Saturday, April 11, 2015

The Voice UK 4 Wrap-Up: 25 Best Performances

14 Episode. 48 Artists. 85 Blind Auditions. 24 Battles. 32 Knockouts. 24 Live Performances. 1 Winner. Yes, that's the usual DAM NATION Warp-Up obligatory count. The Voice UK 4 finally crowned a new winner with Stevie McCrorie and I couldn't be anymore happier with the results. And now that a new winner has emerged, it’s about time to recognize the best live performances this season.

Oh, and at the bottom of the article is a video edit of the 25 best performances of The Voice UK 4.

 Now, let's pay tribute to the performances that made this season worth watching - and reviewing!

25. Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall
Stephen Cornwell & Jake Shakeshaft
Battles

This Coldplay ditty may seem easy to sing, but it's not and somehow Stephen and Jake delivered the song with great ease. Their harmonies sounded on point and how Stephen's voice soared towards the end was a nice surprise. I'm still not sure why Rita picked Jake over Stephen, but I digress.

24. Right To Be Wrong
Karis Thomas
Blind Auditions

Karis' vocal choices weren't something you'd turn around as it was a little laid back, but that's exactly what made this a pretty remarkable blind audition. There's not much bells and whistles to the whole number, but her gritty tone and phrasing made all the difference. It was a nicely delivered performance with enough nuanced and character.

23. Bring Me To Life
Sheena McHugh
Knockouts

Look, Sheena's Bring Me To Life wasn't perfect - her pitch went off the rails towards the end - but there's something to be said about this risky song choice. I thought the first half was sublime and her vocals were mostly on point. If she had made a conscious decision to not go for that high notes towards the end, this would've ranked higher.

22. Demons
Stevie McCrorie & Tim Arnold
Battles

Not going to lie, Stevie McCrorie carried this performance into this list. Demons was arguably a bit of an uneven match up, but despite Tim's messy pitch, he had nice little moments where he got it all together. That said, it was Stevie who just stole this performance. How can you deny Stevie's sheer vocal power in the last half of the song? You simply cannot.

21. What Did That To You
Newtion Matthews
Blind Auditions

At first, Newtion's blind audition sounded a little too throwback for my taste, but he did step up after the first verse and delivered a very impassioned performance. His vocals had so much soulful goodness and that vocal breakdown near the end was everything he needed to be noticed. 

20. I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)
Daniel Duke
Blind Auditions

This was not the first time I heard a stripped down version of this song - Jay James of X Factor UK killed it last year - but Daniel's version was also pretty good. The tone of his voice worked really well with the arrangement, his phrasing choices were interesting, and his delivery was heartfelt.

19. Read My Mind
Howard Rose
Top 12

The first verse sounded sublime with his voice backed only by his electric guitar and slowly shifting to something with more tempo. The build up of the arrangement was genius as it allowed the number to peak and have that much needed dynamics. His voice also sounded lovely especially his smooth transitions to his falsetto. I genuinely wasn't expecting he could pull something like this and it was awesome.

18. Fancy
Mitch Miller
Blind Auditions

This Post Modern Jukebox arrangement of Iggy Azalea's hit Fancy worked surprisingly well with Mitch's nasal quality of a voice. His pitch was consistent, the little tweaks he did with the melody were informed, and the whole performance just translated to a more self-assured artist in Mitch.

17. Love Runs Out
Christina Matovu & Jade Hewitt
Battles

You know why I find this Battle incredibly compelling? Both Christina and Jade have the vocal horsepower to transcend this song to the next level and it came off as a very even match-up. I mean, just when I thought Christina pulled off a really strong case for her voice, Jade was right up there to showcase just as solid case for herself. Their vocal runs weren't perfect, but that still made for a very entertaining battle.

16. Bleeding Love
Stevie McCrorie
Top 8

Bagpipes notwithstanding, Stevie's version of Bleeding Love was great. It had a different tempo to match his vocals and that made his version a lot more personal and in touch with his artistry. I thought some of the liberties he took with the melody sounded terrific, his grasp with pitch was on point, and his vocals, once again, soared towards the end.

15. Shy Guy
DTwinz
Blind Auditions

Say what you want about DTwinz, but in my eyes, Shy Guy was possibly one of the more memorable blind auditions this season. Their harmonies sounded good, there's swagger to their performance that's pretty riveting to watch, their voices were solid individually, and it was just a fun number.

14. Proud Mary
Howard Rose
Knockouts

One of the most unexpected song choices of the season and Howard pulled it off with flying colors. It started off slow and when the band kicked in and his wailing started, everything just went crazy - and I mean that in the most positive way. His awkward movements added to the charm and the thin quality of his upper register actually worked shockingly well with his performance.

