The Voice Dec 2015 Finale Part 2: Til You Find Your Dream

Well, we've reached the end of another season on The Voice and it is no surprise that iTunes master Jordan Smith was crowned the new champion. The two hour extravaganza was full of performances and interviews followed by more performances and some of the guests brought down the house. Here are the highlights. 

I would have watched this all night.

Tonight's episode featured several solo superstar performances because we needed the contestants to understand that they will probably never be as big as these guys:

--Coldplay's backup dancers were, um, animals.

--Missy Elliot brought puppets and children in "mafia" sweaters with her. She's a total badass. 

--I'm not super familiar with Sam Hunt, but he was on fire. Or had it behind him anyway. 

--The Weekend is just as good on a Tuesday as he is on a Saturday and Sunday. 

--Justin Bieber took a page out of Missy's book and "worked it."

We also had the traditional "bring backs" where the Final Four were kind enough to help us remember some of the eliminated contestants that we forgot about immediately after their last appearance:

--Barrett brought back Zach (just Zach) to sing "Forever and Ever Amen" by Randy Travis. The two voices compliment each other well and really I was just happy to see Zach's bright and shining face again. 

--Jeffery brought back Madi (yay!) for a duet of "Tears Dry On Their Own" by Amy Winehouse. The verses were low for both of them and the band was a touch loud, but the choruses were fantastic. 

--Jordan brought back Korin, Amy, Evan, Regina and Mark for Journey's "Any Way You Want It." This was really fun to watch (shout out to Regina) and I'm sure it was even more fun to perform. 

--Emily Ann brought back Ivonne, Morgan, Shelby, Nadjah and Riley for their rendition of "Summer Nights" by Rascal Flatts. The girls sounded great together and the light sabers in the audience won me over. Side note: I will be seeing The Force Awakens on Thursday and I can't freaking wait. 

And finally, the Final Four were matched with their own celebrity singers which could always go either way. There have been some painful pairings over the years as well as some pretty awesome collaborations. Tonight was fairly middle of the road:

--Emily Ann and Ricky Scaggs performed "Country Boy" and Emily Ann looked like a kid on Christmas morning. Man that song is fast. 

--Jordan joined with Usher for "Without You." The second half of the song was pretty stellar. 

--Jeffery and Tori Kelly slayed "Hollow." I loved every minute of it. 

--Barrett and Wynonna had the best "sing with a star" pairing of the night with "No One Else On Earth." Barrett looked ecstatic and Wynonna was hilarious, sassy, and owned the stage as usual.

Results! The order of elimination went Jeffery (really?), Barrett, and then Emily Ann. Jordan was crowned the Season 9 winner and his family, accompanied by Adam, stormed the stage. He sang a rousing rendition of "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" while the confetti fell and the season came to an end. Jordan absolutely earned this title and here's hoping he will be a victor with success and not someone falling into the "who?" category a year from now. 

We undoubtedly have only a short break until The Voice returns in 2016. Xtina will be in, Gwen will be out, and I hope the show includes a puppet Missy Elliot as the 5th coach. For real. You wanna switch it up NBC? Instead of a 9 person semi-finals, let's do #TeamPuppetMissy instead. Anyway, I wish you all safe and happy holidays and we will catch up again in 2016!

The Voice Dec 2015 Finale: The Stars Were Brightly Shining

After last week's brutal elimination episode we are down to the Final Four on The Voice. Pharrell is just hanging out tonight as his last contestant was part of the sudden death, Stupid Twitter Save, 9 contestants to 4 semi-finals kiss off. The other three coaches, however, are still in it to win it as their artists take on three songs each tonight: A new song that the artists have picked, a holiday song, and a duet with their coach. With 12 performances to get to, there's no time to waste. Let's see who's "bringing it" tonight. 

Artist: Jordan Smith

Team: Adam

Song: "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" from The Sound of Music

Presumptive Season 9 winner Jordan Smith opens the show with the song that sent Maria von Trapp out to face the world and chase her dreams. For most artists this is a tall order. For Jordan, it's just another Monday night. He starts very low and subtle and then unleashes that other worldly voice in the last couple of choruses. The performance isn't in the realm of "Somebody to Love" but it's a damn strong start to the finale. 

Coaches Say: Everybody stands and emotions are all over the place. Blake tells Jordan there's nothing left to say at this point. Pharrell says what Jordan did just now was incredibly moving and fantastic. Gwen is still holding back tears and thanks Jordan for his beautiful message. Adam talks about how humble Jordan is and says Jordan deserves to win the show.

