S12.E25: Live Semifinal Performances

[Nalan]

From TV Guide:

The top eight artists perform live in front of coaches Adam Levine, Gwen Stefani, Alicia Keys, and Blake Shelton for America's vote.  The artists pair up to perform duets.

Comment on the semifinalists' performances here.

[Nalan]

Apparently, the duet pairings have been revealed on Twitter:

Aliyah (Team Blake)/Hunter (Team Gwen)
Brennley (Team Gwen)/Lauren (Team Blake)
Chris (Team Alicia)/Vanessa (Team Alicia)
Jesse (Team Adam)/TSoul (Team Blake)

Source: https://twitter.com/RocketShip726/status/86...3535105/photo/1.

Aliyah and Hunter . . . well . . . they strike me as the one odd pairing.  But Aliyah is pop, while Hunter is indie pop/rock, so it could go together well, but they'll need the right song.  Brennley and Lauren make sense, since they've already sung together before, during their "Better Man" Battle.  And both being country girls, this makes them a natural pairing.  Chris and Vanessa also make sense.  The two of them seem very close from the spots I see during shows and the Toyota ad that was on during the last results show.  They also seem perfectly natural.  But it's unusual to see two people on the same team doing a duet this time.  (In seasons ten and eleven, every pairing was on a different team -- Adam Wakefield/Alisan Porter (Team Blake/Team Christina), Hannah Huston/Laith Al-Saadi (Team Pharrell/Team Adam), Bryan Bautista/Mary Sarah (Team Christina/Team Blake), and Paxton Ingram/Shalyah Fearing (Team Blake/Team Adam) for season ten, and Josh Gallagher/Sundance Head (Team Adam/Team Blake), Billy Gilman/Christian Cuevas (Team Adam/Team Alicia), Aaron Gibson/Wé McDonald (Team Miley/Team Alicia), and Ali Caldwell/Brendan Fletcher (Team Miley/Team Adam) in season eleven.  This will definitely be new to pair teammates for the duets.)  Jesse and TSoul make perfect sense since Jesse is more focused on blues and funk, and TSoul, while an R&B singer, leans toward R&B/blues, with a side of funk.  But I'm wondering if the show is trying to bus them since they might be the two least popular artists.

But they will need to really be careful about the songs they pick, because according to the NBC site (under Rule 2.3), this season, the duets will be released on iTunes and will count as votes:

https://www.nbc.com/the-voice/exclusives/voice-rules

Sounds like the duets may be just as crucial as the individual covers.  I'll be voting nonstop for my favorites, then, so my anti-favorites don't get the duet advantage.

[Nalan]

Solo songs for tonight:

Team Adam
Jesse: "I was Wrong" by Chris Stapleton

Team Gwen
Brennley: "Suds in the Bucket" by Sara Evans
Hunter: "With or Without You" by U2

Team Alicia
Chris: "Take Me to the King" by Tamela Mann
Vanessa: "Superstar" by Luther Vandross

Team Blake
Aliyah: "I Can Only Imagine" by Tamela Mann
Lauren: "Ghost in this House" by Alison Krauss
TSoul: "Ain't No Way" by Aretha Franklin

Duet songs for tonight:

Aliyah & Hunter: "Let it Go" by James Bay
Brennley & Lauren: "A Good-Hearted Woman" by LeAnn Rhimes
Chris & Vanessa: "If I Ain't Got You" by Alicia Keys
Jesse & TSoul: "I Wish" by Stevie Wonder

I think Jesse's song is really going to expose him vocally.  I heard his preview, and it does not even compare to the original.

Brennley is totally having the bus driven over her.  And I wonder if Gwen chose this on purpose to get her out so she can only have Hunter in the finale and not have her split the votes with him for Team Gwen?  While it's nice to see her changing things up and going with an up-tempo song, this wasn't the one.  She might be in trouble if the fans aren't sold.  Hunter, though, has chosen a song that's never been done on the show before.  But it's apparently decently popular, so he'd better do it justice, or he could be in trouble.

Chris is choosing just the right time to do a Christian/gospel pandering song.  If he does well with it, he could punch his ticket to the finale.  I just hope that Vanessa does well with a Luther song, though.  Lauryn Hill was risky last week and almost got her eliminated.  Let's hope this one is more to her style.

Aliyah needs to be careful, because Tamela Mann's vocal on her song is no joke.  If she doesn't do it just right, she could be out.  Lauren already did one Alison Krauss song and did it well, and I can easily see her acing another one.  TSoul . . . he must be crazy to do an Aretha song.

As for the duets, I actually heard the preview of Aliyah and Hunter's song, and they sounded pretty good together!  I just hope it sounds good live, too.  Brennley and Lauren sound decent in theirs, too.  It might be what Brennley needs, vote-wise, to make up for what she might do to mess up her solo song.  Chris and Vanessa doing a duet to the song of their coach?  I'm sure they'll be nice at it, but will it help Vanessa?  Chris, I'm not too worried about.  Even if he doesn't get the fan vote, he could easily win the Instant Save.  Jesse and TSoul's preview is . . . total garbage.  I don't see it translating well live, either.

But these are my pre-show thoughts.  We'll see about tonight.

Edited May 16, 2017 by Nalan

[Nalan]

Tonight definitely showed that several of the artists really want it.  I'll say that much.

