Tonight the Top 8 take the stage on The Voice hoping to celebrate Thanksgiving with a guaranteed spot
in the Final 6. Three of the four teams
have a chance of being totally eliminated this week as two more hopefuls go
home tomorrow, but Team CeeLo in particular has to be feeling the heat with
only one man (well, one woman) standing. Team Adam, on the other hand, will
have at least one contestant remaining next week regardless. With a promise of “eight
great performances ahead” (don’t let me down, Carson), let’s get this show on
the road!
Contestant: James Wolpert
Team: AdamSong: “Somebody To Love” by Queen
This is my favorite Queen song. I may have ruined a VHS tape while
re-playing George Michael’s cover in the early 90s. The Glee rendition might play on my iPod frequently. Hell, I even adore
Anne Hathaway’s version in Ella Enchanted.
I love this song. James performs his rendition in a tuxedo flanked by other
tuxedos…and holding half of a mic stand. Odd, but it doesn’t really matter. He
really does the song justice and this was an awesome way to kick off the show.
Coaches Say: Adam says James
could go sing with Queen and hold his own. He said the vocals were beautiful
and dynamic. Blake thinks the song was incredible and tells James it was his
best performance so far. Xtina says James should be proud because it was a
special performance. She also says the other tuxedos looked like an army of
James/Adam cloned babies. Smirk. CeeLo thinks this was one of the best
performances ever…and then trails off. I’m not sure what those last couple of
words were but I hope it was something to the effect of “on the show.”
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Contestant: Tessanne Chin
Team: AdamSong: “Underneath It All” by No Doubt
I heart Tessanne’s accent. I kind of want her to call me and read me a
bedtime story…I’m turning dangerously close to agreeing with Xtina’s “I want
you to be Jamaican all the time” theme from last week. We both get our wish
with tonight’s performance. Tessanne starts off with a very smooth rendition…but
then just gets all bad ass in the second half of the song. Her roots are out in
full force, and this is absolutely my favorite Tessanne performance. I’m
yelling and clapping for her long before the song ends.
Coaches Say: Adam thinks Tessanne just had an amazing moment on stage
and he’s overjoyed to have tied Jamaica to America in such a soulful way. CeeLo
says the performance was impeccable and calls her the immense beauty born out
of Jamaica. Xtina feels like we know who Tessanne is now…she then suggests
Tessanne listen to a reggae version of one of Xtina’s own songs. Way to bring
it back to you, coach.
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Contestant: Caroline Pennell
Team: CeeLoSong: “Dog Days are Over” by Florence & The Machine
Caroline has
some fight in her this week, having barely made it through to the Top 8.
Winning America’s instant Twitter save thing last week…she knows she has to
have a moment tonight. I will say that this is the first performance of hers
that I’ve enjoyed. She looks like she’s having fun, and if this ends up being
her swan song, I would say it’s one she can be proud of.
Coaches Say:
CeeLo is very happy with Caroline’s
performance. He wrote a little something for her and it’s very sweet. CeeLo
says she has won his heart. Adam compliments Caroline for going outside of her
comfort zone and says she needs to continue to push herself to improve. So
really it sounds like CeeLo and Adam think Caroline is going home tomorrow.
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Contestant: Cole Vosbury
Team: BlakeSong: “I Still Believe in You” by Vince Gill
We get a
very scaled back Cole this evening as he tries to be more emotional for tonight's performance. This is a beautiful song – it always has
been. Cole also sings it really well…but I’m just not sure we have seen anything
different from him tonight. I feel like he had such originality when he covered
Miguel a few weeks ago, but we haven’t seen much growth since then. Just the same thing over and over. I like the
guy. I do. I’m just not sure how much longer he’ll be around. Maybe Austin’s
fan base will send their votes Cole’s way?
Coaches Say:
Blake says Cole always leaves his
heart on the stage and thinks delivering this emotional performance is going to
keep him on the show. Here’s hoping, buddy. Xtina loves watching her fellow
coaches so emotionally invested in their contestants. She tells Cole she heard
something really special tonight. Hmmm. Well for Cole’s sake I hope America
agrees with Blake and Xtina.
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Contestant: Mathew Schuler
Team: XtinaSong: “It’s Time” Imagine Dragons
Matthew has an army behind him and he attempts choreography with them…but
the camera angles are so awful I have no idea what the dance was supposed to
look like. Matthew does a good job with the song and he’s very into the lyrics.
I definitely prefer the original, but this was a solid performance.
Coaches Say: Xtina says Matthew comes from a place
of integrity and he wants to sing what he really feels. CeeLo appreciates the
sentiment of the song and says Matthew is doing a damn good job staying
Matthew.
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Contestant: Will Champlin
Team: AdamSong: “At Last” by Etta James
This is definitely a surprising choice for Will but he does have the
soulful voice for it. He ditches the glasses tonight and I barely recognize
him. I also prefer him without the glasses. “At Last” is one of those tunes
that really should not be touched but he’s just amazing as he delivers this
song. It’s his best performance to date and the best performance of the night.
Sorry Tessanne. I still want you to call me though.
Contestant: Ray Boudreaux
Team: BlakeSong: “Gimme Some Lovin’” by The Spencer Davis Group
Ray is
having fun tonight! Yay! He is more comfortable than he’s ever been on this
stage and he sounds great. He could still loosen up a little bit more but he
grew leaps and bounds tonight. Good for him.
Coaches Say:
Blake says Ray has some swag tonight.
Xtina thinks the performance was a lot of fun and she loved it. CeeLo calls him
“Sugar Ray” and says he loved the energy coming from Ray tonight.
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Contestant: Jacquie Lee
Team: XtinaSong: “Who’s Lovin You” by The Jackson 5
Jacquie has the closing spot tonight and she also has a song that has
been covered many, many times by many, many artists. The X Factor even covered it a few weeks ago. Xtina challenges her
during rehearsals: “Sing it in my face.” Ha! When the performance begins
Jacquie sings a capella…and I have the chills. Even when the band kicks in, she
retains her soulful edge but she also amplifies her emotion by about 500 when she
reaches the audience. Jacquie is fantastic tonight. Will might still have my
vote for best of the night, but damn, Jacquie is standing on his heels.
Coaches Say: Xtina loves
Jacquie and is so proud of how well she did tonight. Adam says Jacquie poured
it all out in her performance. Blake thinks the performance was powerful and
CeeLo says it’s like Jacquie “swallowed an old lady.”
And on that note, the Top 8 have done all they can do to win America’s
votes tonight. I think James, Tessanne, Will and Jacquie set themselves apart
from Caroline, Cole, Ray and Matthew tonight BUT I also think this was the best performance of the season. Even the contestants who have been a bit behind stepped it up a little this evening.
Tomorrow night
we say goodbye to two more contestants and find out which teams move on to the
next part of the competition. Is Team CeeLo’s elimination a foregone
conclusion? Will we have a Team Adam finale? Does Xtina have her first real
shot at winning this year with Jacquie? We’ll find out in the coming weeks. Til
then!
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