The Voice: Story Of My Life

Tonight on The Voice we have the pleasure of seeing Kelly Clarkson perform "Underneath the Tree" from her new Christmas album "Wrapped in Red." She's also wrapped in red this evening (see what she did there?), and the mom to be is glowing while singing this happy tune. Seriously - if you don't have the album, go buy it. I may also have about a dozen extra copies if you need one. They make great Christmas gifts, okay?

 

Oh, and tonight we also have an elimination to get to. I had originally thought we would say goodbye to two contestants this hour but it appears that five artists will move on to next week's semi-finals. Blake has to be a little nervous tonight as Cole is his last remaining contestant on this show, and Xtina has to be wondering about her chances of getting both of her artists to break through the wall that is Team Adam. CeeLo is just hanging out...probably keeping an eye out for Kelly's female backup dancers. 

 

Results! The first person safe is Jacquie and I'm so relieved. Next up is Cole. Whoa. What?Uh oh...brace yourself, Matthew. Carson puts me at ease when he announces that Tessanne has made it through to next week, and she is followed by Will. James and Matthew are left in the bottom 2 and both are hoping to snag the stupid Twitter save.

 

After the commercial break which included the 19th preview of Carrie Underwood starring in a live performance of The Sound Of Music (I will be watching...and singing along), Carson gives Matthew the bad news. James gets the stupid Twitter save and Matthew's journey ends now. I'm absolutely good with this. At times Matthew is the stronger vocalist, but James is always the more interesting one.

 

Next week the Final Five fight for a spot in the finale and Blake and Xtina hold out hope that their teams are represented when the season comes to a close. Can Jacquie keep her momentum? Will Cole blow us away in the semi-finals with spectacular performances? Will Team Adam suffer any losses before the finals? We'll find out next week. Til then!

 

   

 

 

The Voice: Some Days It Don't Come Easy

Tonight the remaining six contestants on The Voice go head to head again, and the competition is heating up now that we are only weeks away from the finale. Each artist will perform twice tonight - one song as a special dedication and one song chosen by their coaches. My guess is Jacquie is dedicating a song to Xtina and Xtina also chose a song for Jacquie to dedicate to her. No wonder Xtina and her boobs are so energetic tonight....

 

 

Artist:   Cole Vosbury

Team:   Blake            

Song:    "The Rich Girl" by Hall & Oates

 

Blake chose this song to showcase Cole's range as a vocalist. Cole has a neat little orchestra behind him, and he is showing off his voice on this song. I have to wonder if Blake is more into it that Cole is though...he's singing along from his chair enthusiastically and I wish some of that would rub off on his contestant. I'm hoping Cole's choice in the next round has more of a "wow" factor. 

 

Coaches Say: Blake calls Cole a pro who has been working hard at this for a long time. He says that performance could go on sale on iTunes right now with no problem...which I thought was kind of the point? CeeLo thinks Cole did a great job and Adam says the performance was a pleasure to watch.

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Artist:  Tessanne Chin

Team:  Adam

Song:  "Redemption Song" by Bob Marley

 

Sticking with her Reggae roots, Adam chooses a risky song since most people believe Bob Marley should not be touched on these shows. I don't worry about Tessanne for a second though because she owns this. Sure, many singers can hit the notes, but Tessanne hits the notes AND feels every lyric. She blows me away.

 

Coaches Say: Adam knows how important the meaning of the song is to Tessanne (don't forget - Tessanne is from Jamaica) and says he was lost and immersed in the performance. Xtina mentions Tessanne's accent again and talks about her own travels to Jamaica (why?). She finally calls the performance lovely and we have to move on. Bummer. Tessanne should have had the chance to get much higher praise from the other coaches.
 

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Artist:  Matthew Schuler

Team:  Xtina

Song:  "The Story Of My Life" by One Direction

 

Matthew chooses this song as a dedication to his family. He starts off a bit too soft and I can barely hear him until the first chorus starts. But then the performance takes off and he does a good job with the song. Not my favorite performance of Matthew's...maybe it's the song choice...but I do look forward to Xtina's choice for him later.

 

Coaches Say: Xtina loved the song choice and they way he made it his own. She tells Matthew that the stage suits him. Adam isn't familiar with the song (I don't believe him) and says Matthew can tread any ground he wants to.

