Season 15 Discussion

[DebbieM4]

5 minutes ago, Wandering Snark said:

 

I'm having a hell of a time motivating to get through/back to this finale show... not sure I will. I think it comes down to not 'believing' in any of the remaining contestants (as I won't go as far as calling them 'singers' let alone 'artists').

 

I'm just not invested in this show at all.  I usually love finale time, but none of them excite me in the slightest. 

I loved Makenzie, but there were others more deserving of still being there too.  Most boring Final Four ever.  None of them are special in the slightest.  

[Quickbeam]

Kind of half watched the finale. For my money, it could be either Chevel, Chris or Kirk. I thought Kennedy sounded terrible. However I am not a fan anyway.

Edited December 18, 2018 by Quickbeam
Autocorrected

[geekburger]

Love Kelly and Jennifer but that was boring.

[HahYallDoin]

Kirk is from a small town near my city and I'm fingers and toes crossed he brings it back to 'Bama! 

I'm a country music fan but both of my teenagers love him as well and so do their friends. Can't be hometown favorite in play with my daughter because she didn't know for a few epidsodes he's from Bay Minette. His voice is distinct, for sure, although that can go positive or negative depending on who you ask, of course. 

I think Kennedy may take it all though, down to what others have previously said about Kirk and Chevel splitting the country vote. I haven't figured out who's voting for Chris...people who like nice family men, Patriots, Blakers, hairdressers who want to trim those dead ends off and his clean up his beard too, the entire Midwest, cheese connoisseurs, Baby Boomers with an affinity for Rock, or a combo but I don't see him getting much of the country vote. No judgement on who they are, mind you, just honestly curious. 

It made my 'Christmas Season Warm and Fuzzy' heart even warmer and fuzzier to see Adam without a dog in the fight tonight! Hope he's so 'insulted,' he doesn't return next season. A gal can dream...

[sas616]

Anyone know which judge John Legend is replacing?  Could we be so lucky that it's Adam?  

[driver18]

On 12/15/2018 at 4:27 AM, HighQueenEB said:

 

I agree that Chevel has a better voice than Taylor Swift but her style isn't really all that similar to early Taylor's country offerings.  I want to say that the week she sang "Travelin' Soldier," it occurred to me that she has a lot of the same twang and yodeling capabilities that Natalie Maines and LeAnn Rimes have, so I was pleased to hear her try "Blue" this week.  The other artist I thought she had a similarity to is, and this is throwing it WAY back to the early '00s somewhat obscure female country artists, is Sherrie Austin.  I'd have loved to hear Chevel try something along the lines of "Little Bird," "Followin' A Feelin'," or "Never Been Kissed."  If not a somewhat obscure singer like Austin then possibly something out of the catalogues of JoDee Messina or Mindy McCready - she could probably do well with "Heads Carolina, Tails California" or "Guys Do It All the Time."  I seriously doubt we'll get anything along those lines from Chevel come Monday.  Knowing that Kelly has already gone to the well of Loretta Lynn, I'm guessing we're going to be regaled with something out of the Tanya Tucker or Dolly Parton catalogue for Chevel.  

Well, you called Tanya Tucker...

I didn't mean to imply that she sounded like Taylor Swift's musical style (even the early stuff), I was just thinking more in terms of the fact that Taylor's early stuff was much more country and that's what the "kids today" would be familiar with. Connecting Taylor Swift, especially with the similar look of early Taylor with Chevel's look, would be a smart move. I'm actually a huge Sherrie Austin fan (and Mindy McCready for that matter--damn, what happened to her was tragic), but I can't imagine that they'd pull anything by either one of them out.

The Tanya Tucker song was good and for the most part, I liked the original song. Still, I think that "Mary's Song" or "Tim McGraw" from Taylor's first album would have been good choices for Chevel. Ah well. She made it to the finale.  She's not the best ever, but she's still my favorite and she's team!Kelly and well, I'm always going to root for Kelly.

Edited December 18, 2018 by driver18

[Valny]

2 hours ago, Wandering Snark said:

 

I could barely take another smiling version of Sweet Home Alabama sung like it's an upbeat, fun anthem and nobody mentions it's protest song roots/lyrics. *sighs and turns off his DVR*

 

Yeah when I saw he was doing that song I was thinking, oh come, can you please pick a song that's hasn't been done so many times! Can we be a bit more original?!

