a certain sincerity from his performances.

 

Meghan- I fast forwarded through this, she was practically screaming those lyrics.  Sorry, Meghan, I'm not a fan of that style of singing one might call "overblown and bombastic".

 

India- well, once she started melisma'ing all over the place, it was FF time.  I've liked her at times, but this performance is of a type some would hear as "overblown and bombastic".

 

Corey- Why is he still here?  And will they all feel bad if he wins this season, and everyone has to come up with a retcon on the spot as to how he was the front runner all along?

 

Sawyer- he did have a nice tone to his voice to start, but then I got bored and FF'ed.  This show is fucking GREAT when you don't watch live.  The kid does have promise; when his voice settles in a few years, he'll have quite a neat instrument.

 

I will say this about Koryn's singing: I started watching the show on DVR at a little past 9pm local time, and still had to pause and smoke a cigarette on the porch for the broadcast to catch up before Koryn's performance.  Maybe 20 seconds in, I hit stop, then delete, so this show never actually finished recording. 

 

And that's what I think about Koryn's horribly breathy, over-emoted singing.  It's like a parody of someone else's singing style... dare I say it was overblown and... bombastic?

[waving feather]

Koryn was horrid. I knew she did reasonably well last week but this performance showcased all the things I dislike about her singing. Awful.

Hannah was great but no way she's gonna do well on iTunes with those songs. If she survives this week, I hope Blake chooses a contemporary song for her instead of letting her choose herself. And why has she gone first TWICE and third once? She never had a chance to perform towards the end of the show. It's becoming unfair.

Speaking of Blake, that's a horrid song for him. He has such a great voice that it's a pity it's been wasted on crap like this. some of the older songs he has are good but it's all cheesy ballads now.

India I still can't connect. Meghan wasn't too good either. I didn't get the genuine emotion that she usually brings. It was probably Corey's best but it's sad that that's all he could do. He has a nice voice but limited range and power.

Sawyer is not even worth commenting on because it doesn't matter what he does.

Edited April 28, 2015 by waving feather

[yourpointis]

Is this the Haley Reinhart & Postmortem Jukebox version of Creep?

 

I think I still prefer the acoustic version (with just guitar+vocals) over the regular rock or this jazz style.

 

 

Kimberly tweeted last night after the show that this was the PMJ/Haley version of Creep. 

[yourpointis]

http://www.digitalsalesdata.com/diydsd.php?Region=143441

 

 

  1.  Wiz Khalifa                     See You Again                             32652
  2.  Sawyer Fredericks         Simple Man                                  23183
  6.  Joshua Davis                 Fields of Gold                              12582
12.  Kimberly Nicole             Creep                                               9585
14.  Matt McAndrew             Counting On Love                          8338
15.  Blake Shelton                Sangria                                             8214
22.  Corey Kent White          When I See You Smile                     6727
26.  Meghan Linsey             Something                                        6150
29.  India Carney                  Over the Rainbow                            5879
35.  Koryn Hawthorne          Girl On Fire                                       4667
44.  Hannah Kirby                 We Don't Need Another Hero         4125

Edited April 28, 2015 by yourpointis

[SunnyBeBe]

No one really hits it out of the ballpark for me. 

 

I do like Sawyer, but he really could have done much more with that song. I wonder why his coaches didn't suggest it.  

Still, he seems to have plenty of fans.  I'm okay with his style, but wish he would shake it up a little.

 

I love Meghan, but that old song was not the way to go, IMO.  It was an okay song when it came out a very long ago, but it didn't need reviving, IMO.  I'm worried for her.  WHY did she do that?

 

Koryn just doesn't do it for me. I don't care for her vocals and I thought her arrangement of that song took the punch out.  

 

Kimberly has not been a favorite of mine, but I did like Creep last night.  She certainly does have the drive in her.  Not a fan of her vocals, but I think the girl works hard.  I hope she stays around.  I think Christina is really rooting for her.

 

While India was my favorite at first, she's gone down hill.  That song didn't need all those runs. It was so overdone, IMO.  Didn't care for it.  

 

I loved Joshua last night.  I'm surprised he's doing so well.  I suspect it's Adam fans who are keeping him around now.  He's so low key.  

 

I do enjoy Hannah.  I would prefer she stay over a few others, but think she may be in danger.  

 

And I"m still not sure why Cory is on the show  I admit I missed his performance on purpose, but his vocals were the same when I heard it on the group song.  

