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1 hour ago, TeamAudra said:

Pete singing “Speechless” is the biggest bus I can recall in recent memory. 

His wife may have picked it as she picked all his other songs and we assumed he got bussed. The song choices did him in and he phoned in that IS performance. Shame because he was my fave and had some killer covers. Check them out if you can to compare. His U2 one was awesome. 

If Dana and Rachael get PV/CS who do you think will get the wild card spot? Jose Andrew or Devan? I’m leaning towards Devan despite his performance only because he got the votes to be the 4way knockout save 

1 minute ago, Misirlou said:

It doesn`t mean anything, honestly, it`s just a fun fact. At the end of the day, Blake stood up for Pete, for all of his team members, so it`s still anybody`s game for the save other than Cam, who`s getting the PV.

 

 

I was more reflecting on the fact that all four of them standing reflected their performance vs just Blake standing for Pete and I know a lot of people although they loved Pete’s performance it was the least favorite from Team Blake so it all correlates I hope I’m wrong as I really enjoy his performances and want to see what else he’s got 

4 minutes ago, Misirlou said:

Nobody cares probably, but there were 5 four coach standing ovations last night: Victor, Dana, Jordan, Anna and Cam.

This is why I fell Jordan Cam and Anna are safe and Pete will go home despite him being one of my faves )); 

1 hour ago, VoiceFan! said:

I’m so curious to see who Blake and Kelly save

I feel like Blake will pick Anna maybe to give Ryleigh and Rachel some competition if they all make it to finals almost like having a woman rep as he mentioned when he saved her but I think Jordan is most deserving of the save and even though I’m a huge Pete fan last night didn’t do it and I think Blake may not save him due to the optics.

On Team Kelly it’s so stacked but I feel like she will save Corey as she’s chosen him twice already and his competitor has been saved (I.e Gihanna this time) Zaes performance last night I don’t think was enough for Coaches Svae or Wildcard spot IMO 

2 minutes ago, Misirlou said:

Yeah, if Pete doesn`t get the CS, he`s done. Depending what Jordan`s WC song is, he could get it. (I hope it`s something like last night if he`s in that position).

I concur and Jordan outshone him in the lives and will get Wild Card IMO even Anna I feel made a bigger impact overall I watched Pete’s live where he said his wife picked both Pat Benatar and the Louis Cipaldi (sp?)  song which I had thought he got bussed but he chose this route hopefully not to his demise I just think had he come out in the lives with a stronger song he could have easily pushed thru to the lives guess we’ll have to wait and see! 

6 hours ago, peachfuz said:

Fuz Reviews Season 20: A Pretentious The Voice Anthology

The Playoffs: Pity for Pity's Sake

•:•.•:•.•:•:•:•:•:•:•:•☾☼☽•:•.•:•.•:•:•:•:•:•:•:•

TEAM KELLY

Corey Ward • Lewis Capaldi’s “Bruises” • Grade: B+

With Capaldi’s lion’s roar of a ballad handed to the most emotionally potent voice left in the competition, I went into this opening performance with two expectations; that it would take a mountain-moving vocal to top his intimate “Already Gone” a few weeks ago, and that Corey’s voice was big enough to handle a song of this size. Sure enough, Corey took the song and just nearly owned it, emoting with 100% of his being while rising from a tremulous opening to the howl of the chorus. As someone who’s adored the returnee since the premiere, I can say with full confidence that, vocally, this was far from Corey’s finest moment–the first chorus teetered on the edge of yelly, and he seemed so overcome by the bridge that he straight up lost control of his falsetto. Thankfully, Corey acquitted himself, and the final declaration of the song was done with control and absolute fervor. It was far from perfect, but this was a performance that earned him a spot in the Top 9 next week.

 

Gihanna Zoë • Lady Gaga's “Always Remember Us This Way” • Grade: B-

I came into this performance with far more optimism than I expected I would have when I first heard Gihanna; I wasn't convinced on her vocal ability until her stunning rendition of "Glitter in the Air" back in the Knockouts. That said, A Star Is Born's swan song seemed to be a size or two too big for Gihanna's gentle vocal stylings; this seemed more like a job for Team Legend's Zania, no? On stage, Gihanna started with such delicacy that it felt like she was just barely grazing the lyric. As the song grew bigger, Gihanna did as well... although not exactly in conjunction with the song itself. Her vocal was strong, but, as a whole, the song demands a lot of maturity and bombast, and Gihanna, as great a vocalist she is, doesn't fill the space that Always Remember requires for someone to shine. Not to say it was a bad vocal–aside from a few hinky notes and what seemed to be a general audio issue, it was certainly passable. I just wonder if passable is enough at this point in the competition–and on a team as strong like this.

