The Voice season 11 finale performances opened up pushing the final four – and why we should vote for one of them.  According to host Carson Daly, this is “four of the most unique and talented artists we’ve ever seen.”   Right, even though two of them are straight-up country artists, and one is a former country artist going pop. We’ve got three white guys in their 30’s and one 17-year-old African-American girl.  There is a ton of talent in this group, but except for Wé McDonald, the slate of four doesn’t feel that unique.  As the show goes on, that becomes painfully apparent.

Each coach that has someone in the competition says something about why they think their person or persons should win.

Adam Levine on Billy Gilman:

Billy Gilman is so dynamic, he’s so diverse, he will fulfill the destiny that being a Voice winner needs to fulfill…

Hmmm…. Billy Gilman has a beautiful and powerful voice, but dynamic and diverse are not the words one would apply to him.  Regardless of what song he’s done Billy sounds basically the same.  That’s not a complaint.  One could say the same thing about Celine Dion.  However dynamic and diverse aren’t the words used describe her as a vocalist either.   As for Billy fulfilling a destiny…there’s certainly a lane for his style of singing, but right now he’s no Kelly Clarkson or Jennifer Hudson.  For that you need more than a great instrument, you’ve got to be able to share a huge heart.  That can’t be taught.   Regardless of where he places in the competition only time will tell what he’ll be able to do for The Voice.

Blake Shelton on Sundance Head:

I think Sundance deserves to win because the guy’s singing is off the charts. He connects to every lyric and makes it mean something to you.  That’s the mark of a great artist.

Blake’s assessment of his performer is more accurate than Adam’s was of Billy.  Sundance has a huge voice that has a ton of warmth and soul. The only guy who connected more emotionally to what he was singing was Christian Cuevas.

Adam Levine on Josh Gallagher:

I’m the first artist to get a country artist into the finale besides Blake. I love Josh because Josh works so hard. This kid is very much in the running.

Really? We should vote for Josh because he’s a hard worker and so Adam can stick it to Blake?  It’s another smug comment in what will be a long night of them.  Meanwhile Adam has nothing to say about Josh’s actual voice because everyone – including Josh – was shocked he made it to the final four.

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What makes Josh a good country artist is the real “everyman” vibe that comes across when he sings. He’s like Blake in that way. I can see Josh having a solid career in country music, but his actual vocals aren’t are strong as the others in the final four – or even in last week’s top eight. The show’s called “The Voice” not “The Vibe.” Both Christian and Ali Caldwell sang better than him for the instant save, but, you know, when only one half of the country votes….

Alicia Keys on Wé McDonald:

We are both experiencing this for the first time, together.  We’re leading with our heart and not holding back in any way.  Wé is going show that she deserves to win because she’s like you, she’s like me, she’s all of those dreams bottled up in one body.

It’s true that some of the fun of watching Wé has been her bonding with her coach.  Knowing Wé’s history of being bullied and not fitting in, it is easy to relate to her 17-year-old dreams.  However, Wé is a child prodigy, a girl with more vocal range than anyone on the show as well a talented piano-player.  She’s not like all of us – although, she certainly does have things in common with Alicia.

Alicia was 15 when she was signed, Celine Dion was guided by the same man since she was a child.  Out of all of the top four, heck, even the top eight, Wé’s the one who needs the guiding hand of a label the most.  To fulfill those dreams of becoming the kind of artist that her talent level suggests this is the critical time for someone like her.

The Voice Season 11 Finale Performances

Each performer got to do three songs: one cover, one duet with their coach, and one original.  Who rocked and who flopped?  Let’s go by teams!

Team Adam – Billy Gilman

Team Adam opened up the night with Billy singing “My Way” by Frank Sinatra.

The commentary afterwards was used as a time for coach Miley Cyrus to comment about how much she loved the song because it was what she felt was the anthem for her and her team.  There’s a shot of some of the Top Twelve – including Ali and Sa’Rayah from team Miley with some tears in their eyes.

It’s true that Miley’s team with its mix of powerhouse singers, rockers, and creative song stylists was the most diverse and unique.  Bringing that up right then stings.  It’s another reminder that Ali not making it through is a travesty.

Billy’s cover song was his best performance of the night.  Doing big epic ballads is definitely his thing.  It’s that pure voice that made him a star as a kid, and got him on The Voice.