So the performances:

Hunter: Wow.  Really surprised to see him up first.  With all of the hype he was getting, I thought he'd have gone later.  Anyway, this was a really good song for him, and I think he'll be fine tomorrow.  Like usual with him, he gave me chills, and he was just gripping to watch perform the song.  Interesting that it was a song that hasn't been done on the show before.  Judging by the amazing audience reaction and the coaches' standing ovation, I think he might've punched his ticket to the finale.

Chris & Vanessa: Very well done by both of them.  They captured the essence and the intent behind the song, and it probably helped having Alicia there, since it was her song they were singing.  They sang very well together and individually.  Vanessa even sounded almost like Alicia in parts!  Could've been a bit more engaging, but all in all, I enjoyed it.

TSoul: I actually rolled my eyes when I learned that he was doing an Aretha song, because I knew he wouldn't do it justice.  And indeed, he didn't.  That was just . . . terrible all around.  It was a hot mess.  His semi-decent performance last week was clearly a fluke.  Sisaundra Lewis probably had the best rendition of it in season six, and Hannah Huston's rendition in season ten, while not as strong or solid, was still better than this.  I think tomorrow will finally be his time, and I'm glad of it.  Could've been Casi or Felicia here in his place, people.  Let's all remember that.  Why Blake wanted to hang on to him instead, I will never know.

Brennley: I was worried about her doing a faster song, but she actually delivered on it fairly well, much to my surprise.  She was at least better than I thought she would be with this song, but there was still one big problem: the fact that she went at such a fast tempo, I had trouble understanding some of her lyrics.  It's going to be a huge uphill battle for her.  She was bussed to be placed so early, but she put in a good performance.

Aliyah & Hunter: I have to know whose brilliant idea it was to pair them together.  I thought Hunter did very well on the song.  So well, he might as well have sung it on his own.  Aliyah did nothing for me on this song, and their harmonizing went off the rails.

Lauren: Once again, she was great vocally.  Her voice was as strong and clear as it always is.  But once again, I find myself underwhelmed by her stage presence.  She really can't work a stage or engage a crowd.  She's probably got "finale" written all over her, but my God, Lauren.  Get interesting!  Stop coming off so boring!

Jesse & TSoul: I'm torn, because I like this song a lot, and Jesse did okay, but not great, on his parts.  But TSoul killed (and not in a good way) on his.  On the whole, I wasn't that impressed by it.  Almost as much of a mess as TSoul's solo, but barely saved by having Jesse there.  If it charts high, it'll be because of Jesse and in spite of TSoul.

Chris: On the first birthday of my ex-boyfriend's mother since her death, he had me put together a video collage of pictures of her throughout her life, and it was set to this song.  So I have some sentimentality for nearly anyone who sings it.  And Chris made me feel those emotions all over again, because I really loved my would-be mother-in-law and was glad to honor her with "Take Me to the King."  And I felt like I was honoring her all over again.  Only this time, Chris was doing the honoring.  This might've been his best performance yet, and he might've gotten his ticket punched to the finale.

Vanessa: Damn!  They went all in for Team Alicia tonight!  I actually quite liked this one!  It was even better than Christian Cuevas's Knockout last season!  Really surprised she did so well with a Luther song!  I don't think she'll get the fan vote (Lauren, Hunter, Chris, Brennley, and, inexplicably, Jesse are all looking like stronger chances for it), but this might at least give her a fighting chance for the Twitter save.

Brennley & Lauren: This was totally amazing.  I knew from their "Better Man" Battle that they were a natural pairing who'd do well, and indeed, they did.  But again, I think Lauren stood out more, because while Brennley was also very good, it did look like she was trying to do a bit too much at times.  Nonetheless, probably the best or second-best duet of the night.

Jesse: Yeah, not really feeling this one.  Chris Stapleton did this so much better, and Jesse just wasn't touching him.  Actually, I found it forgettable.  Very forgettable.  It'll probably chart well, though, since he's Adam's last contestant, and his fangirls are usually out in full force when he only has one person left.  (See: Joshua Davis back in season eight.)

Aliyah: Not gonna lie.  This was actually pretty damn good, and not a bad way to close out the show.  But the Christian pandering here was a much more blatant and obvious than with Chris.  Still, she's probably saved herself from the instant elimination, but I don't see her instantly going through.  She'll likely be singing for the Instant Save.

On a final note, I am glad that they're finally showing the families again after avoiding doing so since the Battles and Knockouts.  Let's hope they get off that noise next season.

Good episode.  I'm really nervous for all of my favorites but Lauren going into tomorrow.  It's gonna be a long night.

Edited May 16, 2017 by Nalan

[Diana Berry]

Suds in the bucket did Brennley no favors.  It seemed to go  on and on and on.

Enjoyed most all the performances.  

I wasn't thrilled with  Hunter taking on U2.  

Lauren was terrific with a tough song.  Chris turns me off with being so over the top in his performances.  But Take me to the King was terrific and  very heartfelt.

[Nalan]

2 minutes ago, Diana Berry said:

I wasn't thrilled with  Hunter taking on U2.  

Lauren was terrific with a tough song.  Chris turns me off with being so over the top in his performances.  But Take me to the King was terrific and  very heartfelt.

They're the top three on iTunes right now, in terms of solos.  Chris should be doubly helped since his duet with Vanessa is also doing well.

[Dots And Stripes]

My preferred final 4: Lauren, Aliyah, Vanessa, and maybe Chris

Lauren did what Lauren does. I am always here for it. I've liked Aliyah and Vanessa all season. I still think Chris over does it but I think his solo fit his voice better than some past selections.

