The Voice Top 8: There's Nothing To It

Tonight on The Voice, the Top 8 contestants battle again (though it's not a battle round per se...even though it is) as the stakes are getting very high now among the coaches. Adam, for instance, took this opportunity to make a very drastic hair color change that I'm not in love with. Blake calls him "Miley" and that gives me quite a laugh. Team Adam and Team Blake are holding strong with 3 contestants remaining. With Team Usher and Team Shakira just barely hanging on, their contestants have to win over America tonight to keep hope alive. Let's see how they do!

Artist: Sisaundra Lewis

Team: Blake

Song: "River Deep, Mountain High" by Tina Turner

Oh hell yeah. Sisaundra does not change the song up much, but then again, she really doesn't have to. She sings high on a platform above the band and she is joined by some backup dancers about half way through the performance. Oh, and in case I didn't mention...she KILLS it. Is she the same kind of crazy as Tina? No. But did she sing her ass off? Absolutely. Sisaundra is her own kind of crazy and this was a great way to start the night. 

Coaches Say: Sisaundra's mother (who is in her 70s) is in the audience, watching her daughter sing tonight for the first time ever outside of church performances. It's very emotional. Usher says Sisaundra has an incredible story and thinks she completely evolved as an entertainer on stage tonight. Shakira calls Sisaundra's vocal ability astonishing, saying she's a pro. Adam thinks Sisaundra is a strong woman, singing a song by a strong woman, and he says the whole thing was pretty electric. Blake is thrilled for her and believes Sisaundra is finding herself as an artist. 

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Artist: Josh Kaufman

Team: Usher

Song:  "I Can't Make You Love Me" by Bonnie Raitt

This is such a fantastic song and Josh delivers it with 100% emotion. The staging is very simple and he sits on a stool for the majority of the performance just telling the story. He stands for the last part of the song and has quite a moment with the big notes. It's really a great performance - soft when it needs to be and powerful at just the right times. Well done.

Oh, and if you've never heard this version of the song...you definitely must. Sorry. I just can't help myself. 

Coaches Say: Shakira says Josh is an artist with good taste. She also thinks he had great intuition with the song choice this week and the performance was quite an accomplishment. Adam is enjoying watching all of Josh's success and is very proud of him. He mentions once again how stupid he feels because Josh is no longer on his team. Blake thinks the performance was as perfect as any performance he has seen in all 7 seasons. Has there really been 7 seasons of The Voice? Maybe it's time to slow things down? Usher says Josh possesses the type of confidence a real artist has. He's happy and proud to be Josh's coach.

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Artist: Kat Perkins

Team: Adam

Song: "Get Lucky" by Daft Punk featuring Pharrell

Adam told Kat in the rehearsal package that she needs to make a bold choice this week in order to avoid finding herself in another Stupid Twitter Save situation. She goes with a song I never would have picked for her...and she, um, definitely puts her own spin on it. Kat turns this tune into a rock song, and the middle part is okay. The first part and last part, however, do not work for me at all. It's very, very screamy and borderline annoying.

Coaches Say: The crowd apparently loved it. Usher wishes his hair was long so he could head bang efficiently. Shakira says Kat knows who she is and thinks Kat must have had a lot of fun with the performance. Adam loved it, saying "bottom 3 my ass." Well, we shall see, buddy. 

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Artist: Kristen Merlin

Team: Shakira

Song: "I Drive Your Truck" by Lee Brice

Kristen is looking to make people cry tonight and I have no doubt she succeeded. She tells a great story but in the battle of Team Usher's last contestant (Josh) and Team Shakira's last contestant...Josh is just more engaging. It's not that Kristen's performance isn't beautiful and moving - she does a wonderful job. I just think there are other contestants left on the show who set that emotional bar just a little higher, but I do hope she is still around next week. 

Coaches Say: Blake thinks Kristen did a great job and compliments her progress from the blind auditions to now. He then says what we're all thinking: "Adam loves you so much he copied your hair style." Ha! Shakira was very moved by the performance and says Kristen absolutely gave her all. 

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Artist: Delvin Choice

Team: Adam

Song:  "I Believe I Can Fly" by R. Kelly

Oh no. This is one of those songs that needs to be on the "no more covers on reality TV shows" list...banned forever...never again to be sung by another Top (fill in the blank) contestant whose name we won't know in a year anyway. Remember how Space Jam turned out? Well, this was the Space Jam anthem. In terms of Delvin's performance, I'm sure he's doing everything he is supposed to do with a song like this. He has an amazing voice and I'm liking the no glasses look this week...but couldn't he have vied for a "moment" with a song that hasn't been SO overdone?  

