The Voice Finale Part 2: Hold Your Breath And Count To Ten

WOW! After several months of auditions, battles, playoffs, Stupid Twitter Saves, team performances and duets, the Season 14 winner has been crowned on The Voice. First time coach Kelly Clarkson walked (or most likely danced) away victoriously tonight as 15 year old Brynn Cartelli beat Britton Buchanan, Spensha Baker, and Kyla Jade(!) for the title, the tears, and the confetti shower. Here are the highlights...

Bring Backs:
-- Britton teamed up with Jackie F, Christiana, Mia, and WILKES for a group effort on "In the Air Tonight." This performance was the show opener and quite haunting, so it's not like we kicked things off with a bang this evening.

-- Kyla was joined by Rayshun, Sharane, and Johnny for a mass explosion of energy and also a performance of "Killer/Papa Was a Rolling Stone." All jokes aside, the vocals here were insane.

-- If Spensha and Brynn were able to bring anyone back, I missed it. I guess all of the guest stars and filler videos of how corny and fun the coaches are were more important than all of the Final Four getting in a group number.

Guest Stars:
-- Dua Lipa took the stage to perform her sassy single "IDGAF." Truthfully, I've never heard of her or the song but she had me with the title.

-- Alicia Keys joined James Bay to do a duet version of his song "Us." I'm embarrassed to say I've never heard this song either, but damn did these two sound amazing together. AMAZING. I actually needed to watch the performance twice before I could move on with the rest of the finale.

-- Season 13 winner Chloe Kohanski returned to The Voice to debut her new single "Come This Far," which is a tune that could have time traveled from the 1980s (not complaining). It's nice to see that Chloe has an even stronger stage presence now than the last time we saw her...and generally it's just nice to see a former winner pop up again. Anyone have news on Chris Blue's album?

-- Florence + the Machine performed "Hunger" tonight, a song I'm happy to say I do know, and I'm a huge fan of this band. I can never take my eyes off of Florence Welch when she's on my TV and I loved this performance.

-- Halsey and Big Sean joined forces to throw down with "Alone." There were SO many dancers on that stage I thought for a second we might be getting ready for the next season of SYTYCD...but then I realized we were on the wrong network.

-- Jason Aldean then sloooooooowed down the night considerably with his performance of "Drowns the Whiskey." I love Jason Aldean but I was nodding off a bit here.


Final Four Duets:
-- Spensha kicked off the duets with Kane Brown, singing "What Ifs" and smiling up a storm. The verses is this performance were painful but the two seemed to fare much better in the choruses.

-- Brynn's duet partner was Julia Michaels which was fun for a couple of reasons. 1) Julia wrote Brynn's original song "Walk My Way and 2) Their voices were made to collaborate. Seriously. Their renditions of "Issues" and "Jump" were gorgeous.

-- Britton was paired with Ryan Adams for a pleasant but snoozy rendition of "To Be Without You." I get why these guys were duet partners...I was just bummed because Britton has totally come out of his shell in the past few weeks and I was hoping he'd have more of an opportunity to let loose tonight.

-- Kyla rounded out the duets as she and J-Hud brought the house down with "I Know Where I've Been." This. Blew. My. Mind. I'm just going to post a link for you to watch because nothing I can say can do this duet justice.


Results!
Spensha finished in 4th place, as expected, and coming in 3rd was....KYLA. Color me shocked when this announcement happened. It all came down to Britton and Brynn and as the show was about to end, Carson put us out of our "pause, now pause some more, okay just one more pause" misery and crowned Brynn the Season 14 winner. Brynn cried a little, Kelly cried a little, and I cried a little. The show ended before the kid could sing her "Walk My Way" victory single, but I was so thrilled for her...and even more thrilled for Kelly. I remember Kelly singing "I could win with youuuu" when she turned her chair around for Brynn during the blind auditions, and KC has had a hell of a first season on this show. Congrats to Team Kelly, here's hoping Kyla Jade gets to make an album, keeping my fingers crossed that Alicia continues to mentor Britton, and Spensha? Thanks for all the smiles and stuff.

