After over a month of blind auditions, battle rounds, and knockouts, The Voice‘s final teams are in place and ready to move on to live performances next week. The trouble that so many singing competitions run into is that people quickly lose interest in these earlier rounds, especially as they drag on week after week. People like having the chance to participate in the competitions they watch, judging who should move forward or go home and actually having an impact on what happens. Sure, the early rounds are necessary for us to get to know the contestants and decide who are favorites are, but there’s only so many times you can hear the same sob story without wanting to punch your television. The good news is that we’ve made it through that long and tedious process and can now move forward and watch the many talented remaining contestants sing for a chance to win The Voice.
The first battle of the night, between Team Adam’s Tonya Boyd Cannon and Barry Minefield, was by far the worst. If they were hoping to get our attention early on, it didn’t work. Both performances were dull and generic, making it difficult to even pay attention. Maybe twenty years ago both contestants would be more popular, but there was nothing contemporary about either performance. Adam made the right decision keeping Tonya, who has a stronger voice than Barry. Unfortunately, Barry’s age held him back, but at least he looked like he was having fun the whole time.
Up next was Brooke Adee and Kelsie May from Team Blake, a pairing of two similar young girls, only one of whom Blake has room for on his team. In the end, this battle was about who could put nerves aside and give the best possible performance. It’s clear that that person was Brooke. While Kelsie is pure country and would fit well with Blake, she has always been awkward on stage, looking as if she’s not sure she belongs there. On top of that, her performance was pitchy and dull. In contrast, Brooke gave an energetic performance, hitting all the right notes, making Blake’s choice easy no matter how difficult it was to send home someone as young as Kelsie.
Christina’s first battle of the night was between Joe Tolo and India Carney, another battle with an obvious winner. India has been a front-runner from the start, and she proved once again why she deserves to be in this competition. Not only does she have amazing vocals, but she knows how to captivate an audience, a combination that could take her far. Joe did nothing wrong in his performance, but in the end, he was just too generic and couldn’t hold up next to India.
Perhaps one of the most shocking eliminations of the knockouts came next as Pharrell pitted Lowell Oakley against Jacob Rummell. Throughout the competition, both young men have been featured pretty heavily as both have incredibly unique and unexpected voices. Jacob is extremely likable, with a smile that is contagious. His high voice is pleasant to listen to, but he came out a little pitchy, barely noticeable due to his energetic performance. Lowell has quite possibly the most interesting voice this season with a different way of performing. His performance this week seemed a bit contrived, like he was over-thinking it, but Pharrell took yet another chance on him, not wanting to let something so unique pass him by. Unfortunately, that meant it was the end of the road for the endearing Jacob.
Another uninteresting knockout was next, this time featuring Team Christina’s Rob Taylor and Treeva Gibson. Rob has a strong falsetto, but there’s nothing all that compelling about him, and it wasn’t until the end of his performance that he really came alive. It was enough for him to move on though, as Treeva couldn’t handle the song that she picked, letting some nerves show. She went far considering she grew up with deaf parents and has some hearing loss herself.
The final knockout of the season would have been more suspenseful if it wasn’t obvious that Christina still had her steal left, letting us know that both contestants would move on. Nonetheless, it was the best of the night as Adam pitted Joshua Davis against Lexi Davila. Joshua came out and gave an emotional performance, dedicating the song to his wife. Not only was it soulful, but he also hit all the right notes, proving that he deserved to move forward. Lexi Davila has had major issues with nerves throughout the competition but Adam has kept her around, waiting for her to really shine. His patience paid off last night, as she gained confidence throughout the song, hitting some very difficult notes like a pro. Joshua was a better fit for Adam’s team, but that left the door open for Christina to steal Lexi.
Each team this year has at least one strong singer, and at this point, it’s anyone’s competition to win. Team Pharrell and Team Blake have the most talent, but everything could change in the live performances as America finally has a say in who moves forward.
[Photo via NBC]
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