Kennedy's my pick to win,then maybe Kirk. Thought her last number was really good. Besides having a great voice at that young age, she looks very confident on stage,especially with the dance moves.

[Padma]

I enjoyed it. Then again, I usually enjoy Blake's singing (on other people's songs. And in duets, where he's very generous.) I thought Kirk held his own on their duet, although was Blake making it about two guys and Kirk wasn't? I may have been confused. I wouldn't object to that approach on a country song (might be refreshing) as long as it wasn't done for a joke.

Re: the duet with Chris. I thought Blake was trying to show him how to bring the energy and some machismo to a performance. If so, Chris didn't get it. Blake revved up the vitality and performance and every time it went back to Chris it bottomed out again.

I can see merit for any of the other three winning (Chevel or Kennedy have the edge--both with looks, youth, talent, performance, in varying but overall equal, degrees). But I think Chris (who will never, ever be the winner) got a nice showcase that will probably help him book better gigs at better pay so... he doesn't belong in the finale, but it's all good.

John Legend replacing Adam for a season would be refreshing, but I'm guessing that's too good to be true.

Edited December 18, 2018 by Padma

[ChristmasJones]

I don't care for the blonde haired guy and Chevelle feels very one-track to me. I did like her voice early on when it sounded unique to my ears.  I have liked Kirk from the blinds even though I am not a country fan. I just like his voice.  I was impressed by Kennedy's final song tonight, I have to admit. I liked the song itself, which helped, but I also thought she did a great job and the dancing sequence near the end had some cool moves in it. For a 14 year old, that was a pretty impressive performance. 

Edited December 18, 2018 by ChristmasJones

[viajero]

I thought Kennedy was by far the best overall for the night.  Her performance of Confident was masterful.  It reminded me of Chris Blue's Rhythm Nation to wrap up his season, only her vocals were better than Chris'.  Of the other covers, I thought Chevel did a good job in a performance that highlighted her sincerity, though she still had problems with some of her low notes.  Chris gave one of the most passionless renditions of Sweet Home Alabama I've ever seen.  Kirk was a huge disappointment on that Rascal Flats cover.  He seems to have steadily lost vocal control as the season has gone on and it was never more apparent than here.

I also thought the Kennedy-JHud duet was easily the best of the night.  JHud did not hold back and Kennedy was right there with her the entire way.  I would give the Chevel-Kelly duet a slight edge over the other two simply because they genuinely seemed to have a lot of fun out there.  Chris is so laid back that I don't know if he knows how to have fun, while the Kirk-Blake duet was a mess.

I didn't think any of the originals were all that good and doubt we'll ever hear any them again.  But I guess that again I'd give the edge to the two girls when it came to the performances. 

It would be a travesty if Kennedy doesn't win, but I'm not very confident she will.  Kirk is coming in as the big favorite and if his poor evening opens the door for anyone, it might be Chevel.

I do think this season was a definite step-up compared to last season, but didn't come even close to being as good as Season 13.  Though I may change my mind on ranking it above Season 14 if Chris somehow wins.  At least Brynn has shown in her most recent live performances that she really did have the potential to improve quite markedly over what she showed us on The Voice.  For the first time I can see her having some kind of relatively successful career (maybe Kelly's husband really knew what he was doing in taking her on and getting her that big record deal with Kelly's label).  I think Chris is what he is and has pretty much reached a plateau as a decent bar band singer, but nothing more than that.

Edited December 18, 2018 by viajero

[Babalooie]

8 hours ago, HahYallDoin said:

It made my 'Christmas Season Warm and Fuzzy' heart even warmer and fuzzier to see Adam without a dog in the fight tonight!

...and his troubles aren't over yet.  Maroon 5 will be doing the halftime show at the 
Super Bowl and are having trouble getting a second act to play because no one wants to get in the middle of the Kaepernick controversy.  Adam is sure to get a lot of flack for agreeing to play.

[TaraS1]

I really enjoyed the Kelly/Chevel duet - I've always loved me some Judds.  But I definitely thought Kennedy had the performance of the night, that was a lot of fun to watch.  I'd be good with anyone but Chris winning.

