The Voice – Final Performances

Reviews, Shows

I have to say, going into tonight’s finale performance episode of The Voice, I had no strong feelings on who should win. I like Tessanne, Will and Jacquie a lot. Really, I’ve been rooting for all three of them pretty consistently since the season began. I’m happy with this season no matter who wins – but to be honest, I did consider it a contest between Jacquie and Tessanne both before and after these performances.

The singers each had three performances – a reprise, a duet, and a solo. Overall, they were fantastic. This has been a hell of a season.

Team Adam: Tessanne Chin
For her reprise performance, Tessanne sang “Try” by Pink. A great choice, I thought – this song was one of her strongest of the season, and it was long enough ago that I wasn’t tempted to fast-forward.

Tessanne and Adam performed “Let It Be” for their duet, and they sounded great together.

Hell yeah, Whitney Houston! I love “I Have Nothing” and was thrilled that Adam made Tessanne go for it. She’s so freaking good. The beginning lines actually gave me chills, and the big moments were outstanding. It was a show winning performance – amazing.

Team Adam: Will Champlin
Will’s reprise song was “Not Over You” by Gavin Degraw. Interesting choice – I like this song OK, but I don’t think it’s Will’s strongest of the season. What about “At Last”? In fact, I thought this performance was a little dull.

Will and Adam sang “Tiny Dancer” together, so it was impossible to dislike. A great fit for their voices, and they already naturally sound good together.

Now, here’s the thing. I really hate the Bryan Adams song, “(Everything I Do) I Do It For You”. And following a flawless cover of one of my all-time favorite Whitney songs, well… there wasn’t much Will could do here. I also blame Adam for this, though – this song just isn’t a show-stopper. It was sweet when he sang to his wife and baby though, I’m sure there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. (That house, not mine. I was fine.)

Team Christina: Jacquie Lee
I liked “Back to Black” as a reprise choice for Jacquie. It’s modern, but also has that bluesy quality that suits her voice. Her performance felt less energetic than usual though – was she saving herself for the later performances?

Jacquie and Christina performed “We Remain”, which is her new song from The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. I’d never heard the song before, but I thought it was a good fit for Jacquie. The theme was dead on, and they were pretty adorable on stage together. Whether Jacquie wins or not, I think this was Christina’s season – she really shone as a coach above all the others.

Jacquie and Christina really went for it with “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going”. It’s a big song for a little girl, but she has that unique, raspy voice to pull it off. It was a crazy performance – she gave it all she had, and it was fantastic.

So who should win? Argh. It’s so hard! There are different things to love about Jacquie and Tessanne. Jacquie has flaws, but there’s something so strange and special about her voice. She’s so young and insanely talented. And, frankly, I have loved watching the relationship form between Christina and Jacquie – I want them to win, as a team. Tessanne is flawless. I love how she shifts from an immaculate soft voice to belting it out like it’s nothing at all. She’s polished, and perfect. I WANT THEM BOTH TO WIN AHHHHHH!

What do you guys think?

You can follow Jill at her blog, couchtimewithjill.com, or on Twitter @jillemader Jill has been an avid fan of TV since the age of two, when she was so obsessed with Zoobilee Zoo that her mother lied and told her it had been canceled. Despite that setback, she grew up to be a television aficionado and pop culture addict.