13. Hold On, We're Going Home
Sheena McHugh
Blind Auditions

Christina Grimmie of The Voice US will always own this song, but that's not to say Sheena's version should go unnoticed because her rendition also sounded amazing. Her softer notes were deliciously delicate and how she pushed her upper range to its maximum was pretty impressive. I thought some of her vocal choices were also spot on.

12. Jealous
Joe Woolford
Top 8

I’ve watched this back several times already and I'm still struck by how strong his connection with the material was and how he managed to draw me in with this performance. The way he was caressing each word and phrase tenderly was compelling to watch, his vocals were solid, and the vulnerability was sublime.

11. You Spin Me Around
Mitch Miller
Knockouts

The stylized arrangement was a brave move, but it worked and his vocals were pretty fantastic - especially the vocal flourishes he added throughout the number. Again, the nasal quality to his voice matched the whole vibe, his falsetto was strong, and that glory note at the end sounded flawless.

10. Hold Back The River
Autumn Sharif
Top 12

This was a strong song choice for her and she sang it so well with impeccable dynamics. Autumn just brought the soul out of the song and it soared. Her voice had the power to really lift the chorus and it was such an effortless showing and she looked incredibly comfortable the entire time. I was completely and utterly and pleasantly taken aback.

09. Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
Stevie McCrorie
Knockouts

This was just basically an outstanding karaoke version of the song, but as a whole, this was undeniably a solid triple for Stevie McCrorie that put him right at the top of the game. His vocals were mostly impressive, that high register wailing was superb, and there's power to his delivery.

08. All Good Things Come To An End
Hannah Wildes
Blind Auditions

I love the song, but no one has ever captured the haunting feeling of the song like Hannah Wildes. The connection to the lyrics, the phrasing, the arrangement, and the vocals were ALL spot on. This allowed her to connect on a visceral level and I liked that it started off slow and passionate, and then heated to a full boil. That whistle note at the end was executed to perfection.

07. Glow / Princess of China
Sheena McHugh
Top 12

Aided by her soulful and rich tone, her mash up of Glow and Princess of China reigned supreme over most of the performances. She looked comfortable on stage, she looked like a legitimate pop star, her vocals were great, and there's an intensity to her voice that matched the tune perfectly. Plus, the transition from one song to another was seamlessly arranged.

06. Sail
Sasha Simone
Top 12

This was a strong vocal performance from Sasha. Her vocal placement was pretty spot on that it really let some clarity shine through in her upper register. The intensity was palpable, her vocals soared especially at the last half of the song, the vocal dynamic was impeccable, and the control over her voice was immensely impressive.

05. Don't Wake Me Up
Joe Woolford
Top 12

When Rita Ora advanced him over some of the stronger vocalists, I felt like it was a bad decision. But Joe prove me wrong when he performed an almost showstopping version of Don't Wake Me Up the next week. In fact, he impressed me greatly. It was current and hip, he delivered some impressive vocals, his voice had more character and his stage presence - though still awkward - worked. There's just an undeniable charm about Joe that's strangely mesmerizing.

04. My Generation
Howard Rose
Blind Auditions

This, to me, was one of Howard's more interesting performances this season and clearly my favorite from him. The song choice was brilliant as it showcased all dimensions and textures of his voice, the arrangement had a nice build up to the climax, and his vocals supported that incredibly well. Plus, those over-the-top moments sounded appropriate and didn't seem like for mere showboating.

03. Toca's Miracle
Sheena McHugh
Top 8

Brilliant song choice. Mighty vocals. Fantastic stage presence. Great vocal control. Outstanding dynamics. Unreal.

02. Say You Love Me
Sasha Simone
Top 8

This, to me, was a thing of beauty! Sasha managed to perfectly blend her almost faultless pitch, her vocal bombast and that swagger with her take on Say You Love Me. Her vocals were great, the control was unbelievable and the dynamics she put into the mix were great. Oh, and she looked divine with that stage setup.

01. All I Want
Stevie McCrorie
Blind Auditions

Flat out awesome! I usually have reservations ranking a Blind Audition at the top of a Wrap-Up list - only Sarah Simmon's One Of Us managed to do that - but I just can't simply deny Stevie's incredibly fantastic take on Kodaline's All I Want. It was emotional, tender, powerful, and a chill-inducing performance. He connected with this song like he wanted to punch someone in the face, his vocals were top notch, and his vocals just soared. In other words, he just killed it and ran it over so many times.


WATCH!

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