S12.E19: Live Top 12 Performances

[Vyk]

From TV Guide:

Quote

The top twelve artists perform for coaches Adam Levine, Gwen Stefani, Alicia Keys, and Blake Shelton.  Shania Twain advises the singers.

Comment on the top twelve's performances here.

Edited April 23, 2017 by Vyk

[Vyk]

Songs for tonight:

Team Adam
Jesse: "Make You Feel My Love" by Bob Dylan
Lilli: "Man! I Feel Like A Woman" by Shania Twain
Mark: "One Dance" by Drake

Team Gwen
Brennley: "Long, Long Time" by Linda Ronstadt
Hunter: "Somebody That I Used to Know" by Gotye
Troy: "Free Fallin'" by Tom Petty

Team Alicia
Chris: "Love and Happiness" by Al Green
Stephanie: "White Flag" by Dido
Vanessa: "A Song For You" by Donny Hathaway

Team Blake
Aliyah: "(Love Is Like A) Heat Wave" by Martha and the Vandellas
Lauren: "Lord, I Hope This Day Is Good" by Don Williams
TSoul: "Always on My Mind" by Willie Nelson

Make of these what you will.

Jesse and Lilli might do anywhere from okay to very well on their songs.  Mark is doing another heartthrob song, because he can't do anything different.  The teenyboppers and soccer moms will love him, but I can see the older audience tiring of him PDQ.

Linda Ronstadt is a decent choice for Brennley, but it might be a bit of a challenge for her, as well.  We'll see.  Hunter, I hope, will do better on his song than Sarah Simmons did in season four.  Troy is taking a risk by doing the song that previously felled Kimberly Nichole in season eight.

Chris picked the perfect song for his genre.  But next week, or the week after, he should start challenging himself with something closer to current.  I don't know Stephanie or Vanessa's songs, but I hope they're good.

Aliyah seems to have a taste for older songs.  Since it's not commonly used, that could be either good or bad for her.  Lauren is doing a Christian song, so that'll automatically keep her safe this week.  TSoul doing Willie Nelson, though?  I hope that was his idea, because if it was Blake's, that sounds like bussing of the highest order.

We'll see in a few hours, I guess.

[Court]

I missed the first twenty minutes, Stephanie was the first singer I saw. Who did I miss?

[Diana Berry]

Still very early but I see Lauren is 31 and Brennley 35 on Itunes.

thanks in advance to whoever keeps us up to date throughout the night.

[Vyk]

Just now, Diana Berry said:

thanks in advance to whoever keeps us up to date throughout the night.

That is I, and I will do just that this week.

[Diana Berry]

3 hours ago, Court said:

I missed the first twenty minutes, Stephanie was the first singer I saw. Who did I miss?

Jesse , Troy , Aliyah 

3 hours ago, Vyk said:

That is I, and I will do just that this week.

Great! because it's my sign off time 

[adhoc]

I heard the first 3 singers (meh), and I don't know if it was the mike or what, but I could not tell what they were saying. I mean I heard vowel sounds and a few consonants here and there, and that was it. Some later singers sounded fine, though. I missed hearing Lauren. I thought Brennley sounded lovely and Vanessa brought her usual excellent game.

[pivot]

For the first time I didn't mind the God pander as she made it about her brother and his favorite song and about her Super Christian faith. Lauren is the type of country singer this show has needed for years. She truly is a storyteller. Brennley is the same old shit on this show as far as country singers go. Little girls showing off their voices with no clue about what the song means. I hate that kind of singer.

Stephanie was great but I feel she is on borrowed time. She's a little too alternative for the voters of this show IMO. 

Hunter butchered that song. He took all the cool interesting parts out and made it a generic dance song. Of course, Gwen loved it for that reason. 

Adam's team is terrible and he did Lilli no favors with that song choice. 

[Dots And Stripes]

So after Jesse, we had 3 of the 4 coaches save artists. Subtle. 

Overall I like this top 12. I feel like there are enough different types of artists that they don't all blend together. Last season felt like it had too many similar artists.

I liked Jesse but his voice started to feel too high pitched after a while. Also too many vocal tricks thrown in. I did not like Mark. I like Lilli in general and I feel bad because I don't think that was her best vocal.

Lauren is fast becoming my favorite. I only listen to country on this show but I love her voice. 

