The Voice US: Season 4: The Live Finals: Top 12 Perform
29 May, 2013 9:16 PM
Last week the live shows began with the Top 16 finalists giving their all to make it into S4's Top 12. Unfortunately, Latino singers Cáthia and Karina Iglesias, country crooner Justin Rivers and indie darling Caroline Glaser, were all sent packing after failing to make the Top 3 among their team. This week, the two lowest voted contestants will be going home, regardless of their team. Who'll lose the first acts?
Recap and videos after the JUMP ...
Recap and videos after the JUMP ...
VEDO
"Rock With You" - Team Usher - 6/10 - He's thankful America saw something in him. He wants to be a pop artist and an entertainer, he wants to give people a show. Usher thinks he speaks for the people how come from least fortunate environments. He's a good performer with a good voice but he's no Michael. He danced more than he sang, I liked his voice's smoothness at the beginning though. That said, he's not interesting at all to me. Since the studio was with no AC and during a heat wave, I've got to give him props for delivering that energy level. "You spent too much time with the dancing and the choreography but this is one time were it didn't affect the attitude of your performance. I thought it was actually awesome" (Blake)
Holly Tucker
"A Broken Wing" - Team Blake - 7,5/10 - It gave her confidence to know America saved her. She wants to be a country artists since it gave her everything in life. She started singing when she was 7, then she recorded her own album at 14. Blake picked this song because it allows Holly to stand on her own.That were some huge vocals! Holly sang her heart out, she gave it all her power and it paid off. However, I'm not sure she actually understood what she was singing, it all looked a bit pageanty to me. It seems as if she was just focusing on delivering those big money notes. She gave us a wonderful vocal performance but I lacked that connection to the lyrics. "I always thought you were great and this is another example of you being amazing. The emotion and the intention behind it was something I wanted to see, we all wanted to see that kind of attitude from you. You gave one of the better performances of the show" (Adam)
Garrett Gardner
"I Want It That Way" - Team Shakira - 7/10 - As an artist he wants to be a little bit of rock, a bit of pop, a bit of blues, as well as front a band. He didn't expect this song but he's excited to put his own spin on it. This is a terrible pick but Garret actually did quite good with it. He sound a lot better than last week, "Imagine" was ok but he shone here. I guess it's because it looked like he was fronting a band, which is something he wants. I love growlers, when not overdone, they add a lot to the performance. "I can see the growth. It was a different version of the song and maybe that took people by surprise but if you wanna make an impression you've to do stuff like that. No risk, no reward" (Usher)
Sarah Simmons
"The Story" - Team Adam - 8,5/10 - She considers herself as an alternative singer who experiences with all different kind of sounds. She was in musical theater, in rock bands, she even competed in two pageants. "My mom talked me into that one". What about the second time then? This is absolutely gorgeous. I adore this song and even more when a contestant I like as much as Sarah covers it. Her voice is ideal for it, specially her grit. Her tone's got this enchanting vulnerability yet she's also got that crazy range which make the big notes outstanding. "Thank you for showing me the extremes of your voice. That was an incredible job" (Blake)
The Swon Brothers
"Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes" - Team Blake - 5,5/10 - They want to be the kind of artist that people love but at the end of the day they are country blues. He saved them because even though his team is all country, he wants it to be diverse. They asked Blake to sing this song. They want to make it as intimate as possible. This is a very cheesy performance, sweet, but incredibly boring. Their vocals were great though but if they want to be a distinctive act, they need to start doing more interesting things. "That was so great. We tease Blake for being country but at the end of the day, this country is country. Just to have it so well represented by you guys, by Blake. I hate to say something so nice, it was a beautiful rendition of that song" (Adam)
Sasha Allen
"Alone" - Team Shakira - 7/10 - She says she's an RnB, soul singer. She wants to be sure she's able to make people connect. Shakira picked this song because there are some really big high notes that she thinks suit Sasha's voice. Shakira thought that she was going a bit Broadway at the beginning. Sasha was on Broadway's "Hair", "so thumbs up to her ear" she says. Shakira wants her to tackle it as a pop song. There's a huge contradiction going on here, her coach doesn't want her to be Broadway yet she gives her one of the most theatrical songs ever. That's why Sasha struggled so much with not making it theatrical, and failed with it. Her vocals were terrific and the goth staging made the performance look less dreadful than it is. Yet she was acting, as if she was really, really sad after her stage couple dumped her in the previous scene. I didn't like that, mainly because this is such an overplayed song. "So ... She said don't make it too theatrical, well, I don't think she went far away from the theatrics, I thought like it was needed and the song was represented in that way, so you had to do that. I felt like you kinda took us to church" (Usher)
Josiah Hawley