Coaches Say: Blake says the song choice was perfect and the performance was powerful. Usher tells Delvin "you've never seen a man fly til you've seen a man cry" and says the performance reminds people to push for their dreams. Or...it reminds people of that time when Michael Jordan wanted to be a baseball player. Dreams are dreams, right? Adam thinks the song completely fit where Delvin is in the competition right now (and in life really) and says Delvin deserves to make it to the end.

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Artist: Audra McLaughlin

Team: Blake

Song: "Forgive" by Rebecca Lynn Howard

So, I am not at all familiar with this song and I'm almost ashamed. This is a beautiful song. It's a little low for Audra during parts of the verses but she completely excels as she gets to each chorus. She also hits some money notes throughout and really lays it all out on the table. Audra's performance last week gave me chills. This one doesn't quite get there....but I'm still a big fan.  

Coaches Say: Shakira enjoys Audra's upper register and her ability to hold notes "forever." Blake thinks Audra is unstoppable and says she approaches singing in a way that makes other people feel what she feels. 

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Artist: Jake Worthington

Team: Blake

Song: "Hillbilly Deluxe" by Brooks & Dunn

Jake has been fighting allergies the past few days but fortunately the illness does not affect his hillbilly-ness. He's got some attitude tonight (or maybe he's just fighting a sneeze) and this is probably the first time we've seen some real stage presence from him. I still think Jake is in way over his head, but he's so darn adorable that I still want to root for him. 

Coaches Say: Shakira was air drumming to the song apparently. She compliments Jake on being aggressive tonight and performing with attitude. Adam thinks Jake is "so damn cool" and says Jake is authentic when it comes to country music. Blake congratulates him on introducing "Jake, the artist" to America. I think that's a little generous given that the performance was a straight up cover. 

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Artist: Christina Grimme

Team: Adam

Song: "How to Love" by Lil Wayne

During the rehearsal package, Christina reads my mind when she asks Adam why should would cover a rapper's song for the second week in a row. This concerns me and I'll confess that I don't really like the original version of this song. Christina, however, makes me want to give it a second listen. Regardless of which song she performed last week, this is a great choice for Christina and she totally owns it. 

Coaches Say: Blake thinks Christina looks and sounds like a superstar. Shakira says the performance was "something huge" and calls her voice insane. Adam tells America that Christina just created a new version of that song. 

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We also had some non-contestant performances tonight, the most notable of which was coach-to-be, Gwen Stefani. Notable for two reasons 1) She looks freaking amazing and 2) She sang "Hollaback Girl" with coach-to-be, Pharrell (as well as Pharrell's hat, so it was almost a trio). Does she really not have any songs that are more recent? "Hollaback Girl" came out 10 years ago...oh well. I'm not complaining. The performance was B-A-N-A-N-A-S. 

Tomorrow night we will find out if all four teams will still exist going into next week's show, which is apparently the semi-finals already. Who should be worried tonight?  Will former Stupid Twitter Save winner Kat make it through? Did Jake show enough attitude to keep his fans voting? Was Kristen's emotional performance memorable enough save her this week? We'll find out during the elimination episode. Til then!

American Idol Elimination: How To Save A Life

We've reached the Final Four on American Idol and the night was not without drama. Ryan promised us a "shocking twist" and "game changer" when the episode opened, and I just assumed the judges would be able to save Sam again. There was no judge's save though (thank you), but there were some highlights: 

Keith Urban took the stage tonight to perform "Good Thing" and really...he can do whatever he wants on stage and I will be happy. Talk about a free pass... Anyway, Keith is a real showman and this is one of the few instances where I would be okay with a one hour results show. We need more Keith! The other judges had a moment to critique his performance. JLo said Keith is "just so cute" and the Australian hottie blushed. Love. Him. 

Results! Ryan called the contestants to the stage and totally blew their minds by revealing a (potential) voting twist. He gave them two options. 1) Someone goes home tonight as planned. 2) A unanimous vote by all 5 contestants would save everyone tonight...with two people leaving next week. Outrageous. Why would we still allow a SAVE at this point? "America chooses who advances each week...except for when the judges do....or when the contestants do." Sigh.

Luckily, the anonymous vote was 3-2 and not unanimous, so someone was shown the door. The contestant with the lowest number of votes was Sam, and the odds were not in his favor tonight to snag another save. As for who the two people were that voted "no," I'm not sure...but my guess is definitely not Sam or Jessica. 

Next week the remaining hopefuls will compete again as we are now only weeks away from the finale. Has Jessica done enough to continue or will she join the ranks of "it's been an honor just to make it this far?" With two very memorable performances two weeks in row, is Alex reaching front-runner status? Are Jena and Caleb not destined to be the final two? Should they be nervous at this point? Maybe not, maybe so...but it's going to be pretty exciting to see how everything plays out next week. Til then!

