S13.E17: The Playoffs, Night 3

[Star Aristille]

From TV Guide:

Quote

The remaining artists perform for coaches Adam Levine, Miley Cyrus, Jennifer Hudson, and Blake Shelton for a chance at a spot in the live shows.  The performances conclude with Team Miley.  Miley reveals her Comeback artist.

This episode is a one-hour episode, but it starts an hour later than the previous two.

Just edited this, because NBC made a switch in the schedule and decided to move Adam's team to Tuesday and have Miley's team perform in this episode.

Edited November 14, 2017 by Star Aristille

[Star Aristille]

Okay.  This was quite a way to end the Knockouts.  And I mean that in a good way.

All right.  The performances:

Brooke: No doubt in my mind that she slayed this song.  Didn't care much for the fact that the song has, in general, been overdone, but damn!  She was so damn good!  I enjoyed it all from start to finish!  She nailed it, and I will be absolutely shocked if Miley doesn't pass her through.

Karli: Doing a Dolly song means trying to measure up to a very big name.  But she actually did a nice job with it.  I loved every second of it.  Her voice was beautiful and showed a strength to it that I hadn't noticed before.  Very nice performance.  Could she get through?  Well, Miley has a lot of heavy-hitters on her team, so we'll have to see.

Adam P.: A little bit too much yelling for my tastes, but it wasn't bad, at least.  It did sound like he was straining in some parts, though.  He put way too much into the vocals.  I don't think it was terrible, but he needed to take it down several steps for a lot of the performance.  On the whole, probably not the right song for his voice, even though the overall performance was all right.  Sadly, though, "all right" is not what you need to get by.  I think he's reached the end of his rope.

Ashland: A source who went to the tapings had said that this was bad.  Actually, I didn't find it bad at all.  It wasn't great or excellent, but I found myself thinking that she did a good job at this.  It wasn't at the level or Brooke or even Karli, but I liked it.  Definitely wiped away the taint of her subpar, uninspiring Knockout, at the very least.  Gretchen Wilson is apparently hard to take on, but she rose admirably to the challenge.  Enough for Miley to pass through?  I don't know.

Moriah: This wasn't just good.  This was great!  She definitely killed it tonight!  Great song choice, near-perfect vocals, and an overall impressive performance!  In fact, this was probably my favorite performance of hers since her Blind!  Excellent job, Moriah!  I really hope Miley puts you through after a performance like that one!

Janice: Yay for a new, refreshing song choice.  Leela James is one of my mother's favorite artists, and her vocals are typically no joke.  But Janice definitely did her proud with this performance.  Personally, I've never heard the song till I found the original today, but Janice brought her A-game to match up to it.  Excellent job, and a great way to close out the performances.

When it came to the elimination . . . well . . . Miley clearly had a tough choice.  Her team probably did the best job, since they only had one real dud.  All five women were good, with her sole man being the standout worst of the night (but even then, better than many of the other teams' duds).  So Adam P. not getting through was a no-brainer.  But Ashland, Brooke, Janice, Karli, and Moriah all had pros and cons to going through.  No surprise that Brooke got the first pick.  She was either my favorite of second-favorite of the night, so I'm happy to see her advance.  She'll have a large Native American audience rooting and voting for the first-ever Native American to get this far.  Janice was also in my top two for the night, so I was ecstatic to see her pass into the Lives.  The third spot, if it'd up to me, really would've gone to Moriah, though.  Apparently, Adam, Blake, Jennifer, and even Miley's own mother practically told her to put her through, as well, but that wasn't shown.  But Miley must just as obsessed as Adam when it comes to beating Blake with a country artist, so Moriah got screwed, and Ashland got the last spot instead.  She'd better hope no fan backlash comes for her.

So that's it!  The Playoffs are over!  The top twelve is decided!  Next week, time to bring on the Lives!