[Mswldflwr]

I'm calling it for Kirk Jay.  All three of his reached Numbers 2, 4 and 5 on the Apple charts.  Chevel placed Number 1, 9 and 14. My money is on Kirk Jay wins, Chevel 2nd, Chris 3rd and Kennedy 4th.

And I, too, rather enjoyed Adam not having a dog in the race.  I think it was more to punish Adam for that stunt he pulled and I would ALMOST feel bad for Regan except that her Twitter attitude was bad and she didn't deserve to be in the finals anyway. I think that little girl was already getting too big for her britches.

[LucidDreamer]

Halfway through Kennedy's final performance I told my husband -- "Kennedy doesn't care if she wins -- this is just a showcase for her, which probably will help her get a deal outside of the Voice." Because she almost said she didn't care about winning when Carson asked her that question (JHud jumped in to stop her from saying that), and also, I just felt that she was simply trying to show that she could do the whole "pop star" performance thing. Which she can, so that's all good. But I don't think she's focused on winning now -- she was just showing she could do Broadway (the Wiz performance) as well do the pop princess dancing and singing stuff. (If she really wanted to win, she would have sung a big, emotional, ballad for the final song. JMHO).

I bet Kirk will win, which... Well, I like him as a person, but I find his voice less and less pleasing the more I hear it. He tends to go flat, for one thing. And since the blinds, his voice sounds more and more strained to me. He may do fine in country once he gets away from the competition pressure, though.

I hate "Sweet Home Alabama" with the fire of a thousand suns, so I just left the room when Chris did that. He's okay, but as someone said -- only in a "good band singer" way. He's not a stand-out solo performer.

Chevel has a great future in country music, I think. Not a big fan of that genre, but I can see the potential. But if she wants to become a "storyteller" singer she needs to learn to enunciate. I honestly cannot understand half of her words. 

[Ilovepie]

1 hour ago, LucidDreamer said:

Halfway through Kennedy's final performance I told my husband -- "Kennedy doesn't care if she wins -- this is just a showcase for her, which probably will help her get a deal outside of the Voice." Because she almost said she didn't care about winning when Carson asked her that question (JHud jumped in to stop her from saying that), and also, I just felt that she was simply trying to show that she could do the whole "pop star" performance thing. Which she can, so that's all good. But I don't think she's focused on winning now -- she was just showing she could do Broadway (the Wiz performance) as well do the pop princess dancing and singing stuff. (If she really wanted to win, she would have sung a big, emotional, ballad for the final song. JMHO).

I bet Kirk will win, which... Well, I like him as a person, but I find his voice less and less pleasing the more I hear it. He tends to go flat, for one thing. And since the blinds, his voice sounds more and more strained to me. He may do fine in country once he gets away from the competition pressure, though.

I hate "Sweet Home Alabama" with the fire of a thousand suns, so I just left the room when Chris did that. He's okay, but as someone said -- only in a "good band singer" way. He's not a stand-out solo performer.

Chevel has a great future in country music, I think. Not a big fan of that genre, but I can see the potential. But if she wants to become a "storyteller" singer she needs to learn to enunciate. I honestly cannot understand half of her words. 

You just completely summed up everything I feel about all of these people. I didn't watch last night, and based on the songs, I probably won't. I think I'll just look up Kennedy's final performance. Country, Country mumbling/yodeling, Southern Rock. No Thanks.

I think you are spot on re: Kennedy. She doesn't care about winning. I think that's why she always come across as unemotional and above it all. Kind of calculating, which is scary considering she is only 14.

[Perkie]

John Legend is replacing Jennifer.  

[realdancemom]

7 hours ago, Babalooie said:

...and his troubles aren't over yet.  Maroon 5 will be doing the halftime show at the 
Super Bowl and are having trouble getting a second act to play because no one wants to get in the middle of the Kaepernick controversy.  Adam is sure to get a lot of flack for agreeing to play.

I don't think Adam had anybody in the finals last season either.

ETA - I agree with everything you said LucidDreamer.  I see a bright future for Kennedy and Chevel.  But the latter really needs to enunciate.  Sometimes, I like Kirk but he's off key a lot.  I usually like the songs that Chris picks but agree about being a band singer.