American Idol Top 5: I'm Only Human

We've reached the Top 5 performance episode on American Idol, and the season will be over before we know it. Tonight the contestants take on two songs, both "chosen" by America. This is awesome since the judges harp on song choices every week. I think we already know that it won't make a difference for Jessica since JLo and Keith decided long ago that she should go home, and it probably won't make much of a difference for Sam because, you know, he tries so hard and that makes everything okay. Let's see if I'm wrong.

Contestant: Alex Preston

Song: "Sweater Weather" by The Neighbourhood

So, I do not know this song and therefore don't have anything to compare it to. I think Alex does a good job with the uptempo tune and I feel like he stepped out of his comfort zone a little bit. I still wish Alex wouldn't do the "I have to pee" dance while he performs, but the camera tries to avoid it as often as possible and I'm thankful for that. Not a bad way to start the night.

Judges Say: Keith wouldn't have minded hearing Alex soar more with the vocal but says he did a good job. JLo thinks Alex pulled the song off nicely and also wishes he had pushed himself a little bit more. Harry gives Alex an A+ for remembering all the words to the song. Wait. What? We're giving him extra credit for knowing the song he performed as well as the perpetual free pass? Unreal.

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Contestant:  Caleb Johnson

Song: "I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing" by Aerosmith

I really, really wish Steven Tyler was here tonight. Well, I wish for that most nights. Anyway, Caleb starts off in a softer tone than we are used to, and he stands in front of a kick ass backdrop flanked by violinists. It can't get much better than that. He actually doesn't unleash his vocals til the very end, but when he does, it's just fantastic. I think Caleb took a very smart approach to this song - he wasn't flashy, he wasn't overpowering, and he wasn't all over the stage (though maybe he's afraid to be after the microphone mishap last week).

Judges Say: JLo loves Caleb but says the song seemed challenging for him. This seems to be a compliment as she uses the word "goosies" again after that. I think we should start a drinking game for "goosies." Harry does not like that Caleb looks at the camera so much and thinks it takes away from Caleb's connection to the lyrics. He says it was a strong performance but could have been stronger if Caleb had spent less time singing to the people at home through the lens. I got news for you buddy - those are the people who will be voting by the millions tonight. Keith thinks Caleb needs his feelings to help get him to the next level.

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Contestant:  Jessica Meuse

Song: "Human" by Christina Perri

Here's what we have in this performance: an amazing strings section, an awesome backdrop, eerie but effective fog, and EMOTION. Thank you Jessica!!! What we don't have at all times, however, is pitch. Now is this one of those situations where it's kind of okay (free pass?) because Jessica is feeling the lyrics and giving herself to the audience? Maybe. But even if it isn't, I'm just so proud that she was able to have that breakthrough.

Judges Say:  Harry's favorite thing about Jessica is that she listens to criticism and really wants to get better. He notes some pitch issues but compliments her on being really dedicated to the song and the lyrics. Shout out to C.J. on that one. I wonder where he is tonight? Keith thinks the song choice was great and his favorite part of the performance was when her voice broke just a little. He says this made her human. Hmm. Okay. Maybe he was just really trying to work in the song's title. JLo saw Jessica tap into her feelings and her emotion tonight and thinks it gave her a great, dramatic moment.

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Contestant:  Sam Woolf

Song: "Sing" by Ed Sheeran

Sam is also trying to have a breakthrough this week. Dude has been told to loosen up since the season started and he is looking to "get funky" tonight. I am actually not familiar with this song either. I'm limited in the Ed Sheeren songbook but I do think he has great hair. Do I get points for that? Okay, focusing on the performance now...Sam is blessed with the pretty fantastic American Idol backup singers in this performance (hi Allison!) and that greatly helps him in his quest to enjoy himself. That does not greatly help him shine vocally though. They bring the funk and he's just trying to keep up. I'll at least give him credit for making some JLo faces throughout the song though.

Judges Say: Keith says the song wasn't in Sam's wheelhouse based on the fact that it's really a falsetto tune. He repeats "it's just a tough song" a few times before we finally move on to JLo. She liked seeing Sam look relaxed and comfortable tonight and thinks it was a good performance. Why doesn't that surprise me? Harry compliments Sam on switching it up a bit but says Sam was a little too laid back on the vocals and sometimes diffused the backup singers' funk.
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Contestant: Jena Irene

Song: "My Body" by Young The Giant

Wow. Jena has Where's Waldo's shirt on tonight but she paired it with leather pants. Clever! This is only a momentary distraction for me though as Jena's strut and energy have me for the rest of the performance. I wish she'd had the band on stage with her for this song, because I think it would have amplified the vibe she was going for, but I think she rocked out pretty damn good all on her own too. Well done!