How long until Gwen gives Hunter a makeover? Not that there is anything particularly wrong with his look but that's one of Gwen's go to moves (it worked well for Craig Wayne Boyd too). Hunter is easily a front runner and she pretty much has to stay out of his way at this point.

Pleasantly surprised to see Vanessa close the show. I think she's made some smart choices and she is consistent. I'm hoping she makes it far.

Edited April 25, 2017 by Dots And Stripes
I suck at remembering names

[Vyk]

13 minutes ago, pivot said:

Hunter butchered that song.

Hunter is at number thirty-six on iTunes right now.  Clearly, and happily, America disagrees with you.:)

14 minutes ago, pivot said:

Adam's team is terrible and he did Lilli no favors with that song choice. 

Yeah, I think at least one member of the team is in trouble tomorrow night.  Wouldn't be surprised about that.

1 minute ago, Dots And Stripes said:

Pleasantly surprised to see Stephanie close the show. I think she's made some smart choices and she is consistent. I'm hoping she makes it far.

Stephanie was third.  She didn't close out the show.  Vanessa did.

[Dots And Stripes]

1 minute ago, Vyk said:

Hunter is at number thirty-six on iTunes right now.  Clearly, and happily, America disagrees with you.:)

Yeah, I think at least one member of the team is in trouble tomorrow night.  Wouldn't be surprised about that.

Stephanie was third.  She didn't close out the show.  Vanessa did.

You're right. I suck at names. I meant Vanessa. Thanks!

[Noreaster]

Really weak night overall.  A few bad performances and a slew of boring ones.  I watched only bits of the show live and then caught up on Youtube for the performances I missed.  

Brennley was a standout.  I think the song was too mature for her but she really does have a distinctive voice.

Vanessa is great.  Probably my favorite contestant this season.  But such an overdone song.

Hunter is certainly creative.  I'm not sure I actually enjoyed his performance but would like to see more from him.  

Jesse was pretty decent.  I miss the guitar though.  

I really dislike Stephanie and her overly intense style.  Tonight, with her singing style and hand gestures, she looked like she belonged in a musical about the wild west.  

Can't remember much about the others.  Oh, Lauren and the religious song...I've liked her in the past but was bored tonight.  And this certainly seems like Blake's go-to strategy every season.  I remember Sundance talking about how Blake really wanted him to do a gospel song to appeal to middle America.  

[Vyk]

Okay!  Interesting results so far:

13. Brennley Brown - Team Gwen: "Long, Long Time"
16. Lauren Duski - Team Blake: "Lord, I Hope This Day is Good"
33. Hunter Plake - Team Gwen: "Somebody That I Used to Know"
39. Chris Blue - Team Alicia: "Love and Happiness"
59. Jesse Larson - Team Adam: "Make You Feel My Love"
62. Stephanie Rice - Team Alicia: "White Flag"
64. Vanessa Ferguson - Team Alicia: "A Song for You"
75. TSoul - Team Blake: "Always on My Mind"
77. Aliyah Moulden - Team Blake: "(Love Is Like A) Heat Wave"
96. Troy Ramey - Team Gwen: "Free Fallin'"
155. Lilli Passero - Team Adam: "Man!  I Feel Like a Woman!"
268. Mark Isaiah - Team Adam: "One Dance"

If these don't change, some combination of Mark, Lilli, and Troy will be singing for their lives tomorrow.  I think Troy can pick up some ground, but I'm not sure about Lilli or Mark.  Actually shocked that TSoul is selling so well.  I thought he'd been an easy sacrifice.

Also, just heard whose teams are performing tomorrow.  The fact that it's Adam and Blake first and Gwen and Alicia next week tells you everything about the producers' preferences.  To know that they prefer the men over the women . . . ugh.

Edited April 25, 2017 by Vyk

[Dots And Stripes]

38 minutes ago, pivot said:

 

Hunter butchered that song. He took all the cool interesting parts out and made it a generic dance song. Of course, Gwen loved it for that reason. 

I feel like I don't get Hunter. Good to see I'm not the only one. I feel like he's a lock for the finals though.

[SnarkyShark]

I'm bummed for Lilli. It seems like she got screwed over with song choice, but her stage presence was still strong. Her last two performances were great, and I hope that is enough to save her. 