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Artist:  Will Champlin

Team:  Adam

Song:  "A Change Is Gonna Come" by Sam Cooke

 

Will dedicates this song to his wife and daughter. Man this guy is gutsy. Taking on "At Last" during the Top 8 performance show and now this song which was a staple for the Civil Rights Movement. Interesting. He starts out on the piano and then gets tripped up a little bit when he transitions to the mic stand, but really he just gives the song everything he has. Will never holds anything back in his performances, and he has really become one of my favorites.

 

Coaches Say: Adam loves the courage Will had to sing this song and said the performance was real and genuine. CeeLo tells Will he has soul and heart and says Will deserved to sing that song.

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Artist:  James Wolpert

Team:  Adam

Song:  "I Fell In Love With A Girl" by The White Stripes

 

James is sending this song out to his dad for encouraging James' pursuit of a music career. He plays an acoustic guitar tonight and stays at a mic stand for the duration of the performance which we have really not seen from him. I like it - I appreciate that he's switching it up this week, and I imagine he'll go back to being kind of twitchy and all over the stage for his second performance.

 

Coaches Say: Adam notes that James messed up in the middle of the performance but it's okay. Oh. I missed that completely. Blake says James always performs at a 10 and didn't realize a mistake at all.

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Artist:  Jacquie Lee

Team:  Xtina

Song:  "Cry Baby" by Janis Joplin

 

Great song. Amazing song. I loooove Janis and no one is going to sing it like Janis. That being said, Jacquie gives it her all...screaming at times...but she definitely does the song justice. For a 16 year old who freely admits that she's never suffered the kind of heartbreak that embodies "Cry Baby," I applaud her for even coming close.  

Coaches Say: Xtina suddenly has a leather jacket on and I'm confused. I mean, it's covering up her arms...not her chest. So it's not as if one of the producers was alarmed by her cleavage and said "someone get a jacket on her!" Anyway, she goes up on stage and puts the mic stand on the floor. Xtina says "This was her. She left her heart on this stage, on this floor for all of you." CeeLo thinks it's truly amazing how talented and dynamic Jacquie is at such a young age.

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Artist:  Cole Vosbury

Team:  Blake

Song:  "Better Man" by James Morrison

 

Cole dedicates this song to his first love. He notes that the relationship didn't work out...and he still seems a little heartbroken. I'm bummed for him, but I'm also buying 100% of what he is selling in this performance. He's totally connected to the song, he's vulnerable, and he's pushing himself to deliver one hell of a vocal. Cole accomplishes that and not a moment too soon.

 

Coaches Say: Blake says if Cole doesn't get her back now...and then trails of for a second. He then tells Cole "you can do it all." CeeLo agrees with Blake and thinks it's great to see Cole growing as an artist. Xtina appreciates Cole and notes that Cole was a little raspy tonight and encourages him to preserve his voice when he can. And an hour and six minutes in....we have our first constructive criticism of the night. Thank you.

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Artist:  Tessanne Chin

Team:  Adam

Song:  "Unconditionally" by Katy Perry

 

Tessanne chooses this song to dedicate to her mom and dad. She has her diva hat on tonight (in a good way), performing this song on a platform in front of a pretty awesome tunnel made of glowing hoops. Tessanne delivers another solid performance here...though I will admit her first song was my favorite tonight.  

 

Coaches Say:  Adam says this was a tough song to take on vocally and compliments her range. He tells Tessanne she never lets him down. Blake calls Tessanne a world class vocalist and says people should focus on that and not the she's from Jamaica. So...you don't want to talk about her accent and then talk about her accent?

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Artist:  Matthew Schuler

Team:  Xtina

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

This is a vast improvement on his first performance and the song is definitely in Matthew's wheelhouse. He is able to show off his vocals more and also unleashes some power in his voice that the One Direction song did not allow earlier. This is absolutely his best performance sing "Hallelujah." Is it enough to put him through to next week? I don't think so, but America could easily prove me wrong.
 

Coaches Say: Christina (of course) loved the performance. Why wouldn't she? The busty coach also tells Matthew he is versatile and hopes he'll still be around next week. "I have great ideas if you hang in there." Very, um, encouraging. Blake is a Matthew fan and calls the performance as good as he's ever heard Matthew sing.

