The Voice Of Ireland: Season 1: Top 12 - Quarter Final - Perform!
21 April, 2012 5:18 PM
I'm still not quite happy about the departure of Sinead and Elliot in the last week leaving my least favourite three of Brian's original six remaining, it's just not my luck. After Conor's almost world-class performance last show, can anyone compete with him? Can Kiera survive to make Bressie's semi-final and can Brian convert me into liking any of his acts? Can Alan get saved for a third time? Let's see tonight!
Recap after the JUMP ...
Conor Quinn
'Get Your Rocks Off' (Primal Scream) - 7/10 - This is probably Conor's weakest performance to date, after three solid performances previously, I feel like Bressie or whoever picked this song really got it wrong this time. Conor has such a unique voice and it was completely lost in this song as it's a bit of a karaoke classic which really doesn't allow people to show off their vocals, he should be singing a bit of The Smiths or Daniel Merriweather or Rufus Wainwright, this is not the sort of song that suits him. The scantily clad dancers were definitely a sight for sore eyes, not complaining in the slightest but the whole thing just screamed karaoke to me. However, without a shadow of a doubt he will be sailing into the next round as it was the song choice that let him down, not him, looking forward to seeing him in the semi-final. Kian says he's sick, I think Kian is about to turn into a rapper and start talking about how dope he is but sadly, he means he was ill. Brian does say 'swagger jagger' though. In the words of Kelendria Rowland, 'Neva say swagger (jagger) again'!
Kiera Byrne
'Danny Boy' (Various Artists) - 9/10 - Her tone is absolutely amazing, it's like nearly as unique and interesting as Conor. This song is perhaps not the most original song choice, I was hoping that she would do a bit of Melissa Etheridge or maybe even something by Kate Bush but it was a lovely performance. I really worry for Kiera as she has been in the bottom twice in the past two weeks so somehow, she's being shafted in favour of the other two which is unfair as she has never once given a bad performance, I really want her in the semi-final, she is unique, she is interesting and she is naturally very talented.
Pat Byrne
'With A Little Help From My Friends' (Paul McCartney and John Lennon/Joe Cocker) - 7/10 - I won't lie, Pat hasn't impressed me that much in the competition, he has sang pretty middle of the road songs so far and he has been okay at them but they've all been a bit one dimensional and predictable. This was vocally better but it still was all a little bit dull for my liking, I like artists to step out of their comfort zone and I don't feel like Pat has done that. I want to see him really go for it and sing something contemporary and unique like Conor did last week with 'Kids' by MGMT and Kiera also did with the No Doubt track. Of the three remaining, I think that Pat is the one who has impressed me the least but the female voters will most likely assure him a place in the semi-final.
Brendan Keeley
'I'll Always Be Lonely' (Brendan Keeley) - 6/10 - Is it not a little bit unfair on the other acts to permit Brendan to sing his own song? I was hoping that he would finally choose something a bit contemporary, as this is his own song, it's pretty good vocally although I still find his higher range very harsh. It felt like he was having to strain on some of the higher notes. It was a little bit old-fashioned and considering his previous performance, I just don't see him as someone who is capable of doing something more modern. I like Brendan but can he sell records?
Richie Hayes
'I Don't Want To Miss A Thing' (Aerosmith) - 6/10 - Nice to see Brian getting another cliched talent show song in there after previous performances like Sinead's I Love Rock and Roll and Alan's Purple Rain. Vocally, I personally believe that Richie has improved, it's a lot better than some of his previous performances and he feels more comfortable on the stage. However, the song, the feel of the performance and his style of performance just screams karaoke to me. It's not bad, just nothing special. For me, Brian's strengths lay with Claire and Sinead and with both of them going, he's left with three technically gifted singers, none of whom offer anything unique or different. I fully expect Richie to be last one standing for his team, he's probably my favourite of Brian's three acts but I just don't know if he's going to sell records.
Alan Fitzsimons
'If I'm Not Made For You' (Daniel Bedingfield) - 3/10 -This is the sort of songs that Alan should be singing, finally Brian's obsession with chart music that isn't remotely suited to his voice is over, this is so much better for him, it feels really good albeit a bit theatrical. Yes, good runs, good vocals throughout, decent mid-range, but no, the falsetto completely destroys the performance unfortunately, it's pretty darn bad, I don't know if it was his voice not being strong enough, a poor song choice or whether he just suffered nerves and this affected his performance. Whatever it is, having been in the bottom two twice in the last few weeks, I don't rate his chances unless Brian saves him again.