Edited April 25, 2017 by SnarkyShark

[Wings]

34 minutes ago, Vyk said:

 

Also, just heard whose teams are performing tomorrow.  The fact that it's Adam and Blake first and Gwen and Alicia next week tells you everything about the producers' preferences.  To know that they prefer the men over the women . . . ugh.

 

I do too!  Those women get on my nerves.  Going last is the pimp spot so are favoring the women, really. 

Edited April 25, 2017 by wings707

[Vyk]

Current results:

12. Brennley Brown - Team Gwen: "Long, Long Time"
15. Lauren Duski - Team Blake: "Lord, I Hope This Day Is Good"
29. Hunter Plake - Team Gwen: "Somebody That I Used To Know"
38. Chris Blue - Team Alicia: "Love and Happiness"
59. Jesse Larson - Team Adam: "Make You Feel My Love"
60. Stephanie Rice - Team Alicia: "White Flag"
62. Vanessa Ferguson - Team Alicia: "A Song For You"
73. TSoul - Team Blake: "Always on My Mind"
76. Aliyah Moulden - Team Blake: "(Love is Like a) Heat Wave"
93. Troy Ramey - Team Gwen: "Free Fallin’"
152. Lilli Passero - Team Adam: "Man!  I Feel Like a Woman!"
265. Mark Isaiah - Team Adam: "One Dance"

Still looks like an all-Team Adam bottom two, but Troy or Aliyah or even TSoul still might hit it.

On a side note, Brennley's almost breaking the top ten.  Looks like she might be our first bonus-getter of the season.

Edited April 25, 2017 by Vyk

[Vyk]

11 minutes ago, wings707 said:

Going last is the pimp spot so are favoring the women, really. 

Good.  Their teams are both stronger, so they deserve it.

[tpplay]

I loved Lauren and Brennley and Chris and Hunter and Stephanie.  

I way did not love Jesse and Mark.  Not understanding why Jesse is doing so well at this moment on i-tunes. (I've liked him before but that nasal quality doesn't lend itself to the song he sang tonight.  And for Adam to say he has the - whatever - "best pure voice".  So so so SO wrong.)

Everyone else was somewhere in the middle for me.  But I have to say this about Vanessa - she has a beautiful voice and is a good singer.  But I feel like she didn't take the notes from the coaches at all.  How does it happen that the coach says "technical is fine but connect with the emotion" and then she sings kind of quietly about singing to thousands of people and then when she sings "I'm singing this just for you" she starts SHOUTING.    I just feel like there's a serious emotional disconnect in her performances all the time.  She seems to mistake loud and lots of runs and showing off her voice for feeling and connection.  I just don't get her.  And Alicia's praising her for that disconnect is bizarre.  I guess Alicia just wants to win.

[apollonia666]

2 hours ago, Vyk said:

Stephanie: Gorgeous.  I'm surprised to hear how deep she can go with her voice.  Could've used probably a bit more life in the song and performance, but at least it was better than the two who went before her.  I enjoyed it a lot.  Should be safe tomorrow.  On a side note, her parents' church has lost sponsorship upon hearing her story, and even many members and families of their congregation have distanced themselves from the church.  Talk about karma, huh, Mr. and Mrs. Rice?

I'm dying to know where this info is from. I'm fascinated by her story and have been Googling like crazy to try to find out about her godawful parents, but I haven't been able to find much.

[PhD-Purgatory15]

Only three out of the twelve songs from the 21st century. So. Much. Fun.

Mark, yeah this clearly wasn't his best effort. But I find it hard to knock him because at least I can see who he'd be on current Top 40 radio. He's not that far away...

Lilli, this was really weird. Her vocals weren't necessarily bad, they just occupied a strange spot in between the country version that everyone is familiar with from Shania and a super stylized version that you could imagine Postmodern Jukebox doing. She sort of split the difference and it was strange. I hope she sneaks through, but I fear she may need to KO Mark with the twitter save which may be easier said that done.

TSoul, I actually thought this was markedly better than his last couple of offerings (he at least sort of kept it between the lines). It was the best he's done (for me, for you) since his blind audition. I wonder about his fanbase though...

Troy, Just another solid performance of one of my favorite songs. For a sports analogy, he's a guy who has a high floor.....but his ceiling might not be as high as some of those in the competition.