Edited November 16, 2017 by Star Aristille

[Jabu]

Final team rosters/cheat sheets heading into the Lives:

Team Adam
Addison Agen (Adam's First Pick)
Jon Mero (Adam's Second Pick)
Adam Cunningham (Adam's Third Pick)

Team Miley
Brooke Simpson (Miley's First Pick)
Janice Freeman (Miley's Second Pick)
Ashland Craft (Miley's Third Pick)

Team Jennifer
Davon Fleming (Jennifer's First Pick)
Noah Mac (Jennifer's Second Pick)
Shi'Ann Jones (Jennifer's Third Pick)

Team Blake
Keisha Renee (Blake's First Pick)
Red Marlow (Blake's Second Pick)
Chloe Kohanski (Blake's Third Pick)

Ladies and gentlemen, this is our top twelve for season thirteen.

[Dots And Stripes]

I was surprised Miley picked Ashland over Moriah, but the show took pains to remind us Miley wants to win with a country artist. I don't see that happening with Ashland. I really like Brooke a lot and I'm rooting for her.

[Babalooie]

All rightey,  I'll pick one from each team.    Jon, Brooke, Davon, and Red.  

[Reddust]

I really am disappointed that Moriah didn’t go through. She was amazing. 

[Star Aristille]

Well, so much for little to no backlash for coach choices.  Adam and Miley are getting so much heat on social media for eliminating Emily and Moriah, respectively.  I'm even surprised (though pleasantly so) at the former.

Edited November 20, 2017 by Star Aristille

[DaisyFields500]

I just want to say I wish Adam made it.  I liked him and wanted to hear his style of singing on the show.  

[Mr. R0b0t]

Moriah has more gears and more room to grow than Ashland (and could easily do country).  Miley messed up.  I found all of her song choices tonight lackluster. 

[Padma]

An entertaining show, but I would have easily chosen Karli and Moriah over Ashland and Janice.

I'd choose  Team Adam -- Addison;  Team Miley -- Brooke;  Team Jennifer -- Noah,;  Team Blake - Keisha.  And I think Blake or Adam are most likely to win again.

[Star Aristille]

On ‎11‎/‎15‎/‎2017 at 11:04 PM, Padma said:

I'd choose  Team Adam -- Addison;  Team Miley -- Brooke;  Team Jennifer -- Noah,;  Team Blake - Keisha.  And I think Blake or Adam are most likely to win again.

Nah.  Blake's only chance of winning is with Chloe.  Keisha's been charting so low each round.  It's clear the public doesn't buy her pursuing country since she uses too much of her R&B/soul stylings.  And Red is too polarizing.  I think Jennifer has a great chance with Noah, and maybe even Davon, if he remains consistent.  Shi'Ann will perform next week, and then go home.  Miley only has Brooke on whom to rely, though Ashland could rep it for the country vote.  Janice could last a few weeks, but Miley won't be winning with her.  Adam can only rely on Addison.  As I said, Adam C. has too much of a backlash going against him over Emily's ouster, and that will affect his votes a bit, and Jon isn't seen as genuine by quite a few people, which will also affect his votes.

Edited November 23, 2017 by Star Aristille

[Magic]

I cannot believe Moriah was eliminated.  She is fierce and is a real natural.  The only consolation is that someone is going to pick her up.  There is no doubt about that.

Right now I think it is up in the air who will win, there is enough good contestants with different lanes.  It will be interesting to see how America votes.  

ETA, I re-watched a few and I think Miley let Moriah go because she wanted to clear the way for Brooke.  They both have a certain fierceness that could split fans.  In the end it s best to consolidate the fan base from the start, if you really want to win.  There's going to be a lot to choose from this season.  Brooke, who I liked from the blinds, still wows me the most now.

Edited November 16, 2017 by Magic

[bluepiano]

I get Ashland even less than Red. To me she's a generic country gal, and I don't hear anything distinctive or interesting in her voice. I really liked the version Karli did of the Dolly Parton song. Her voice was lovely but had a strength to it. I wish she was going to the lives instead of Ashland.

Chloe blew me away with her version of "Landslide," Her "Time after Time" was good but not on the same level. Still, I'm glad I'll have another chance to hear her.

I understand why JHud picked who she did, but Chris was one of my favorites this year, and I'm sorry I won't get to see him perform in the Lives.