 

Zae Romeo • Miley Cyrus' "When I Look At You" • Grade: C

Listen, I'm not gonna pretend that Zae hasn't been one of my favorites all season–for good reason, too, considering I think his track record this season has been about as spotless as Team Blake's Cam Anthony. As such, you could imagine how my expectations crumbled before my eyes when Zae took to the live stage and his voice, once fluid as a glass of water, sounded about as pleasant to the ears as a rock inside of a blender. So much rasp was driven into his Miley Cyrus cover that, to the ear, he was nearly unrecognizable... and I'm afraid that's not a good thing. Zae's vocal was rough tonight; although his opening verses showed promise, he seemed to generally struggle with his range more than he has all season, and the song seemed overwrought, almost unpleasant at times. Wasn't this the guy who pretty much reinvented "Electric Love" last we see him? Love the guy to death, but he's in trouble tonight, I worry.

 

Kenzie Wheeler • Brooks and Dunn's "Red Dirt Road" • Grade: A-

As someone who's never really clicked with country artists in the first place, Kenzie's performance tonight made me wonder if it was the genre that I didn't like, or the lack of impressiveness exhibited by his predecessors, because damn! The Floridan injected so much wistful storytelling into his homage to Brooks and Dunn, and his vocal was nothing but resonant. If I have a single gripe with Wheeler, it's his presentation as a performer; great as he is as a vocalist, he looks about as excited to be onstage as a teenager earning money during his summer afternoons as a Chuck E. Cheese mascot boy. Love the guy's vocals, but I'd love to love watching him just as much. If he can address the showmanship, however? He'd be a legitimate–and absolutely deserving–candidate for Carter Rubin's crown.

(That said, would love for the Voice team to get their shit together and tighten up the sound mix; Kenzie was one of several vocalists who were affected for the worse by it. Isn't the point that we're supposed to, I dunno, hear them?)

 

TEAM LEGEND

Ryleigh Modig • Olivia Rodrigo's "drivers' license" • Grade: A-

Ryleigh's musical stylings are intricate, fluttery, and sweet as candy on the best songs... but her Knockout was a strong indication of her need for the best songs in order for her to truly shine. Thankfully, I think the producers made the right choice on Ryleigh where they failed on several other artists later on in the night, because Ryleigh's take on "drivers' license" fit her vocal elegance to a T. The song gave her enough room to inject genuine emotion and heart into her performance, and the moments of airy falsetto and head voice were delivered with near-perfect accuracy (minus a crack during the bridge leading into a brief wobble in her voice, one from which she recovered from). Best of all, "drivers' license" had enough force to it where it felt like it had pacing and energy, but not enough where Ryleigh fell behind (a la "Use Somebody"). This was the performance Ryleigh both wanted and needed... and it might be enough for her to become a serious dark horse.

 

Zania Alaké • Ariana Grande's "Dangerous Woman" • Grade: what the freak, TPTB? (Translation: C-)

Oy vey, guys. What on Earth happened? Not to Zania, but to John and the producers? How stupid do you have to be to hand the most vocally proficient artist on your team a song that fits her stylings about as well as my hulking, straggly figure fits into a pair of skinny jeans. Zania is a performer that instills fire into every performance–not that we needed reminding after last week's revelation to the tune of Gladys Knight. Tonight, though, Zania's performance barely gave us a spark. Not for a lack of trying from the singer herself–she did her absolute best to drive the song home and perform the hell out of it. And her performance, visually, was convincing–but the cavalcade of wince-worthy notes, unperfected runs, and moments where her flat vocal faded into the noise overpowered her. Jesus, what is it with all of my favorites dropping the ball tonight? And who in God's name thought the sweet, soulful Zania matched nicely with the youthful electricity of a Grande song? Did her and Gihanna accidentally get song-swapped or something?