Edited April 28, 2015 by SunnyBeBe

[Noreaster]

Does WGWG just mean "white guys I don't like"?

 

Itunes as of voting close:

(http://headlineplanet.com/home/2015/04/28/the-voices-sawyer-fredericks-set-to-win-itunes-bonus-joshua-kimberly-closing-in/)

 

2) Sawyer Fredericks – Team Pharrell – Simple Man
4) Joshua Davis – Team Adam – Fields of Gold
12) Kimberly Nichole – Team Christina – Creep
21) Corey Kent White – Team Blake – When I See You Smile
26) Meghan Linsey – Team Blake – Something
29) India Carney – Team Christina – Over the Rainbow
35) Koryn Hawthorne – Team Pharrell – Girl on Fire
40) Hannah Kirby – Team Blake – We Don’t Need Another Hero

[Padma]

Reading through y'all's comments made me realize to my surprise that I've grown to like Hanna (this surely means that she will be eliminated tonight, unfortunately). She brought the "dance moves" way down last night and reminded me that she could be the lone rocker left and should go all out to claim it, just like Sarah Potenza would have if she'd been the winner there.  At this stage, she has the chance to suddenly stand out in a positive way, kind of like Jermaine Paul or even the Swon Brothers suddenly did for me toward the end on Team Blake.

 

Meaghan, on the other hand, just ruined "Something". Why would you choose to sing that introspective, sensitive lyric by putting it on full blast vocally?  I really want to ask all of the women (other than Hanna) that.  Do these songs mean ANYTHING to them?  I laughed at the post above pointing out to Koryn that the song is not, literally, about a woman who is burning. I could tell India understood her lyric, but she still chose to ham it up vocally so I'm hoping she and Koryn go tonight.

 

ETA: Thanks for the updates on the voting. It looks like Hanna's a goner tonight, too bad.  As usual, my preferences just don't match the voting. I guess it's Sawyer for the win.

 

re: Blake and his song choices. He performed as the closing act at a big event in Indio this weekend. They thought he was solid vocally, humorous, brought his "A" game ... but not his "O" game, by which they meant "Originality". They said he did everything, even the jokey schtick with a hat and attached mullet hair, exactly as he had at another recent performance in the area.  This, plus his awful choice to perform "Sangria" last night when he had the attention of millions, really struck me.

 

He has spent...is it 8?... seasons working with all these new artists, hearing so much music, seeing so many different performances--some of them from would-be songwriters. He's one of my favorite coaches, but it's pretty amazing that the experience of doing this show doesn't seem to have affected him musically in any way. He is still going for slow, clichéd, treacle-y and completely forgettable songs like the above. I know he's a big star now and doesn't need my two centes, but--regardless--it seems sad that he's just not making great music.  It's weird, too, because he's still such a good performer and has such a good voice.

 

He even has said he likes "old country" (me, too) and there are so many Waylon/Cash-style songs that would work really well for him. Or Brooks & Dunn up-tempo type (I did enjoy the group sing seasons back of "Play Something Country" and he was really good on it). I don't mean do covers, but get some of the energy and themes going. Maybe even have the Swon Brothers write something for him instead of Gwen (I'm assuming she wrote "Sangria" because she did the other boring one, but ... perhaps not.)

 

Why such bad songs? "Sangria" isn't quite as insipid as "Honeybee", but seriously, it's close enough. 

Edited April 28, 2015 by Padma

[Noreaster]

I loved Joshua last night.  I'm surprised he's doing so well.  I suspect it's Adam fans who are keeping him around now.  He's so low key.  

Except for last week, Joshua has been consistently charting well compared to the rest of the group.  Could be Adam's fans, but I suspect that a lot of people genuinely like Joshua and his style. I know I do.

 

I don't think Joshua can win because this show has historically rewarded those contestants with more range and power and who can deliver "wow" performances.  But I enjoy him more than many of the others so far this season.  

 

Someone asked earlier about cumulative itunes voting.  I checked the show's voting rules...cumulative itunes votes (including bonuses) apply to the finals. Sawyer probably already has the win in the bag.  Similar to Cassadee Pope in season 3.  

Edited April 28, 2015 by Noreaster

[FormerMod-a1]

WGWG = White guys with guitars

[DeLurker]

And that's what I think about Koryn's horribly breathy, over-emoted singing.  It's like a parody of someone else's singing style... dare I say it was overblown and... bombastic?