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Artist: Emily Ann Roberts

Team: Blake

Song: "Blue Christmas" by Elvis Presley

Blake's last female artist is standing on top of a giant snowflake...flanked by other snowflakes...in front of screens with snowflakes. Maybe I'm not enjoying the performance because this song has always been a touch boring for me. Or maybe Emily Ann is flat for 70% of the song. As she finishes the performance, she starts to put her own spin and riffs on the song and I really wish she had been doing that the whole time. 

Coaches Say: Pharrell mentions Emily Ann's "classic" voice and says she's special. Adam thinks Emily Ann is "the real deal" and Blake says Emily Ann possesses great vocal range. 

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Duet: Blake and Barrett

Song: "Rhinestone Cowboy" by Glenn Cowboy

I hope for his sake that Barrett's other two performances tonight are going to be epic. I don't know why else these two would choose "Rhinestone Cowboy" as a finale night collaboration. That's all I have to say about that. 

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Artist: Jeffery Austin

Team: Gwen

Song: "Oh Holy Night"

Yup. Case and point about the importance of finale night song choices. Jeffery goes with a holiday tune that he can sleigh slay and the performance is absolutely beautiful. Jeffery is completely invested in the song and its meaning and he just makes the ability to sing this way seem effortless. I also really love the staging here. The dark stage is set up like a church and the backup singers sporadically placed throughout the pews. It's simple, it's haunting, and it makes me very happy. 

Coaches Say: Adam says there is a sweet spot in Jeffery's voice that shakes the rafters. Pharrell congratulates Jeffery on his journey but doesn't say anything in particular about the performance. Gwen is totally crying. She tells her contestant that she's so happy Jeffery is in the finale and she thanks him for the beautiful performance. 

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Duet: Jordan and Adam

Song: "God Only Knows" by The Beach Boys 

See, I very much enjoyed Matt McAndrew's version of this song last year. Yes, that was just last year. The only thing Matt was missing was the incredible harmonies Adam and Jordan have tonight. They seriously sound just like The Beach Boys and I absolutely love this duet. 

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Artist: Barrett Baber

Team: Blake

Song: "Die a Happy Man" by Thomas Rhett

I'm so glad Barrett's first non-duet performance of the night is a modern song. I'm all for "paying tribute" to great artists from other decades and everything, but this is the type of song Barrett needs to be singing to win votes. He sounds great and he also gets bonus points for borrowing Kermit's swamp and placing it behind him on stage. 

Coaches Say: Gwen is going to remain a bundle of emotions this evening. Apparently this finale is just a touch overwhelming for her (could easily be because she usually rotates out after the season is over and she's got a pretty good thing going with one of her fellow coaches right now). Anywho, Gwen says Barrett's energy is so strong and she thinks everything came together for him tonight. Adam feels lucky because his four favorite contestants are in the finals. Hmmm. I wonder how Shelby and Amy feel about that comment. They are sitting in the audience right behind him. Blake doesn't think he's ever worked with anyone who puts more heart in his performances. These two definitely have a bromance and it's rather endearing. 

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Duet: Emily Ann and Blake

Song: "Islands In The Stream" by Dolly Parton and Kenny Rodgers

So...Emily Ann just did Dolly Parton. Not sure why we wouldn't try to expand her horizons a little bit for this duet but maybe NBC is still promoting Coat of Many Colors after the fact. The movie, by the way, was adorable. I had all the feelings and those feelings had feelings. Anyway, this duet is much better than the Barrett/Blake collaboration earlier but Jordan and Adam still have the lead here. 

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Artist: Jeffery Austin

Team: Gwen

Song: "Stay" by Sugarland

WOW. Color me surprised. I wouldn't have expected this song choice but I think it's a brilliant one. The coaches always spend sooooo much time talking about how amazing it is when people flip songs and this one is unreal. Jeffrey only has his duet left tonight, and it kind of seems like those don't even count, so dude has to finish strong here. He totally does. This type of vocal rivals Jordan's and I would gladly argue with anyone who says otherwise. 

Coaches Say: Blake says Jeffery is the guy from the blind auditions to now who "snuck up on us." Pharrell mentions Jeffery's journey again and says nothing about the performance. Gwen stands and tells Jeffery that he is going to make real records after this and he will have a voice that everyone recognizes on the radio. She then yells "first girl to win!" and takes her seat. Oh Gwen, I really hope you're right.  

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Artist: Barrett Baber

Team: Blake

Song: "Silent Night"

I will say this - the lighting effect Barrett has going on during the song is neat. It definitely kept me engaged in the performance. I think I would have been bored without the audience participation and the choir. 

Coaches Say: Pharrell says that everyone left in the competition is so talented and tells Barrett he touches people. Adam loves Barrett and says he's amazing. Blake appreciates that there is nobody else out there like Barrett. 