 

Pia Renee • Jazmine Sullivan's "Need U Bad" • Grade: B-

After the inexplicable tragedy of Zania's performance, I went into Pia's number with my fingers crossed: she was yet another artist I hadn't quite ~gotten~ until her impeccable Knockout performance. Thankfully, I reckon Pia's performance was definitely more than a few steps above Zania's vocally, although, like Zania, she didn't quite recapture the magic of her previous outing. If anything's to blame, it's the departure from the genre that did her all of the favors; R&B-reggae is more in her wheelhouse, sure, but this song deprived her of a real "moment", I worry. I still found myself pleased–and, in the case of the run that capped her performance off, quite impressed–by her performance as a whole, but the silky slyness of Sullivan's lyric was lost with some audible strain and a clear mismatch in singer volume to sound mixing. Again, I quite like actually hearing my performers in this show about music! All that said, the coaches' feedback she received, coupled with her teammate's missteps the performance before, makes me think she might not wholly be in danger. 

 

Victor Solomon • Stevie Wonder's "I Wish" • Grade: B+

At the end of Victor's gritty, groovy take on Stevie Wonder's funkalicious single (did i really just call it "funkalicious"? jesus.) left me with one thought: "Dayum!". This was immediately followed by another: "I sure wish I could hear him over the band." JESUS, THE VOICE! Was sound mixing really that hard for y'all tonight? Because I would've absolutely killed to experience a little more of the fervor Solomon delivered tonight. Victor's performance wasn't vocally perfect, but, with that kind of fierceness and entertainment value, it didn't need to be. Best of all, through all of the dancing and vibing he delivered, while at times raspy and a little unintelligible, still most (if not all) of the marks technically. The guy knows his wheelhouse, and he knows how to perform, that's for sure. A well-earned four man standing ovation, in my opinion. 

 

TEAM NICK

Dana Monique • En Vogue's "Free My Mind" • Grade: A

And I thought Victor's performance was worth a "dayum!"! If that's the metric, Dana's absolute showstopper left me less like "Dayum!" and more like "Sweet lord,  I just got hit by a freight train and I absolutely mean that in the nicest way possible." Her rendition of the En Vogue classic was the complete package; fiery, fierce, reaching for just about every star in the sky possible and not leaving one unturned. She didn't leave a single piece behind after she finished, absolutely devouring every note, every run, every little moment for herself. And, by the end, I had to wonder: how on Earth does someone perform at this level of professionalism and ferocity without getting tired? One thing was for sure; that was one hell of a performance. And, I hope, that was the moment she needed to propel herself to the status of a genuine frontrunner she absolutely deserves.

 

Andrew Marshall • Corinne Bailey Rae's "Put Your Records On" • Grade: D+

As I knead my forehead with two fingers and rest my head in the palm of my free hand against my desk, I try and consider what was mixed into Mark Burnett's drink that made him and his team think that the electronic snoozefest that was Ritt Momney's cover of Rae's summer-soft feel-good tune would give rocker Andrew a performance that would rock America's cradle. The end result of this beautiful disaster of a song choice... well, actually, I'd hesitate to call it a disaster, per se. Marshall made the most of it, bringing as much chill and range as he physically could to the song. Unfortunately, there was no ignoring the one-note nature of the song, the sheer absence of any hook or moment, the notes unhit and the arrangement unrealized, and the awkward shuffling and strutting Andrew demonstrated in an ill-advised attempt at making him seem like a low-key indie-type artist. Consider me utterly unconvinced. All-around uncomfortable. 

 

José Figueroa Jr. • Bruno Mars' "Talking To The Moon" • Grade: B-

After delivering a performance that made me desperately crave a drink, I looked forward to whatever José was offering, hoping it would be as sweet as the saccharine vocals he delivered earlier this season. To my misfortune, however, this felt less like a Shirley Temple and more like a bottle cap full of mouthwash. José's assignment of this early Bruno Mars hit wasn't as evident of a mismatch between song and singer as a few others tonight, but José made it very clear through his middling passion that it was a song unwanted by him nonetheless. Aside from, yet again, the abysmal sound mix, there were sparks of polish in Figueroa's performance–a few notes and runs really hit the mark. It's a real shame that the performance was offset by pitch problems and perhaps the worst case of being unable to hear the poor guy anyone had all night. I'm telling y'all right now, José absolutely deserved better... and we know he can do better, at that. I can only hope tonight's performance was enough to at least send him to a chance at the Save.