I kept hearing her breath or something.  Did not sound good and was surprised none of coaches mentioned it.

 

ETA:  Aquarian got there first with WGWG

Edited April 28, 2015 by DeLurker

[basiltherat]

Watch out for Corey, you guys, because he is doing that sideways look at the audience like all the "cute" boy banders do to get the pre-teens to squeal.   And if he gets them to squeal, he can get them to vote. 

 

Someone tell Pharrell that the teens aren't the ones going for Sawyer -- it's the moms and grandmoms.  I don't like Koryn's voice -- it sounds like she is singing while holding a live electric wire -- all vibrate-y.  I had to turn off India because she was chasing each note she sang to within an inch of its life and then beating it until it died a horrid death.  Thanks, Xtina!

 

On a positive note, Sawyer could sing the phone book and I'm still drinking his Kool-Aid.  Not familiar with "Creep" but I know its not supposed to be sung chanteuse-style, so I enjoyed Kimberly's performance.  She would be so great in Broadway.

[gaPeach]

I will say this about Koryn's singing: I started watching the show on DVR at a little past 9pm local time, and still had to pause and smoke a cigarette on the porch for the broadcast to catch up before Koryn's performance.  Maybe 20 seconds in, I hit stop, then delete, so this show never actually finished recording.

 

I have to wait until they are an hour into the show to start watching it on the DVR.  I FF though all the filler and some of the coaching to get to the songs.  I do listen to the comments from coaches unless it gets so repetitive I can't take it any longer.  So I can watch the 2 hour show in less than an hour and not miss much of anything.

 

Not enough of Usher and too much of Cee Lo.

[hks]

It only bothers me when it messes up the song somehow.  Like, last season when Anita gender-switched "Rude," I hated that because it made the song completely nonsensical.  "Something" is not gender-specific so it doesn't bother me much.  

 

Nope, doesn't bother me in the least. A singer has to be able to connect to the song, and if changing the gender helps them do it, so be it. It's a technique to think of a particular person and sing to/about them. And I don't see it as homophobic. What if the song was originally by a woman about a woman, and a man sang it? Should he gender shift so that it's still about a same-sex relationship? Or leave it alone because those are the original lyrics?

 

Haha, I guess it only bothers me a lot. (Anita's version of Rude was the most ridiculous example, you are right. That had me trying to shake my tv).  To answer the question, no I would never advocate shifting gender - regardless of the singer or the subject.  I think you can connect to any song without doing that...although it seems like several people think Meghan didn't connect too well to the song anyway:  "Meaghan, on the other hand, just ruined "Something". Why would you choose to sing that introspective, sensitive lyric by putting it on full blast vocally?"

 

Kimberly tweeted last night after the show that this was the PMJ/Haley version of Creep. 

 

I'm glad she tweeted that, even if I don't think it should have been necessary. I don't recall her trying to take credit for the arrangment, or getting praise for coming up with the arrangement. The praise she got seemed to be for performance. But just reading these comments, you can tell people think she was trying to pass off the arrangment as her own, so I'm glad she sent that out. 

[Sharpie66]

I'm not always a fan of Kimberly's voice, but man, do I love her performance style. She knows how to work the crowd and take control of the stage, which makes her stand out on these kinds of shows (she reminds me of Adam Lambert in her ability to do so).

 

I was a big fan of Sawyer after his audition, but he is definitely getting a bit stale. He reminds me of John Fogerty--I love listening to the occasional Credence Clearwater Revival song, but an entire album of his voice is just overkill.

[Village]

Poor Koryn. She's going to land in the bottom 3 and Pharrell's going to ramble on about inspirational singing and Christian voters and ruin it for her. No offense to Christian voters at all but he needs to stop with that and talk about why she's wonderful etc. etc.

 

I just need him to shut up really.

[limecoke]

Josh's performance of "Fields of Gold" was a droning snore, in my opinion. He sang without any dynamics at all. I don't see anything of a performer in him.

Well, I actually agree with you.  Josh is not a 'performer', he's a singer/songwriter and performs like one.  That being said, I loved him last night.  Partly because I prefer his easy style and partly because I simply love the song.  Obviously, lots of other people liked it too because he's up to #4 on iTunes.  I'd much rather have someone sing to me with subtlety and feeling than be bashed over the head with screams and runs.  To each his own, I guess.