Brennley and Aliyah. Brennley has all the vocal talent in the world for a country teen....but something about her just reads as extremely inauthentic. Like she's not a real teen. She's some form of AI that happens to be programmed as a teen female country star. Aliyah on the other hand comes off as a completely real teen (with maybe 85%-90% of that vocal talent) who feels more believable on stage....just not sure Disco Pop was really the best way to showcase her tonight.

Jesse, underwhelming effort on a totally overdone song. I don't know why Adam isn't digging for some diamond in the rough songs for Jesse and Lilli his two very unconventional finalists....also, when you remove the guitar he loses a lot of his magic. Still he's not going anywhere until the 8 to 4 culling, and he may even survive that to give Adam a finalist.

Vanessa, Solid effort (for me, for you it didn't quite match the magic she had on the Major Lazer song last week) on yet another overdone song. If she's really going to try and upset the apple cart and get in amongst the Chris's, Lauren's, and maybe Jesse's.....Alicia needs to be more aggressive and out-of-the-box thinking with her song choices. Shes got the chops and stylistic ambiguity that you could really flip some songs and give them a completely different spin. But "A Song for You"? or boring, middle of the road Motown choices are not going to help her cause.

Hunter, I wouldn't have needed too many guesses to come up with Gotye for a possible Hunter cover. I get that America loves him, that's cool. To me he just sucks the epicness out of the songs he does because he mumbles and is incapable of enunciation apparently. He reminds me a little bit of Colton Dixon from American Idol (middle seasons somewhere).....I can't figure if he really wants "this" or if he'd be happy finishing 2nd or 3rd....and then try to give it a go (like Colton) as a viable Contemporary Christian Music artist...

Lauren, I hope Lauren got the requisite (at least for Blake's team) Christian spiritual song out of the way tonight. More and more, she sounds like Karen Fairchild of Little Big Town who just has that sort of conversational singing voice that sits really well whether she's doing something heartbroken and emotional (like Girl Crush) or light and fluffier (like Pontoon). PhD-Mom calls her a combination of Trisha Yearwood and Allison Krauss which fits pretty well too. Not my absolute favorite of her performances so far, but she stays a frontrunner.

Stephanie, At some point (if she gets the opportunity) I hope she does a lighter, fun song to show a different side of her personality. She's mesmerizing at what she does wrenching emotion in every performance. But if I'm being honest, it's kind of exhausting thinking what an entire record of her's would sound like.

I feel like the Bottom 3 will come from TSoul, Stephanie, Mark, Lilli....or maybe just maybe Vanessa who I wonder about fan base. I'm not predicting she's going to be bottom 3, but given the recent history the Voice it wouldn't shock me either.

Edited April 25, 2017 by PhD-Purgatory15

[Vyk]

Current results now:

7. Brennley Brown - Team Gwen: "Long, Long Time"
12. Lauren Duski - Team Blake: "Lord, I Hope This Day is Good"
20. Hunter Plake - Team Gwen: "Somebody That I Used to Know"
29. Chris Blue - Team Alicia: "Love and Happiness"
45. Stephanie Rice - Team Alicia: "White Flag"
46. Vanessa Ferguson - Team Alicia: "A Song for You"
47. Jesse Larson - Team Adam: "Make You Feel My Love"
62. TSoul - Team Blake: "Always on My Mind"
66. Aliyah Moulden - Team Blake: "(Love is Like a) Heat Wave"
77. Troy Ramey - Team Gwen: "Free Fallin’"
120. Lilli Passero - Team Adam: "Man!  I Feel Like a Woman!"
231. Mark Isaiah - Team Adam: "One Dance"

Congrats to Brennley for getting the first iTunes multiplier of the season.  I think Lauren's closing in on getting the second.  Hunter is a longshot, but if he keeps going strong overnight, he could get it, as well.  Either way, those three are safe.  Chris is likely safe, as well.  I'd say that Stephanie and Vanessa, having now passed up Jesse, will also be all right.  Jesse will get through tomorrow, for sure, and maybe top eleven.  Top ten?  That's where his real test will be.  But still thinking that any two of TSoul, Aliyah, Troy, Lilli, and Mark will be the ones singing for their lives tomorrow, unless something surprising happens.

