This week on The Voice, the contestants sang two songs – one they chose and one chosen by their coach. For the coaches picks, I was disappointed with what Cee Lo selected. I thought Amanda really chose a great song, while Terry, Cassadee and Trevin chose songs that were sure bets to deliver stellar performances. Click through for a full recap!
Team Cee Lo: Nicholas David singing “September”
This is a perfect song for Nicholas, though it’s more of the same when I’d like to see Nicholas branch out. I think Nicholas is delightful, I enjoy him very much. But what kind of music would he make if he won the show?
Team Blake: Cassadee Pope singing “Stand”
Cassadee did well with a country song before, and I think it’ll get her a lot of iTunes success and votes again. I liked the performance, and I think Cassadee has shown a lot of growth since the show started. She appeals to so many different kinds of viewers, I won’t be surprised or disappointed if Cassadee wins.
Team Adam: Amanda Brown singing “You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman”
Amanda’s a fantastic rocker, but it was nice to see her change it up a little this week and do a classic Aretha song, because Amanda has the voice for it. Once again, Amanda showed why she’s always been my favorite in this competition. The performance was epic.
Team Blake: Terry McDermott singing “I Want To Know What Love Is”
I know that Terry did the Blake Shelton song last week, but I was still hoping he wouldn’t do another classic rock song again this week. But giving the performance a more intimate feeling with only a few instruments was a stroke of genius. It showed off Terry’s voice and helped this performance stand out from his others. I think it was Terry’s best in a while.
Team Cee Lo: Trevin Hunte singing “Walking on Sunshine”
Another song choice I wasn’t a fan of. Trevin struggled with up tempo music before, and while this wasn’t as bad, it wasn’t fantastic either. Trevin started off so strong in this competition, and he’s kind of petered out. He needs another “Vision of Love” moment.
Team Adam: Melanie Martinez singing “Crazy”
As soon as I read what Melanie would be singing, I could hear exactly what she’d do with it. It was an interesting song choice on Melanie’s part, but it was pretty boring. At this point, I think Melanie’s time is definitely up.
Round One Rankings
- Amanda Brown
- Terry McDermott
- Cassadee Pope
- Nicholas David
- Trevin Hunte
- Melanie Martinez
Team Blake: Terry McDermott singing “Stay With Me”
I bet you ten dollars that my mom loved this one. And it was really good. Predictable, but the dude can sing. He never sings an off note. It was a fun, energetic, skilled performance.
Team Cee Lo: Trevin Hunte singing “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going”
First of all, Trevin sweetie, this song is not “by Jennifer Hudson”. It was around before the Dreamgirls movie. Second of all, well played. This was a song that really showed off what Trevin can do. I thought his time was up, but this performance might have saved him for another week. Can someone cast him in RENT or something, please? (He’d be a perfect Collins.)
Team Adam: Amanda Brown singing “Here I Go Again”
A classic rock song was a good contrast to the classic R&B song Amanda chose for herself, but I worried it was too boring for Amanda. Then she hit that high note in rehearsal with Adam and I realized she can Amanda-fy anything. I really like this song, and the performance was very good.
*Sidenote: Ugghh, you guys, I normally fast forward through all the Christina Milian crap, but I watched the last half live this week. She doesn’t have any hobbit in her YET? Barf. Also, he is a married man! Back off, Milian!
Team Adam: Melanie Martinez singing “The Show”
Well this was freakin’ adorable. It looked like something Taylor Swift would pull off, but Melanie looked uncomfortable having to move around the stage. She needed to be having fun, and that’s what was lacking in the performance. It was off – I think there is a fan base for Melanie out there, but her time on The Voice is definitely up. Melanie looked really disappointed with her own performance, and I felt bad for her. Also, I think it’s hilarious that Christina is without her own team now and itchin’ to coach everyone else now.
Team Blake: Cassadee Pope singing “I’m With You”
There is a definitely a similarity between Cassadee and Avril Lavigne, but I like Cassadee much, much more. She’s already done an Avril song, and I was hoping she’d leave it at that. I wish she’d do some No Doubt or The Pretenders or something. Anyway, the good thing is that she sings all these songs better than the originals. She killed this one.
Team Cee Lo: Nicholas David singing “Somewhere Over The Rainbow”
Sigh. Sorry, Nicholas, but this isn’t a song you mess with. I didn’t like the changes he made to the song, and sometimes it sounded like his pitch was off. It just wasn’t my favorite performance from Nicholas, even though it was pretty in parts.
Round Two Rankings
- Trevin Hunte
- Amanda Brown
- Terry McDermott
- Cassadee Pope
- Nicholas David
- Melanie Martinez
I think based on the two sets of rankings, it’s clear who I think the bottom two performers left are. Amanda remains my favorite overall. I like Cassadee quite a bit, and Terry impressed me more than usual this week. I think Trevin is a wonderful singer, but this format (and popular music) isn’t always the best for people with those big voices.
What did you guys think of the show?