 

Sawyer, Sawyer, Sawyer...I don't understand you and I don't know what you are, but obviously you are connecting with huge numbers of viewers based on your iTunes numbers.  You'll be in the finale for sure and probably win but you are like a baby chick that's not fully grown yet.  There's something there but it hasn't arrived yet.  Please, for the love, take off the hat.  

 

When the live shows began, I thought India had the most potential to win but I don't like what Christina is doing with her.  India needs to let go of her death grip on melisma and just sing.  

 

edited because "the runs" has a whole different meaning so "the" is removed.

Edited April 28, 2015 by limecoke

[buckybruce]

I put my money down on Meaghan to win this, but I included the caveat that she needs to sing the right songs....and sadly, "Something" isn't it. She just doesn't get the emotion behind the song. More of the songs like she's sang the last 2 weeks please.

 

Sawyer = Neil Young, Tom Petty, Leonard Cohen....in about 10 years.

 

India...I also love this song, but it needs to be sung simply...at the least 1st verse....then add some of yourself towards the end....but tastefully. India has the chops, but needs more of something to get me to love her.

 

Kimberly....very talented, but not "The Voice".

 

Joshua......if Joshua is a writer, I could see a big career for him after "The Voice".

 

Korn...too raspy, to shouty...

 

Cory....cute, and will get the cute guy votes, but won't go on.

 

Hannah...you know, I liked her last week, and I liked her performance this week as well, but she needs better material. Really strong voice, but it doesn't sound like she's belting, she just seems effortless in all registers.

[jjjmoss]

I'm glad Kimberly will break the top 10 again.

 

I like India, but for some reason her face--particularly her smile--makes me think of Mommie Dearest. 

She didn't.

 

Mommie Dearest is amazing, so.

[PhD-Purgatory15]

I wouldn't necessarily say I'm particularly invested in anyone at this stage, but Hannah and Koryn interest me the most at this point. Hannah's voice does have some strident tendencies, but I can deal w/ hers unlike Kimberly (and increasingly, Megan). It'd be nice if the show didn't have her going first or second virtually every week. My assumption is she will be singing for the twitter save tonight so I hope she either goes balls to wall rock n roll, or switches it up and gives a really haunting performance of something like My Immortal or another melancholy rock song.

 

Koryn is really interesting because while she sort of fits in the box you think she would covering Alicia Keys, and Pink and Beyonce....her voice has this desperate, suicidal punk kind of quality that makes every song feel a little bit like she's having a life or death struggle with the lyrics. It can be exhausting, but she does it in a way that doesn't feel quite as overwrought as India or Megan. My assumption is she'll be singing tonight as well, so if I was here I'd pick something overtly fun....maybe an up-tempo Bruno Mars track, or even Ain't it Fun, by Paramore.

 

While I love Joshua's voice, and thought that Fields of Gold (another irrational love song) was a welcome return to form....I do realize he's a pretty limited artist. Although that didn't necesarily stop Philip Philips from having two absolutely monster smash radio hits. He just doesn't strike me as being willing or able to throw a massive curveball like Dia Frampton did all the way back in Season one or two reimagining a Kanye West song. So I hope when all of this ends, this stint on the Voice does raise his profile enough on the Indie/Folk/Americana scene that he can tour and festival at a slightly larger scale and not be such a struggling musician.

 

Blake did have one moment of brilliance (not Sangria)....when he told Corey that "When I See You Smile" would fall under the country banner if it came out this week. It is pretty amazing to see genre boundaries expand and contract. If Bon Jovi was starting out today....they'd probably be driven in a country direction. I actually thought Corey was much better than he had been in weeks, more in-tune for longer stretches of that song.....but he's still clearly out of his depth in comparison to the other seven contestants, so when he inevitably reaches the semifinals or finale that gap is going to be all that much more apparent.

 

If India is the third in the bottom w/ Koryn and Hannah....she's toast.

 

I've already waved the white flag on Kimberly and Sawyer, and Megan would be the other possibility for the bottom three. If that happens I wonder if she and Hannah would split enough votes to gift Koryn the save. If Koryn and Hannah both go tonight, I may just tap out and catch Joshua's performances on the interwebs...

Edited April 28, 2015 by PhD-Purgatory15

[beaker73]

I'm still hanging on hope that Hannah got enough votes to get herself out of the bottom. 

[SunnyBeBe]

Are two going home tonight? I hope it's Cory and Coryn.  I bet that doesn't happen though.  It'll likely be Hannah and that's a real shame.  i actually look forward to seeing what she's going to do on stage.