Edited April 25, 2017 by Vyk

[Vyk]

Okay.  Another update:

7. Brennley Brown - Team Gwen: "Long, Long Time"
10. Lauren Duski - Team Blake: "Lord, I Hope This Day is Good"
16. Hunter Plake - Team Gwen: "Somebody That I Used to Know"
26. Chris Blue - Team Alicia: "Love and Happiness"
40. Vanessa Ferguson - Team Alicia: "A Song for You"
44. Stephanie Rice - Team Alicia: "White Flag"
47. Jesse Larson - Team Adam: "Make You Feel My Love"
57. TSoul - Team Blake: "Always on My Mind"
65. Aliyah Moulden - Team Blake: "(Love is Like a) Heat Wave"
76. Troy Ramey - Team Gwen: "Free Fallin’"
117. Lilli Passero - Team Adam: "Man!  I Feel Like a Woman!"
223. Mark Isaiah - Team Adam: "One Dance"

Brennley unquestionably has the multiplier.  And congrats to Lauren, who has just earned it, as well!  Hunter could probably get it, too, if he keeps on gaining throughout the night and into tomorrow morning.  But I think it'll be tight.  Meanwhile, Vanessa has passed up both Jesse and Stephanie and is now in the top forty, solidly nosing into fifth place.   On the bottom, Mark is on the rise, but not enough for me to think that he can overtake any of the others before the voting window closes.  If voting reflects the downloads, I still think he's singing for the save tomorrow.

Edited April 25, 2017 by Vyk

[Songbird]

Vanessa really over sang the Donny Hathaway song and totally ruined it in my opinion. My hubs thought the same....  Love Lauren's voice and how she delivers a song. Just beautiful. I like Hunter a lot too when the song picked is right for him. Stephanie is good too, but her songs are just a little too overwrought for me. Wish she would chill a little...

[Vyk]

Yet another update:

7. Brennley Brown - Team Gwen: "Long, Long Time"
10. Lauren Duski - Team Blake: "Lord, I Hope This Day is Good"
16. Hunter Plake - Team Gwen: "Somebody That I Used to Know"
26. Chris Blue - Team Alicia: "Love and Happiness"
37. Vanessa Ferguson - Team Alicia: "A Song for You"
42. Stephanie Rice - Team Alicia: "White Flag"
47. Jesse Larson - Team Adam: "Make You Feel My Love"
55. TSoul - Team Blake: "Always on My Mind"
64. Aliyah Moulden - Team Blake: "(Love is Like a) Heat Wave"
76. Troy Ramey - Team Gwen: "Free Fallin’"
115. Lilli Passero - Team Adam: "Man!  I Feel Like a Woman!"
215. Mark Isaiah - Team Adam: "One Dance"

The top four remain the same, plus Jesse and Troy.  Everyone else either hops or noses up a bit.  Mark might finally break the top 200 by tomorrow, but he sure as hell isn't breaking the top one-hundred.

[waving feather]

Brennley is a really talented kid. She can deliver a song believably and is quite riveting to watch. However, I've tried to listen to her iTunes recordings in the past and she doesn't have the best recording voice. It could be the low budget production playing a part but her voice sounds very shrill recorded, especially her higher register. Lauren has a great recording voice; just warm and pleasing. But she doesn't sparkle on stage as much as Brennley.

Still, these two are my favorite so far on the show. And they were even paired together during the battles!

Edited April 25, 2017 by waving feather

[Keekski]

Lilli was thrown in front a bus with that song choice. Horrible.

[Wings]

4 minutes ago, Keekski said:

Lilli was thrown in front a bus with that song choice. Horrible.

I agree.  No one should ever sing that song again, in a comp.    Enough.

[Vyk]

Voting closes in less than three hours, but I'll throw out one more update before I call it a night (or morning):

7. Brennley Brown - Team Gwen: "Long, Long Time"
10. Lauren Duski - Team Blake: "Lord, I Hope This Day is Good"
16. Hunter Plake - Team Gwen: "Somebody That I Used to Know"
27. Chris Blue - Team Alicia: "Love and Happiness"
40. Vanessa Ferguson - Team Alicia: "A Song for You"
43. Stephanie Rice - Team Alicia: "White Flag"
46. Jesse Larson - Team Adam: "Make You Feel My Love"
55. TSoul - Team Blake: "Always on My Mind"
67. Aliyah Moulden - Team Blake: "(Love is Like a) Heat Wave"
77. Troy Ramey - Team Gwen: "Free Fallin’"
118. Lilli Passero - Team Adam: "Man!  I Feel Like a Woman!"
212. Mark Isaiah - Team Adam: "One Dance"

Looks like drops are already starting for some of them.  Only Jesse and Mark have moved up even a bit.