Sharon Gaynor
'Hallelujah' (Leonard Cohen) - 8/10 - I really love this song, it is an absolute classic and the performance is definitely one that does justice to that. Sharon was oddly in the bottom two last week, I thoroughly disagreed with the decision as she was better than Jim and Liam, both of which were saved by the public. Anyway, this is perhaps at times a little shouty, just a little mind and I wasn't sure if the song was the best fit for her voice however, she definitely needs to be going through to the semi-final, particularly as she's a lot better than the other two acts in Kian's team.
Liam Geddes
'Heaven' (Emeli Sandé) - 4/10 - Emeli has been covered before on the show and I wasn't a fan of the performance so someone really has to wow me if they hope to impress me with Heaven. This isn't good enough, the song is too fast for him even when it's slowed down slightly and I really don't like his voice on the song, it's really sharp, the backing is pretty rubbish and the chorus is sung very oddly as if he is singing through his throat rather than singing normally. Liam was very good in the first live show but this is pretty poor, I really wish Elliot and Graham were still here as I just find this disappointing and uninspired song choice wise. Not good enough in my honest opinion.
Jim Devine
'I'm Already There' (Lonestar/Westlife) - 6.5/10 - The song is okay, nothing brilliant, I find it a little bit dreary for my liking but as with all covers of this song, the emotion is there. However, with that said, for me, Jim's vocal range seems too limited, he sings quite a lot of the song in a mid range and I wouldn't really say his upper range is anything special. He's a country artist at heart, this is where his strength lies but for me, there are other contestants in the show with better vocals and more unique tones, he lacks that extra connection with the audience, every performance leaves me cold unfortunately.
Vanessa Whelan
'Nessun Dorma' (Pavarotti) - 10/10 - I've already said before that I'm not the biggest fan of opera but I can appreciate when somebody is talented and Vanessa is not just talented, she is absolutely world-class. Each performance brings something different, she might tend to stick to classical songs rather than songs in a classical style but she has it all, she has vocals like nothing I have ever seen before and to be honest, this is nothing short of extraordinary. I'm going to call it now, her and Conor will be the top two but I honestly at this moment in time do not know which will win, both will be successful but Vanessa might just sneak in at the last minute and win it.
Kim Hayden
'Everytime' (Britney Spears) - 7.5/10 - The last time Kim did a more mellow song was that disastrous rendition of 'Fix You' in the first live show, thankfully this is absolutely a million percent better than that. There are a few pitch problems but I do think her voice seems to have developed a lot since the competition started and of all the contestants, she appears to have made the most progress and have went on a journey since her Blind Audition. After the first live show, I didn't rate her chances of surviving the public vote never mind making the quarter finals but at this rate, it could be the semi-finals as that was a very accomplished performance.
Kevin Keeley
'Marry You' (Bruno Mars) - 4.5/10 - Kevin has definitely been a lot more versatile as a performer than I was first expecting him to be but with that said, I don't think that he has been the best out of his team by a long shot, he was probably the weakest member of his team performance wise last week yet still survived and this week, I just don't see the same happening. Maybe it's because the pace of the song didn't suit him but this felt like he was out of his depth, the pitch was pretty much all over the place and although it wasn't awful, I wasn't blown away, I felt like he wasn't up to the standards of Bruno Mars' voice, poor choice, not great performance.
Results
Eliminated Contestants:
Kiera Byrne
Brendan Keeley
Liam Geddes
Kevin Keeley
The right people went in my opinion on Team Sharon and Team Kian to a lesser extent. However, Kiera was my favourite performer on Bressie's team tonight even if Conor has been consistently better, for me, Pat was the weak link in the team. Liam I'm not completely surprised at as his vocals were poor but Sharon didn't deserve to be in the bottom two with him. And Brendan wasn't my favourite but there's no way he deserved to go after the falsetto problem encountered by Alan.
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April 21, 2012 at 11:21 PM
Vanessa is just fab... What a stunning voice.