[Padma]

Haha, I guess it only bothers me a lot. (Anita's version of Rude was the most ridiculous example, you are right. That had me trying to shake my tv).  To answer the question, no I would never advocate shifting gender - regardless of the singer or the subject.  I think you can connect to any song without doing that...although it seems like several people think Meghan didn't connect too well to the song anyway:  "Meaghan, on the other hand, just ruined "Something". Why would you choose to sing that introspective, sensitive lyric by putting it on full blast vocally?"

This is a little funny because I'm the opposite, it bothers me In songs when they don't switch genders. (Unless they want to sing a love song to someone the same sex in which case, it's fine.)  If Meagan sang "Something in the way she moves me, attracts me like no other lover" I'd be immediately pulled out of the song and feel annoyed. Unless she made it obvious that she really meant it that way. But few who don't change gender -are- trying to give it a gay vibe from what I've seen so... I don't see why you wouldn't change it so you're actually connecting with the meaning and emotion in a personal way.

 

On the other hand, if you're gay, I'd be all for changing the gender that way, too. I think someone...maybe Cody?... did in a past season. Either that, or he sang a song that I thought should have been made same-sex since he (if it's the guy I'm thinking of) had already talked about being gay. If you know someone's preference (or they're not telegraphing it otherwise than the audience would be assuming), I think the singer and words should match up, whatever that means for the singer. In Meagan's case, she talked about it being because she's in love with her boyfriend so it would have been strange imo -not- to change it.

[mercfan3]

It bothers me when there's a gender switch too. Sing the song as written. ESPECIALLY if it's a Beatles song. 

[Tara1665]

I have to ask...is anyone else creeped out by Sawyer? Whenever he sings, I can't watch. His eyes are like he drank the koolaid or something?

[photo fox]

I guess I just don't think lyrics need to be static. Even if it's a Beatles song. To step away from the gender angle a bit... There's a newly signed country artist I love named Logan Mize, and one of his indie songs has a line "the West where I come from". Well, I'm not from the West, so when I sing it, I sing "the West, where I can roam". There are other songs where I tweak the lyrics because I think something else works better for me. I see this the same way. I think that as a singer, you have to "make a song your own", to use a phrase that is completely overused on singing shows. And that includes the lyrics. JMHO

[DeLurker]

I have to ask...is anyone else creeped out by Sawyer? Whenever he sings, I can't watch. His eyes are like he drank the koolaid or something?

Sawyer looks like a pleasant little bot or an innocuous anime drawing come to life, complete with the hat, vest and guitar as accessories  .  There is something a bit vacant in his gaze.  And it does creep me out.

Edited April 28, 2015 by DeLurker

[Ketzel]

Josh's performance of "Fields of Gold" was a droning snore, in my opinion. He sang without any dynamics at all. I don't see anything of a performer in him.

 

 

Well, I actually agree with you.  Josh is not a 'performer', he's a singer/songwriter and performs like one.  That being said, I loved him last night.  Partly because I prefer his easy style and partly because I simply love the song.  Obviously, lots of other people liked it too because he's up to #4 on iTunes.  I'd much rather have someone sing to me with subtlety and feeling than be bashed over the head with screams and the runs.  To each his own, I guess.

What I meant by being a performer in this context is being able to capture the attention of the audience and hold it in some way, with something that is original to the singer. Bashing with runs and screams isn't required. Other singer-songwriters do it all the time. I have yet to see Joshua do it even once.

[Padma]

 

 

What I meant by being a performer in this context is being able to capture the attention of the audience and hold it in some way, with something that is original to the singer. Bashing with runs and screams isn't required. Other singer-songwriters do it all the time. I have yet to see Joshua do it even once.

I didn't appreciate Joshua much in the beginning because there were other performers I liked more (soul, jazz, even some country re: Cody and a couple others who were sent home). Now that it's only Joshua and robotic Sawyer at one end and over-the-top vocal excess of everyone else at the other, I'm really appreciating him quite a bit.

[DownTheShore]

Joshua mimics Paul Simon and he does well.

Joshua mimics Sting and he does well.

Big clue there, Adam!

[blueray]

Kimberly butchered Creep.

I thought this too. I like her, but just no to her performance. I feel like that is the kind of song where they either sing it the way Radiohead did, which is creepy or not at all. I do however think Kim did better then that woman last year who totally destroyed it.

