After 3 months of anticipation, we've reached finale week on The Voice. We are down to a Team Adam vs. Team Blake competition with Gwen and Pharrell just kind of hanging out and wondering what went wrong. Each of our four finalists will sing 3 times tonight -- one song picked by the coaches, one duet with the coaches (it's going to be an Adam heavy episode), and an original song that we hope sounds better than the majority of the American Idol victory songs. I'm looking at you, "Do I Make You Proud?" Ah memories....let's see if The Voice artists fare any better with their tunes.
Artist: Damien
Song: "A Song For You" by Donny Hathaway
Well, nothing says "completely baring your soul while singing" quite like this song does. Adam chose a tune right in Damien's wheelhouse and he does not disappoint in this performance. His placement in the audience with arms waving around him is great and all, but the full orchestra on stage is the real bonus here. The musicians compliment the performance perfectly and Damien was able to give all of his emotions to the song.
Coaches Say: Blake says Damien floats through a melody with great pitch and power. I really love the way he describes things sometimes. Damien's performance took Pharrell to church, and I was secretly hoping Matt McAndrew would have jumped on stage at that moment with an encore of his Hozier performance from earlier in the season. That would have been a riot. Gwen thinks the song was amazing because it felt like a record Damien has already made. Adam tells Damien that this this was one of his best performances.
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Artist: Craig Wayne Boyd
Song: "My Baby's Got a Smile on Her Face" (original song)
Blake has been carrying this song around in his back pocket for years, and he tells Craig the only reason he hasn't recorded it himself is "it's so freaking hard to sing." He believes Craig can make it a hit though and I can see why. He's so comfortable with the song he looks as though he's been performing it for years. Craig is confident in the best way possible and he sounds pretty damn good too.
Coaches Say: Pharrell welcomes Craig to his future and all Gwen could think of during the performance was "I hope you have a really good nanny, because you're going to get that baby and go on tour for a long time." Blake has never been so nervous about a performance on this show, but he believes the song was meant for Craig and congratulates him.
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Artist: Matt McAndrew
Song: "Wasted Love" (original song)
Adam thinks this song is a hybrid of all of the things Matt has done on the show already, and Matt is more than ready to make a statement and release his own single. I'm not sure that Matt needs the flames, fog and choir to sell this song to America, but I do think the tune suits him perfectly. It allows him to use both his softer side and his energetic "I'm going to belt like it's the last song I'll ever sing" side. Love it.
Coaches Say: Pharrell says Matt's hometown of Philadelphia "couldn't have asked for a better leader and teacher to go out and sing these songs the way you do." Gwen completely got lost in the performance and it took her to a place where she was being creative and thinking about songwriting herself. Adam goes a little crazy with his comments. He says not only is this Matt's first song (in terms of singles anyway), "it's one of the best songs I've heard in my life." Whoa, whoa, whoa. He then tells Matt what a huge fan he is, saying "this kid is so special and he isn't even done winning yet." WHOA. Adam. Dude. You still have two other contestants in the competition.
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Artist: Chris Jamison
Song: "Velvet" (original song)
Adam thinks this song combines Bruno Mars' style with Michael Jackson's. Oh my. That's a very tall order. I'll be honest - the pre-performance video package had me completely stoked for Chris to perform the song live, but the performance actually falls kind of short for me. Don't get me wrong...Chris' falsetto is on point as always, but the rest of the vocals are a bit shaky at times. I think the vibe of the song is exactly what Chris needs in his (potential) album though...but it's just not my cup of tea...even though I love the styles of both Bruno Mars and Michael Jackson. I'm probably entirely alone in my opinion.
Coaches Say: Pharrell says a star was born on this television show this evening. He must be talking about one of the other finalists, right? Adam back tracks on his comments about Matt winning, but then gives no indication that he thinks Chris should win. He loves all of his contestants equally though. Adam, you're fooling no one.
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Artist: Craig Wayne Boyd
Song: "In Pictures" by Alabama
Craig pours his heard into this tear-jerker of a song and he sounds fantastic. I get that he had to do a ballad at some point tonight, but it was going to be pretty much impossible for him to top "The Old Rugged Cross" performance from last week. Still, I think this cowboy had a great night and I'm thrilled that he made it all the way to the end.
Coaches Say: Gwen is emotional and says that Craig's voice is magic. She thinks that Craig's future is bright regardless of the outcome of the show. Well, let's hope so. Blake says the song was the perfect statement for Craig's life at the moment, and that's what country music is all about - making a statement.
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Artist: Damien
Song: "Soldier" (original song)
Adam listened to 100 songs before choosing this one for Damien. Sigh. This sounds more like one of those American Idol victory tunes that the winner sings on the first tour and then never again. There are so very few of those songs with staying power. Damien gives a fine performance....the single just doesn't scream "I should win and this should top the charts!"
Coaches Say: We seem to be running out of time. Adam is bursting with pride for all three of his contestants and says Damien is thriving win or lose. So yeah, he doesn't think Damien should win either.
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Artist: Chris Jamison
Song: "Cry Me a River" by Justin Timberlake
I guess this is what we've all been waiting for, right? The JT comparison has been made all season, so why not end Chris' time on The Voice with "Cry Me a River?" Well, I can't think of a better way for Chris to complete the competition. His rendition of this song is awesome. His vocals are 100% spot on, he's jamming out with the band, and he looks totally in his element. Well done.
Coaches Say: Adam is standing in his chair and he says "Chris, my young Jedi, welcome and congratulations." I'm going to on on the assumption that we have 12 minutes left, and one commercial break and performance to go, so that's why Adam's critique was so meaningless.
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Artist: Matt McAndrew
Song: "Over the Rainbow" by Judy Garland
Matt closes the night with a song I never would have thought he'd sing on this show...or ever. That being said, this performance isn't earth shattering or life altering (at least not for the rest of us), but it is subtle and effective. Matt is sincere in his delivery of this 1939 song and I am absolutely sincere in my desire for Matt to win this season of The Voice.
Coaches Say: Gwen says Matt is original and his voice just connects. Pharrell thinks it's magical to see Matt perform every week and Adam felt the universe paused for a second to hear something so pure and perfect. Again. Whoa. Tone it down please.
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In terms of the duets, Chris and Adam delivered a smooth and sexy version of Robin Thicke's "Lost Without U," and Blake and Craig blew the roof off the joint with their cover of "Boots On" by Randy Houser. Matt and Adam give us a pleasant rendition of "Lost Stars," but Damien and Adam's duet was the best of the night (for me anyway). They sang Elton John's "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me" and their performance was both lovely and powerful. They also picked an amazing song to showcase their voices.
And with that, the competition comes to an end. Tomorrow night one of these dudes will be crowned the winner....and I truly hope it's Matt. As much as Adam's boasting drives me crazy, I think Matt absolutely deserves the win with Craig right behind him. Can Damien or Chris pull off a huge surprise though? Can we have some Gwen and Pharrell performance time to balance out the Adam duets from tonight? Is any of this going to matter when the next season of The Voice premieres in the beginning of 2015? Time will tell....
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