[SunnyBeBe]

I skipped last night, after seeing the first part with Brooke rehearsing, It's A Man's World.  You know, I adore Brooke. She's from my area and I support her for the win, but, OMG.  Please, do not do anymore of those songs that are so overdone.  I just can't take it.  I don't want to hear that song again, by Brooke or anyone else.  

It sounds like some good ones got robbed.  Sorry to hear that.  So, maybe, it's good I skipped it. 

[viajero]

Team Miley really brought it.  By far the best night of the playoffs.  I thought the 6 performances ranged from decent to very good.  But then Miley had to go and mess everything up by picking Ashland as her third choice.  To me, Karli won the battle of the country songs hands down and since I thought she was better than Ashland in all of the previous rounds, it wouldn't have been a hard choice if it was just between the two of them.   Having said that, I probably would still have put through Moriah.  I don't think that Beth Hart song suited her as well as what she had done previously, but she has at least as much or more potential than many who did make it through to the live shows.

Overall, I'm fairly happy with the Top 12.  I think we have 9 very strong contestants, with only Shi'Ann, Red, and Ashland being a clear step below everyone else.  I also find it refreshing that I could be quite happy with any combination of almost half the remaining contestants making the finale:  Addison, Brooke, Davon, Noah, and Chloe.  Of these, I think Brooke and Davon have an advantage that with their big voices and considerable range, they can sing almost anything.  Addison, Noah, and Chloe are more stylistic performers and probably depend a bit more on song choice.  But this also makes those 3 more interesting to me.

[limecoke]

Good round with lots of talent.  I was very surprised at how well Karli did on an iconic Dolly song but knew she'd never be picked.  None of the comeback artists were which made it all rather pointless.  I was really torn between Ashland and Moriah because Ashland killed a tough Gretchen song and Moriah was just off.  But all things considered, I'd have probably picked Moriah.  We'll see how it goes.  

I think the winner isn't foreordained or telegraphed this year because of the level of talent so I'm looking forward to the lives.  I'm stilled bummed to lose Emily.  Her voice was remarkable and I was looking forward to seeing what she could do.  Thanks, Adam.  

[SunnyBeBe]

I think a lot of great voices were sent home previously.  I do hope that they don't return to that sad story hype thing.  It just really annoys me.  I don't think you should have to have a sad story in order to prevail on talent shows. 

Well, I went to their site and watched all of the final 12 performances from last night. I was very impressed.  I thought all of them did really well.  Some very stiff competition.  I still favor Brooke, but, fear that Blake could have a repeat victory with Red, like he did with Sundance.  But, there's nothing I can do about that, but, vote for Brooke. I think that Jennifer's team is my least favorite.  Adam and Miley have great teams, imo. It's nice to see the bar so high this season. 

Edited November 16, 2017 by SunnyBeBe

[jhlipton]

I must be far too old, if this was "the best team".  I thought  1 stunk, 3 were passable, 1 was good and 1 was superb.

Brooke: Too too much.

Karli:  Very blah. 

Adam P.: Oh my f**ing God.  What a disaster.  I feel like I've heard it in a lower register, but even high (Nazarath, Joan Jett, Ray Orbison), it's not that high  (and not in notes only dogs could hear! OW!!!!)  He was pitchy too.  Just ghastly!

Ashland: Not bad -- One of the three passable singers.

Moriah: She was the second best of the night, in my opinion. 

Janice:  I liked her best.  10 steps above everyone but Moriah.

On 11/15/2017 at 7:21 PM, Babalooie said:

All rightey,  I'll pick one from each team.    Jon, Brooke, Davon, and Red.  

For me, Addison (with Jon second), Janice (Moriah is second), Davon (with Noah second), Keisha Renee (second choice is Chloe but only if the Chloe who sang "Landslide" shows up -- her other songs were not great)

[Padma]

If Adam C, Ashland or Red actually win, then I'll have to come around to the view I've previously rejected about coaches' popularity and/or country music fans blind loyalty to the genre skewing this competition regardless of ability. (Assuming that they continue as they have to date).  Not that they're bad (to varying degrees they're all fine) but I've seen nothing to warrant  any actually winning. Maybe miracles can happen in the lives (and of the three I can imagine it maybe happening for Adam C, based on song choice), but it's just impossible for me--as someone who likes a lot of country music--the fun stuff or the gritty, not the religious and the treacle--to imagine any of those three deserving a win.  Keisha is different, imo, because she has a great voice and I really like her ability to bring R&B into country. That's refreshing, and  I could see her winning with it. If any of the others win, I'd really think--for the first time--that something other than talent was involved.   (And, on the record, no way in Hell will Red win.)