 

Overall if I had to pick the bottom three it would me:

 

Cory: bored to tears. I like country but I just wasn't into it. I honestly didn't mind that the people I was watching with were making fun of him lol.

Koryn: I as usual didn't like her performance. Her voice shakes.

India: She has a perfect voice, to the point where it's to perfect. She's like a robot that can sing. She needs to show more emotion. And bad song choice, "somewhere over the rainbow" is way to overdone.

 

The best performances to me were:

 

Josh: I really enjoyed his performance. This is the type of music he should sing.

Hannah: as usual I am entertained and enjoy watching her.

 

Everyone else was okay.

Edited April 28, 2015 by blueray

[blueray]

Poor Koryn. She's going to land in the bottom 3 and Pharrell's going to ramble on about inspirational singing and Christian voters and ruin it for her. No offense to Christian voters at all but he needs to stop with that and talk about why she's wonderful etc. etc.

 

I just need him to shut up really.

And offending people who aren't Christian. Not that I was going to vote for her, but Pharell basically told me not too.

[AwesomO4000]

Watch out for Corey, you guys, because he is doing that sideways look at the audience like all the "cute" boy banders do to get the pre-teens to squeal.   And if he gets them to squeal, he can get them to vote. 

 

Someone tell Pharrell that the teens aren't the ones going for Sawyer -- it's the moms and grandmoms.  I don't like Koryn's voice -- it sounds like she is singing while holding a live electric wire -- all vibrate-y.  I had to turn off India because she was chasing each note she sang to within an inch of its life and then beating it until it died a horrid death.  Thanks, Xtina!

 

On a positive note, Sawyer could sing the phone book and I'm still drinking his Kool-Aid.  Not familiar with "Creep" but I know its not supposed to be sung chanteuse-style, so I enjoyed Kimberly's performance.  She would be so great in Broadway.

 

If I weren't married already, I would want to marry this post - or at least date it for a while. Hee, and so much me also - except Kimberly, but I'll explain. Sadly as Koryn was singing, I just wanted it to stop, please no more, okay here I'll throw water on the girl on fire. Will that help? But for a moment there, I thought for some reason she was going to sing Alicia Key's "No One," and I was scared of what they would have her do with that song, so it could have been worse, in my opinion.

 

As for "Creep" whenever I see it performed in a singing competition, I compare it to this version by Marty Casey. Yes, it's in Radiohead's style, but I think he does it justice and gives it the proper feeling / mood (starts soft and builds and ebbs) and includes the bridge which I think is one of the more affecting parts of the song, and I missed that bridge part last night - I didn't quite remember what I was missing, but I had the nagging feeling that there should be something more at the end, and seeing Marty's version I was like "ah, that's what I was missing". (As an aside, if you enjoy that sort of slightly creepy style - and I surely did. I thought Marty was awesome and should've won - find his version of "Hit Me Baby One More Time" he also did for that show. Heh. He managed to make it kinda creepy and awesome, too. I also loved his "Take me Out" and "Wish You Were Here.")

 

Blake did have one moment of brilliance (not Sangria)....when he told Corey that "When I See You Smile" would fall under the country banner if it came out this week. It is pretty amazing to see genre boundaries expand and contract. If Bon Jovi was starting out today....they'd probably be driven in a country direction. I actually thought Corey was much better than he had been in weeks, more in-tune for longer stretches of that song.....but he's still clearly out of his depth in comparison to the other seven contestants, so when he inevitably reaches the semifinals or finale that gap is going to be all that much more apparent.

 

::Moans No, no, no:: I was a teen in the 80s and this is just so so wrong for me. That song is not supposed to be a country song for me. There are supposed to be Rock Ballad highs and lows in that song. Corey just did not have the power for me for the chorus. It reminds me of Vertical Horizon's song "Best I Ever Had" which then sounded just so wrong to me when it was remade into a country song a couple of years later.

 

As for Bon Jovi and country. Bon Jovi did do some country - and in my opinion did it well * - and then thankfully went back, because I like their original style as well.

 

* They got a Grammy - ironically, I think their only one. I liked both their Grammy winning song and "Lost Highway" and at least another few songs off of that country-inspired album.

Edited April 28, 2015 by AwesomO4000

[Biggie B]

The Harry Potter look alike who sang - Matt? Who is he? I missed the season prior to this one, so if he was on that go-'round, that's why I don't know who he is. I sort of enjoyed him.