 

Devan Blake Jones • The Backstreet Boys' "Shape Of My Heart" • Grade: C

Let me tell y'all, I think it's been a long time since a Voice result has garnered such a glorious reactionary wheeze from me, but the absolute out-of-left-field-ness of Devan's advancement (over the more marketable Carolina or the generally more memorable Savanna, unfortunately) was such a "what the freak" for me that I had to laugh. If only his performance wasn't such a muddled, generally forgettable snoozefest. Like, listen, I like Devan; guy's got a weapon in the form of his head voice. Just doesn't seem like he knows how to use it to its full potential. I gotta say, it's not a good sign that the few moments I remember from a performance are the ones that weren't great–when the falsetto high note nearing a screech is more memorable than the good moments, you're in trouble, I fear. Not a great moment for Team Nick or  the concept of the Four-Way Knockout.

 

Rachel Mac • Kacey Musgraves' "Rainbow" • Grade: B

Three performances ranging from middling to painful later, Rachel's youthful imperfections and intonations felt like the eye of the storm for me; somehow, this girl who I haven't loved throughout the competition was practically a breath of fresh air, to the point where I almost overranked the hell out of her pleasing, pleading Kacey Musgraves cover. Upon a second listen, Rachel's inexperience showed a little more, manifesting in cracks and sparks of breathlessness. Rachel's not an artist who demands perfection, however; it's the delicate artfulness of her vocal, the dainty air embedded in her musical storytelling that drives it, and, if that's the qualification we're going off of, then this was Rachel in her element. A shaky final verse and a few breaks in her earnestness aside, Rachel sang with sincerity, which bordered on beauty in her best moments tonight. Far from perfect, but absolutely worthy of the Semifinals, in my opinion.

 

TEAM KELLY

Jordan Matthew Young • Fleetwood Mac's "Gold Dust Woman" • Grade: B+

I'll be honest; for all of the performers that really "clicked" for me during this season's sublime two weeks of Knockouts, Jordan is one of the few that didn't quite strike my fancy. Not that I dislike or even don't care for him, but his gravelly musicianship hadn't really struck a chord with me just yet. After tonight, though? With all of the smoky electricity he delivered, that was a practically perfect strum. This was a perfect song for Jordan to shine with, and he took full advantage of Fleetwood's ode to the devil's powder gave him the opportunity to sing like a man half-possessed. That intensity backfired for only a moment near the end when he lost a bit of that control driving him, but the stumble was a momentary blemish in an otherwise rock-solid shred of excellence. I can only wonder how on fire Jordan can get from here.

 

Anna Grace • Passenger's "Let Her Go" • Grade: A-

Jeez, Anna's arc throughout this season, for me, has been a nearly uphill slope; going from "four chairs? Really?" to "rivaling Corey for the most emotionally heartbreaking performer left in the competition" in the span of four performances. "Let Her Go" was understated, graceful, nearly the perfect mix of Ryleigh's dainty elegance and Rachel's earnest storytelling. The result? A ballad imbued with experience and emotionality. Although I worry the lack of much buildup throughout the song may have bored a few viewers, I found myself completely enraptured; Anna's instrument goes far beyond just her vocal ability, and that's been made no clearer at any other point as it was tonight.

 

Pete Mroz • Pat Benatar's "We Belong" • Grade: B

Ohhhh, Pete, Pete, Pete. How desperately I've wanted to love you all season. I can't fully express just how much I want to love Pete as much as Blake does, but the poor guy just straight up hasn't been given a chance to really shine. And Pete on Pat Benatar sounded like it'd go about as well as Pete on Lewis Capaldi did before he, well, won his Knockout. As a whole, "We Belong" went along about as well as a small bowl of vanilla ice cream; tasty, for sure, and definitely worth the time and taste buds, but, without toppings, the experience felt sorely incomplete. Pete has been desperately lacking spice throughout his run own the show, and, as great of a vocalist he is, I worry the absence of flavor compared to his teammates might be his undoing. Still, if this happens to be his final performance, I at least can't say he's had a bad run on the show. I just wish he had one I would remember more distinctly.