[Court]

I thought Hunter was awful. I also didn't really care for Brennley last night and I usually like her.

I easily thought Mark was the worst and I would like to see him go home.

[SunnyBeBe]

I loved Brennley again. I also like Aliyah, though, she needs to show something different soon.  I was surprised at how much I liked Vanessa.  I gave them all 3 ten votes. 

Lauren isn't bad, but, I just feel as if she undersings songs.  She' seems to be very low key and none of the music challenges her. Just too mundane for me.  I'm not sure if she just doesn't have much range or what the deal is.  She sings in key. That's a plus. 

Edited April 25, 2017 by SunnyBeBe

[ProudMary]

Sitting in the corner having a mini-tantrum for the umpteenth time because "A Song For You" is a Leon Russell song!!!  It's never, ever acknowledged on performance reality shows despite being a perennial song choice.  If singers want to say that they're doing the Donny Hathaway "version," fine but PLEASE acknowledge Leon.

Similarly, for "Lord, I Hope This Day Is Good," I think it was billed as a LeeAnn Womack song. When Lauren started singing, my first thought was, "I know this song  from the seventies.  It's a Don Williams song!"  (I love Don Williams.)  This non-attribution of original writers/performers drives me crazy.

[SunnyBeBe]

39 minutes ago, ProudMary said:

Sitting in the corner having a mini-tantrum for the umpteenth time because "A Song For You" is a Leon Russell song!!!  It's never, ever acknowledged on performance reality shows despite being a perennial song choice.  If singers want to say that they're doing the Donny Hathaway "version," fine but PLEASE acknowledge Leon.

Similarly, for "Lord, I Hope This Day Is Good," I think it was billed as a LeeAnn Womack song. When Lauren started singing, my first thought was, "I know this song  from the seventies.  It's a Don Williams song!"  (I love Don Williams.)  This non-attribution of original writers/performers drives me crazy.

Yeah, I know what you mean.  Wasn't it Alicia who when coaching someone this season referred to a song by Lauryn Hill, when the original was Roberta Flack?  Blew me away.  Maybe, Alicia's too young to know better. 

Edited April 25, 2017 by SunnyBeBe

[LittleCabbage]

I'm glad that Hunter is doing well still. I like how unassuming he is, and while his singing is hit or miss for me, I think he has shown some moments of artistic greatness here and there. But-- shallow comment ahoy!-- I wish Gwen would get him to change that Dumb and Dumber hairstyle. He had it swept back during his audition and looked not at all like a simpleton. 

[SixFeetOver]

Shania Twain's botox and/or fillers made me sad.

[Babalooie]

14 hours ago, PhD-Purgatory15 said:

Only three out of the twelve songs from the 21st century. So. Much. Fun.

Bach and Beethoven would be sad to see that comment.  If it's a good song, it's a good song, no matter when it was written.  Heck, Whoopi's choir  on Sister Act 2 won the competition singing "Ode to Joy". I do see where you're coming from as far as wanting to appeal to a younger audience, however.   Random thoughts:  I swear that Blake wanted T-Soul on his team because he likes saying his name.  I like power singer Jesse Larson because he reminds me of a modern-day Viking.

[SunnyBeBe]

19 hours ago, Diana Berry said:

Still very early but I see Lauren is 31 and Brennley 35 on Itunes.

thanks in advance to whoever keeps us up to date throughout the night.

Spoiler

 

It looks like Brennley was in, but not Lauren.

 

 

Spoiler

http://headlineplanet.com/home/2017/04/25/voices-brennley-brown-enters-top-10-itunes-chart-pace-bonus/

[PhD-Purgatory15]

Yeah they won that choir competition in Sister Act 2 by modernizing Joyful Joyful with a pre-Fugees Lauryn Hill singing lead, an honest to goodness rap interlude, and (gasp) choreographed dancing which set them apart from the boring ass 2nd place choir who sang the same song!