 

I totally get what everyone says about Corey, no argument from me, but to give him just a teeny-tiny bit of credit, he did have one moment of intensity and life in his performance, when he sang these lines:

 

Sometimes I wanna give up, wanna give in
I wanna quit the fight
And then I see you baby
And everything's alright, everything's alright

 

Just for those lines, he actually seemed engaged and vibrant (at least, to me). It was a brief moment - came and went in a heartbeat - but it was the first inkling of emotion and vibrancy I've seen from him. I am also watching 'American Idol,' and I think Clark on AI is similar - so bland and devoid of expression, yet last week, he had a split second of true and genuine emotion (although not while singing, sadly enough, but in the video package shown before he performed). Anyway, Corey may well go on to have a robust career regardless of how he does here. He is good looking and seemingly ready to roll. Maybe he'll start out as someone's opening act.

[thegriswolds]

We are getting to the point in the season where the all the people I like start getting eliminated.   I prefer someone who can sing, but who can also entertain.   I love Hannah, but I'm prepared for her to be auf'd tonight.  I just hope that Meghan and Kimberly are able to stick it out for awhile longer. 

It pains me to say this, but I think we all need to come to terms with the fact that Corey is going to be in the finale.

Haley Reinhart remains one of my favorite contestants of all time. 

Glad to see all the closet Haley fans here! Her performance of the Led Zeppelin song, What Is and What Should Never Be, in the F3 is probably my all time favorite reality show performance.  And the continued bussing of her by JLo in favor of Scotty McCreery cemented my dislike of JLo and my vow never to watch AI again.  

[viajero]

I've had no trouble finding people to root for this season.  I'm pulling strongly for Kimberly and Koryn, plus I also like Sawyer and Hannah.  That would be my ideal final 4 at this point.

 

Overall though, I did think this episode was somewhat disappointing.  A mixture of over-singing by a lot of the women, added to some fairly drab performances by the men.  Funnily enough, one of the few women who didn't over-sing was Hannah, who has all too often been accused of shouting in the past.  This may be why I actually thought she had one of the better performances of the evening.  But for me, Kimberly continues to stand out on her own in this group.

 

Of the women who did over-sing, I would rank Koryn quite a ways above both India and Meghan (who had her worst performance of the season).  While Koryn didn't come close to last week's performance, I do think she pretty much lives the lyrics on stage.  Plus, I actually liked her arrangement of the song much better than the original.

 

Of the men, I would rate Sawyer far above the other two.  I actually I liked this performance better than anything he's done since the battle round.  For one, he showed that he has at least some power in his vocals, something that Corey is so obviously missing.  I enjoyed Joshua for about half his song, until it started dragging because he never took it anywhere.

 

My preference for the bottom 3 would be Corey, Joshua and India, with the first two going home.  But while I wouldn't relay too much on the iTunes rankings (when the singer on the bottom is as high as 40, then it means that they are way too close to be meaningful), I do think that making the Top 10 is probably enough to save Joshua.  Besides, he will likely be saved even if he's in the bottom 3 simply because he gets to sing last.

 

Koryn is really interesting because while she sort of fits in the box you think she would covering Alicia Keys, and Pink and Beyonce....her voice has this desperate, suicidal punk kind of quality that makes every song feel a little bit like she's having a life or death struggle with the lyrics. It can be exhausting, but she does it in a way that doesn't feel quite as overwrought as India or Megan. My assumption is she'll be singing tonight as well, so if I was here I'd pick something overtly fun....maybe an up-tempo Bruno Mars track, or even Ain't it Fun, by Paramore.

 

 

You have stated very well what is I like so much about Koryn.  Plus, I do really like that powerful low raspiness in her voice.  I sure hope she won't be singing tonight.

[car54]

I think when Sawyer grows into his voice so that he can relate more to the emotion of the song, he could easily be the John Denver or James Taylor of this generation if there is a place for that.  He has that strong tone and such character in his voice, and I think their songs are stories, and I really think that is what he does--the songs he picks all have a story.  I don't know if he wants to be a songwriter, but I do think there is a place for him.  Right now I just think he's a little young for the subject of some of the music he chooses so sometimes that part isn't there when he sings.

[Donny Ketchum]

I didn't appreciate Joshua much in the beginning because there were other performers I liked more (soul, jazz, even some country re: Cody and a couple others who were sent home). Now that it's only Joshua and robotic Sawyer at one end and over-the-top vocal excess of everyone else at the other, I'm really appreciating him quite a bit.