 

Cam Anthony • Hozier's "Take Me To Church" • Grade: A
With so many of my favorites dropping the ball tonight, I awaited Cam's vocal with more bated breath than I've waited for a performance on The Voice for a good minute. Was the wait worth it, a la Team Blake's could-be frontrunner at this point in the competition last season? Unlike the Minivan's favorite trio, Cam ended the night in perfect harmony with himself, absolutely bringing the electricity a performer needs to really shine when singing live. I couldn't name a single point in the performance where I wasn't in complete awe of the guy; it was just. That. Good. So on-the-mark, so smooth, so much range and sincerity, so much belief in the vocal, so much passion, so much showmanship! How is it possible for someone to deliver four performances, all completely different from each-other in genre and tone, and all so perfect? I'm calling it now, y'all–Cam's gotta mess up bad to not win himself the crown this season. Now, quote me on that so I can look like a jackass when he gets 3rd in a few weeks.

 

FINAL PERSONAL RANKINGS

1. Cam Anthony

2. Dana Monique

3. Ryleigh Modig

4. Anna Grace

5. Corey Ward

6. Kenzie Wheeler

7. Victor Solomon

8. Jordan Matthew Young

9. Rachel Mac

10. Pete Mroz

11. José Figueroa Jr.

12. Gihanna Zoë

13. Pia Renee

14. Zae Romeo

15. Devan Blake Jones

16. Zania Alaké

17. Andrew Marshall

 

Predicted Top 9: Corey Ward, Kenzie Wheeler, Ryleigh Modig, Victor Solomon, Rachel Mac, Dana Monique, Cam Anthony, Jordan Matthew Young, Anna Grace

Love your reviews! I did want to mention tho you got Team Kelly on there twice I think you forgot to put Team Blake instead of you wanna edit the fix. But other than that spot on on everything especially that vanilla ice cream analogy on Pete lol as a Petefan that’s exactly how I felt I wanted him to do something bold and strong like Layla or pretty much anything else than Pat Benatar lol 

1.Cam

2.Kenzie

3.Dana

4.Corey

5.Rachel 

Just now, QueenMae16 said:

next highest votes on each team. 

Okay so say Pete got the second highest votes behind Cam but isn’t the Coach’s save he would get wildcard?  And technically the coaches save could be the last place voice right? 

Can someone explain to me how the wildcard is picked? Is it the bottom two on each team? 

6 minutes ago, QueenCami said:

in 30 minutes, I think

Thanks I’m on the live stream waiting watching access Hollywood lol I normally just catch the clips but I wanna see the coaches comments wish they added those on the YouTube videos and clips. 

What time does the PT stream start?? 

5 hours ago, FloorWax said:

My thoughts on Zae and Zania since they're the only ones I haven't heard yet prior to now:

 

Zania - Probably my favorite of her team, but I don't think it's enough to get her the PV over Victor.

 

Zae - It's insane and f***ed up that 1-2 of Corey, Gihanna, and Zae have to go home. All 3 of them have excellent studios. This sounds like a moment.

Agreed all of Team Kelly should go thru disappointed in song choices for Team Blake but hoping Pete and Cam pull it out and beat the bus. 

5 hours ago, Bk1234 said:

Emma’s studio is SO good

Agreed hope she makes it! Love to see her perform ! 

I think it would be cool if someone did “Austin” for playoffs if Emma Caroline makes it i think she could do something with it or even Cam Ive heard him song Tenesee Whiskey and flip it I’d love to see it as it’s it anni and the voice anni I just hope we get some cool songs and not the same ones we see year after year the go tos if you will. 

42 minutes ago, Hamza Tufail said:

I will always love you would be a great choice for Jose.

 

Also, probably unpop but I really loved Jose's parts of his battle and I liked his BA too.

I have a feeling he’s gonna be dark horse there’s always that unexpected contestant that comes out in playoffs I’m gonna bet on Jose he may have been kept in background for a reason by TBTB imho 

1 hour ago, Daillon said:

Why does that matter? 

 

Anyways, guys singing Adele usually ends up really badly on The Voice (unless you’re Jordan lol) so I hope he stays away from it.

