Wednesday, December 17, 2014

The Voice 7 Wrap-Up: 25 Best Performances

To the obligatory countdown. 27 Episodes. 70 Blind Auditions. 24 Battles. 16 Knockouts. 20 Live Playoffs. 61 Live Performances. It's been a long and interesting season. I admit, I bitched several times that this season turned out to be a dud. I mean, there were a lot of underwhelming to almost pathetic performances, the coaches were nothing but annoying cheerleaders as they were basically unable to give any sort of constructive criticisms, and the girls were gone after Top 10 - well, DaNica survived until Top 8, but still.

Looking back though, there were still a couple of outstanding performances throughout the entire season, and yes, this is where this definitive list is for. Again, this is VERY subjective and I guarantee that there will probably be some performances that are nowhere to be found on your list that may be as high as 10 or something on here. But please respond maturely, flames don't make me particularly happy.

Without further ado, here's The Voice Season 7 25 Best Performances!

25. Try
Reagan James
Live Playoffs

This was a MASSIVE improvement from the slur that was Hit 'Em Up Style. It was a little breathy in parts, and she hit a couple of bad notes towards the end, but this was easily one of the best performances of the night. Her phrasing was fantastic, and her tone worked well with the song.

24. Maneater
Menlik Zergabachew and Troy Ritchie
The Battle

This was just fun to watch. On paper, Menlik should've won this easily, but Troy, who was a riveting performer, held his own. This was probably one of the most entertaining Battles of the season and their vocals were just spot on. 

23. Crazy In Love
Toia Jones
Knockouts

CRAZY! This was really entertaining, her vocals were spot on, and she looked confident on that stage, which made me a little irked that Damien beat her and NO ONE stole her!!

22. Nobody Knows
James David Carter
Blind Auditions

Good. He may sound like any other country dudes out in the radio today, but there's something very refreshing with his voice. There's confidence to his performance and he sounded very seasoned.

21. Rich Girl
Luke Wade
Knockouts

It started really strong. His tone sounded good and fits the song perfectly. Plus, it seemed quirky but not so much. Ha.

20. Turn The Lights Down Low
Anita Antoinette
Blind Auditions

I didn't expect much from her, but how she delivered the song was pretty fantastic. The reggae inflections were sublime, her voice had power, and she had control over her vocals. That time, I did say that I'd watch out for her.

19. Stuck In The Middle Of You
Taylor John Williams
Live Playoffs

True, he did make this song sound moody as hell, but I thought the arrangement was genius and I liked that he made this song sound really current. His a very charismatic performer and his vocals were pretty good.

18. Yellow
Ethan Butler and Matt McAndrew
The Battle

Their voices sounded like butter together. Yes, they didn't take enough risks to separate themselves from the original, but those vocals were pretty great. The transitions were on point, they looked like they were complementing each other rather than battling it out, and the overall effect was just great. 

17. Lost Without You
Chris Jamison and Adam Levine
Finale

Awesome! Both Adam and Chris sounded divine on this song, and together, they sounded great. I had reservations initially, but this was one of the few times that I've witnessed a contestant be as good as their coach in a duet.

16. Wrecking Ball
Ricky Manning
Knockouts

Impeccable phrasing, solid vocals, and some intense emotional connection. The last part was a bit odd and creepy, but I digress.

15. Uptown Funk
Chris Jamison
Top 10

The week I finally understood Chris' appeal. Haha. Who would've thought? I seriously didn't think he'd be able to consistently top my list for weeks as Chris delivered, yet again, another terrific number. True, this wasn't vocally flawless, but this was hands down the most riveting and entertaining performance tonight. He managed to keep up with the groove, he brought a lot of energy and presence to it, and his vocals didn't falter.

14. Back To Black
Sugar Joans
Wildcard

I was NEVER a fan of Sugar, but as much as I hate myself from typing this, Sugar was probably the best during the Wildcard and hands down her best performance on the show. This was a shockingly controlled vocal performance.

13. Sugar
Chris Jamison
Top 5

Is it too late for Maroon 5 to change their single? I mean, Adam was thoroughly outclassed on his own song by Chris! His vocals were rock solid, his stage presence improved vastly, he handled the tricky melody and transitions impressively well, and yes, he's possibly the show's best bet to have a successful career after this season.

12. Redemption Song
Anita Antoinette
Top 12

Just beautiful. I liked that it was a little understated, her phrasing was just lovely, and her interpretation was captivating and sincere.

11. The Blower's Daughter
Matt McAndrew
Top 8

Cue the cello.. This was amazing! While I wasn't entirely a fan of his weak falsetto, everything else was just sublime. The staging was lovely, his vocals were on point, there's an interesting amount of dynamics, and it was well done.

10. Chandelier
Jean Kelley
Knockouts

While her verses sounded a tad breathy, the overall effect of the performance was terrific. I thought the quieter arrangement worked well in her favor and the build up to the big chorus added a great deal of dynamics.

09. Jealous
Chris Jamison
Top 12

I admit, I was a little irked with Adam's decision to save him over Taylor Phelan, but he proved himself worthy with this performance. His falsetto was impeccable, his lower notes sounded fantastic, and there's a nice key change towards the end that was pretty impressive. I wasn't exactly a big fan of Chris, but he may have turned me into one.

08. I Walk The Line
Craig Wayne Boyd
Top 10

Polished. Heartfelt. Original. I'm still not sure if I liked his arrangement of the song - as it was pretty much unrecognizable, but his delivery was just spot on. He didn't do too much, but he was oozing with stage presence

07. Wasted Love
Matt McAndrew
Finale

Hands down, the strongest original song in the bunch. It's moody, almost anthemic, and a vibe that sounded like a lovechild of Hozier and Coldplay. True, he had some minor pitch issues during the bridge, but that's forgivable. Solid performance.

06. Royals
Taylor John Williams
Top 8

Strangely cool. I winced at the idea of doing something different with this Lorde ditty, but the arrangement worked like a gem. His layered vocals created a great deal of dimension to his performance and there's confidence and character to it that's incredibly compelling. This was seriously good.

05. Make It Rain
Matt McAndrew
Top 5

Just like Matt's version of Take Me To Church, his take on this Ed Sheeran ditty had more edge to it, and it worked well to his advantage. His vocals were on point, there's an emotional connection to the song that's palpable, his vocal dynamics was fabulous, and this made him a mortal lock for the Finale.

04. Cry Me A River
Chris Jamison
Finale

Absolutely fantastic. Chris taking on a Justin Timberlake hit was clearly a walk in the park for him and it showed. His vocals were effortless, the transitions were flawless, it had presence, and it was just an all around outstanding performance. Not sure how Chris had me so interested in him, but it happened.

03. Sweater Weather
Taylor Phelan
Blind Auditions

Without a doubt, the BEST Blind Audition this season and probably one of the most memorable of the whole series. I had reservations with him especially given the song choice, but he managed to make the song sound like it was written for him, there's a palpable edge to the arrangement, his vocals were fantastic, and there's an awkward stage presence to him that's quite compelling. 

02. Take Me To Church
Matt McAndrew
Top 12

Perfect song choice. Strong vocals. Pure Awesomeness.

01. When I Was Your Man
Chris Jamison
Top 5

Obviously, THE. BEST. PERFORMANCE. OF. THE. SEASON. Thank you very much.

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