S14.E17: Live Top 12 Performances

[Prin Holmes]

From TV Guide:

The top twelve artists perform for coaches Adam Levine, Alicia Keys, Kelly Clarkson, and Blake Shelton, with the hopes of getting America's votes.

Discuss this two-hour episode here.

[Prin Holmes]

Tonight's song choices:

Team Adam

Jackie V.: "I'm with You" by Avril Lavigne

Rayshun: "When Love Takes Over" by David Guetta ft. Kelly Rowland

Sharane: "In My Blood" by Shawn Mendes

Team Alicia

Britton: "Small Town" by John Mellencamp

Christiana: "Say Something" by A Great Big World ft. Christiana Aguilera

Jackie F.: "Toxic" by Britney Spears

Team Kelly

Brynn: "Up to the Mountain" by Patty Griffin

D.R.: "White Flag" by Dido

Kaleb: "Amazed" by Lonestar

Team Blake

Kyla: "One Night Only" by Jennifer Hudson

Pryor: "Pickin' Wildflowers" by Keith Anderson

Spensha: "Down on My Knees" by Tish Yearwood

Make of these what you will.

[Prin Holmes]

Thoughts on tonight's performances:

Rayshun: This was just way too much, like anything you'd expect from Rayshun.  Too much movement, too much screaming, too much everything.  And come on, Adam.  Stop your lies.  I know for a fact that Rayshun is not a frontrunner.

Kaleb: This was a solid, if unremarkable, performance.  It was the usual sappy country song, which is obviously going to chart well.  I did notice some pitching us, like Kelly pointed out, but all in all, that's just a small thing in what was ultimately a successful performance.

Jackie F.: I liked it.  It had a bit of a shaky start, and she had to fight with the band a bit, but once she got going, I really began to enjoy it. I believe it should keep her out of the bottom.

Spensha: Probably her best in a while, but it still wasn't all that great.  When she has confidence and is very calm, she does a good job. When she has nerves or isn't feeling all that confident, she's terrible.  She's on Team Blake, though, so she'll likely be safe. For now. But I think there are plenty of Team Blake viewers who don't seem to like her much, and that will catch up with her eventually.

Christiana: Gorgeous.  Another one who had a rather shaky start, but she definitely got it together as it went on.  I think she really connected to the story she told, and it paid off.  Excellent work, Christiana.  Hopefully, she's okay tomorrow.

D.R.: Honestly, I really like the a capella beginning.  He actually should have pulled a Bo Bice move and done the whole thing acapella.  That might have really been good for him.  As a whole, it wasn't bad.  Now, will he avoid the bottom to?  I'm not sure.  His low number of retweets during last week's Playoffs proves he was one of the less liked members of Kelly's team, something Kelly apparently decided to rather conveniently, and stupidly, overlook just because of his Blind.  I wouldn't be surprised if he is in the bottom tomorrow, but hope he isn't.

Sharane: This was just perfect.  Adam may have a tough time realizing this, but he stole a gem in this young woman.  I was just mesmerized by her entire performance.  It was beautiful.  I think she will be just fine tomorrow.

Pryor: No way this could ever be considered good.  Between the overused singing and once again having his volume up to ten from practically the start, it just wasn't enjoyable.  But he's country and on Blake's team, so of course you'll make it through tomorrow.  Shame.

Brynn: That was simply stunning.  Nice recovery from her performance last week.   Her tone was just flawless.  The only thing that made me cringe just slightly was her attempt at one of the high notes.  But other than that, I give her a big thumbs up.  Brava, Brynn! 

Jackie V.: So Adam chose her song in a week that was about the contestants choosing songs that meant something to them.  Ooooooookay, Adam.  But really, it wasn't that bad.  However, it wasn't completely good, either.  Some of it was okay, and some of it was not.  She might be fine tomorrow since she's country, but we'll see.

