Season 5’s top 6 contestants performed live for America’s votes last night, as we wind down to The Voice finale.
The contestants each took on two songs this week, one of their own choosing, as a dedication, and one of their coach’s choosing. The performances ran the gamut from spectacular to a little bit lacking, with the stakes at their highest as we approach The Voice finale.
Coach’s choice
Cole Vosbury
Cole Vosbury kicked off the night with the song Blake chose for him: Hall and Oates’ “Rich Girl.” Blake chose this song for Cole to showcase his range, and it was another solid performance from Team Blake’s last man standing. Blake was so pleased, he said they could release that performance on iTunes, without changing a thing.
Tessanne Chin
Tessanne proudly took on Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song”, representing her home country of Jamaica. Bob Marley is obviously a legend in Jamaica, and Tessanne’s take on his “Redemption Song” was a beautiful and moving tribute. As much of a powerhouse as she is, Tessanne realized that a performance like this is so much more about the feeling than it is the technicality.
Jacquie Lee
Christina set up quite the challenge for her youngest contestant, when she chose Janis Joplin’s “Cry Baby” for Jacquie. She wanted Jacquie to connect with Janis’ vulnerability in the song, which Jacquie was a little worried about. But that did little to hold her back, as Jacquie gave the song everything she had, resulting in Christina actually leaving her big red chair and climbing onstage to point out the mic stand Jacquie had cast aside during her performance, as an indication of just how much Jacquie put into the performance.
Matthew Schuler
Christina chose the Percy Sledge classic “When a Man Loves a Woman” for Matthew this week, because he hasn’t yet had the chance to tackle a real classic, or a real soulful song. Unfortunately, Matthew proved it’s probably best that he stay away from the classics, as this was definitely not his best performance. His performance lacked soul, and was a little pitchy towards the end.
Will Champlin
Adam chose Avicii’s “Hey Brother” for Will Champlin because it’s such a “weird” song that would suit the many facets of Will’s talent. For example, Will played the banjo for the first time on the show, which was an addition that Blake really enjoyed. It was a great performance by Will, but it seemed like a somewhat disappointing choice, of all the possible songs Adam could have chosen for his talented contestant.
James Wolpert
James closed out the show with what Carson billed before the break as his “most dramatic performance yet”. Performing Meatloaf’s epic “I Would Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That)”, Will planned to draw on his theater background to bring the drama to the already super-dramatic song. Unfortunately, he found himself under the weather at game time, and gave what is surely, by James’ own highly-critical standards, a pretty mediocre performance. Adam pleaded with James to not be too hard with himself, and pleaded with the viewers to vote James through in spite of his illness.
Contestant dedication
Matthew Schuler
Matthew Schuler chose One Direction’s “Story of my Life” to dedicate to his parents and siblings. Performing at the top of a lighted staircase, Christina said it looked like the heavens were parting. While Matthew does have a great voice, and he did a good job with this performance, it seemed like they tried to make it a more dramatic production than it needed to be.
Will Champlin
Will Champlin dedicated the Sam Cooke classic “A Change is Gonna Come” to his wife Roseanne and baby daughter Harper, because they have stuck by him through all the ups and downs he’s experienced in his career. It was a big song to tackle, but Will did a good job, demonstrating some real raw emotions. Adam also made a point of mentioning how that song demonstrated Will’s sweet piano skills, even though he only played for a few seconds at the very beginning.
James Wolpert
James Wolpert had some very sweet things to say about his dad, and thanked him for standing by all of his decisions, good and bad. However, he chose The White Stripes’ “I Fell in Love with a Girl” as his dedication song, which seems like a strange choice to dedicate to your dad. Sentiment aside, it was another solid performance from James, this time bringing us back to his softer, more folky side.
Cole Vosbury
Cole Vosbury made quite the romantic gesture this week, dedicating James Morrison’s “Better Man” to his first love, because even though it didn’t work out, she made him a better man. It was a heartfelt performance, with a song that Cole clearly connected to, and Blake said he’d be surprised if Cole didn’t get that first love back after all.
Tessanne Chin
Tessanne dedicated Katy Perry’s “Unconditionally” to her mom and dad, for their unconditional love of her. This was another power ballad to show off Tessanne’s belting range, and while she sounded great, the most memorable part of the performance was the set design with the hypnotizing flashing circles. Blake pointed out after the performance that with all the recent focus on her Jamaican heritage, he wishes people would focus more on the fact that she is a world-class vocalist, period.
Jacquie Lee
Well, the transition is complete. Team Christina’s Jacquie Lee has completed the circle of mutual worship between coach and contestant by singing Christina’s “The Voice Within.” Citing the song as one of the main reasons she decided to become a vocalist, Jacquie gave a very emotional performance, even getting choked up at the end. With Christina singing along to Jacquie…singing along to Christina, it was like a Voice-version of Inception.
Tune in to The Voice results tonight at 9 p.m. on NBC.