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Duet: Jeffery and Gwen

Song: "Leather and Lace" by Don Henley and Stevie Nicks

Yes, yes, and yes. I have seriously been waiting for this duet alllll night and The Voice gets bonus points for anything that involves Stevie Nicks. The woman is a goddess. Okay, on to the duet. At first I'm thinking the staging of this performance is very strange.....a duet where one person is pretty much in the shadows for a good portion of the song. But then I realize these guys are taking the the "leather and lace" thing literally and and it makes a bit more sense. The choruses are the best parts of the performance for sure (their voices blend together quite nicely) but I do really enjoy the pairing. Jordan and Adam still have the edge on tonight's duets, but seeing how much the coaches adore their contestants always makes me so happy. 

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Artist: Jordan Smith

Team: Adam

Song: "Mary Did You Know"

You know, I really enjoy Jordan's subtlety tonight. This isn't one of the most played Christmas songs and Jordan doesn't do anything crazy with it. He just sings it and feels it. This rendition is lovely and soothing and out of his three performances tonight, this one is definitely my favorite. 

Coaches Say: Everyone stands. Of course they do. Pharrell says the people are just ready for Jordan to make a record. Adam says the song was not his idea and something Jordan felt strongly about. He thanks Jordan for making the right choice. 

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Artist: Emily Ann Roberts

Team: Blake

Song: "Burning House" by Cam

I'm actually thrilled that Emily Ann is getting the closing spot tonight. I thought for sure the producers would give it to Jordan but she definitely earns her placement here. The coaches can continue their "old soul, throwback voice" compliments if they want to, but Emily Ann proves here that she's a 2015 teenage girl who can sing hits that are currently on the radio. I'm so proud of her. 

Coaches Say: She gets a standing ovation for everyone. Gwen tells her that this was her favorite Emily Ann performance of the season. I might have to agree with her. Gwen also says that Emily Ann really knew how to deliver the intention of the lyrics. Pharrell calls the performance flawless and Blake just wants people to pick up the phone for this young lady. 

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And with that, the artists have done all they can do to try to win the Season 9 title. It's probably been a foregone conclusion for a while now that Jordan will be victorious...but I'm still holding out hope for Jeffery. For me the duets round goes to Jordan, the Christmas song round goes to Jeffery, and Emily Ann takes the "new song" round by just a hair. Could she be the dark horse here? Could Gwen really be the first female coach to win it all? Would Adam throw things if she did? Is there ANY way that Xtina and Gwen can coach during the same season? Probably not. But we'll see which coach gets bragging rights and which contestant is crowned the winner tomorrow in part 2 of the finale. Til then!

The Voice Semi-Finals Elimination: Don't Dream It's Over

So tonight's elimination episode was totally out of the norm and not necessarily in a good way. The semi-finals were concluded with the elimination of 5 contestants in a weird sudden death/Stupid Twitter Save combo that still has me scratching my head. Here's how it played out:

First and foremost, all shenanigans aside, Dolly Parton is a national treasure. It is impossible not to love this woman. Her performance of "Coat of Many Colors" had me grinning from ear to ear and I found myself setting my Tivo to record her NBC movie on Thursday. It was almost like I had no choice...

Results! The first artist that made it through to the finale was Jordan (duh). He was followed by Emily Ann and Barrett which immediately ruined my hopes for the Final Four. Then Carson did something strange. He announced 3 artists who would be performing to win the Stupid Twitter Save, which were Jeffery, Madi, and Zach. Still with me? The remaining 3 had the lowest number of votes and were instantly eliminated. So we said goodbye to Braiden, Amy, and Shelby at the 35 minute mark. 

Zach chose "Live Like You Were Dying" as his "save me song," which was an odd choice considering the song is sung from the point of view of a man in his 40s. I didn't feel any connection from Zach at all. Madi went with "Don't Dream It's Over" and she was nervous. I love her but this was unfortunately not a strong performance. She cried when it ended and I wanted to hug her. Poor kid. Jeffery rounded out the performances with "Make It Rain" and realllllly sang for the save. He ended up winning over the Twitterverse and we said goodbye to Madi and Zach. 

I'm definitely sad to see Madi go. I thought her style was refreshing and I was looking forwarding to seeing what she would do next week. Pharrell also has no representation in the finale and that's a bummer too. However, Jeffery has been the reason I've been #TeamGwen since the show went live and he did have the best performance tonight. Next week he will face off against Jordan and the remainder of Team Blake in hopes of winning it all. Does Jordan already have it in the bag? Can anyone but Jeffery take the title away from him? We'll find out during the two part finale. Til then!