Edited December 18, 2018 by realdancemom

[kathyk24]

18 minutes ago, realdancemom said:

I don't think Adam had anybody in the finals last season either.

I think Adam can't pick talent to save his life. I hated Kennedy's song choices Jennifer took a girl who sounded like Adele and turned her into Beyoncé. I liked Blake's duets and Chevel and Kelly.

[viajero]

I think there may be something to the idea that Kennedy doesn't care too much if she wins.  The Voice was primarily a showcase for her and she's more than taken advantage of the opportunity.  The Voice's viewership isn't the audience she'd be aiming for in a career anyway and JHud showed that with that kind of talent, you don't need to win one of these shows to make it big.

16 minutes ago, realdancemom said:

I don't think Adam had anybody in the finals last season either.

The last contender Adam had was Addison Agen, who was only on his team in the first place because of Miley's obsession with trying to win with a female country singer.  I think its pretty clear at this point that Kelly has become Blake's strongest competition among the coaches.

[saber5055]

Blake's duets showcased what a good singer Blake is. Jennifer's duet showcased how she likes to showcase herself and out sing anyone on stage with her. Kelly's duet showed how she let Chevel be an equal partner in the song, and Chevel measured up to that. Based on the duets alone, Chevel for the win.

What's up with Kennedy having a ton-load of backup dancers? Of course that's all figured out and arranged by TPTB. Is the show selling her as a singer or "performer." For that reason, Chevel for the win.

46 minutes ago, Perkie said:

John Legend is replacing Jennifer.  

I'm good with that. I know Jennifer has every reason to think highly of herself, but I find it taxing to watch. Kelly, on the other hand, is THE BEST.

[PinkSugar]

On a more superficial note, what was that growth on Chevel's grandfather's lip? 

[xfuse]

58 minutes ago, viajero said:

I think there may be something to the idea that Kennedy doesn't care too much if she wins.  The Voice was primarily a showcase for her and she's more than taken advantage of the opportunity.  The Voice's viewership isn't the audience she'd be aiming for in a career anyway and JHud showed that with that kind of talent, you don't need to win one of these shows to make it big.

That was a different time and a movie. Back then singing comps were new and exciting. She was the girl that both Simon Cowell and Beyonce dissed and that got her as much attention as her voice and oscar did. When was the last time she had something in the top 10 on Billboard. Part of the reason why younger contestants do so well on the voice is because they are focus on the younger viewers. Who else can navigate and vote so quickly on twitter.

One thing I wish the show would do is make it more even in the final in the singing order and not push one singer over the other. Each singer should have to sing first in a round and they all should get a chance to sing last in each round. It was very obvious that tptb is wanting Kennedy to win and Chris to come in last.

[After7Only]

4 minutes ago, xfuse said:

That was a different time and a movie. Back then singing comps were new and exciting. She was the girl that both Simon Cowell and Beyonce dissed and that got her as much attention as her voice and oscar did. When was the last time she had something in the top 10 on Billboard. Part of the reason why younger contestants do so well on the voice is because they are focus on the younger viewers. Who else can navigate and vote so quickly on twitter.  

It's been a few years, but Jennifer has been fairly consistent on the R&B charts, and had a few R&B hits as recently as 2014.   She's not really a pop/Billboard type of artist.  Similar to Fantasia.  She's consistently been on the R&B charts and has had multiple albums.  But she's not a pop singer, so if you don't listen to R&B you may think she's not successful.     

I think Kennedy will do well outside the Voice without winning.  I think the days of these type of shows creating Kelly Clarkson/Carrie Underwood type of superstars is over.   But I do think Kennedy will be able to make a nice living singing/Broadway/acting if that is what she wants to do with her life.  

[RhymesWithCroatia]

I recently ditched my cable and moved to an internet-based service with really lousy user interfaces. Which is to say that it's a chore to fast forward anything. And I just tried to watch the finale but I can't get through it. I'll see if I can track down Kelly and Jennifer's contestant duets but I never found my horse to back this season. I'll probably try to limp through the results tonight because some of the group numbers can be fun (or at least fun to mock). Bummer, show. Do better next season!

