The Voice Recap: Which Of The Top 8 Really Came Alive In The Semi-Finals?
We've had our last chair turn, our last Block, our last Save and Steal. All that was left Monday was for The Voice's Top 8 contestants to sing for a spot in next week's finale. Who rose to the challenge, and who sank to the bottom of the barrel? Read on, and we'll discuss.
Christina Eagle (Team Snoop), "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" — Grade: B | Uncle Snoop's "shining star" brought to the stage an energetic rendition of Shania Twain's hit that was distinguished by her ability to alternate between growling and whispering. Reba called the performance a "great representation of what this show is all about." Christina's coach said he'd felt like he was listening to "Reba reincarnated." Me, I was like, "Really?" The number didn't leave me cold, exactly, but I was no more than lukewarm about it. Meh.
Jan Dan (Team Gwen), "Open Arms" — Grade: C | Tackling Journey's classic ballad, Gwen's "vocal painter" delivered a performance that was as limp as an overcooked strand of spaghetti. He sounded a bit pitchy on the verses, and when he was called upon to go big on the choruses, he only managed to go medium. Some cool runs in there, but otherwise, not much to write home about. Nevertheless, Jan Dan's coach insisted that "every single note was perfect." What performance was she listening to?
Jeremy Beloate (Team Snoop) and Sofronio Vasquez (Team Bublé), "Every Breath You Take" — Jeremy's Grade: C, Sofronio's Grade: B | On the first of the night's duets to Mega Mentor Sting and The Police's songs, Sofronio was, as he tends to, better than average; he's got a pretty adaptable voice, that fella. Jeremy, on the other hand, sounded completely out of his element on the pop hit. It was like hearing Phantom of the Opera sing Top 40.
Adam Bohanan (Team Reba), "What's Going On" — Grade: B | Reba's "one-chair wonder" hoped that singing Marvin Gaye's classic would bring people together. And maybe it did: Do we all agree that he should have stuck to the swampy soul sound that suited him so well? This wasn't a disaster like Jeremy doing The Police — Adam was smooth, laid-back and vocally in control — but it wasn't at all the "OMG, wow!" showcase that he needed in the Semi-Finals. Tellingly, Reba focused her comments on how infectiously fun Adam was.
Danny Joseph (Team Reba) and Christina Eagle (Team Snoop), "If You Love Somebody, Set Them Free" — Danny's Grade: A-, Christina's Grade: B+ | It's a shame that the band almost drowned out Danny and Christina on their Sting duet, because the former sounded right at home on the number, and the latter really stepped up and rose to the occasion. She was so invested and so vocally emphatic that she made a Sting song sound oddly right with a twang.
Sydney Sterlace (Team Gwen), "When the Party's Over" — Grade: A | Early on, Gwen's "instinctual vocalist" might have gone in and out of pitch a little bit. But once she got her legs beneath her, she delivered a stunning rendition of Billie Eilish's hit. Sydney was poised but emotional, and she played with her voice as if it was a ribbon she was spinning in the air. The first truly great performance of the night. "I'm blown away," Gwen exclaimed. "You make us all feel something." In my case, what Sydney made me feel was sorry I gave her coach such a hard time for picking the 16-year-old in the Playoffs.
Shye (Team Bublé), "The Joke" — Grade: A+ | Defined by coach Michael as simply "the truth," Shye had a real winner of a song selection in Brandi Carlile's gorgeous ballad. At last the perfect number for Shye! And she made the absolute most of it. Her vocal was massive, powerful, impassioned and gracious, the range on this kid! Superlative! Reba marveled at Shye's "round-bodied" voice, while Michael lumped her into a category that also included Barbra Streisand, Adele and Celine Dion.
Adam Bohanan (Team Reba) and Jan Dan (Team Gwen), "Roxanne" — Adam's Grade: B, Jan Dan's Grade: B | If this had been a Battle, not a random Semi-Finals duet, it would have been tough to call. Though the number never really came together, separately Adam and Jan Dan were both pretty good. I'd probably have given Adam the edge, however slight, given the way that he controlled the stage as well as his voice.
Jeremy Beloate (Team Snoop), "I (Who Have Nothing)" — Grade: A | Snoop's "tear-jerker" and his new Benson Boone 'stache scored an ideal song in Tom Jones' bombastic ballad. Mixing issues tried to undermine just how exciting it was, but when Jeremy really got to belt, there was no missing how in his element he was on the melodramatic number. "It's almost like you're too good to sing songs," said Gwen. Snoop was so beside himself that he didn't bother to address the contestant; instead, he simply implored viewers to quit playing, pick up the phone and vote for Jeremy.
Shye (Team Bublé) and Sydney Sterlace (Team Gwen), "Fields of Gold" — Shye's Grade: A, Sydney's Grade: A | On their Sting duet, Shye and Sydney magnificently complemented one another, with the former's rich voice blending seamlessly with Sydney's sweeter, lighter vocal. By the time they were done, I wanted to hear Shye sing Tracy Chapman and Sydney, Sarah McLachlan. The competition's youngest contestants had themselves quite a night.
Danny Joseph (Team Reba), "I Was Wrong" — Grade: A | Reba's "swampy showman" said that he was looking forward to proving that he wasn't just that screaming rocker (even though we know and love the screaming rocker that he is!). Mission accomplished. Personally, I missed the histrionics that often accompany a Danny performance, but on his Chris Stapleton cover, he still managed to spit enough fire to hold my interest. His vocal was well-modulated, electric and as memorable as hell.
Sofronio Vasquez (Team Bublé), "If I Can Dream" — Grade: A | Michael's "Filipino phenom" and your favorite contestant (based on the results of this weekend's poll) 100 percent made Elvis Presley's golden oldie his own. His voice was as sweet as caramel and almost unthinkably strong. Every time I was like, "That's it, his tank has to be out of gas!" he just kept going. Fantastic performance. (Is it too late for me to change my pick for Season 26's winner?)
So, who do you think is for sure advancing, and who'll end up singing for the Instant Save Tuesday? Vote for your favorite in the poll below, then hit the comments.