The Voice season 5’s top 8 contestants took the stage to perform for America’s votes, with some color commentary from the coaches.
It was a night of outstanding performances this week on The Voice, as some contestants stepped outside of their comfort zones and showed off a whole new side of themselves. The performances inspired some interesting comments from the judges, about everything from cloning babies, to Blake’s definition of “swag,” to the aforementioned swallowing of an old lady.
Top 8 Solo Performances
James Wolpert
James Wolpert brought out a truly unstoppable performance of the Queen classic “Somebody to Love.” Joined onstage by an army of tuxedo-clad James Wolpert clones (in identical glasses!), James tore into the very difficult song, and made it look easy. He bounded around the stage, and up the stairs into the audience. As he grows more and more comfortable onstage, and ups the ante of his performances, he’s proving that this is James Wolpert’s world and we are all just living in it.
Tessanne Chin
Team Adam’s Tessanne Chin showed off her Jamaican roots with No Doubt’s “Underneath It All.” Tessane has tackled ballads and show-stoppers, but this was by far the most fun she has ever had with a performance, and she really showed off a totally different side of her personality. As if we didn’t already know how talented she was, she even dominated the song’s reggae rap breakdown! She had the audience in the palm of her hand, and this was possibly her best performance so far.
Caroline Pennell
Cee Lo’s only remaining contestant Caroline Pennell tackled a beast of a song with Florence and the Machine’s “Dog Days Are Over.” She looks like a Baby Florence Welch herself, and this song was another opportunity for her to surprise us with the power in her oftentimes delicate voice. Cee Lo wrote a lovely poem stating that she is “the only thing that matters to [him] now,” so no pressure, Caroline.
Cole Vosbury
Finally, one of Blake’s finalists took on a country song, as Cole Vosbury showed off his sensitive side with Vince Gill’s “I Still Believe in You.” Country struck a chord with Cole, as his beloved grandmother was once a country artist, and he was raised on country. Cole is really surprising us in the last few weeks, with the genuine emotion in his performances. He’s outdoing himself each week, and he just may be the dark horse in this competition.
Matthew Schuler
Matthew Schuler took on another passionate performance with Imagine Dragons’ “It’s Time,” which Matthew felt perfectly portrayed his feelings at this point in the competition and having just turned 21. Coach Christina decided to make it a more “military-themed” performance, with some stomp-and-clap-heavy choreography courtesy of her own personal choreographer. The choreo was okay, if a little unnecessary, but the waving American flag graphic on the floor was a bit much.
Will Champlin
Team Adam’s Will really surprised with his song choice: Etta James’ “At Last”. Not only is it normally sung by a woman (see also: Beyonce), but it’s not necessarily what you would think of as a natural choice for Will. But good lord, did he ever do Etta justice. He took his glasses off, and it was like Clark Kent became Superman in front of our eyes on The Voice tonight, with his voice climbing to heights just as epic as his teammate James Wolpert, to whom he is often compared. This was a huge moment for Will, and a great time in the competition to take such a chance.
Ray Boudreaux
Ray Boudreaux showed off a funkier, more badass side with The Spencer Davis Group’s “Gimme Some Lovin”. He found his footing last week by returning to his soul roots, and he stuck with that this week, but turned it up a notch. He’s a lot more comfortable onstage, and he was looking confident and sexy for this performance. He seems to have really found his niche, and hopefully it’ll all be uphill from here for Ray.
Jacquie Lee
Jacquie Lee has got to be lying to us. There is no way she is only 16 years old. Her performance of the Jackson 5’s “Who’s Loving You” prompted Cee Lo to say, “It’s like you swallowed an old lady or something!” Not only is her voice an absolute force to be reckoned with, but she has the passion and world-wearied demeanor of a performer four times her age. It was an amazing performance, and if Jacquie keeps this up, she’ll leave everybody in her wake at the finale.
Group Performances
Contestants Cole Vosbury, Ray Boudreaux, Tessanne Chin, and Will Champlin teamed up to perform Matisyahu’s “One Day.” They are all very soulful performers, and their voices paired with this song made for a beautiful performance. All of the artists really seemed to be in their element with this one, particularly Tessanne and Ray.
Caroline, Jacquie, James, and Matthew took on this season’s mentor Ed Sheeran’s “Lego House.” It was a great group to take on this mellow song, and their voices were like a hug for the ears. It was certainly a more mellow side of some of the contestants, namely Jacquie and James; it proved their versatility. The group blended well, and had good camaraderie onstage. It was a generally enjoyable performance, and Team Christina’s mentor should be proud.
Robin Thicke – ‘Feel Good’
Former Voice mentor Robin Thicke kicked off this week’s show with a performance of his new song “Feel Good.” Thicke’s voice is always on point, and he certainly set a good example for season 5’s contestants on how to put on a flawless performance. He climbed on top of his piano, urging the crowd to “clap for love”, which is an interesting way to respond to love, but whatever works for him.
Check out The Voice live results show tonight at 9 p.m. on NBC.