I guess it’s his signature but for me it just screams like Vegas lounge singer but your right it doesn’t affect his vocal ability and I was thinking of when Christian Cuevas and Jason Warrior killed it during their battles performance. But they definitely emoted so we’ll have to see if be surprised if he picked that but pleasantly Monday can’t come soon enough! 

41 minutes ago, QueenCami said:

I think it's a pretty emotional song and so far he hasn't done too much of that. If he continues with the trend of his previous performances, he'll probably come up wtih a very vocally impressive one but I'm not confident in how well he'd emote on it.

Executed correctly tho he could kill it he May be playing the victor game and leaving the emotion and big moment for playoffs would be a sight to see anytime anyone sings Hello and nails it it’s a winner 

Ps I just hope he doesn’t wear another glitter jacket

On 5/2/2021 at 2:24 PM, jakesz said:

Some of y'all suggestions were that good, that it was impossible not to include them, lmao. S20 is such a dang good season, that I could think of a song for almost every contestant, seeing them slay some of these would be iconic.

 

KELLY:

Corey Ward - Train Wreck (James Arthur)

Gihanna Zoë - If I Were A Boy (Beyonce)

Kenzie Wheeler - What Hurts The Most (Rascal Flatts)

Savanna Woods - Smells Like Teen Spirit (Nirvana)

Zae Romeo - Creep (Radiohead)

 

JOHN:

Carolina Rial - Fighter (Christina Aguilera)

Pia Renee - Milion Reasons (Lady Gaga)

Ryleigh Modig - cellophane (FKA twigs)

Victor Solomon - Stand Up (Cynthia Erivo)

Zania Alake - A Song For You (Donny Hathaway)

 

NICK:

Andrew Marshall - Fix You (Coldplay)

Dana Monique - Ain't Nobody (Chaka Khan)

Devan Blake Jones - Let Me Love You (Mario)

Jose Figueroa Jr - Hello (Adele)

Rachel Mac - Both Sides Now (Joni Mitchell)

 

BLAKE:

Anna Grace - drivers licence (Olivia Rodrigo)

Cam Anthony - Jealous (Labirinth) 

Emma Caroline - I Could Use A Love Song (Maren Morris)

Jordan Matthew Young - The Letter (Joe Cocker)

Pete Mroz - Tears In Heaven (Eric Clapton)

 

With these song choices, I could clearly see Rachel, Pete, Zania, Corey, Cam, Victor, Dana and Kenzie go through. And that's how it probably will go down.

José Figueroa Jr singing Adele??!! Now that could be a game changer id love to see 

1 hour ago, Elliott said:

Vote splitting isn’t a thing when the votes are capped. The whole concept of the term became a thing when the votes were unlimited and voting for a second (or third) contestant would mean you were actually taking votes away from your first pick. If you can only vote for each contestant 10 times, voting for 2 or 3 contestants doesn’t change anything.

 

That said, some combination of Willie, Grace and Caleb are my picks. Casey, Chayce, Hunter and Arthur seem like locks for the Top 5.

I can’t see Willie going home people love him but agree with the rest 

2 hours ago, pauwis said:

He deleted that history. I have no idea what song would be. Victor, give better clues

 

my dream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nl9W7Zj7ic

 

Good guess based on arm movement would be fun to 

4 minutes ago, QueenCami said:

Same! I love her effortless runs ("how many lies that I've lied") and her tone!

Yeah that tone gets me ! I think Carolina may win it tho because her social media game was on point and her fans spread it too so we’ll see excited for Monday and even rooting for Dion! Whoever gets it will be well deserved they are all 4 so talented in different ways can’t wait to find out! 

6 hours ago, Bk1234 said:

I’d be fine with her winning it. I love re-watching her performance. She’s grown so much since her audition.

Same although it’s unpopular opinions loooooved savanna’s but something about Emma just seemed vulnerable and raw to me sometimes imperfection is perfection 

Long time lurker first time poster forever Team Blake fan! Signed up just to comment about road to lives.... who thinks/wants them to air the Jose and Raine battle?? Due to the controversy I’d love to see it in full and hello ratings! Just hoping they add something different and it’s not just a edge to edge recap