Adam's pitch sounded like Adam wants to be the in the finale. It didn't have much to do with what happened tonight. I assume he got to speak before Jesse performed because they needed set up time?

I like that I could see any of 6 artists in the top 3 vote getters for tomorrow. (Sorry TSoul and Vanessa). Keeps things interesting.

[Noreaster]

Kind of a lackluster night.  I liked Vanessa and Jesse the most.  Entertaining solo performances and their parts in their respective duets were strong.  I do wish that Vanessa sang a more current song though while I never heard of Jesse's song before.  

I can't stand the type of religious song that Aliyah performed so obviously couldn't enjoy that.  Didn't care for Chris's either although with him, I was more bored than anything else.  

Bored by Lauren.  Nice tone as always but country music is just not my thing.  It's also clear to me based on her duet with Brennley that she sorely lacks stage presence.  

All the other performances were really not good.  Hunter's voice in his solo was painful to my ears.  I think his duet song would have been a better choice since he sounded great on the solo parts of that song.  I can't remember much about Brennley's and TSoul's performances... just that there were problems. Oh, I did like Brennley in her duet a lot.  She should have that song for her solo instead.  

[nextian]

I understand Hunter has a ton of fans on here and in the voting/buying audience, but in my opinion what he did with a classic U2 song was utterly horrendous. That being said, I firmly expect it to come down to him and Lauren in the finale next week. I just hope Lauren wins because I absolutely love her voice. Brennly finally went so over the top with her mannerisms and habit of overdoing it that I can't overlook it anymore, I hope she doesn't make it to the finale. The rest of them are all pretty equal to me, so no strong feelings, although I find Aliyah adorable and Vanessa extremely talented.

My personal favorite final four would be Lauren, Aliyah, Vanessa and Chris or Jesse, with Lauren winning. In reality I think the final four will be Lauren, Hunter, Brennly and Chris or Jesse with Lauren or Hunter winning. I do enjoy that there was no one obvious frontrunner this season.

[mishap]

I did not like anything Brennly  did tonight.  She over did it , tried too hard, or something.  But no one stood out to me as fantastic either. 

[weathered1]

Though I think several of the contestants have good voices, this season has wound up being pretty "meh" for me.

I think Hunter did all right with "With or Without You" - it was probably his best performance of the season, imo. I can't say a fan of the duet. At all. 

It was good to see Brennley going with an uptempo song, but . . . I didn't enjoy the performance. I don't know how one makes a fast song just seem to meander and drag on and on, but she managed to do that. Actually, I didn't like anything she did tonight. 

TSoul's rendition of Aretha's song was just not good. Even his adlibs sounded off to me. 

Jesse isn't bad, but I don't think his performances were anything to write home about. 

Chris' solo was great, but it was most definitely an obvious pandering move. 

Lauren. I'm torn about her. On one hand, she's very talented. On the other hand, she's so boring. It's always the same thing, and there isn't anything about her that differentiates from other country recording artists. 

Vanessa was just okay, and Aliyah was not, imo. I didn't like her performances tonight.  

For me, the final four would be Hunter, Chris, Brennley, and Lauren. 

Edited May 16, 2017 by weathered1

[Nalan]

All right.  Early iTunes results as of the EST/CST airings, with MST bumps potentially following later:

2. Lauren Duski - Team Blake: "Ghost In This House"
5. Chris Blue - Team Alicia: "Take Me To the King"
14. Chris Blue & Vanessa Ferguson - Team Alicia/Team Alicia: "If I Ain’t Got You"
18. Hunter Plake - Team Gwen: "With or Without You"
21. Aliyah Moulden - Team Blake: "I Can Only Imagine"
24. Jesse Larson - Team Adam: "I Was Wrong"
33. Aliyah Moulden & Hunter Plake - Team Blake/Team Gwen: "Let it Go"
45. Brennley Brown & Lauren Duski - Team Gwen/Team Blake: "A Good Hearted Woman"
53. Vanessa Ferguson - Team Alicia: "Superstar"
72. Jesse Larson & TSoul - Team Adam/Team Blake: "I Wish"
98. TSoul - Team Blake: "Ain’t No Way"
120. Brennley Brown - Team Gwen: "Suds In the Bucket"

Let's all be real.  Lauren and Chris clearly already have the multiplier.  Chris might even get his downloads doubly multiplied if his duet with Vanessa keeps on rising throughout the night.  Hunter will likely get one multiplier, too, after his MST and PST bumps, if not at least close in on it.  And damn.  Aliyah and Jesse really must've peaked at the right time.  Or what fans they have are clearly desperate.  Vanessa will get a multiplier for her duet with Chris, no doubt, but I don't see her getting one for her solo, even though it was incredible.  TSoul is clearly one of the instant eliminations tomorrow.  His duet with Jesse isn't doing well, and neither is his solo.  And a Team Gwen member hits the bottom for the first time this season, as Brennley's apparently dire performance lands her in the cellar and not in the top one-hundred.

[Dots And Stripes]

I would be very pleased if Aliyah won the battle of the 15 year olds and advanced over Brennley. I don't think there is room for both of them. Brennley felt like a front runner in weeks past but Aliyah is peaking at the right time. I think Brennley would have the edge if they end up in a twitter save but I would be pulling for Aliyah.