Britton: He killed it in his studio version, and he killed it here, but I think his movement kind of took away a bit from his vocals.  Still, it was a very good job by him, and I ultimately found it pleasant.  With Dylan gone, he's pretty much taking the sole position of heartthrob, so he'll get through tomorrow, for sure.

Kyla: A great way to end the show tonight.  Kyla was really, really good.  Great power, great control, and she definitely made her mentor, Jennifer, proud.  I hope Jennifer throws her shoe all the way across the Atlantic.  She will have no problem getting the votes tomorrow. In fact, this continues, she could easily be the one to challenge Britton and Brynn.

Solid episode.

[PhD-Purgatory15]

So if past history tells us anything, Team Blake will be totally safe tomorrow night. Book it lol.

I'd say those sweating will be Adam's entire team, and probably D.R., or Christiana. If I had to guess I'd say the bottom 3 singing for the twitter save will be Sharane, Christiana and Rayshun.

They made Brynn look about 30 years old tonight (and sound it too) which is a little alarming. She's been wandering into a dangerous lack of enunciation territory in her last two songs.

Kaleb is totally going for the oldster country lane that Blake usually has covered. In his blind he had no hat and was wearing a dressy (well sort of) flannel shirt. Tonight he goes full on Craig Wayne Boyd and busts out good ole 90s country to go with it.

Loved Spensha tonight. Tonight was the first time I really listened to the tone of her voice and felt like there might be a place for her in modern country music post-show.

Strange that Jackie V was the only person not to actively pick her inspirational song. Maybe she had a song that couldn't get cleared and I'm With You was the next best thing they could come up with? She has a really distinct voice when she's on. It just has that soaring quality that you need to do that particular Avril song. Unfortunately she's made no strides as a performer with mostly dead eyes and an aimlessly swirling right hand and arm.

Don't think Jackie F.'s Toxic and D.R.'s White Flag worked out the way they each were hoping...same with Christiana's Say Something.

I do fear Sharane will be the classic "lost in the shuffle" of the middle of the show 11th or 12th place finisher. Rayshun probably could the be quintessential 1st up, 1st out the Voice loves except his vocal and performance fireworks give him a leg up in a twitter save battle with only two other singers.

Ignoring Kyla, tolerating Pryor, and being amused by Britton at this point.

Edited April 24, 2018 by PhD-Purgatory15

[Dots And Stripes]

I feel like this was a rough night for a lot of people. I could totally see Britton as a pop star but he did not hit enough notes tonight for a singing competition.

Adam seemed to pause in the middle of his Rayshun praise, as if he couldn't believe what he was saying. I feel like Adam was hoping saying it would make it true. It was also funny that he said Rayshun was the best so far. I'm sure he meant of any artist in the competition but it sounds silly after the first performance of the night.

Jackie from Team Alicia sounded better in the clip package. Not her best and I wanted to love that performance.

Blake called Pryor a bulldozer or something as a compliment and that would be my criticism. Not dynamic enough, although on a night where a lot of artists struggled with pitch, I'll take it. 

Sharane and Kyla were the best of the night for me. Sharane has a gorgeous tone. Kyla wasn't perfect but she was very good and her power was something to behold.

[Sugar]

Today I watched the show without actually watching the performances ( I turned my head or closed my eyes). That shit was ROUGH. Most of the singers had major pitch issues and difficulty with breathing and sustaining notes. I could barely listen to Christiana and Sharane in particular, because as soon as they hit the first chorus of their songs, it was downhill fast. Even D.R, whom I love, and who is such a professional, had a few off notes in his runs (that song choice though...wtf, Kelly). Brynne and Britton also hit some duds and sounded out of breath in parts. At first I thought that maybe it was the live show format - that it was making everyone extra nervous and throwing people off, but actually, I've been complaining about pitch issues since the blinds (which is why I tried not watching and just focusing on the singing). I think these folks are so determined to give an EMOTIONAL performance, that they end up sacrificing the actual vocal. Ditto making a song 'their own'. Sometimes, you really should stick to the melody. I would rather a singer didn't take the risk and go for the glory note, than to go for it and fall short. 
Chloe from last year is a great example of someone who can deliver a song without going over the top, respecting the melody and lyrics and telling the story of the song - and yet still making it sound fresh. 