[jhlipton]

12 hours ago, Padma said:

Keisha is different, imo, because she has a great voice and I really like her ability to bring R&B into country. That's refreshing, and  I could see her winning with it.

I'm just afraid Keisha will get the "Judith Hill Treatment" -- someone with a great Voice kicked off instead of those with great Looks.

[viajero]

I had time to kill this morning and was rewatching a lot of performances on YouTube.  I've come up with my purely subjective list/ranking of my Top 13 so far, going into the live rounds:

1.    Chloe Kohanski - Landslide   ((KO Round))

2.    Addison Agen - Angel From Montgomery   ((Playoffs))

3.    Noah Mac - In the Air Tonight   ((Playoffs))

4.    Addison Agen vs. Karli Webster - Girls Just Want to Have Fun   ((Battle Round))

5.    Chris Weaver vs. Kathrina Feigh - Dangerous Woman   ((Battle Round))

6.    Moriah Formica - Crazy on You   ((Blind Audition))

7.    Janice Freeman - I'm Goin' Down   ((KO Round))

8.    Davon Fleming - I Am Changing   ((Playoffs))

9.    Chris Weaver - Try a Little Tenderness   ((Blind Audition))

10.  Brooke Simpson vs. Sophia Bollman - You're a Big Girl Now   ((Battle Round))

11.  Chloe Kohanski - The Chain   ((Blind Audition))

12.  Noah Mac - Hold Back the River   ((KO Round))

13.  Emily Luther - Glitter in the Air   ((KO Round))

I readily admit that the degree to which I like a song affects my rankings.  For instance, Dangerous Woman is one of my favorite pop songs from the past couple of years and I though Chris and Katherina did it it justice, which gained them a lot of points.  Other examples are In the Air, The Chain and Crazy on You, which were favorites from my youth.  

 

31 minutes ago, jhlipton said:

I'm just afraid Keisha will get the "Judith Hill Treatment" -- someone with a great Voice kicked off instead of those with great Looks.

I can objectively understand that Keisha has a great voice, but on re-watching her performances, none of them quite impressed me enough to make my ranking. This may be in part because I feel no real affinity for any of the songs she's covered.  But I also don't think she's quite as talented as Judith Hill (or Amanda Brown, Kimberly Nicole or even Sasha Allen).  In fact, I would rate Janice Freeman slightly above her.

There are also other performances that I remembered impressing me the first time around, but perhaps not quite so much after watching again on YouTube.  This was particularly true with several of the blind auditions (including both Keisha's and Addison's).  On the other hand, Noah's blind audition, which I hardly remembered, went way up, even though I would still give the edge to his Hold Back the River.   Other performances that I remembered liking, but impressed me even more on re-watching were Chloe's and Moriah's blind auditions

[jhlipton]

I rewatched Addison's 4 performances (Blinds, Battle, Knockout and Playoffs) and all 4 are solid, just excellent stuff.  She's just been consistently good.  Her "Angel from Montgomery" is easily one of the top 5 songs this season, and I wouldn't be upset if she won (of course, not I jinxed her!). 

For me, familiarity is a double-edged sword.  Doing a classic well gets you "Brownie points", much more so than a song by the wholly over-rated Ed Sheeran, even more so if you can change it without wrecking it (see "Landslide").  On the other hand, messing up a classic will make me hate you forever (see "All Along The Watchtower", "Smoke On The Water" and "Love Hurts").

[Star Aristille]

On ‎11‎/‎16‎/‎2017 at 11:10 PM, jhlipton said:

Janice (Moriah is second)

Moriah didn't get through.

[jhlipton]

6 hours ago, Star Aristille said:

Moriah didn't get through.

I was saying that Moriah was the my second favorite singer on Miley's team.  It's a pity she didn't get through.