[Nalan]

New results, with MST spikes.  PST spikes coming later:

1. Lauren Duski - Team Blake: "Ghost In This House"
2. Chris Blue - Team Alicia: "Take Me To the King"
12. Chris Blue & Vanessa Ferguson - Team Alicia/Team Alicia: "If I Ain’t Got You"
15. Aliyah Moulden - Team Blake: "I Can Only Imagine"
17. Hunter Plake - Team Gwen: "With or Without You"
18. Jesse Larson - Team Adam: "I Was Wrong"
25. Aliyah Moulden & Hunter Plake - Team Blake/Team Gwen: "Let it Go"
31. Brennley Brown & Lauren Duski - Team Gwen/Team Blake: "A Good-Hearted Woman"
40. Vanessa Ferguson - Team Alicia: "Superstar"
57. Brennley Brown - Team Gwen: "Suds In the Bucket"
61. Jesse Larson & TSoul - Team Adam/Team Blake: "I Wish"
85. TSoul - Team Blake: "Ain’t No Way"

And with this, Lauren is now at the top at #1!  She has the multiplier, for sure!  Chris does, as well, after nosing up a bit!  His duet with Vanessa is also on the rise.  Aliyah is also on the rise, nosing past Hunter now after her MST spike came in.  Hunter still does well, but may have to rely on a PST spike now.  Jesse also noses up from MST voters and downloaders.  Aliyah and Hunter's duet also rises admirably, as does Brennley and Lauren's duet.  Vanessa also jumped up quite a bit.  And in a bit of a shocker, Brennley's solo skyrocketed up to get out of last.  Meanwhile, Jesse and TSoul's duet remains at the bottom of the duets, with TSoul's solo now ranking the worst.

Edited May 16, 2017 by Nalan

[Nedsdag]

Two words: Jesus songs.

Regardless, Chris could've sung about Jesus, God, Buddha, Vishnu, Zenu, Jim Jones whatever, and he  STILL SLAYED LAST NIGHT!!!!!

Aliyah had an interesting night as well with her "inspirational" song. Heck, I saw iTunes and she's climbing and may make it into the Top 10. Now if she had only cried....

The favorites were disappointing TBTH. I missed Hunter singing U2 and apparently I didn't miss anything. Brennley looked uncomfortable with the guitar singing the Sara Evans song. Lauren was Lauren. She could sing "Cockadoodle Doo" and she would still chart. Congratulations to Jesse and his wife, but I don't know if the Chris Stapleton song was enough to get into the top three. I loved Vanessa's version of "Superstar," but she's going to be an also-ran this year. I will admit I liked Jesse and TSoul's duet along with Chris and Vanessa's as well.

I'm not a fan of Red Wedding week because it doesn't give singers enough of an arch to grow on, but since the ratings are high I guess, it is what it is.

[Nalan]

Current results, with PST spikes still coming later:

1. Lauren Duski - Team Blake: "Ghost In This House"
2. Chris Blue - Team Alicia: "Take Me To the King"
7. Chris Blue & Vanessa Ferguson - Team Alicia/Team Alicia: "If I Ain’t Got You"
14. Aliyah Moulden - Team Blake: "I Can Only Imagine"
15. Hunter Plake - Team Gwen: "With or Without You"
18. Jesse Larson - Team Adam: "I Was Wrong"
22. Aliyah Moulden & Hunter Plake - Team Blake/Team Gwen: "Let it Go"
27. Brennley Brown & Lauren Duski - Team Gwen/Team Blake: "A Good-Hearted Woman"
36. Vanessa Ferguson - Team Alicia: "Superstar"
50. Brennley Brown - Team Gwen: "Suds In the Bucket"
58. Jesse Larson & TSoul - Team Adam/Team Blake: "I Wish"
74. TSoul - Team Blake: "Ain’t No Way"

Lauren stays the same.  But with this jump, Chris has doubly ensured himself a place in the finale now that both his solo and his duet with Vanessa are in the top ten.  Aliyah and Hunter continue to rise, as well.  Jesse stays the same, but could change with a PST spike.  Aliyah and Hunter's duet also rises, as does Brennley and Lauren's duet.  Vanessa jumps up some more, with Jesse and TSoul's duet moving up slowly, and TSoul's solo remaining in the bottom.  PST spike still to come, though, for many of these.

[Nalan]

Current results, with PST spikes finally in:

1. Lauren Duski - Team Blake: "Ghost In This House"
2. Chris Blue - Team Alicia: "Take Me To the King"
6. Chris Blue & Vanessa Ferguson - Team Alicia/Team Alicia: "If I Ain’t Got You"
10. Aliyah Moulden - Team Blake: "I Can Only Imagine"
15. Hunter Plake - Team Gwen: "With or Without You"
16. Jesse Larson - Team Adam: "I Was Wrong"
19. Aliyah Moulden & Hunter Plake - Team Blake/Team Gwen: "Let it Go"
25. Brennley Brown & Lauren Duski - Team Gwen/Team Blake: "A Good-Hearted Woman"
27. Vanessa Ferguson - Team Alicia: "Superstar"
45. Brennley Brown - Team Gwen: "Suds in the Bucket"
53. Jesse Larson & TSoul - Team Adam/Team Blake: "I Wish"
68. TSoul - Team Blake: "Ain’t No Way"

Lauren and Chris have no change.  Chris and Vanessa's duet rises a spot.  Aliyah's PST spike propels her into multiplier qualification . . . if she can keep it there.  Hunter remains unchanged, but Jesse jumps up two places.  Aliyah and Hunter's duet continues to rise, as does Brennley and Lauren's, although since it didn't jump that much after the spike, I guess the West Coasters didn't like it that much.  Jesse and TSoul's duet rises, and TSoul's solo jumps up a bit.  I still think he's doomed for the instant elimination, though.  It's between Brennley and Vanessa for who goes with him.