[Vyk]

Voting closed hours ago, but these were the final results upon closing:

7. Brennley Brown - Team Gwen: "Long, Long Time"
11. Lauren Duski - Team Blake: "Lord, I Hope This Day is Good"
15. Hunter Plake - Team Gwen: "Somebody That I Used to Know"
28. Chris Blue - Team Alicia: "Love and Happiness"
40. Vanessa Ferguson - Team Alicia: "A Song for You"
42. Stephanie Rice - Team Alicia: "White Flag"
46. Jesse Larson - Team Adam: "Make You Feel My Love"
60. TSoul - Team Blake: "Always on My Mind"
67. Aliyah Moulden - Team Blake: "(Love is Like a) Heat Wave"
76. Troy Ramey - Team Gwen: "Free Fallin’"
120. Lilli Passero - Team Adam: "Man!  I Feel Like a Woman!"
209. Mark Isaiah - Team Adam: "One Dance"

So Lauren will not be getting the multiplier.  In the eleventh hour, she got bumped out of the top ten.  Only Brennley will be getting it.  Meanwhile, it's just delicious that Alicia's entire team made the top half, as did two-thirds of Gwen's team.  And even more delicious that everyone on Adam's team hit the bottom half.

[ppl]

7 hours ago, ProudMary said:

Sitting in the corner having a mini-tantrum for the umpteenth time because "A Song For You" is a Leon Russell song!!!  It's never, ever acknowledged on performance reality shows despite being a perennial song choice.  If singers want to say that they're doing the Donny Hathaway "version," fine but PLEASE acknowledge Leon.

Similarly, for "Lord, I Hope This Day Is Good," I think it was billed as a LeeAnn Womack song. When Lauren started singing, my first thought was, "I know this song  from the seventies.  It's a Don Williams song!"  (I love Don Williams.)  This non-attribution of original writers/performers drives me crazy.

I don't see the big issue if the original artist is credited or not. A singer will credit the version that they are most familiar with. Singers shouldn't feel to need to acknowledge original artists because it's not the version they're singing.

Besides, people always associate I Will Always Love You with Whitney Houston and not with Dolly Parton. Similarly, even though Reflection is known as a Christina Aguilera song, Lea Salonga sung it first.

I haven't liked many of Blake's country artists in the past but I'm rooting for Lauren. She has an exquisite tone in her voice.

Brennley has what we call the Chris Daughtry vibrato or the goat vibrato.  She keeps forcing her vibrato to come out and it sounds like a warbling mess.

I hate Hunter. He's like a very poor man's Taylor Phelan with no swagger or charm.

Chris Blue is talented but he changes songs so much and adds falsettos all over the place that it becomes unbearable to listen to.

Vanessa is OK but A Song For You is supposed to be emotional. She sounded very robotic. Elliott Yamin's version schools hers hands down.

Poor Lilli x2. Getting sick and being saddled with a song that should never be sung in competition.

Jesse sucked.

Aaliyah was much better on Mercy last week. I did not like the dips she was doing in her lower register.

TSoul needs to stop church-ifying songs and sing straight. He has talent but needs to tone down the gospel rendition by several notches.

The rest of them are bland and have little talent. They need to be culled as soon as possible.

Edited April 25, 2017 by ppl

[tpplay]

2 hours ago, SixFeetOver said:

Shania Twain's botox and/or fillers made me sad.

Pretty much everything about her tonight made me sad.  That cannot be a happy person, best selling female country artist of all time or not.

[Songbird]

33 minutes ago, tpplay said:

Pretty much everything about her tonight made me sad.  That cannot be a happy person, best selling female country artist of all time or not.

Curious as to why you think that?  She is in her 50's now and none of us can stay young forever. So much emphasis is put on a youthful appearance these days, sadly, so she obviously was trying to look her best on TV. She seemed happy enough to me. I thought she looked good and overall was as good as any of the other judges there. They all sugarcoat too much in my opinion.

[ProudMary]

53 minutes ago, ppl said:

I don't see the big issue if the original artist is credited or not. A singer will credit the version that they are most familiar with. Singers shouldn't feel to need to acknowledge original artists because it's not the version they're singing.

Besides, people always associate I Will Always Love You with Whitney Houston and not with Dolly Parton. Similarly, even though Reflection is known as a Christina Aguilera song, Lea Salonga sung it first.

 

Brennley has what we call the Chris Daughtry vibrato or the goat vibrato.  She keeps forcing her vibrato to come out and it sounds like a warbling mess.