Kyla Jade was the bright spot for sure. 

[Prin Holmes]

Despite being his usual, horrible self, Pryor is leading the downloads, and it's not even close.

28. Pryor Baird - Team Blake: "Pickin' Wildflowers"

35. Kyla Jade - Team Blake: "One Night Only"

36. Britton Buchanan - Team Alicia: "Small Town"

37. Brynn Cartelli - Team Kelly: "Up to the Mountain"

42. Spensha Baker - Team Blake: "Down on My Knees"

57. Kaleb Lee - Team Kelly: "Amazed"

78. Christiana Danielle - Team Alicia: "Say Something"

137. Jackie Verna - Team Adam: "I'm with You"

139. Jackie Foster - Team Alicia: "Toxic"

225. Sharane Calister - Team Adam: "In My Blood"

263. Rayshun LaMarr - Team Adam: "When Love Takes Over"

275. D.R. King - Team Kelly: "White Flag"

So all of Team Blake not only hits the top half of the standings, but also the top third.  Two members of Team Kelly are also in the top half, and I suspect they'll be safe, anyway.  Brynn and Kaleb, I mean.  The only member of Team Alicia in the top half is Britton.  Meanwhile, the other two members of Team Alicia hit the bottom half, but at least Christiana is at the top of that group, and I suspect should be safe.  Jackie F. seems shakier.  Meanwhile, all of Team Adam is in the bottom half, and again, it's not even close.  This makes me feel bad for Sharane, because she is easily one of the best vocalists left of this very lackluster group, and she's just being left as unappreciated by the public.  She could easily end up as one of the earliest artists to get the boot.  Still, they might be okay for a while, because the remaining member of Team Kelly, D.R., is the one tasting the bottom of the pack.  If he's not the one booted tomorrow, I'll be very surprised.

I think I'll just keep updating this post throughout the night instead of making new ones.

Edited April 24, 2018 by Prin Holmes

[Mystery Author]

Quote

She's been wandering into a dangerous lack of enunciation territory in her last two songs.

THIS! The only word I even understood was mow-wow-tin.

Maybe it's because I know the Dream Girls score, but I thought Kayla enunciated nicely on One Night Only.

[SunnyBeBe]

8 hours ago, Sugar said:

Today I watched the show without actually watching the performances ( I turned my head or closed my eyes). That shit was ROUGH. Most of the singers had major pitch issues and difficulty with breathing and sustaining notes. I could barely listen to Christiana and Sharane in particular, because as soon as they hit the first chorus of their songs, it was downhill fast. Even D.R, whom I love, and who is such a professional, had a few off notes in his runs (that song choice though...wtf, Kelly). Brynne and Britton also hit some duds and sounded out of breath in parts. At first I thought that maybe it was the live show format - that it was making everyone extra nervous and throwing people off, but actually, I've been complaining about pitch issues since the blinds (which is why I tried not watching and just focusing on the singing). I think these folks are so determined to give an EMOTIONAL performance, that they end up sacrificing the actual vocal. Ditto making a song 'their own'. Sometimes, you really should stick to the melody. I would rather a singer didn't take the risk and go for the glory note, than to go for it and fall short. 
Chloe from last year is a great example of someone who can deliver a song without going over the top, respecting the melody and lyrics and telling the story of the song - and yet still making it sound fresh. 

Kyla Jade was the bright spot for sure. 

I agree. There were some major issues. Can the singer not hear their own voice?  I voted for the best 3 imo.  

And Toxic?  I just can't.........

[Prin Holmes]

Voting is closed.  Final numbers are in the post that I edited.

It really will be a big shock if the bottom two does not contain either D.R. and a Team Adam member or two Team Adam members.