Blech.  Good for you, @Padma.  He still bores me, though.  Me and my boyfriend.  We both want him gone for the sheer reason that he puts us both to sleep.  So there.

[SunnyBeBe]

Sawyer doesn't creep me out.  I think he's adorable.  And I like his style too.  I normally detest hats like his, though.  I've made an exception since I like him.  I was all in the air about the guy from last season who couldn't part with his hat though.  IMO, it reeks, "I'm bald and stuck in the 80's", but with Sawyer, I guess that's not the case.  

[waving feather]

What's even scarier than Sawyer's face when he's singing is his face during the judging. He has this pasted on smile with no real emotion whatsoever like a creepy doll. It's really something.

[Muffyn]

Where does one find an adult onesie with a split front? Kimberly may be telling us she%u2019s not confident but you have to be very confident to wear that. As for her performance, um, yeah, so there was that. I understand wanting to have her put more real emotion into the song but by the time she hit the bridge there was nowhere to go. Expressing emotion through a song does not mean the equivalent of slicing open a vein on stage. She really needed to dial it back.

The Meghan does the same thing with Something. It was a night of women going over the top. Koryn, you are not literally on fire. This brought to mind Tobias Funke auditioning for a commercial for a fire sale.

And getting back to shallow clothing commentary %u2013 where does one find a sequined rugby shirt?

I am more and more convinced that Sawyer cannot take off the hat because he is an incarnation of Beelzebub and is hiding his horns under the hat. Only me?

[rollerblade]

Korn...too raspy, to shouty...

 

Oh Freudian.... haha.

 

Well, I actually agree with you.  Josh is not a 'performer', he's a singer/songwriter and performs like one.

 

Why can't a singer/songwriter be a performer as well? I'd classify Jason Mraz as a singer/songwriter, and his live performances are always better than his CDs. Joshua just lacks that something something. Yes he charted relatively well befpre, but never this well.

[Donny Ketchum]

Why can't a singer/songwriter be a performer as well? I'd classify Jason Mraz as a singer/songwriter, and his live performances are always better than his CDs. Joshua just lacks that something something. Yes he charted relatively well befpre, but never this well.

I think being mentored by Usher helped him this week.  Plus, as said above, the desperate Adam fans.  Other than that, I can't figure out for the life of me why he charted so high this week.

[beaker73]

Glad to see all the closet Haley fans here! Her performance of the Led Zeppelin song, What Is and What Should Never Be, in the F3 is probably my all time favorite reality show performance.  And the continued bussing of her by JLo in favor of Scotty McCreery cemented my dislike of JLo and my vow never to watch AI again.

OMG!! Me too! That was the last season I watched.

[Noreaster]

WGWG = White guys with guitars

Sorry, I was being facetious.  I know what WGWG stands for.  It just seems like people are being selective when using this term.  Like Sawyer is somehow not a WGWG and Joshua and Corey are?  

[Donny Ketchum]

Sorry, I was being facetious.  I know what WGWG stands for.  It just seems like people are being selective when using this term.  Like Sawyer is somehow not a WGWG and Joshua and Corey are?  

I think it's because even though Sawyer has one, many of us think there's something unique about him that we're willing to separate him having the guitar from that uniqueness.  Joshua and Corey are the epitome of bland, ordinary, and cookie-cutter, though, so giving them the WGWG label seems and feels fair.

[Noreaster]

Yeah, I got it.  It's a derogatory term to describe the white male contestants who people don't like.  

[rollerblade]

Like Sawyer is somehow not a WGWG and Joshua and Corey are?  

 

Hmmm? Sawyer is a WGWG to me. :p  Then again, so was David Cook; and he was a deserving winner of that season.

 

Edit to clarify- I don't necessarily use it as a derogatory term. They are just guitar-playing white guys. I like David Cook, Kris Allen, Phillip2, and felt they deserved their wins. Lee DeWyze on the other hand.... *sigh*.  A guitar-playing white male defeating a better guitar-playing white female. Lee made WGWG the negative phrase it is today haha.

Edited April 29, 2015 by rollerblade

[mercfan3]

To me, there's an actual genre associated with WGWG. It's like a cross between alt/indie rock singersongwriter and folk. Think John Mayer or Damien Rice.  I don't consider Corey a WGWG. I just consider him a mediocre country singer. Sawyer has a different sound to him. 

 

There have been some god ones. (Will Champlain) and Some not so good ones (let me get out the list of Idol winners.)