On Monday night’s performance finale, finalists Adam Wakefield, Alisan Porter, Laith Al-Saadi, and Hannah Huston squared off for the last time. The contestants were each asked to sing a solo cover, an original song and a duet with their respective coach.
Thanks to her coach Pharrell Williams, Hannah Huston had the most polished original track as she looked like a seasoned pro strutting across the stage. While I wasn’t sure about the song itself, Hannah sold me with her performance as she really looked like a winner as she effectively played to both the camera and the crowd. In terms of the most improved contestant still remaining in the competition, I feel like she is only rivalled by Laith Al-Saadi.
For her duet with Pharrell Williams, Hannah took on “Brand New.” The song is one that Pharrell originally recorded with Justin Timberlake and that was quite evident by him taking a starring role in the performance. I would have preferred to see Hannah take center stage in the duet given that it was her night to shine but she still sounded great.
Finally, Huston’s cover of “Every Breath You Take” by The Police was the only performance I didn’t thoroughly enjoy. The arrangement, while completely original, took away from the efficacy of the song and I just wish she would have stuck with a cover of the original (which could have really propelled her ascent into being the named the champion). While I appreciated the guts that the pre-school teacher from Nebraska exhibited in altering a classic, I would love to see her try this one without the changes.
I caught up with Hannah on the red carpet after the show.
Check out the video above!