Edited May 16, 2017 by Nalan

[Morgan of Hed]

3 hours ago, Nalan said:

Vanessa: Really surprised she did so well with a Luther song!  

I wasn't even aware he had covered it. I've always thought of it as a Carpenters song, and Sonic Youth did an amazing cover as well. Originally Bonnie & Delaney, 1969. 

[Sharpie66]

Superstar is one of my all-time favorite songs (Karen Carpenter could do no wrong, IMO, and Bette Midler's version is also gorgeous), but Vanessa just couldn't pick a note and stay with it! Waaaaayyy too many runs. 

Hunter sounded like a karaoke sound-alike of Bono.

I really liked Chris's gospel song, but wasn't too impressed by Aliyah, although I really liked her duet with Hunter. I also liked Chris and Vanessa together.

Jesse was meh, IMO, and TSoul was not impressive at all in either his solo or duet.

Between the two country singers I prefer Lauren.

[Mystery Author]

Quote

the fact that she went at such a fast tempo, I had trouble understanding some of her lyrics.

THIS! Except, I had trouble understanding ANY of her lyrics. Well, maybe "Suds" :)

Lauren might be "boring" and have "no stage presence" but I understood every word she sang!

And her voice is pure while TSoul and Hunter had pitch problems. I like TSoul but (sorry) he sucked! BAD song choice.

I don't understand why, when America likes a song (genre) and votes a singer through, the coach always says, "Let's show everyone a different you this week."

Oh, and I wish I could un-vote for singers who pander. Or do the coaches choose the Jesus songs?

[Nalan]

Current results:

1. Lauren Duski - Team Blake: "Ghost In This House"
2. Chris Blue - Team Alicia: "Take Me To the King"
6. Chris Blue & Vanessa Ferguson - Team Alicia/Team Alicia: "If I Ain’t Got You"
8. Aliyah Moulden - Team Blake: "I Can Only Imagine"
14. Hunter Plake - Team Gwen: "With or Without You"
16. Jesse Larson - Team Adam: "I Was Wrong"
19. Aliyah Moulden & Hunter Plake - Team Blake/Team Gwen: "Let it Go"
25. Brennley Brown & Lauren Duski - Team Gwen/Team Blake: "A Good-Hearted Woman"
27. Vanessa Ferguson - Team Alicia: "Superstar"
44. Brennley Brown - Team Gwen: "Suds in the Bucket"
52. Jesse Larson & TSoul - Team Adam/Team Blake: "I Wish"
68. TSoul - Team Blake: "Ain’t No Way"

No change for several of them.  Lauren, Chris, Jesse, Vanessa, and TSoul all remain constant.  But Aliyah has ensured herself the multiplier now that she's jumped up.  Hunter noses up a spot, but he still has just more than nine hours to try and make the top ten.  Brennley has also moved up.  All of the duets remain constant except for Jesse and TSoul's, which moves up.

6 minutes ago, Mystery Author said:

Oh, and I wish I could un-vote for singers who pander. Or do the coaches choose the Jesus songs?

Chris and Aliyah both said on Twitter that Alicia and Blake chose their songs.

[Nalan]

Current results:

1. Lauren Duski - Team Blake: "Ghost In This House"
2. Chris Blue - Team Alicia: "Take Me To the King"
5. Chris Blue & Vanessa Ferguson - Team Alicia/Team Alicia: "If I Ain’t Got You"
7. Aliyah Moulden - Team Blake: "I Can Only Imagine"
13. Hunter Plake - Team Gwen: "With or Without You"
15. Jesse Larson - Team Adam: "I Was Wrong"
19. Aliyah Moulden & Hunter Plake - Team Blake/Team Gwen: "Let it Go"
24. Brennley Brown & Lauren Duski - Team Gwen/Team Blake: "A Good-Hearted Woman"
26. Vanessa Ferguson - Team Alicia: "Superstar"
43. Brennley Brown - Team Gwen: "Suds in the Bucket"
48. Jesse Larson & TSoul - Team Adam/Team Blake: "I Wish"
63. TSoul - Team Blake: "Ain’t No Way"

Some moves up from Aliyah, Hunter, Vanessa, Brennley, and TSoul.  Lauren, Chris, Jesse all remain constant.  Every duet moves up except Aliyah and Hunter's, which remains constant.

[InfiniteMystery]

Lauren for the win! Her voice is pure beauty. 

Hunter is systematically destroying my favorite songs.

I love Aliyah's personality.

The rest? Meh.

[Nalan]

Last update before I call it a night (or a morning):

1. Lauren Duski - Team Blake: "Ghost In This House"
2. Chris Blue - Team Alicia: "Take Me To the King"
6. Chris Blue & Vanessa Ferguson - Team Alicia/Team Alicia: "If I Ain’t Got You"
7. Aliyah Moulden - Team Blake: "I Can Only Imagine"
10. Hunter Plake - Team Gwen: "With or Without You"
15. Jesse Larson - Team Adam: "I Was Wrong"
19. Aliyah Moulden & Hunter Plake - Team Blake/Team Gwen: "Let it Go"
23. Brennley Brown & Lauren Duski - Team Gwen/Team Blake: "A Good-Hearted Woman"
26. Vanessa Ferguson - Team Alicia: "Superstar"
43. Brennley Brown - Team Gwen: "Suds in the Bucket"
46. Jesse Larson & TSoul - Team Adam/Team Blake: "I Wish"
62. TSoul - Team Blake: "Ain’t No Way"

Lauren, Chris, Aliyah, Jesse, Vanessa, and Brennley all remain constant.  Hunter, much to my delight, has moved up a great deal and can possibly snag the multiplier if he can remain where he is.  TSoul has also nosed up.  Chris's duet with Vanessa remains constant, as do Aliyah's duet with Hunter and Jesse's duet with TSoul.  Meanwhile, Brennley and Lauren's duet has nosed up again.