The Voice returns for Season 15 in the fall with resident coaches Adam and Blake, as well as the return of Kelly AND J-Hud. I think the Kelly/J-Hud combo is going to be very exciting....and I need to be excited about something because I feel like the next KC tour just keeps getting more and more delayed. I also always miss Alicia when she's gone, but no one on this show has thrown shoes in a while so it's probably about time for the next rotation anyway. Until then, I wish you all a safe and happy summer!

The Voice Finale Part 1: This Is The End

Well here we are! Season 14 of The Voice will come to a close this week and we're looking at either Britton, Brynn, Kyla, or Spensha as the victor. Adam is just hanging out tonight as all of his artists have been eliminated, while the rest of our coaches sit in anticipation of what their contestants might accomplish this evening. The Final Four will sing 3 songs each: a cover song, an original song that would be their first single, and a duet with their coach. Who stands above the rest? Let's get to the performances... 

Artist: Kyla Jade

Team: Blake

Song: "With a Little Help From My Friends" by The Beatles (but closer to Joe Cocker's version)

Of course my brain always goes back to The Wonder Years when I hear this song (fantastic show) and and I'm half hoping to see Fred Savage and Danica McKellar swaying in the audience when the performance starts. While I don't get that wish granted, I do get some major vocals from Kyla Jade. Major. She gets really screamy at times (paying homage to Pryor? Rayshun?) which grates on my nerves, but I do appreciate the way Kyla interacts with her backup singers, especially since she is a backup singer herself who is now stepping into the spotlight. Overall I like the arrangement and I think this is a great way to kick off the show. 

Coaches Say: Alicia stands and dances well before the performance ends and the other 3 coaches are on their feet when Kyla holds her last note. Kelly says the best part of the performance was the way Kyla included everyone behind her (great minds think alike!). Blake looks right at his contestant and says: "Kyla, if you don't win The Voice, I don't know why we call this show The Voice."

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Artist: Britton Buchanan

Team: Alicia

Song: "Where You Come From" (original song)

Britton penned his would be first single himself, so unlike other artists on these shows who have to do the best with what they've been given, Britton has the automatic connection to his original song. And by the way - it's a really good song. Sometimes the lyrics get lost in his lower register, but other than wanting to push Britton about an inch away from the microphone while he's singing, I really enjoy this performance. Well done, kid.

Coaches Say: All 4 coaches stand (it's going to be that kind of night) and Adam says he is Team Britton all day long. Alicia thinks this moment is so important because Britton wrote the song himself and he executed his own vision. 

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Artist: Spensha Baker 

Team: Blake

Song: "Merry Go 'Round" by Kacey Musgraves

After a stellar semi-finals performance show last week, Spensha hopes to continue reaching her peak tonight since her spot in the Final Four was a surprise to many people. Many. Especially Pryor and Jackie. Anyway, I can't say I'm totally behind this song choice. I get that Spensha wants to tell a story, but there are so many better stories in country music. Vocally, Spensha does a really good job here and the staging is gorgeous. She's also gorgeous. I might be in the minority, but I just don't think this performance was finale material. 

Coaches Say: Blake is the only one who stands (so I guess it's not going to be that kind of night) and we go right to him. Blake says Spensha is incredible and can be the next big country superstar. Oy... 

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Artist: Kyla Jade

Team: Blake

Song: "The Last Tear" (original song)

You know how I mentioned some artists are at a disadvantage when we get to original song time? Kyla is not one of them. This tune is a wonderful match for Kyla and during the rehearsal package she tells us "The Last Tear" reminds her of what she has been learning about herself through this process. Unlike the opening of the show, Kyla scales back her vocals in this performance and still manages to bring down the house for the second time tonight. I personally like non-screamy Kyla better than "With a Little Help From My Friends" Kyla, but either way this woman is a freaking powerhouse. 