[Dots And Stripes]

11 hours ago, Sugar said:

Today I watched the show without actually watching the performances ( I turned my head or closed my eyes). That shit was ROUGH. Most of the singers had major pitch issues and difficulty with breathing and sustaining notes. I could barely listen to Christiana and Sharane in particular, because as soon as they hit the first chorus of their songs, it was downhill fast. Even D.R, whom I love, and who is such a professional, had a few off notes in his runs (that song choice though...wtf, Kelly). Brynne and Britton also hit some duds and sounded out of breath in parts. At first I thought that maybe it was the live show format - that it was making everyone extra nervous and throwing people off, but actually, I've been complaining about pitch issues since the blinds (which is why I tried not watching and just focusing on the singing). I think these folks are so determined to give an EMOTIONAL performance, that they end up sacrificing the actual vocal. Ditto making a song 'their own'. Sometimes, you really should stick to the melody. I would rather a singer didn't take the risk and go for the glory note, than to go for it and fall short. 
Chloe from last year is a great example of someone who can deliver a song without going over the top, respecting the melody and lyrics and telling the story of the song - and yet still making it sound fresh. 

Kyla Jade was the bright spot for sure. 

I disagree on Sharane. I didn’t hear an off note on her Shawn Mendez cover. 

[bluepiano]

Another night of overwrought emoting that was hard for me to watch. I think that Britton is my favorite because most nights he is the only one that does not sing as if he's convulsed with pain. Though I have to admit that last night he was not very good. All the running around had him out of breath half way through the song. Someone needs to tell him that the vocals should come first, and not everyone is James Brown or Mick Jagger, with the ability to dance while singing and never sound winded.

I'm in the camp that don't get the appeal of Pryor Baird. Everything about him feels generic to me. Singers in the country rock genre tend to do well on this show, but I wouldn't even put him in the same league as Craig Wayne Boyd.

Every Kaleb Lee performance is exactly like the one before, but I guess you can say that about everyone this year. Everyone is staying "in their lane," and when that happens, you don't have the opportunity for a memorable, break-out performance, like Chloe's "Landslide" last year.

Either the small number of posts to this forum this year, relative to past seasons, indicates that viewership is done or that people are just not emotionally engaged by any of the performers.

I'm starting to get a vibe that Brynn Cartelli is going to win this whole thing. Since no is one standing out by virtue of overwhelming talent or originality, America will likely get behind the pretty 15 year old who seems like a genuinely nice kid and has an impressive voice for someone so young. 

I've always thought that The Voice should have a minimum age of 18, since the original concept was that it was a show for experienced singers who had never gotten the break they deserved. But I guess they've gotten away from that. The line between this show and American Idol has definitely gotten blurred over the years.

Edited April 24, 2018 by bluepiano

[viajero]

I was pleasantly surprised by this episode.  Though still a bit rough at times, I thought most contestants improved on their playoff performances (the two Jackies and Britton being the biggest exceptions).   I particularly liked Kyla, Brynn, Sharane, Christiana, and Spensha.  The rest gave acceptable performances, though I would probably rank Jackie V, Kaleb, and D.R. at the bottom.  The first two were pitchy in places on songs that have been done much better on this show in the past, while I didn't like DR's song choice (for him - as White Flag is a good song).

I continue to be mystified by Pryor's appeal. Though he improved on last week, I just don't think he's that good of a singer.  But I'm pretty much resigned to the fact that he's going to make it to the finale.

Biggest disappointment was Britton, who had been one of my favorites.  That was a fairly lackluster.  I wasn't that impressed by his go through the motions performance last week, but at least it was solid vocally.  This time his performance went downhill after he started trying to negotiate the stairs and he never quite recovered.

Jackie F was also a disappointment after her two stellar performances last week.  I didn't notice anything majorly wrong with her vocals, other than a slightly uncertain start.  I think it was more that her arrangement of Toxic just didn't quite work that well.  Perhaps the problem is that she's used to doing it with her own band.  I hope she gets back on track next week.