Edited May 16, 2017 by Nalan

[TaraS1]

I haven't liked Hunter all season, but that was probably his best performance so far for me.  I still wouldn't vote him into the top four, though.

Poor Brennley was terrible, so it was for the best that I couldn't hear her over the band for most of the song.

Chris was awesome in his solo and his duet with Vanessa, I just love him.  I hope the final four are him, Vanessa, Lauren and....well, TSoul is who I'm rooting for, but let's be real lol.

[waving feather]

9 minutes ago, TaraS1 said:

I haven't liked Hunter all season, but that was probably his best performance so far for me.  I still wouldn't vote him into the top four, though.

Poor Brennley was terrible, so it was for the best that I couldn't hear her over the band for most of the song.

Chris was awesome in his solo and his duet with Vanessa, I just love him.  I hope the final four are him, Vanessa, Lauren and....well, TSoul is who I'm rooting for, but let's be real lol.

That was the first time I liked Hunter too. I was finally able to appreciate that he has a beautiful voice. I just hate how he reworks songs for most of the season. I thought Gwen gave good advice telling him to sing it straight. 

Bad song for Brennley. Not only did she sound terrible but she was doing some weird thing with her shoulder and neck when she was playing the guitar. The whole thing was weird.

It's good that Blake is encouraging Lauren to push her vocals more. I hope he continues to do that. She needs it. She should not be afraid of roughing it out to show some convictions.

That was not a good song for Aliyah, but I still hope she is in the final 4, because she is great. I like TSoul, too but he was zero chance.

That was not a good song for Vanessa. Vanessa is awesome but whenever I hear Superstar, I just compare it to the wistfulness of the Carpenters' version and no one comes close. The best one done on these singing shows is by Ruben Studdard. 

[Jextella]

2 hours ago, waving feather said:

The best one done on these singing shows is by Ruben Studdard. 

Kelly Clarkson said on a talk show that the one person she would like to sing a duet with is Ruben and that he has such a beautiful voice.  The Voice is great 'n all, and I'm glad to see Kelly coming on as a judge, but nothing beats the 2nd season of American Idol (for those of us old enough to remember).

[Babalooie]

Regarding Adam not standing for Chris' song, my thought was simply that because he is Jewish, he didn't feel comfortable standing for a Christian song.  Jealousy didn't occur to me, but I guess that could have been the reason.

Edited May 16, 2017 by Babalooie

[Nalan]

All right!  Just minutes ago, voting closed!  And here are the final results:

1. Lauren Duski - Team Blake: "Ghost In This House"
2. Chris Blue - Team Alicia: "Take Me To the King"
6. Chris Blue & Vanessa Ferguson - Team Alicia/Team Alicia: "If I Ain’t Got You"
7. Aliyah Moulden - Team Blake: "I Can Only Imagine"
9. Hunter Plake - Team Gwen: "With or Without You"
15. Jesse Larson - Team Adam: "I Was Wrong"
19. Aliyah Moulden & Hunter Plake - Team Blake/Team Gwen: "Let it Go"
25. Brennley Brown & Lauren Duski - Team Gwen/Team Blake: "A Good-Hearted Woman"
27. Vanessa Ferguson - Team Alicia: "Superstar"
44. Brennley Brown - Team Gwen: "Suds in the Bucket"
49. Jesse Larson & TSoul - Team Adam/Team Blake: "I Wish"
63. TSoul - Team Blake: "Ain’t No Way"

So at the end of voting, Lauren, Chris, Aliyah, and Hunter all get the multiplier, with Chris doubly getting it since his duet with Vanessa also hit the top ten.  So Vanessa will get the multiplier, too, for that reason.  Jesse pretty much hit his peak, while Vanessa, Brennley, and TSoul all nosed down.  In addition, Aliyah and Hunter's duet remained constant, while Brennley and Lauren's duet fell, as did Jesse and TSoul's.

Pretty sure that, based on these numbers, that TSoul is outta here instantly tonight, with no chance of singing for the save, and I'll be surprised if he does get to sing for it.  Question is, who will be joining him?  Vanessa?  Brennley?  Jesse?  Meanwhile, I suspect that Chris and Lauren have the votes overwhelmingly, and that it's between Aliyah and Hunter for the third spot, with the other one singing for the final save.

Edited May 16, 2017 by Nalan

[hnygrl]

Chris Blue.

I FELT That!!! You betta SANG boy!!!!!

I think he just made the finals with that one.

Vanessa Ferguson. Girl. GIRL! You sang that song!

I think team Alicia may just take it this year. Either Chris or Lauren Duski. That's one country singer who has the "X" Factor in spades. She doesn't NEED to win. She's already won. She could go to Branson or Nashville TODAY and be making millions tomorrow. Her voice is so pure. and Purely country. Reminds me of a mixture of Martina McBride, Carrie Underwood, and Loretta Lynn with something unique to her. She's already "there" so winning the Voice would kinda set her back a year (due to Voice Obligations). Best thing to happen to a talent like hers is the "Jennifer Hudson" effect. You lose, but you win. BIG. I'm curious to hear her sing something original.

