The Top Five Moments on The Voice Season 12

There are only eight contenders left on Season 12 of The Voice after the Semifinals. They’re already fabulous artists, but only four will move forward into the Finals. What’s fascinating is that these musicians have consistently presented solid performances throughout the season. It’s been an emotion-filled season for that reason, and viewers have been enjoying all of it.

The eight contestants heading into the last competition before the finals are:

Lauren Duski
Hunter Plake
Brennley Brown
Chris Blue
TSoul
Aliyah Moulden
Vanessa Ferguson
Jesse Larson

They are the talented few who have been delivering their best all along. Truth be told, some of their best performances were not their most recent ones. As the pressure mounts, any slight imperfections in their voices will begin to show. Nerves and stress take their toll on each singer’s voice, and the strain can cause vocal cracks, harsh sounds, losing pitch, singing out of tune or even sounding breathless.

These are some exceptional moments from five of the best:

Lauren Duski – “Ghost in This House”

Lauren Duski has one of the most consistently beautiful country voices heard in recent years. She is already a polished performer, and it shows in her expressive phrasing, perfectly poised placement on stage, clothing appropriate to each song, professional use of the microphone and songs chosen to always present her voice at its best.

Hunter Plake – “Carry On”

Hunter’s completely original tone was what had the judges fighting to have him on their team from the very beginning. His Blind Audition performance was the first time he sang on a stage, apart from in church. Throughout the season, the pieces he chose highlighted his velvety soft tenor voice. But, as he showed in other selections later in the season, his falsetto range is unusually clear and free flowing. The judges appreciated his upbeat audition song for its faster tempo and noted that his extensive range brought him into a talented and rare class of singers. Gwen told him that his voice was so beautiful that he “should make a record”.

Brennley Brown – “Long, Long Time”

Brennley was at her best singing Linda Ronstadt’s classic. Brennley gave a performance which was tender beyond her years. Her voice was rich, plaintiff and full. The song suited her voice range perfectly, and her rendition delivered emotions which resonated with the viewers.

Chris Blue – “Take Me to the King” and “Love on the Brain”

Though Chris’ “Take Me to the King” was pretty jaw-dropping in the Semi-Finals, his rendition of “Love on the Brain” during the Live Playoffs showed his incredible vocal range, powerful high notes, and totally persuasive performance abilities. This was a show-stopper!

T Soul – “Take Me to the River”

It was this soulful performance that gave TSoul his spot in the competition. Adam told him, “You are a special man”. Adam begged him to join his team saying, “Come home! Come home!” All the judges loved his one of a kind voice, but Blake told him that it was a voice filled with all kinds of “herbs and spices in it”. T Soul has continued to bring his special kind of energy to his songs throughout the competition.

Five Honorable Mentions go to others contending for Finals spots; but also to a few extraordinary singers who didn’t make it quite that far:

Jesse Larson – “Human” and “Make You Feel My Love”

Jesse gives two very different performances, showing that his voice (which often carries like a lyrical tenor) also has resonant strength, a wide range and a husky belt sound.

Aliyah Moulden – “Mercy”

Aliyah belted out this rendition during the Live Playoffs. She’s just a teenager, and her voice is still maturing, but she kept the energy going for the entire song. A little edgy rasp hints at the voice she will have.