 

I don't think it's the singer crediting the version; I think it's the show and that's wrong, especially in the case of the two songs I mentioned from last night because both Leon Russell and Don Williams were not only the original recording artist, they also wrote the song!  That, to me, is the big difference.  I think it is fairly well known that Dolly Parton wrote (and performed) IWALY, long before Whitney recorded it and also WH's version is markedly different than Dolly's.  I don't think the "Reflection" example you mentioned holds water as neither Christina Aguilera or Lea Salonga wrote the song.  Also, it's not that unusual for a song from a film to be covered by a big name artist.  

Your opinion is valid too but this is a personal pet peeve of mine so I disagree.  I don't understand why The Voice doesn't at least mention both, especially when the original artist is also the songwriter.  I think a great example was years ago on American Idol when David Cook performed "Billie Jean" and Ryan Seacrest introduced it this way:  "Here's David Cook performing the Chris Cornell version of Michael Jackson's 'Billie Jean.'"  Not that difficult.

OTOH, I completely agree with you about Brennley.  Some vibrato is natural but hers seems forced and I don't know why she continues to do that.  Tone down the vibrato and that was a lovely version of the song but if I recall correctly, Gwen actually praised her vibrato in their rehearsal. (eyeroll)

[Wicked]

I thought Brennely's vibrato was from nerves last night.

[Nedsdag]

The good: Brennly, Chris, Lauren, Vanessa.

The bad: Mark.

The sad: Lilli, Aliyah.

The meh: TWhatshisname, Troy.

The overwrought: Stephanie.

The overrated: Hunter.

The I forgot they were still on the show: Jesse.

All and all, a very uneven show.

[SunnyBeBe]

REf. subject of other artists performing songs.  It later occurred to me that not only did Linda Ronstadt record A Long, Long Time.  LINDA also recorded Heatwave, which Aliyah performed last night.  Not sure if it was mentioned on the show, I missed a few portions. (Heatwave was also by Martha and the Mandellas.)  It wasn't right for Aliyah though.  I wonder why Blake's coming up with these songs for her.  It makes me worry about her, though, I think she'll go before Brennley, who's my favorite by far.   

Alison Porter did a great job with Linda's Blue Bayou a couple of seasons ago.  Maybe, it'll bring them luck. 

[snowblossom2]

Oh man. I haven't been on the boards for a while but I had to for this performance. I seem to be in disagreement with many of you but I thought Lillie was awful. I wanted to turn off the tv BC the first half sounded like a cat crying. I have no music training so I am probably off base but she sounded off key.

[JeanneH]

2 hours ago, ppl said:

Vanessa is OK but A Song For You is supposed to be emotional. She sounded very robotic. Elliott Yamin's version schools hers hands down.

I love the Karen Carpenter version

[JeanneH]

2 hours ago, ppl said:

I don't see the big issue if the original artist is credited or not. A singer will credit the version that they are most familiar with. Singers shouldn't feel to need to acknowledge original artists because it's not the version they're singing.

 

1 hour ago, ProudMary said:

I don't think it's the singer crediting the version; I think it's the show and that's wrong, especially in the case of the two songs I mentioned from last night because both Leon Russell and Don Williams were not only the original recording artist, they also wrote the song!

I'd like to know who on the show decides what info goes onto the screen. In this case it clearly said "'A Song for You' by Donnie Hathaway". Given the word choice, if I hadn't known already Leon Russell wrote it I would think Donnie Hathaway had.

Related to nothing, that bastion of complete and true information known as Wikipedia lists 10 different recordings of that song between 1970 and 1974. Performers included Leon Russell (70), Andy Williams (#29 AC chart, #82 Hot 100), Jaye P Morgan (of Gong Show fame, who also charted), Donnie Hathaway (all 71), Cher, Peggy Lee, Carpenters (all 72), Willie Nelson (73), Aretha Franklin and Temptations (74). I'm going to have to go find Aretha's version.

[kelslamu]

I think I was missing the girl's part on Hunter's song.  It was okay.  I really liked Brennly and Lauren.  I wish they would have given T-soul something else.  The only one I ff'd through was Mark.  I seriously don't get Adam's love for him,  but maybe it's just not my cup o' tea?  Also, how they let Troy out with that rendition of free fallin' is beyond me.  They did him no favors, imo.   Just give Jesse Gnarl's Barkley (sp?) Crazy and get it over with. lol

Also, whomever mentioned a make-over for Hunter, I agree.  Idk, just some tweaking maybe? lol

Edited April 26, 2017 by kelslamu