All the others were "okay," but you didn't feel badly doing other things while they were singing.

Those two made you stop everything you're doing and LISTEN. Chris Blue took us to CHURCH last night. Wasn't one thing wrong with that performance.

Other than that stupid...thing...they had him standing on. What the what???

Edited May 16, 2017 by hnygrl

[Jextella]

I agree with all that Lauren has the "it" factor where country music is concerned, but for this competition, my hope is that Chris takes it.

I'm also a huge Jesse fan but he appeals to a more narrow audience and odds are stacked against him.

Glad TSoul made it as long as he did.  He won't win, but what a great life experience for him.

[Valny]

So how many get cut tonight? Three? Five? 

Has Lauren ever done a Trisha Yearwood song? She has a very similar tone and sometimes sounds just like her with some notes.

[Newberry]

15 minutes ago, Valny said:

So how many get cut tonight? Three? Five? 

Has Lauren ever done a Trisha Yearwood song? She has a very similar tone and sometimes sounds just like her with some notes.

Lauren has a beautiful voice, but she could sure some lessons on her stage presence-she is a little boring as others have said, but that said, I would certainly be able to listen to her on the radio. Love Trisha Yearwood, but for some reason when Lauren sings, I immediately think of Mary Chapin Carpenter, "He Thinks He'll Keep Her." 

[Archery]

1 hour ago, hnygrl said:

Chris Blue.

I FELT That!!! You betta SANG boy!!!!!

I think he just made the finals with that one.

Vanessa Ferguson. Girl. GIRL! You sang that song!

[snip]

All the others were "okay," but you didn't feel badly doing other things while they were singing.

Those two made you stop everything you're doing and LISTEN. Chris Blue took us to CHURCH last night. Wasn't one thing wrong with that performance.

Other than that stupid...thing...they had him standing on. What the what???

Chris Blue:  I loved that "still so caught up in the moment that I can't stand still" moment.  Just walk away, gather yourself, come back.

Vanessa:  I grew up on Karen Carpenter's version of Superstar, and then Luther came along. What I loved about Vanessa's performance was that it was neither of those.  It was a whole new song.  That's hard to accomplish with a 40 year old classic, iconic song.  I haven't bought a competition-featured song on iTunes since maybe Season 5 of Idol, but I think I'm going to have to buy this one. 

[yourpointis]

All that last night's performances proved to me is that I never really had a dog in this fight. I mildly enjoyed a few performances here and there, but I mostly geared toward who I wanted eliminated rather than saved. I honestly don't care who wins so good luck to all the contestants. I'm guessing this is Lauren's to lose. She's the only one I can see having an actual career where people outside of The Voice watchers may end up becoming a fan. She's like a Carrie Underwood during her time on Idol. Boring performer but rarely hitting a bad note. She sings within a genre where it will be more willing to accept from a competitive reality show (good luck getting radio air time vs country male singers). I wonder if she'd be willing to go country/pop. I cannot even tell what genre Chris Blue veers toward because I've only watched one performance of his. Whenever Carson announces the song and it is some tired old chestnut, I immediately leave the room. I wasn't as impressed with his 24k performance as others. I was on the Hunter train until someone here mentioned how he never enunciates. Once I heard it for the first time last week, I lost interest. TSoul (see Chris Blue). The rest are meh with exception to Jesse. As a poster above mentioned he has a narrow fan base and doesn't have a chance in hell of winning this show no matter what his coach says. I'm watching tonight with no one to cheer on to the finale. Anyway, good look again to all the contestants. 

[Court]

I thought Chris was fantastic last night. So was Lauren.  I want the final 4 to be Chris, Lauren, Jesse and Aliyah. 

It will probably be Lauren, Jesse, Hunter and Chris? Maybe Vanessa. 

I soured on Brennley awhile ago so I wood like to see her leave. I like Vanessa but I think she leaves tonight as well. TSoul is definitely eliminated. 

[viajero]

I thought there were a lot of good performances last night, but the best for me was the Chris/Vanessa duet.  That was sublime.  Other very good performances included Chris and Lauren's solos, as well as Lauren's duet with Brennley.  I would put Aliyah's, Venessa and Jesse's solos a step below those.

The only two really mediocre performances were TSoul's solo and duet.  While he clearly connected to the Aretha song, he once again showed some real vocal limitations.  Meanwhile the duet with Jesse a mess.  So in this I agree completely with the iTunes rankings.

I put the blame for Brennley and Hunter's subpar performances (by their standards) squarely on Gwen and/or the producers (even if Hunter did somehow squeeze into the Top 10 on iTunes).  The Semifinals are not when you switch things up, unless you're in a position like Vanessa's where you have gamble big.

One thing I didn't like is the way the show is so obviously pushing for Jesse to make the finals so that Adam isn't left out.  It almost makes me wonder if it was the producers were the ones behind giving Brennley that Suds song.

My preference for the final 4 is:  Chris, Lauren, Vanessa, and Brennley (barely edging out Aliyah based on the body of work over the entire season).

My prediction for the final 4 is:  Lauren, Chris, Hunter, and Jesse.  This is in part because I fully expect them to revert to the usual order for the save me songs, with Jesse going last.  I also expect that he will be up against the much less experienced Brennley and Aliyah, who might be more prone to letting the pressure get to them, while also taking votes away from each other.