Unfortunately  the original song was less impressive.  It was one that Adam said had been meant for his group Maroon Five.  Listening to him sing it the word that came to mind was “bland.”  Plus, unlike his work with “My Way,” Billy had little connection to the words.

However, bland was better than what the duet was.  It did nothing for Billy at all.  I suppose it was meant to appeal to the country audience, but with two other serious country singers in competition, this just fell flat. If anything, it seemed to showcase Adam’s ability to do country harmonies!

Team Adam – Josh Gallagher

Josh performed second doing his original song.  “Take Any Small Town.”  He actually  co-wrote with Nolan.  Yes, Nolan Neal from team Adam top 12.  This was the best original song of the night, and Josh’s best performance.  It’s pure country, it suits his style him, and he says on pitch for most of it.  It sounds like top ten hit on the country charts and will likely do the same on iTunes.

The next song Josh does is the duet, and it’s a disaster.  What was Adam thinking to give him a classic by Santana?  It showcased Adam’s guitar-playing while highlighting all the pitfalls in Josh’s vocal ability.  This was the worse duet of the evening.

His final song didn’t do much better.  “Jack & Diane” by John Mellencamp is a classic.  While it has that laid-back feel that is Josh’s wheelhouse, Josh doesn’t have the grit in his voice to really do it justice.

Team Blake – Sundance Head

Sundance started out doing his original song.  Like Josh he wrote it.  The song is country/blues broken-hearted cowboy classic and he sings the hell out of it.  This is a number one hit. Period.  The only annoying thing is Blake talking about how it’s amazing that Sundance hasn’t been discovered before. I’m guessing it’s his way of sticking it to American Idol – since Sundance was on that show’s sixth season but only made it to the top 15.  His record label screwed up with him as well.  Still, it’s not like Sundance came out of nowhere.

Next up is the duet.  He and Blake cover “Treat Her Right” – a song made famous by the famous 1960’s rockabilly playing band Roy Head and the Traits.  Yes,  Roy Head is Sundance’s dad.  As you’ll note, that number was super groovy!

Last but not least is Sundance’s solo number, “At Last” by Etta James.  Basically all of Sundance’s song straddle that blues/country lane.  He does a decent job with this one, but it’s hard to not think of Etta James’s version.  Of his three performances this one felt the least engaging.

Team Alicia – Wé McDonald

Wé  starts out with her duet with Alicia.  It’s a rendition of  the classical religious song “Ava Maria.”  The duet absolutely showcases Wé ‘s beautiful operatic chops, her piano-playing, and feels like a must for anyone’s Christmas music playlist.  She and Alicia really do feel like sisters!

For her original song, a songwriter Alicia has worked with before wrote a song for Wé  the day he saw her blind audition!  “Wishes” is a dynamic pop song anthem that could hold its own on the charts with a Beyoncé, Ari Grande – or Alicia Keys.

The final performance slot was Wé singing, “Don’t Rain on my Parade.”  The classic Barbara Streisand hit from the film Funny Girl was a great choice both musically and thematically for Wé.

The Voice Season 11 Finale Performances Wrap Up

Watching this season finale the battle for the winner seems to be between Wé  and Sundance.  They nailed all of their songs.  Maybe it was the strain of having two singers in the finale but Team Adam felt like a wash out.  Both Josh and Billy had one great performance, but the other four went from just adequate to really off.  Josh, despite his solid original song was clearly the weakest link.

Because Sundance, Josh and Billy ended up doing so much music in a similar vein – country & blues – this finale episode seemed to drag.  It also made Wé’s talent and versatility stand out.  Sundance showed that he’s a virtuoso in his lane of soulful country.  Adam made some bad song choices that negatively affected his team.  Billy, who was the early front-runner feels like he may end up dropping back to third.

The thing is this: iTunes downloads of all the performers music over the course of the show counts as a vote.  In that area, the ranking is Billy, Sundance, Wé – with Josh trailing far behind in fourth.  Also a factor is how many of their songs hit that top ten bonus. One song with a times five multiplier is helpful.  With three songs per artist, that’s like a times fifteen!   Yet the voting has overshadowed iTunes before this season.  Guess we’re going to have to just wait and find out the winner tonight!