FloorWax reviews every TVUS Winner's Journey (Season 22 Posted!)

[AliXRose]

Rose stans RISE UP !

[FloorWax]

Andddd here’s Katie! I’ll finally get to post another winner in the next few days lol

 

Auditions: Baby I Love You by Aretha Franklin

What an incredible opening to the season this was. Besides boasting a voice with enough power to topple buildings, Katie also has a very distinct tone. I don't think I've ever heard anything quite like it. Her raspy, throaty vocals may not be everyone's cup of tea, but you can't deny this woman's talent. She had SOUL.

 

Battles: Tiny Dancer by Elton John

Destiny was a competent pop singer, but c'mon, Katie won that from her very first line. Her voice is so effortlessly powerful that she's bound to outshine almost anyone she duets with. Girl was doing the lower harmonies and she still sounded more present. A beautiful battle overall, though!

 

Knockouts: Piece of My Heart by Janis Joplin

Some people who weren't on the Katie train found the theatrics in her KO to be over-the-top and distracting, but I respectfully disagree. This performance always puts a smile on my face, and I love every second of it. It's one of my favorites from her, and I'm not sure if that's a popular opinion. She, along with two other finalists, had the best three KOs that season. 

 

Playoffs: Always Remember Us This Way by Lady Gaga

I actually don't love this performance, as I'm not sure this delicate ballad was the best fit for Katie's gruff voice. However, I recognize that it was essential for her to have a moment like this and prove to the audience that she has a softer side. And because that night was so weak, she ended being one of, if not the best performer anyway.

 

Top 13: I'm Goin' Down by Mary J. Blige

Now this is more of the Katie Kadan I love! This dramatic pop soul song was a perfect choice for her voice and theatricality. She was feeling that song! Seeing how good Katie was at her best makes me disappointed about what happened towards the end of her run, but I'm getting ahead of myself. Top notch live performance.

 

Top 11: Without You by Harry Nilsson

If there's one thing that Katie knows how to do, it's bringing the drama to a performance. That's part of the reason why her Playoff didn't really work for me. In contrast, this melodramatic ballad allowed her to showcase that theatricality, while still having a big emotional moment. This performance was so powerful, so grandiose, that I felt like I was watching the finale. Truth be told, maybe Katie should've saved this one for later, as I think this is where she hit her peak. 

 

Top 10: Rolling in the Deep by Adele

Katie singing Adele seems like a decent idea on paper, as she certainly has the pipes for her songs, but perhaps "Rolling in the Deep" just wasn't the right choice? This performance was the first of hers' that didn't do anything for me and I can't really explain why.

 

Semifinals: Lady Marmalade by LaBelle

The Semifinals are usually the round where every frontrunner gets to have their little moment, but unfortunately, that didn't happen with Katie. I don't whose idea it was to stick Katie with "Lady Marmalade" on such a crucial round, but I hope they received consequences for their actions. Now, this was far from bad—I liked it better than the performance from last week—but it was not what Katie needed. She still got a PV either way, but this did nothing to boost her momentum. Oh well, Jake was winning no matter what, so.

 

Finals: All Better by Katie Kadan

Maybe instead of giving Katie a bootleg version of "RIver" by Bishop Briggs, they should've just let her sing that song? Kidding aside, this had more personality than your average Voice original song, so that's something at least. It was a good fit for Katie.

 

Finals: I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing by Aerosmith

Couldn't they have found another ballad, ANY other ballad for Katie to sing besides... this? Like, it obviously wasn't bad, for I think Katie is incapable of turning in a bad performance, but this felt like karaoke. Her powerful voice and distinct tone did all the heavy lifting on this one, as I can't imagine how dull it would be if a less interesting singer was given this song.

Katie's run from her audition all the way to Top 11 was nearly flawless, but she was done dirty with the song choices in the final stretch. However, like with Ricky and Rose, there wasn't one moment where Katie faltered. Her stentorian vocals and commanding stage presence characterized every single one of her performances, even the ones which I didn't quite love. But most of all, she was unique, and while that caused her to be a little polarizing, she remains one of the most memorable contestants we've had as a result.

[Hamza Tufail]

I think Without You is my fav from her.

 

Her blind, battle, KO, PO, and Top 13 were all fantastic as well.

 

Also, when her KO aired I preferred Max, but now I think I prefer her.

[allistr]

Katie is a type of contestants I normally wouldn't enjoy because of the musical styles, but looking back, I think she deserved that spot in the finale. She's so consistent, has strong vocals and she will unleash the beast inside her yet also pour her heart out whenever she needed for the moments.

