Good Enough
Just a reminder, the reviews are based on the notes taken on the performances as they aired and not on the YouTube versions. These performances weren’t perfect, but certainly were good!
Team Gwen: Hunter Plake – “All I Want” by Kodaline
I love the video for “All I Want” – it tells a great story. The song itself is a little boring structurally though. You need to have a voice with lots of range and emotional resonance in order to pull it off. Luckily, Hunter has that kind of voice. His words do occasionally get a little muddy in the first half, but could sing the phone book and make it sound good.
The thing is, making the phone book sound good can’t change that it’s the phone book….a sad and lonely rendition, but still. My reaction could be to the staging. What makes the video so powerful is that it gives the words real context. Hunter just standing there singing doesn’t do that. It needed…something.
Team Blake: Lauren Duski – “Somewhere in My Broken Heart” by Billy Dean
This one surprised me because Lauren’s been flawless. Perhaps the song’s key was a bit too low for her? Some words on the low notes were hard to hear. Mostly though it was her usual soft and emotional country-style singing!
Lauren and Team Adam’s Lilli have something in common. Their singing styles are very specific. The difference is that Blake has known Lauren’s strengths since the blinds. Adam has just figured it out. This makes me nervous for Lauren. Even though Blake keeps making the point that Lauren is important for country music I can’t help but wonder how she’ll do when it comes down to her and Brenneley for the country music crowd.
Team Adam: Mark Isaiah – “How to Love” by Lil Wayne
Now, this performance truly caught me off guard! Adam seemed like he was setting the audience up for a problem with Mark getting all the words in. Instead he did really good job with it. More importantly, he truly conveyed the emotions of the song.
During Mark’s performance I actually got chills at some points. It was totally because of something in his voice. That has never happened with him before! This is definitely his best performance to date – and now I’m really hoping he makes it through. I think there’s more to this guy than I thought!
Team Adam: Jesse Larson – “Human” by Rag’n’Bone Man
The word that kept coming up for me during this was “solid.” It was a solid performance.
The problem with Jesse’s performance is that it the same thing it’s always been. He doesn’t pop on stage. Call it charisma, or (sorry Voice) the X-factor, but it’s missing. Again this isn’t about looks or weight, or hair. It’s something that’s the difference between a background singer and a frontman/woman. Both have to have great vocals, but the lead singer is someone you’re compelled to watch sing.
Missed the Mark
Stephanie Rice “Behind Blue Eyes” by The Who
Maybe because it’s Stephanie I’m being harder on her. However, I’ve pointed when other people have the kind of issues this does. I’m not going to play favorites.
There’s no question she can rock out, but her losing articulation on the words was noticeable. Also, taking on a group as iconic as The Who sets a person up for a ton of comparison and judgment. I wish she’d taken on something by Evanescence or even better, The Pretty Reckless.
Team Blake: TSoul – “Lay Me Down” by Sam Smith
It was all going so well…and then, he started having some pitch issues. I wasn’t alone while watching and we reacted at the same time. Maybe it was all that laying on the ground?
TSoul’s performance may have had some off vocal moment issues, but it was his stage work was flawless. It’s the opposite of Jesse’s issue, and it’s far easier to fix.
When TSoul’s vocals and breathing are together he’s a force to be reckoned with. This performance absolutely displayed he has the goods to be one of the greats. What he needs to learn is how to balance his stage work so it doesn’t affect his voice. When he gets into the song he loses some vocal control. Maybe he could take a lesson on that from Chris Blue….
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