While we got a lot of angst, I took it as mostly a result of the theme they picked this week.  Besides, I don't mind angst in music if done well.  I don't need my music to be all peppy sunshine and rainbows.  If I want that, I'll go listen to Radio Disney.

[mamadrama]

*sigh*.I only heard a few bright spots. So many times they sounded off key to me...There were only a few performances that I truly enjoyed, and none of them "wowed" me.

 

Pryor Baird -"Pickin' Wildflowers"- Not a fan of Keith Anderson or the song but Pryor did fine with it. I like Pryor's voice, I dislike his lack of dynamics and range. He sounds exactly the same no matter what song he sings. With that being said, it IS the kind of voice I enjoy (gravelly southern rock) so I'd still listen to him but, like, in a bar. Not in a big arena where I had to pay big bucks. 

Kyla Jade - "One Night Only"- This was probably my favorite performance of the night and I almost always forget that Kyla is even on the show. Go figure. 

Britton Buchanan - "Small Town"- How did this end up in the pimp spot? Britton is fun, the song is overdone and overplayed (sorry Johnny). 

Brynn Cartelli - "Up to the Mountain"- She just doesn't have the kind of voice that I like. I'm not really into the "big" voices (Maddie over on AI is my favorite) but I can still appreciate her talent. I was happy with her song choice, too. I peg her to win it all. 

Spensha Baker - "Down on My Knees"- NOT my favorite Trisha Yearwood song but I give her props for doing it. One of the reasons that I never liked the song was because of all the "screaming" that Trisha does in it, especially towards the end. I actually enjoyed Spensha's version better. 

 Kaleb Lee -  "Amazed"- Ugh on the song choice. (Can you spot a trend with me?) Damn that Lonestar song, it's freaking everywhere. Wasn't a fan when it came out almost 20 years ago, dislike it even more now. Kalen's kind of bland and generic-he'll do well on country radio right now. 

Christiana Danielle -  "Say Something"- I was prepared to dislike this one but was pleasantly surprised. There were some pitchy notes here and there, but I thought she still brought a little spunk to the song (and I haven't been a Christiana fan up until now). It definitely improved the longer she sang. 

Jackie Verna - "I'm with You"- Honest to God, I do NOT get Adam's infatuation with her voice. I don't hear it. She's good but I don't think she's great. I actually really like this song a lot (see? I can like songs) but she didn't sell me on it. 

Jackie Foster - "Toxic"- Well. That was...weird. 

Sharane Calister -  "In My Blood"- Really, really pretty. Probably my second favorite performance of the night. 

Rayshun LaMarr - "When Love Takes Over"- Well I enjoyed the hell out of this one. 

D.R. King -"White Flag"- Yikes, dude! Look, I appreciate trying to make a song your own but I just did not think it worked in this one. Changing the tempo just made it sound like the song was dragging. It did nothing for his voice. (Apparently voters agreed.)

[jhlipton]

On 4/23/2018 at 11:37 PM, Prin Holmes said:

Despite being his usual, horrible self, Pryor is leading the downloads, and it's not even close.

28. Pryor Baird - Team Blake: "Pickin' Wildflowers"

35. Kyla Jade - Team Blake: "One Night Only"

36. Britton Buchanan - Team Alicia: "Small Town"

37. Brynn Cartelli - Team Kelly: "Up to the Mountain"

Compare that to last season's Top 12:

On 11/21/2017 at 2:55 PM, Star Aristille said:

9. Addison Agen - Team Adam: "She Used to Be Mine"

17. Chloe Kohanski - Team Blake: "Thank You"
22. Janice Freeman - Team Miley: "The Story"
40. Jon Mero - Team Adam: "Why I Love You"

Three of the top 3 from last season did better than the #1  from this seas, and #4 was pretty much tied with this #4.  Also, only one was out of the Top 100, but this season, nearly half are.

I'll check this again next week, but this seems to agree with my theory that none of this season's contenders are near the top of last season.