Edited May 16, 2017 by viajero

[Palomar]

Quote

I put the blame for Brennley and Hunter's subpar performances (by their standards) squarely on Gwen and/or the producers (even if Hunter did somehow squeeze into the Top 10 on iTunes).  The Semifinals are not when you switch things up, unless you're in a position like Vanessa's where you have gamble big.

Personally I don't think Hunter's performance was subpar and obviously since it was in the Top 10 there are a lot of people who liked it just fine.  OTOH Brennley did slip down quite a bit.  Vanessa almost got eliminated last week so if she makes the top 4 that is quite an accomplishment.

[Diana Berry]

6 hours ago, yourpointis said:

All that last night's performances proved to me is that I never really had a dog in this fight. I mildly enjoyed a few performances here and there, but I mostly geared toward who I wanted eliminated rather than saved. I honestly don't care who wins so good luck to all the contestants. I'm guessing this is Lauren's to lose. She's the only one I can see having an actual career where people outside of The Voice watchers may end up becoming a fan. She's like a Carrie Underwood during her time on Idol. Boring performer but rarely hitting a bad note. She sings within a genre where it will be more willing to accept from a competitive reality show (good luck getting radio air time vs country male singers). I wonder if she'd be willing to go country/pop. I cannot even tell what genre Chris Blue veers toward because I've only watched one performance of his. Whenever Carson announces the song and it is some tired old chestnut, I immediately leave the room. I wasn't as impressed with his 24k performance as others. I was on the Hunter train until someone here mentioned how he never enunciates. Once I heard it for the first time last week, I lost interest. TSoul (see Chris Blue). The rest are meh with exception to Jesse. As a poster above mentioned he has a narrow fan base and doesn't have a chance in hell of winning this show no matter what his coach says. I'm watching tonight with no one to cheer on to the finale. Anyway, good look again to all the contestants. 

I think stage presence can be learned and achieved with time.  Agree Carrie Underwood was also considered boring on AI ( but I remember loving her voice when watching the show) but look at her now.  

Lauren has knocked Miley and the Bebes out of the #1 spot.  You go girl. 

Edited May 16, 2017 by Diana Berry

[Noreaster]

43 minutes ago, Palomar said:

Personally I don't think Hunter's performance was subpar and obviously since it was in the Top 10 there are a lot of people who liked it just fine.  OTOH Brennley did slip down quite a bit.  Vanessa almost got eliminated last week so if she makes the top 4 that is quite an accomplishment.

I think the iTunes in these later weeks are sometimes just a reflection of a contestant's popularity and not a reflection of the performance itself.  I remember back in season 7 when Craig Wayne Boyd charted relatively high (not top 10 but close) despite all his fans on this board admitting his performance wasn't good.  It was at that point I knew he had an extremely good chance of winning the show.  And this wasn't the semifinals or finals when fanbases are particularly motivated.  

We'll see what happens tonight, but since we have a couple of religious songs charting well, I'll mention that there have been a few instances in which they do better on the iTunes than the other voting methods.  The examples that come to mind are Christian in last season's semifinals (he reached top 10 but We who charted outside of top 10 advanced instead), Emily Ann in the season 9 playoffs (she reached top 10 but had less votes than two others), Deanna Johnson in season 8 (she landed in the bottom despite charting mid-pack).  

Edited May 16, 2017 by Noreaster

[Nalan]

3 hours ago, viajero said:

One thing I didn't like is the way the show is so obviously pushing for Jesse to make the finals so that Adam isn't left out.  It almost makes me wonder if it was the producers were the ones behind giving Brennley that Suds song.

I don't even get what's wrong with Adam being frozen out of the finale.  Save for Usher and Alicia, every coach has had it happen to him or her at least once.  Even Blake (in season five).  Adam's had it happen to him twice before, in seasons three and four (he lost his entire team two weeks before the end in the former season, and his last member in the semifinals in the latter season), and supposedly, despite being bummed, took it like a man and handled it like a champ.  And he would unquestionably have gone through it again in season six if not for the last-minute Instant Save that was specifically brought in to get Christina Grimmie into the finale.

I get that he's one of the "veteran" coaches, but that shouldn't make him immune from losing his team before the end, should it happen.

Edited May 17, 2017 by Nalan

[yourpointis]

2 hours ago, Diana Berry said:

I think stage presence can be learned and achieved with time.  Agree Carrie Underwood was also considered boring on AI ( but I remember loving her voice when watching the show) but look at her now.  

Lauren has knocked Miley and the Bebes out of the #1 spot.  You go girl. 

I agree that stage presence can learned to a certain extent. During season 4 of Idol I was a major Bo Bice fan and wanted to hate everything Carrie did on stage. Yes I was that petty back then lol. Carrie won and I was not a happy camper, but I actually bought her cd and didn't even consider buying Bo's after hearing a couple of songs from it. I still think Carrie is an awful performer on the stage (she always looks like she's trying to put out a cigarette butt or kill a few bugs with that squat with the legs open move, but I cannot deny her singing talent. ymmv

[Quickbeam]

I really hated Brennley's Suds in the Bucket. It was mush mouthed with childish theatrics. Completely turned me off far more than any of the other contestants' performances. 

[kelslamu]

Whyyyyy do they slow some of these songs down so much?  I couldn't stand the versions of the songs Vanessa and Aaliyah did.