"The Man Who Can't Be Moved" - Team Usher - 8/10 - "My dad is a jazz pianist so I'm a pop rock artist with jazz influences" he says. He wanted to be acoustic so Usher gave him this song. "The fact that he's willing to make it more intimate I think it's gutsy" Usher says. This is a matchless pick. For once, Usher got the right song for Josiah. His voice isn't made for those big rock songs so making him go acoustic is a terrific idea. This is his best performance to date, one of the best of the night actually. He's got this silky smooth tone which is extremely appealing, I'd buy an album that sounded like this in an instant. He nailed the tricky falsetto part as well. "We've all gotten to see everybody grow and change individually and I've gotta say, you've finally, it feels like you almost found a place for your voice that was like the sweet spot cause you really sound the best that you've sounded" (Adam)
Danielle Bradbery
"Wasted" - Team Blake - 9/10 - She wants to be a country pop artist. "Before The Voice I was just a regular teenager doing normal teenager stuff and I'd have never imagined me being here, all alone, this close to winning The Voice" Danielle says. Blake gave her this song because he still hasn't found the limit of how far she can go. I love this Carrie song, it's one of my favourites. Danielle is such a polished artist. There's no rough edges about her, just a perfectly cut diamond. The show has hit gold with this girl, she's talented, cute, and a damn great performer. That cover was amazing, as good as Carrie's herself. I'd like to see her with something else than country music though, like a countrified "Hey Ho" maybe. "I never detect an ounce of nerves in you. You are like a 16 y/o Margaret Thatcher, like a mini Iron lady. It's so impressive" (Shakira)
"You've Got A Friend" - Team Adam - 9/10 - She says she's a soul singer who loves to sing pop music. Adam says this is the first time that one of his act has provided his own musical accompaniment without any help from the band. Wow, that hair is scary. That aside, this is a beautifully polished performance. It's a pretty simple arrangement yet her voice bring a lot of magic to it. She is incredibly talented and such a phenomenal skilled singer, if America doesn't vote for her something is seriously wrong with them. A professional, that's what she is and will always be. "It was beautiful, it was powerful, it was everything that we come to expect when we hear you week after week, you are one of the ones we can count for greatness every week" (Blake)
Judith Hill
Michelle Chamuel
"Call Your Girlfriend" - Team Usher - 8,5/10 - She was moved by America voting her through. She'd like to be an indie electronic artist and she'd love to do collaborations with a whole bunch of different genres. Usher gave her this song because it gives her a foundation to be creative. She struggles with stage fright but she's been able to overcome it. I had no idea she wanted to be an electronic artist. It's actually pretty cool. She's got such an interesting tone, it works with every genre as she has already proven, but it sounds wonderful on electronic music, specially because she's such a great singer. The song was a bit too big for her but it never overwhelmed her. Her awkward movements are quite addictive to watch. I suggest "Young Blood" by The Naked and Famous for next week, that's a perfect song for her. "That was really cool. You have learnt how to dance and sing at the same time, it's difficult, I know how hard it can be and you've done it like a pro" (Shakira)
Kris Thomas
"I'll Be There" - Team Shakira - 6/10 - He considers himself to be a crooner, soulful and smooth at the same time. He was about to join the Navy before auditioning but something wouldn't let him sign. Two weeks later, the show called. Shakira picked this song because he'll be able to showcase his vocal abilities. I love his falsetto but when he wasn't using it, his performance felt a bit weak, specially on the higher notes, which were quite strained. The change from his chest voice to his falsetto didn't seem so effortless tonight, the transition was kinda rough. Also, such a boring song. Why not give him some John Legend instead? "There are some constructive things I could have to say in terms of finding your way from the song, there were a few different shifts that you made, for a moment I thought that you were doing Mariah Carey's version, then I felt like you were doing Michael's version at the same time. It was a bit of a difficult song for you" (Usher)
Amber Carrington
"I'm Gonna Love You Through It" - Team Adam - 9/10 - She says one of the best things about the show is that you are not forced into one genre. She wants to be a country artist that can cross over to pop. She was really adamant about doing this song. "The whole song is just exactly my story. My mom had cancer, she has five kids and my step-dad had to take care of her and she actually was 38 when she passed away. Hopefully singing this song will touch somebody else's life" Amber says. She's dedicating this song to her mom, since Mother's Day just happened. I'm glad to see her go back to her country roots with a song that means so much to her. As opposed to Holly, not only did Amber totally nailed the vocals of the song but she also interpreted every word. It was clear there was a connection with the material she was singing and given she was treating such an emotional topic, it was incredible how powerful and strong she looked on stage. "You did Martina proud and even more than that, you did country music proud, you did Nashville proud" (Blake)
Results
Elimination:
VEDO
Garrett Gardner
VEDO's elimination was not surprising at all. He performed first and was really forgettable. While I would have sent The Swon Brothers packing instead of Garrett, I also understand his elimination. The song choice was wrong for him and while I liked his performance, it didn't match the rest of the contestants, who are clearly in another league.
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