[rainsmom]

2 hours ago, xfuse said:

That was a different time and a movie. Back then singing comps were new and exciting. She was the girl that both Simon Cowell and Beyonce dissed and that got her as much attention as her voice and oscar did. When was the last time she had something in the top 10 on Billboard. Part of the reason why younger contestants do so well on the voice is because they are focus on the younger viewers. Who else can navigate and vote so quickly on twitter.

One thing I wish the show would do is make it more even in the final in the singing order and not push one singer over the other. Each singer should have to sing first in a round and they all should get a chance to sing last in each round. It was very obvious that tptb is wanting Kennedy to win and Chris to come in last.

That's not really her focus. She has spent the last several years focusing on Broadway and movies, not to mention her production company. She has an Oscar and two Grammys, and I'd say it's a pretty good bet that she'll be adding a Tony or two along the way. 

[Diana Berry]

5 hours ago, RhymesWithCroatia said:

I recently ditched my cable and moved to an internet-based service with really lousy user interfaces. Which is to say that it's a chore to fast forward anything. And I just tried to watch the finale but I can't get through it. I'll see if I can track down Kelly and Jennifer's contestant duets but I never found my horse to back this season. I'll probably try to limp through the results tonight because some of the group numbers can be fun (or at least fun to mock). Bummer, show. Do better next season!

 

Usually if you do a search of the contestant and the Voice on You Tube you can see the performances.

[hnygrl]

21 hours ago, sas616 said:

Anyone know which judge John Legend is replacing?  Could we be so lucky that it's Adam?  

He's Black. They HAVE to have a Black person.

So it's JHud.

[Quickbeam]

Kelly looks really nice tonight. 

 

ETA: wow, this is so long......

Edited December 19, 2018 by Quickbeam

[Valny]

OMG, I said HOLY SHIT twice when Carson said Kennedy's name first. I am truly shocked. 

[Diana Berry]

Is Carson sure he's not reading backwards?

 

I  will fall out of my chair if Chris wins.

[Quickbeam]

And Kirk next. Didn’t see that coming. 

Chevel. Wow. 

[Diana Berry]

Didn't they quadruple the Apple streaming?  Wonder what if that's did it or Kelly's popularity.

 

I  do feel bad for Kirk.  Was JHud shocked or what?

[TiredMe]

Well my least fav of final four won. Her singing made me stabby.

i voted for both Kennedy and Kirk. 

Kelly has a lot of fans. Lol

[PhD-Purgatory15]

Well, a Chris win would've of floored me. His would've been the one winning outcome I couldn't of easily explained. Chevel, I felt in the last couple weeks seemed to elevate to the favorite spot despite her recurring issues w/ technique lol.

I thought it was going to be Chevel, Kirk, Kennedy, Chris in that order.

[driver18]

I expected Kirk to win. I know that Kennedy gave a showstopper of a performance of the show last night, but I think it was too little too late. She had to be saved to make it into the final, her songs were way below the others in the ITunes sales and Apple streaming, so I wasn't really surprised when she went fourth. I did think that maybe there might be an upset, but when she went fourth, I fully expected Kirk to take it.  However, when he went next, I damn well wanted Chevel to win because despite her technique issues she's got more star quality in one curl than Chris does in his entire body of work.  Plus, given a bit of time and experience she'll grow more into her voice and technique. Chris is done all cooked.

With those two left standing on the stage, I would not have been happy had he won. I was prepared to accept anyone winning but Chris and so even if Chevel wasn't my favorite of the four finalists (fortunately for me, she was), I was so going to root for her of those two remaining. When Carson called her name, I was as happy as Kelly! And I genuinely do like her single, and with Kelly behind her and with a good team, I think she may actually have a legitimate shot at a successful Country career.

Edited December 19, 2018 by driver18
"except" is not "accept" *sigh*

[Wandering Snark]

Well, that wasn't how I saw it going down either... I'm confused to see Chris get out ahead of Kirk but like I said Blake did a masterful job 'rebranding' Chris as a country Southern Rocker down the stretch. Kennedy being mention first made me shake my head. Well congrats to Chevel, she seems like a nice kid. I hope the industry doesn't chew her up and spit her out. I hope she has good people in her "team".

