The Voice 2015 Finale Part 1: We Can Turn It Around

We've reached the first 2015 finale of The Voice! We have four contestants remaining and only three teams are still represented. Team Xtina went kaput last week, marking the end to the most promising team our bustiest coach hss had on the show. The artists who did survive the semi-finals elimination, however, will take on two solo songs tonight (including an original tune) in addition to a duet with their coaches. There are a lot of performances to get through in these next two hours, so let's get going!

Artist: Koryn Hawthorne

Team: Pharrell

Song: "It's a Man's Man's Man's World" by James Brown

File this under "songs that have been covered 194,5728,620 times" immediately. I groan when I hear the song choice. Can the contestants and coaches really not come up with covers that have not been done to death? With that being said, Koryn still manages to kick off the show with a performance makes the crowd go absolutely nuts...and rightfully so. Her vocals, energy, and the little bit of crazy she brings to the song put my previous comments to shame. This is a fantastic rendition. Get it, girl.

Coaches Say: Adam says everyone is unbelievably proud of Koryn and Blake thinks the performance proves why she should be in the finale. Xtina tries to pretend she's still in it to win it by reminding us that she was Koryn's coach first (while throwing in some compliments here and there). Pharrell stands and says everybody else should stand too.  

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Artist: Meghan Linsey

Team: Blake

Song: "Change My Mind" 

Meghan wrote her original song during a not so great relationship and she channels those feelings well tonight. It's a powerful tune for sure and it clearly means a lot to her. I'm thrilled that her original song isn't some sort of cheesy "look how far I've come" ballad thrown at her by the producers. 

Coaches Say: Xtina tells Meghan she looks beautiful and did a great job. Adam loved the song and is proud of the show for allowing the artists to share their own music. Blake says she "wrote the hell out of that song."

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Artist: Joshua Davis 

Team: Adam

Song: "The Workingman's Hymn"

Joshua and his beautiful eyes share this original song with us, and this is another good tune written by a contestant. It has a fun beat to it but it still allows Joshua to be in his comfort zone.  Did I mention that it's catchy? Because I can already see myself humming this at work tomorrow. 

Coaches Say: Blake compliments Joshua as a songwriter and Adam mentions again that it's awesome that the show is featuring the contestant's songs. He then calls Joshua "the real deal."

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Artist: Sawyer Fredericks

Team: Pharrel

Song: "Please"

Sawyer's original song was written by Ray LaMontagne and it's a doozy. In the rehearsal package, Pharrell mentions that Sawyer is changing the game with his style and voice. He's totally right. There is no one in today's popular music scene like Sawyer. This song will most likely become an instant hit and he has earned every bit of that. 

Coaches Say: Adam says the fact that Ray LaMonthagne is writing a song for Sawyer already makes him a winner. Pharrell agrees and tells Sawyer that he is living the dream. 

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Artist: Joshua Davis 

Team: Adam

Song: "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen

This is another song I'm reallllly tired of hearing on these singing shows. It's a beautiful song and I love it, but again, choose something else. And given The Voice once (respectfully and wonderfully) used this song as a tribute to the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims, I cringe when a contestant sings it as part of the competition. Joshua's version is just okay for me. He sounds fine, I guess, but his delivery of the lyrics can't quite compare to Leonard Cohen's angst or Jeff Buckley's sorrow. Just my opinion. 

Coaches Say: Xtina is really excited to have watched Joshua grow in the competition and thinks the performance was heartwarming. Adam wanted Joshua to "go for it" in a way he never had and he says Joshua accomplished something very special with this performance. 

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Artist: Koryn Hawthorne

Team: Pharrell

Song: "Bright Fire"

Koryn's original song was actually written by her coach...which is absolutely adorable. I'm not in love with the song, but it does work for her voice and her style. Koryn has come such a long way this season and I was hoping for some sort of one-two punch in her final performance, but she still delivers the song with gusto even if the tune isn't (in Keith Urban's words) killah.

Coaches Say: Adam says "like" about 100 times and points out how passionate Pharrell is about his contestants. Xtina compliments Koryn on her ability to use her whole body to deliver a vocal. She mentions once again that she was Koryn's coach first. Pharrell says "we did it" and thanks everyone for their support.

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Artist: Meghan Linsey

Team: Blake

Song: "When a Man Loves a Woman" by Percy Sledge

I would really like to see the catalog of songs these guys were able to choose their songs from this week. Were there really so few "barely covered" covers to at their fingertips? While this song isn't quite as overdone as some of the others we've heard tonight, it still ranks pretty high up there. But even so, Meghan delivers one hell of a performance...it's a loud performance...but an amazing performance. She should have absolutely no regrets about how she finished her run on this show. Love her.

Coaches Say: Pharrell tells Meghan she has re-written her future and Adam says Meghan has "this extra thing" that makes her very special. Blake thinks that if there's a performance tonight that could change the course of events - this was it. 

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Artist: Sawyer Fredericks

Team: Pharrell

Song: "Old Man" by Neil Young

GREAT song and Sawyer kills it. I'm initially distracted by the staging....something about Sawyer playing the guitar in a box of, well, guitars seems a bit overkill but it really doesn't matter. To my great surprise, dude has dominated this season and will probably top iTunes again tonight.

Coaches Say: Adam says that no matter what, Sawyer should never lose sight of who he is. Xtina is so happy Sawyer has Pharrell as a coach and calls him a gem. Pharrell is so happy to be anywhere near Sawyer's dream. 

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In terms of the duets, Sawyer and Pharrell's version of "Summer Breeze" was soothing but a bit snoozy for me. His collaboration with Koryn, however, was a ton of fun. They took on "We Can Work It Out" and it was sassy and enjoyable. Adam and Joshua's "Diamonds On the Soles of Her Shoes" duet took a while to become interesting but once the backup singers took the stage, I was 100% entertained. Blake and Meghan's take on "Freeway of Love," however, was my favorite. I've never been a huge fan of the song but I'm definitely a fan this performance. Blake's showmanship and Meghan's attitude went hand in hand here. 

I have to say (if it's not obvious) that I'm rooting for Meghan tomorrow. I've been a huge fan of hers all season and I think she's earned it. Most TV bloggers and recappers have been calling for a Sawyer victory for quite some time, and I can see it happening for sure, but I'm going to go ahead and keep my fingers crossed for another Team Blake win. But could I be totally wrong? Could Koryn come from behind and steal the title? Could Joshua pull off the biggest upset in the show's history? All will be revealed in Part 2 of the finale. Til then!