Sunday, May 5, 2013

The Voice 4: Knockout Rounds Part 2

.. and just like that, Knockout Round for Season 4 is done! Yes, this year's talent is quite strong - despite some questionable cuts - and I'm quite excited with the Playoffs next week. 

One thing though, with Blake Shelton having four country acts in his team, he's becoming more of Christina Aguilera from last season when she tried to put up a team mostly composed of female belters and Dex Duron. There's no variety and that might hurt his team. Usher, on the other hand, may have the most variety this season, but possibly also the weakest group. We'll see.

On with the show!

TEAM BLAKE

08. Taylor Beckham
Russian Roulette
ELIMINATED (vs. Danielle Bradberry)
This performance was unfortunate! Her upper register was too shrill for my taste and the song choice just didn't fit her tone. I don't know. 3

07. Savannah Berry
As Long As You Love Me
ELIMINATED (vs. Justin Rivers)
I liked that she went beyond country with her song choice and a Justin Bieber song was bold for her to do, but there were certain elements from the arrangement to her vocals that just didn't fit well together. On its own, the arrangement was decent and her vocals were solid, but together, it was a bit scattered. 6

06. Grace Askew
I Can't Stand The Rain
ELIMINATED (vs. The Swon Brothers)
Yes, Grace has an original sound and I think she's pretty refreshing, but was it just me or was her song choice and the way she performed it seemed a little self indulgent? I have nothing against going for their niche, but I didn't think she connected well with this performance. 6

05. Holly Tucker
Live Like You Were Dying
WINNER (vs. Luke Edgemon)
Holly obviously has a pretty powerful voice with quite an impressive vocal range - and this song choice perfectly showcased that - but I felt like her tone was way too generic for me to get excited with her for the next coming weeks. She'd get lost with a couple of good female country singers in the mix this season. 6.5

04. The Swon Brothers
Drift Away
WINNER (vs. Grace Askew)
True, there's nothing vocally special with them other than the fact that they are performing as duo, but something about their version of Drift Away that drew me in. I'm not sure if it was the assured vocal performance of Zach or the charismatic presence of Colton. Either way, this actually worked. 7

03. Justin Rivers
The Climb
WINNER (vs. Savannah Berry)
This dude came out of nowhere! Haha. I was seriously expecting Savannah to easily walk away with this round, but Justin just killed it. Sure, the performance looked like Justin was showboating more than anything else, but who am I complain? His vocals were spot on and those glory notes were insane. Great job. 7.5

02. Danielle Bradberry
Jesus, Take The Wheel
WINNER (vs. Taylor Beckham)
There's something about Danielle that's oddly compelling. I think she's really beautiful, her tone is lovely and her vocals were surprisingly solid. To me, she's probably one of the stronger country singers left in the competition and it's hard not to root for her - for some reason I can't explain myself. Haha. 8

01. Luke Edgemon
Teenage Dream
ELIMINATED (vs. Holly Tucker)
BOO BLAKE! I was never a fan of Luke until he reworked Katy Perry's Teenage Dream. The arrangement was brilliant, his vocals were spot on and I felt like he connected well with the material. It's just annoying that Blake chose a country singer over him just because, well, she's country. Oh, and I hated that Blake wanted for Luke to showcase more range! Why? Sometimes, subtlety is key. 8.5

TEAM USHER

08. Audrey Karrasch
How To Love
ELIMINATED (vs. Michelle Chamuel)
Eh. I hated her tone on this. It sounded like torture to my ears. Sorry. 3

07. C Perkins
She Ain't You
ELIMINATED (vs. Vedo)
His pitch was all over the place, too much movement that left him breathless, and he missed a couple of notes towards the end of his performance. Not a strong one, obviously. 4

06. Ryan Innes
I Don't Wanna Be
ELIMINATED (vs. Cathia)
Why this song?! I was really rooting for Ryan just because he has this innate ability to connect with a song just by the sheer rasp of his voice. Sadly, he picked a song that didn't showcase his tone to its maximum potential. To me, he sounded like he was screaming in some parts and that's unfortunate. 4.5

05. Cathia
Mr. Know It All
WINNER (vs. Ryan Innes)
Lucky for Cathia that Ryan messed up because I didn't think her version of this Kelly Clarkson song was enough to merit her a spot in the Playoffs next week. Yes, her vocals were mostly decent and she was able to hit a couple of ridiculous notes, but I felt like it was all over the place. She tried to do WAY too much vocal acrobatics that made me want to stab myself in the head. 4.5

04. Josaiah Hawley
Back To Black
WINNER (vs. Jess Kelner)
Hmm. He's pretty. Haha. I honestly didn't think his vocals were that great and I thought his diction was terrible, but I was actually entertained. His song choice was pretty bold, the arrangement was nice, and there's a dorky quality to his interpretation that's quite refreshing considering his good looks. I wonder how America will respond to him next week. 5.5

03.Jess Kelner
You Give Me Something
ELIMINATED (vs. Josaiah Hawley)
Jess hit a couple of rough notes towards the end of her number, but this was actually pretty solid. Her tone worked well with her song choice, there's a certain character to her voice that's interesting, and she sure was feeling it. Too bad, her competitor was more beautiful than her. Haha. 6

02. Vedo
Everything I Do (I Do It For You)
WINNER (vs. C Perkins)
Hated the song choice, but Vedo sold it to me. To be perfectly honest, if not for the back story, this wouldn't work for me, but he poured his heart and soul to this performance. Plus, his vocals were fantastic for the most part. If he'd stay away from songs like this and be more current, he has a good chance of lasting long in this competition. 7.5

01. Michelle Chamuel
Raise Your Glass
WINNER (vs. Audrey Karrasch)
YAY! Dorks for the win! Michelle won me during her blind auditions, and I fell in love with her more with this fun and lively version of Pink's Raise Your Glass. I thought her vocals were mighty fine, I loved the liberties she took with the melody, and her phrasing was really good. Oh, and she has that winning personality. I'm looking forward to more of her performances in the future. 8.5

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