I laughed out loud when Carson told Adam he's had a great season.

Can't say I'm really revved up to see Adam gather his latest victims for next season which starts in like three days right? (at least it always seems that way) I may do what Adam can't bring himself to do and take a season or three off of the Voice.

[Valny]

I really thought Kennedy had it in the bag, or at least the last two standing. I'm sure she'll have record labels breaking down the doors to sign her.  But if it wasn't her than I did want Chevel to take it. She seemed pretty calm up there and everyone else was going crazy. Probably the most mellow Voice winner I can recall.  I was very happy for Kelly to get her 2nd win in row too. I bet she thought Kennedy would win,wonder if she was thinking, hmmm,I got a really good shot now that Kennedy is out of it.

[InfiniteMystery]

I don't get the Chevel thing. I like Country Music along with other genres, and felt nothing when she sang. It seemed from iTunes that Kirk Jay was really popular. 

Kennedy will do well I feel without the show. I would have loved for Makenzie to win and thought Sarah Grace had a lot of depth.  As far as Chris, I don't hate him like

so many here do, because I actually enjoy his voice. He is super shy though and not a performer. Oh well, maybe next season... 

[driver18]

5 minutes ago, Valny said:

I really thought Kennedy had it in the bag, or at least the last two standing. I'm sure she'll have record labels breaking down the doors to sign her.  But if it wasn't her than I did want Chevel to take it. She seemed pretty calm up there and everyone else was going crazy. Probably the most mellow Voice winner I can recall.  I was very happy for Kelly to get her 2nd win in row too. I bet she thought Kennedy would win,wonder if she was thinking, hmmm,I got a really good shot now that Kennedy is out of it.

I don't know, I think that Kelly legit thought that Kirk or Chris was going to win because she looked hella shocked when Chevel won. Even more shocked than Chevel.

I too was really happy to see Kelly win.  And speaking of Kelly, that Santa/Elf skit with Blake was hilarious. Kelly is just too adorable for words. I love her. I've loved her since AI; she's just too precious.

[Mswldflwr]

I do wish The Voice had an age limit, though.  How often do we hear, "Oh, you're so amazing for 15...14....13."  Well, I would like a good singer, period, not for their age.  We were actually buried in tweeners this season.  And though they all sang well, they can sing the words, but none of them can seem to actually connect  with the lyrics or make you feel the words.  They all just need to simmer a bit longer and I'm sure they'll be fine, but I don't care to have to watch the simmer.

[InfiniteMystery]

3 minutes ago, Mswldflwr said:

I do wish The Voice had an age limit, though.  How often do we hear, "Oh, you're so amazing for 15...14....13."  Well, I would like a good singer, period, not for their age.  We were actually buried in tweeners this season.  And though they all sang well, they can sing the words, but none of them can seem to actually connect  with the lyrics or make you feel the words.  They all just need to simmer a bit longer and I'm sure they'll be fine, but I don't care to have to watch the simmer.

I completely agree. So tired of hearing, and you're only 14!!!!!!!! The only young one who connected with the lyrics and feeling and showed true artistry/originality I felt was Sarah Grace. 

Edited December 19, 2018 by InfiniteMystery

[itsadryheat]

So much talent!

A little shocked at the winner.

I had #1 Kennedy-talent and entertaining stage presence, channeling Whitney, #2 Chevel-also talent and entertaining stage presence, loved her old school country, #3 Chris- he WAS a Doobie Brother in that performance and I'm a fellow Cheesehead, #4 Kirk-amazing unique, smooth voice confident onstage. 

How do these kids get such awesome stage presence! I could barely choke out a presentation in school at their age.

I have no problem with the age-talent is talent and I enjoy all the performances. That was one of my problems with American Idol, all young contestants. 

Part of me wants the older contestants to win cause they've been in the grind longer.

Love this show!

[Vermicious Knid]

I wouldn't be surprised if Disney or Nickelodeon snapped up Kennedy and built a show around her.

[Lily H]

Looks like I made the right decision to not bother watching yesterday or tonight. They should just rename the show "Redneck America's Favorite White Singer". Chevel looks and sounds like an  inbred southern pageant toddler who never learned any other moves.