Coaches Say: Only Blake and Alicia stand, and Kelly says Kyla is a songwriter's dream. Blake re-iterates that the show was designed for someone like Kyla. We get it buddy.

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Artist: Brynn Cartelli

Team: Kelly

Song: "Walk My Way" (original song)

Brynn's original song was written by Julia Michaels (love her) and it's incredibly catchy...to the point where it will be lodged in my brain tonight when I try to go to sleep. Some of the low notes get lost in the shuffle throughout the performance, but the song and artist are paired perfectly here. And can we talk about the fact that Kelly was standing and singing along during the whole performance? She's seriously going to be front and center at this kid's first concert. I need to figure out how to also get front and center tickets at that concert.... Anyway, please excuse me while I immediately go add this to my iTunes collection. 

Coaches Say: Adam mentions Brynn's young age and tells her she is amazing and great every time she is on stage. Kelly stands again and says a whole bunch of stuff about Brynn, but mainly that she is incredible. 

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Artist: Britton Buchanan

Team: Alicia

Song: "Good Lovin'" by The Young Rascals

Holy hell! Britton goes all out with showmanship in this performance and since we don't have Rayshun's "I'm everywhere at once giving you everything I've got!" style tonight, I do enjoy Britton's energy here. I think his vocals suffer at times from his enthusiastic stage travel, but dude is giving the performance of his life. I did NOT expect Britton to command the stage the way he's doing right now and I want someone to run up there and give him a high five...and maybe a doctor when the song is over. Great job. 

Coaches Say: Of course everyone is on their feet! The crowd goes insane for a good minute and we go right to Alicia who is still standing. She says Britton is totally in his element and he set the whole place on fire. 

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Artist: Spensha Baker 

Team: Blake

Song: "Old Soul" (original song)

We're now 4 for 4 tonight on the original songs and thank goodness for that. "Old Soul" isn't as catchy as Brynn's tune, or as powerful as Kyla's, or as awesome at storytelling as Britton's, but for Spensha, I think the song is perfectly suited for her. She gets the country music vibe that she excels in (sometimes), she gets a melody and lyrics she seems very comfortable singing, and she gets to end the evening on an incredibly strong note. Again, I never called Spensha to be in the Final Four, but she's had two pretty great weeks in her attempt to win the competition. 

Coaches Say: We go right to Blake who tells his contestant that she is ready to step off The Voice stage and onto stages like the Grand Ole Opry. Double oy...

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Artist: Brynn Cartelli

Team: Kelly

Song: "Skyfall" by Adele

Yesssssssssss! Normally I would let out a resounding "NOOOO!" when someone decides to cover Adele on these shows, but this particular Adele song is not so big that Brynn gets swallowed up in it. In fact, she does a hell of a job performing it. Brynn's rendition is almost vocal perfection (sorry - the actual perfection is going to be Adele every time) and I'm mesmerized by her performance from start to finish. The way she handles the range and tone of this song is well beyond her years and out of the many performances we've seen tonight, Brynn deserved the closing spot. But will this fantastic, kick-ass performance put her ahead of Kyla? 

Coaches Say: Only the ladies seem to be standing, which is crazy to me, and we are almost out of time. Kelly says she is lucky to be coaching Brynn and she's just a cheerleader for the kid because Brynn makes all of her own choices. 

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The coaches and artists duets tonight were mostly solid and entertaining, but not what I would consider a determining factor in who should win this thing. Brynn and Kelly harmonized beautifully in Crowded House's "Don't Dream It's Over" and I swayed happily on my couch. Britton and Alicia kept the ballads going by doing a piano/acoustic guitar version of Avicii's "Wake Me Up." This was a lovely performance as well, but made all the more sad by Avicii's recent passing. Spensha and Blake attempted and for the most part succeeded at a fun performance with "Tell Me About It" by Tanya Tucker. I don't see a Spensha album including this kind of tune, but hey, she was smiling up a storm. Kyla and Blake rounded out the duets with a their rendition of  Wynonna's "Only Love." It took Kyla and Blake a little while to decide who's going overboard and when and whether they should go overboard together, and really this just seemed like a Kyla performance that was accompanied by Blake...not that I'm complaining. 