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Artist:  Will Champlin

Team:  Adam

Song:  "Hey Brother" by Avicii

I actually do not know this song. Will performs with a banjo, which I am immediately intrigued by, and the flames on the screen behind him are drawing me in too. I'm not 100% sure why Adam chose this song for him since Will's soulful performances have been his standout moments, but I would say this is solid and I hope he makes it through to next week.

Coaches Say: Adam says the song is "so many things" and that Will figured it out. He then gives us the history of the song and I'm ready for someone else to talk. Blake doesn't know the song either and then Adam starts to talk again. Blake says "banjos are cool" and that's pretty much it.

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Artist:  Jacquie Lee

Team:  Xtina

Song:  "The Voice Within" by Christina Aguilera

Jacquie dedicates this song to Xtina. Ha! I totally called it! This song clearly means a lot to Jacquie and it means even more to Xtina....and the performance is actually very touching. Obviously Jacquie doesn't improve on the original version, but she has definitely learned a lot from her coach because she sings her face off here.  

Coaches Say: Xtina stands for Jacquie and tells her contestant that it was a special moment. She sees a lot of herself in Jacquie and tells Jacquie how much the song relates to her in her youth.

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Artist:  James Wolpert

Team:  Adam

Song:  "I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)" by Meatloaf

 

James gets to close out the show tonight with Adam's song choice. This performance is reminiscent of last week's "Somebody To Love" as James struts his dramatic side again. The stage is foggy, James is twitchy, and vocally he is on point. The performance itself is a little strange (for me) and I definitely prefer "Somebody To Love" in terms of theater-esque themes. Again, just me.  

 

Coaches Say: Adam tells us that James is sick and dealing with a lot. He says James did an amazing job. CeeLo can see James taking on a rock opera because he has enough confidence and he's just "so cool."

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If it were up to me...and it's not...Cole and Matthew would go home tomorrow. Team Adam has really been dominating and Jacquie definitely deserves to move on to the next round, and maybe even to the finale. America could surprise everyone tomorrow though and vote off a portion of Team Adam. Will there be an upset? We will find out during the results show tomorrow. Til then!


 

The X Factor: Lady Sings The Blues

During tonight's elimination hour on The X Factor we wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and then shatter the hopes and dreams for two more acts. Pretty sure that's the opposite of what the Pilgrims had in mind, but I imagine they also would have been startled by the Macy's parade as well. With an hour to kill, and knowing there's football on and leftovers to be had, I'm eager to know the results. Here are the highlights:

 

Now that we are getting down to the wire the eliminations are starting to get more difficult to swallow. The first person who is shown the door tonight is Lillie, as she had the overall fewest number of votes. Damn it. I can't begin to tell you how disappointed I am that her journey stops here. She handles it well, and I do hope I hear her on my radio someday...but since I barely hear the winners of this show on my radio, I'm guessing this is pretty much it for Lillie. Sad face.

 

Now that Lillie is gone, I'm nervous to find out who the remaining bottom 2 are. Mario announces that Carlito is safe first and I assume my remaining favorites are done for. Ellona is safe as well (phew!) as are Alex & Sierra (double phew!). Restless Road joins the Top 6 as well and Jeff Gutt advances next. This leaves Rion and Josh....and I fear my little Rion is a goner.

 

Rion performs first, taking on Pink's "Perfect." At first think she's going to give a sad, somber delivery of this song, but instead she's sassy and determined. Josh is up next, though Paulina introduces Carlito by mistake. It's okay Paulina...I assumed he'd have to sing for the save too. Josh chooses to perform "When I Was Your Man" by Bruno Mars and does a fantastic job. I realize that he's more marketable as an artist but I still hold out hope that Rion advances anyway.

 

When it comes time to vote Demi chooses to send Josh home with Paulina and Kelly voting to send home Rion. It's down to Simon to put the votes to a tie or end Rion's journey and he chooses to send home Josh...which puts the decision solely in America's hands. The person with the lowest number of votes is Josh (wow!) and we say goodbye to him tonight.

 

So Rion advances to the Top 6 and has some work ahead of her next week. Paulina and Kelly have some bouncing back to do as well since they are both down to one act each. Demi and Simon each retained their two acts and next week's show should be exciting. I said should be...I can't make any guarantees. Has Carlito finally landed a fan base? Is Jeff Gutt a dark horse in this competition? With Lillie and Josh gone, are we facing an Ellona vs. Alex & Sierra finale? We'll find out when the remaining acts take the stage again next week. Til then!