Judges Say: Keith gives her a standing ovation. JLo says Jena sounded really good tonight. She thinks Jena has a style about her now and she is defining herself as an artist. Harry says Jena moves more than the other remaining contestants and watching her have fun makes her performances memorable. Keith calls the performance "killer."

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Contestant: Alex Preston

Song: "Say Something" by A Great Big World and Christina Aguilera

Alex's voice is absolutely suited for this song and he sings it beautifully. He is joined by a shadowy backup singer (that does not look like Allison) to try to give it a duet feel...but really it isn't. This is my only problem with this song choice - it's a heartbreaking song and having a pretty much unseen female voice in the background doesn't deliver the dual angst and fight of the lyrics. Alex did the best he could flying mostly solo, and I would still say this was a very strong performance.

Judges Say: Keith gives him a standing ovation. He's all about those tonight. Harry says watching Alex fight his emotion and not give into it made this the performance of the night. Keith thinks this was the perfect marriage of song and artist and JLo says Alex took the song to another level. No one mentions that Alex remembered all of the words to the song, so I'm pretty pleased with the critique overall.

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Contestant:  Jena Irene

Song: "Valerie" by Amy Winehouse

This, for me, is easily Amy Winehouse's best song. I know most people are partial to "Back to Black" and "Rehab" but this one has always frequented my iPod. Chances are, the Glee version will play on my iPod shortly (thank you, Santana). Now because I love this song so much, I scowl when Jena's version starts. Where's the energy? Where's the attitude? She could have totally rocked this song but went with a jazzy version instead...and I'm not a fan. At least I get some clear camera shots of Allison in the background though. I'll mark that in the "win" column.

Judges Say: Keith thinks Jena's vocals are killer and the song suited her. JLo doesn't think this was Jena's best performance and she didn't love the tempo. She gets many "boos" but I'm inclined to agree. Harry tries to figure out if Jena is going to go by "Jena" or "Jena Irene" when the competition is over, and there's never really a critique from him.

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Contestant: Sam Woolf

Song: "How To Save a Life" by The Fray

Oh my. This starts out really rough and Sam knows it. By the time he gets to the first chorus, he is kind of on the right track...but then the second verse starts and we're gone again. Any funk that the kid may have had earlier is long forgotten now. It's painful to watch, and I really think it's painful for Sam to endure. I will, however, totally give credit to the neat sun graphic shining in the background. That at least gives me a smile.

Judges Say: JLo said the beginning was shaky and then it became perfect. She got goosies (drink!). I totally missed the part where it was perfect....or good even. Harry mentions pitch issues and says he needs to make his voice more dynamic. Keith thinks Sam owned the song by the end of it. Really? I'm so disappointed with how the judges have handled contestants like Sam and C.J. this year. "No, you didn't sing on key at all, but shucks you're cute!"
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Contestant: Jessica Meuse

Song: "Summertime Sadness" by Lana Del Rey

Whoa. Whoa. Is that Jessica posing in a dress like a diva? It is! I'm always so hit or miss with this song. Any time we get to the "Oh my God" part when I hear it on the radio, I tend to cringe. However, I think Jessica does a good job here. Granted, I'm not sure how much emotion we get from her because the camera spends way more time on JLo (I'm over that, by the way), but she sounds great given what she had to work with.

Judges Say: Harry thinks the voters care for Jessica and he says the song was perfect for her voice. Keith says she needed to lean into the song emotionally and JLo agrees. Of course she does. Who would have thought Harry would be Jessica's champion by the end of the season? It's okay Jess - give Hollie Cavanagh and Janelle Arthur a call. They will be able to tell you what it's like to sing your ass off every week but not be "chosen" to make it past the final four. You're fighting a losing battle.

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Contestant: Caleb Johnson

Song: "Still of the Night" by Whitesnake

Well duh. Caleb sings this song as if it were written specifically for him. Any and all restraint he showed during his first performance is gone...and that's absolutely fine. Keith and JLo are standing within the first 30 seconds of the performance and it's all uphill from there. Good God. The man is a rock star. AMAZING way to end the night.

Judges Say: Keith says the performance was killer and JLo thinks Caleb just brought down the house. Harry tells Caleb he could not have sung that song any better.

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We also had some decent but not very memorable group performances this evening. Jena, and two other guys Alex and Sam took on "Best Day of My Life"  by American Authors, and Caleb and Jessica were saddled with "Beast of Burden" by The Rolling Stones. I'm good with these songs though - I'd rather Idol use the extra time for performances instead of the silly filler montages.

Tomorrow night we reach the Final Four and one more contestant will pack their bags. Is Jessica destined to head home? Will Sam's appeal of "he's cute and he's also cute" finally run its course? Can Alex's ability to remember all of the words to songs win over America? We'll find out during the elimination show. Til then!