Another week of The Voice is upon us with the remaining ten contestants taking the stage to prove why they should make it to the Top 8. Some of my favorites faltered while others who had not impressed me in the past surprised me with stellar performances. It will be interesting to see if America feels the same way. At this point in the competition, people have already picked their favorites and not even a lackluster performance will be able to hurt those who already have so much momentum. Regardless of how they’ve done in the past, everyone seemed to realize that they needed to bring it last night if they wanted to move on.
Kimberly Nichole is one of the contestants who has consistently impressed me with not only her vocal talent, but her ability to work an audience. She delivered again last night, but although there was nothing technically wrong with the performance, it didn’t connect with me the way she usually does. Despite this, Kimberly is still one of my favorites, and I hope she goes far.
Another contestant who I have loved in the past, Joshua Davis, let me down a bit this week. For whatever reason, he had trouble getting out his low notes last night, leaving the performance lacking something. Perhaps he was so focused on showing that he does have range and can hit the higher notes that he forgot to make sure the low notes came out as well. By the time he hit the chorus, he really began to shine, but unfortunately, it was not enough to make me (and probably others) forget about how messy the start of the song was.
I’ve made it pretty clear in my reviews that I am not a big fan of Hannah Kirby, who always seems to shout her songs at us. Imagine my surprise when the song she picked last night was actually called “Shout” by Tears For Fears. Maybe she thought that picking this song would let her get away with her performance style, but it still didn’t do anything for me. The coaches seem intent on praising her vocal abilities and wacky performances, but I’m not sure if that will be enough to save her.
Thankfully , Meghan Linsey made up for some of her previous performances last night, coming out and doing what she does best. There’s something so infectious about her, and while she had a slow start in the competition, she has quickly become a frontrunner. Once she got over her nerves, she really began to shine, and I’m confident that she’ll be around for a while.
The most surprising performance of the night came from Koryn Hawthorne, who up until now has not connected with me. That all changed last night as she poured emotion into her performance, delivering the best vocals of the night. Her tone was flawless as she nailed every note, gaining her a guaranteed spot in the Top 8.
Deanna Johnson and Rob Taylor weren’t able to change my opinion of them like Koryn was able to last night, though Rob is getting closer. After narrowly avoiding elimination last week, I don’t think Deanna will be able to do so again. Her performance was pitchy and all over the place, perhaps because she bit off more than she could chew with her song choice. For Rob, it isn’t the vocals that are holding me back from being a fan of his. He’s proven that he has a crazy range, but for some reason his emotional performances don’t connect with me. If he picks the right song and continues performing like he has, I will very likely jump on the bandwagon.
Corey Kent White has gotten by this far in the competition with his boyish good looks and his ability to connect emotionally to a song. This week, he dropped the guitar and sang a faster song, a move that might hurt him in the long run. Blake wanted to see more energy from him, but instead of that, we saw him move awkwardly around the stage, using his popularity with the girls to connect instead of feeling the lyrics of the song. For the audience at home, this fell flat.
Sawyer Fredericks, who is the youngest remaining contestant and hasn’t had as many life experiences as some of the others, is somehow able to connect to every single one of his performances. Bringing emotion with his powerful vocals, he makes you feel every lyric he sings. With his ability to do this week after week, along with his unique and interesting tone, he is huge contender to win this season of The Voice.
Getting the coveted last spot of the night was India Carney, who performed a song that she had struggled with in the past. She didn’t let her nerves get to her and that perseverance paid off in a solid performance. The only thing India might want to be careful about is doing too much of the same thing. From the start, there’s been no doubt that she’s got the vocals to go far, but if she doesn’t do anything to differentiate herself, she will risk becoming forgettable. As it stands, she should be safe this week, with my money on Deanna Johnson and Hannah Kirby going home.
[Photo via NBC]
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