Wednesday, May 13, 2015

The Voice 8: Top 5

How did The Voice end up with a pretty underwhelming Top 5 - considering a strong Top 12 - is beyond me. Seriously. We had Mia Z, Kimberly Nichole, Rob Taylor and now both Koryn Hawthorne and India Carney are in danger of leaving just before the Finale. I don't know. It's just frustrating that we'll end up with the bland Joshua Davis, the loud Meghan Linsey, and the anointed one, Sawyer Fredericks.

But as usual, I digress. Oh, and they did a Hometown Visit, which they completely copied from American Idol - sorry, can't help it!

On with the show!

COACHES' SONG CHOICE

05. Meghan Linsey
I'm Not The Only One
[TEAM BLAKE]
One word: Overwrought. Just like her take on last week's Streamroller Blues, there's almost zero dynamics to the song. If there was, I probably missed it. I mean, if you're taking a Sam Smith ballad, there's really no need to go full on with the belting. Her vocals sounded too harsh for the song that I honestly didn't enjoy the aggressiveness of her interpretation. 5

04. Joshua Davis
I Can't Make You Love Me
[TEAM ADAM]
As much as I enjoyed the soothing quality of Joshua's voice - a complete reverse of Meghan - this was, on the other hand, too subtle and smooth for the words of the song. I needed a little bit more character to his delivery and yet he failed to even give a slight hint of ache. This was bland and totally pointless.

03. Sawyer Fredericks
For What It's Worth
[TEAM PHARRELL]
I still don't understand the overwhelming love for Sawyer, but at least, he's trying to be different. True, his vocals weren't different with Joshua in terms of the intensity, but his informed phrasing choices somehow made up for it and there's an innate musicality to his delivery of the song. Not sure if I will be able to jump on the Sawyer bandwagon, but it is what it is. 7

02. Koryn Hawthorne
One
[TEAM PHARRELL]
Like any other Koryn performances, this one wasn't vocally flawless. She hit a couple of rough notes here and there and there was not much dynamics to the whole number. That said, the passion in her voice and the texture and quality that comes with it sounded good on this Mary J. Blige hit. Not my favorite, but still pretty solid. 7.5

01. India Carney
Gravity
[TEAM CHRISTINA]
While I didn't know if I enjoyed some of her phrasing choices - some spots sounded a little different from the melody - the overall performance felt like India fighting really hard for that spot in the Finale. Her vocals were on point, the dramatics of it all worked with the performance, and she looked like a star. 8

PERSONAL SONG CHOICE

05. Joshua Davis
When I Paint My Masterpiece
[TEAM ADAM]
Zzzz. 5

04. Meghan Linsey
Tennessee Whiskey
[TEAM BLAKE]
This was stronger than I expected. I thought the song choice was a perfect fit for her gritty vocals, she connected well with the song, and it didn't sound like she was shouting at me, which was what she was doing based on her previous performances. This was a little subdued than usual and a welcome change from Meghan. 7.5

03. Sawyer Fredericks
Thousand Years
[TEAM PHARRELL]
There's something tepid about his delivery of this Christina Perri hit. I don't know. I appreciated the fact that he did take a bit of liberty with the melody, that his phrasing choices were pretty interesting, and that his vocals were pure, but then again, there's nothing to get excited about this performance. Should I go to hell now for not loving this as much as most of America? 7.5

02. Koryn Hawthorne
Oh Mary Don't You Weep
[TEAM PHARRELL]
I admit, I didn't really understand half of what she was saying - her diction was terrible - but somehow, I went with her throughout the whole performance. There's something oddly magnetic and transcendent about her version of the song. Plus, her vocals just soared and the arrangement was brilliant. 9

01. India Carney
Earth Song
[TEAM PHARRELL]
India clearly had a fantastic week. I had doubts with the song choice, but she clearly had something in mind. The interpretation had the over-the-top goodness, her vocals were exceptional, the wind machine and the staging added to the brilliance of the performance, and she completely nailed. One of my favorite India performances this season. 9


WHO SHOULD GO HOME?
Joshua Davis (Team Adam)

WHO WILL GO HOME?
Koryn Hawthorne (Team Pharrell)

1 comments:

Anonymous said...

India :(

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