Sunday, May 12, 2013

The Voice 4: Ranking The Top 12

Just like last season with The Voice - and also with American Idol and The X Factor - I'm ranking the Top 12 finalist based on their performances from the blind auditions down to the live playoffs last week. This will EASILY change as the season progresses - there could be some surprises throughout the season - but this is how I see it so far.

So, who will be the successor of the highly visible Cassadee Pope to Jermaine Paul to Javier Colon. Umm, they're the show's winners just so you know. Haha.

On to the rankings!

12. The Swon Brothers
Look, The Swon Brothers are decent singers and their version of Drift Away during the Knockout Round was pretty good, but I seriously don't get Blake's fascination over this duo. Why Blake saved the generic cannon fodder over Justin Rivers, who could actually be a relevant country artist is beyond me. I don't see them lasting very long.  

11. Kris Thomas
Yes, Kris has such an amazing crystal clear voice that makes him stand out from the rest of the pack, but he's incredibly inconsistent. When I Was Your Man had good moment, but for the most part, it just wasn't all that. I hope he can get his act back together stat if he wants to last longer in the competition.

10. Garrett Gardner
I understand that he's "improving" and his Imagine, while a bit flawed was interesting. Also, Garrett has a presence that makes it difficult not to like him, but he needs to be always at the top of his game with better song choices because he can't afford to be predictable especially after the results during the first voting round.

09. Holly Tucker
Not a fan. The day Blake Shelton picked her over Luke Edgemon, I know that she'll not be one of my favorites this season. And then, she did that treacly song How Do I Live during the Live Playoffs and I completely gave up on the idea of ever liking her. Haha. But why did I rank her higher than the other three dudes? Well, Holly's country and has a good set of pipes despite being possibly the most sleep inducing contestant.

08. Vedo
Judging by the success of past seasons' black male contestants, I can see Vedo going far enough in the competition. He's more generic than Kris Thomas - who has a pretty distinct tone - but I guess the more generic you are, the more successful you'll be on the show. See, Trevin, Jermaine and Javier. Plus, I really saw some glimpses of brilliance throughout his run, so we'll see. 

07. Josiah Hawley
Controversial? Haha.There's no denying that Josiah is actually a pretty stunning guy and that's an advantage he could use. He's obviously NOT the best singer in the bunch - in fact, I think his voice is  limited - but there's something about him that's quite compelling. His tone is as pretty as his face, his cover of the Muse song is actually quite decent, and he's a very moldable artist and yes, that's a good thing.

06. Judith Hill
Can I say overrated? As I've said before, Judith is technically a good vocalist, but since her blind audition, all her performances weren't organic. She was trying WAY too hard to impress especially her rendition of Feeling Good where I seriously felt like the melody just stood up and walked away! Oh, and there's something very cabaret about the delivery of her performances. If not for her hype, I would've ranked her lower than this because based on her iTunes sales last week, I don't think she has the votes or the popularity to win the show.

05. Sarah Simmons
Her One of Us blind audition was probably one of the true standout performances of the season so far and while she has yet to top that, Sarah has been pretty consistent all throughout the competition. Her voice is incredible as she can transition her voice from her soft tone to something with a heavy rasp. The texture of her voice and vocal dynamics are her biggest assets and I can't wait to hear more from her.

04. Sasha Allen
Could Sasha be the Amanda Brown of this season? That oncee eliminated yet saved contestant who's actually making a lot more impression than most of the finalists. Sasha, like Judith, is a polished performer. She's not as flawless vocally as Judith, but she seems to be less affected. You know how hand-made items have little tiny imperfections but are valued highly for that whereas factory made items are all perfect but worth less? Yes, that's how I see Sasha as compared to Judith. If she keeps performing at this level and then add some attempt to be current, she could be unstoppable.

03. Michelle Chamuel
Dorks for the win! I admit, Michelle doesn't have the same vocal range as some of the others, but I love that she knows how to use it to her advantage. This was on full display with her raw, unpolished, but ridiculously effective rendition of True Colors. Her awkwardness is endearing and there's no precious affectations in her. She's authentic and that's what I love most about her.

02. Amber Carrington
She came out of nowhere!! I did enjoy her spot on version of Carrie Underwood's Good Girl - tough song to sing - and her soaring rendition of I'm With You, but it was her cover of Rihanna's Stay that made her a true contender in the competition. Her vocals were outstanding, she obviously got raw talent and she has this innate ability to connect to the material impeccably. I would like to call her a dark horse, but it's a bit misleading because she's definitely a strong contender.

01. Danielle Bradbery
It's funny how Country girls dominated my Top 2 ranking when I'm not exactly a huge fan of the genre. But I just can't disregard the insane star power of Danielle. Her voice has a clear quality that's pretty fantastic, she's VERY charismatic, her grasp with pitch is superb and for a 16 years old girl with no experience prior to this show, she's incredible. She has "star" written all over her and I wouldn't be surprised if Nashville is drooling over he just waiting for this season to end. I hope The Voice won't mess this up considering the show's terrible track record of creating REAL stars after the show. 

1 comments:

danni said...

I think it's funny that you have 3/4 of my favorites at the end of your list. But me and you have never agreed on contestants. I respect your judgement though. I really hope the swon bros will get your approval eventually because I think they are the best duo I have seen on this show and they deserve to make it to the finale. I also really like Kris and Danielle, and Garrett even though he isn't in the competition anymore.

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