And there you have it. The Final Four have done all they can do to win America's votes because there is NO Stupid Twitter Save tomorrow. I still think Kyla is the clear front-runner here but the other contestants are not to be counted out. I'm all in for Team Kelly, and young Brynn has been turning heads all season. The kid has a hell of a voice and crazy control over it and her Adele cover was amazing. Britton is the epitome of "artist" in this competition and he's grown leaps and bounds since the show started. His "Where You Come From" should also be popular on iTunes tonight. Spensha pretty much came out of nowhere and ousted contestants that were finale shoe-ins all season, and she also had a strong finish tonight. Will tomorrow's announcement contain any surprises? Will Kelly get her first win in her first season on The Voice? Will Alicia claim her second title? Or will the cowboy emerge with yet another victory as Season 14 comes to an end? All will be revealed during part 2 of the finale tomorrow. Til then!

The Voice Semi-Finals Elimination: Can I Get A Hallelujah?

Tonight as I prepared for the inexplicable way we determine the Final Four on The Voice, I re-watched the performances from the semi-finals one more time (okay, well, the performances I liked one more time) and wished these artists had a another chance to face off again before half of them go home. Alas, this evening's elimination episode saw 4 contestants leave the competition and the Final Four were finally revealed after an hour of long pauses with more long pauses. Was any one team destroyed in this slaughter? Here are the highlights from the semi-finals elimination...

Kane Brown took the stage tonight to perform "Heaven," and I can't say that I enjoyed the song or performance outside of the choruses. Panic! at the Disco (I love that name so much) also showed up and they treated us to their catchy single "Say Amen (Saturday Night)." Blake rounded out the non-Stupid Twitter Save performances with "I Lived It" and I'm always a big fan of the cowboy's personality on stage. With all of the anxiety people must be feeling tonight about the eliminations, dude was cool as a cucumber.

Results! The first person to make it into next week's finale was Spensha. Yes. Spensha. The first person to make it through. To the finale. Was Spensha. Now I can't really say that I'm angry - after all, this young lady had a hell of a night last night. She just wasn't one of my Final Four picks. The next name announced was Brynn (yay!), and she was eventually followed by Kyla (double yay!). We then got to that awkward part of the show where the 2 people with the lowest number of votes don't get to sing for the Stupid Twitter Save at all and the not quite bottom 3 do sing for the Stupid Twitter Save. Rayshun and Jackie  (nooooo) were eliminated immediately and Pryor, Kaleb, and Britton appealed to social media for a spot in The Voice finale...which still just blows my mind. 

Pryor was up first with "Soulshine" and it was a screamfest. Kaleb took the stage next with "Simple Man," and while I really like the guy...and really love Team Kelly, I had to root for Britton at that point. Kaleb gave us a pretty solid rendition of "Simple Man" but Britton slayyyyed "Dancing On My Own." He did one of those for real "make it your own" things with this song,  his vocals were awesome, and he deserved that last spot in the Final Four. In the end, Britton did win the Stupid Twitter Save and our Season 14 finale match-up was set. 

Next week Britton, Brynn, Spensha and Kyla will give it one last go for the title, confetti, strange trophy, and shot at stardom that may hopefully last beyond the Season 15 finale. Seriously - Chloe Kohanski gave us an update on her life tonight and I had forgotten all about her. Team Adam has been completely eliminated now and Kelly and Alicia both have one representative left in the competition. Blake goes into the finale 2 strong and he is at this point in time the coach with the most number of wins on the show. Does Kyla have it in the bag? Will the youngsters of the voting world cancel out Brynn and Britton? Does Spensha have a shot at winning this thing next week? And if she does, can she borrow Jackie's fog machine? I'd be so bummed not to see it featured in the finale. We'll find out who emerges victorious after the two part extravaganza starting next Monday. Til then!