[viajero]

I wasn't overly surprised by Chevel winning.  Though I would have ranked her behind Kennedy and Kirk, she did show a noticeable upward trajectory over these final weeks and that often works well on these shows.  The growth in her level of comfort on stage and as a performer was quite impressive if you compare to the way she came off in the early rounds.  Plus, you have to add in the Kelly factor.

I was shocked by Chris finishing second.  I have nothing against the guy.  He comes across as a likable very good bar band singer, but nothing more than that. Frankly, I would have rated him no better than seventh this season, behind Sarah Grace, MaKenzie and Kymberli, as well as the other three finalists.  The only explanation I can find is that white mid-western or southern family men have historically done very well on this show.  There clearly is a strong segment of voters who sympathize with these types of contestants.   Unfortunately the same is not true among the music buying public, which is why they inevitably flop after the show (even more than other contestants).

As for tonight's performances, all four finalists did good, with Kirk and Rascal Flats probably edging out the other three.  But my favorites by far were Brandon Urie and Halsey, who showed exactly why many consider them to be among the most magnetic performers in the current music scene. 

The performance I least liked came from the group that included MaKenzie and Kymberly.  It was a poorly selected song for this kind of performance and they all ended up trying to outshout each other.

The group that included Sarah Grace, Abby and Reagan was kind of lopsided in that Sarah wiped the floor with the two, proving yet again that she was easily one of the top vocalists this season and among the best of the teens, along with Kennedy.

One final surprise for the evening was that I actually kind of liked Brynn's single.  It's a catchy song that suites her well.  I had to laugh at the title though.  It just seems so Brynn.  She still needs to work on her stage presence a little more, but touring with Kelly should help with that.

Edited December 19, 2018 by viajero

[rainsmom]

I'm glad I don't listen to country music, because I never want to hear that yodeling again. I make my dog come inside when he does that shit.

[Valny]

Chevel and Kelly press conference  Kelly looooves to talk!  She cracks me up.

[Padma]

One of my favorite things about the Blinds is when an older singer gets through (even someone over 401)  I've always liked how, until recently, this -wasn't- AI, and gave a real chance to "adults" at a new career. So seeing younger teens competing and winning is kind of sad to me, even though I understand it as trying to help the show's popularity with a wider, demographic. Still, it's unfortunate.

On the other hand, I can't honestly say that I feel Chevel (or Kennedy, if she'd won) would have been undeserving, or have mainly gotten through by looks/age.  They had plenty of talent to be there--and to be deserving winners. Their poise and fearlessness is kind of crazy--impressive.  So it's not that they're undeserving. I just wish it still had an emphasis on older singers and the idea of kind of a 'second chance".

re: country music.  I like a lot of it, through the years, but it's not my favorite genre.  I can't help wondering if voters in the West were able to weigh in on the save if the results would be different. in terms of who winds up at the end. Seems like voting may skew more rural and southern (aka more "country") than it would if you got more urban voters out west.  I wish they'd try it because I'm kind of tired of the country emphasis  (Then again, it's unlikely to get jazz singers--not Buble-style crooners--very far, but one can dream....)

[ChristmasJones]

26 minutes ago, Padma said:

I can't help wondering if voters in the West were able to weigh in on the save if the results would be different. in terms of who winds up at the end. Seems like voting may skew more rural and southern (aka more "country") than it would if you got more urban voters out west.

This is an interesting point, and I think you're on to something.

I could not believe Chris made it to final two. That is just .... ugh. I don't know. There is no way that guy is a better singer than nearly everyone else that was on this show.

[Wandering Snark]

9 hours ago, viajero said:

The group that included Sarah Grace, Abby and Reagan was kind of lopsided in that Sarah wiped the floor with the two, proving yet again that she was easily one of the top vocalists this season and among the best of the teens, along with Kennedy.

I thought the exact same thing and was sad she didn't make it farther on. It seems anything unique tends to get caught in the avalanche of more popular genres and the 'standard' types of singers as things get whittled down and you don't fit squarely in the box that block voters pick up.

Reagan still looked a little shook/deer in headlights too. I don't think she's made for this kind of pressure and didn't seem to 'loosen up' until about 3/4 of the way through but still lacked the pizazz of her early performances.