 

 

Her talents are UNDENIABLE.

Edited June 19, 2023 by allistr

[nytsch]

I actually disagree about RITD I really liked it and I thought it had enough soulfulness for her to really do well with it. Her last 2 were not that great and iirc the Aerosmith cover wasn’t perfect technically either (which is unusual for her) but her tone and power still did enough of the work for me.

 

Also I don’t think her BA has been topped since and before that I’d have to go all the way back to Alisan to find one I liked that much.

 

Also yes some appreciation for Rose’s Border Song! (how lucky were we to get them both in one season lol) My favorite performance from her is between that and IWTKWLI, Gods Country was amazing too but I just enjoyed her take on the other 2 more.

[Misirlou]

Katie was fantastic. Her voice was made for the blues. 

 

Also, I´m assuming a lot of people that didn´t like her KO haven´t taken a listen to Janis Joplin´s original, because it´s even gruffer and more over the top.

[erik g]

Katies's "I'm Going Down" is definitely one of my favorite performances of that season. 

[erik g]

2 hours ago, AliXRose said:

Rose stans RISE UP !

[Gustavo527]

4 hours ago, FloorWax said:

Sorry this took a little longer than expected, Rose's run was so good that I actually watched it twice over lol. This post is nothing but a Rose lovefest so enjoy!

 

Blinds: Preach by John Legend
This rather dull John Legend song isn't exactly one that I'm dying for my favorite contestants to cover, but Rose sang the chorus with so much power that I'm not even mad at her choice. Kelly wasn't lying when she said that Rose annihilated the original singer lol. Of course, John didn't turn around for whatever reason but I'm glad that a singer like her ended up landing on Team Gwen.

Battles: Can't Feel My Face by The Weeknd
Poor Jessie tried his hardest but alas, he was no match for Rose's natural power and presence. That woman exudes confidence on stage and her vocals completely back it up. The song choice didn't give her an opportunity to shine, but for what it's worth, I don't think she could've done any better than she did here.

Knockouts: Big White Room by Jessie J
A big part of what differentiates Rose from other diva type singers that we've had in the past is how gently she approaches the softer parts of the songs she sings. If you want an example, look no further than her KO, where her voice sounded so sweet and velvety, like a warm blanket in musical form. I loved how she caressed those beginning verses, letting the song build and build until finally hitting those earth-shattering notes that we all love her for. This was a perfect performance, definitely one of the highlights of both her run and the entire season.

Playoffs: What Have You Done For Me Lately by Janet Jackson
For a performance usually considered to be one of her weakest, this was pretty strong. Sure, it was kind of hard to hear her in the beginning, but I liked the unorthodox song choice, and she totally pulled it off. The second half was amazing! Maybe you guys should give this one another chance.

Top 13: I Turn To You by All-4-One
This is the kind of song choice that usually bores me to death but man Rose absolutely killed this! I always say that I appreciate when a performance flows well, and that’s true for Rose every time she got on stage. Her choices were always smart and tasteful and that’s what allows practically every performance from her to feel like a moment.

Top 11: Maybe I'm Amazed by Paul McCartney
I watched it and I enjoyed it but I genuinely don’t have anything to say. Everything that was good about Rose’s previous performances was also true for this one. What can I say, she’s consistent!

Top 10: God's Country by Blake Shelton
I recall there being discussions on IDF of Rose being bussed after we found out that she was singing a Blake Shelton song, but as someone who had heard the song prior, I knew that she was about to unleash something special. And my God was this performance something special. Rose had given us glimpses of the grit in her voice before, but on this song it was on full display. And it was incredible. Rose’s ability to cut through the noise with her voice is incredible, and she makes it look so effortless too. This is in my opinion, her best live performance, and one of the most iconic moments in recent Voice history.

Semifinals: I Want To Know What Love Is by Foreigner
At first, I wanted to comment on how Rose wasn't really doing much to make her version of this song stand out amongst the dozens of other covers out there. But as she went on, I realized that was just Rose doing what she always does: holding back in the beginning, then giving us everything by the end. The performance truly came alive in that last minute, with an emotional resonance that I don't think we've seen from Rose before. Yet another addition to Rose's catalogue of spectacular performances.

Instant Save: (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman by Aretha Franklin
After making daring song choices all season, Rose kind of deserved to take it easy with an Aretha classic for her Instant Save. Considering her opponents were Kat and Hello Sunday, she really didn't even have to try, but she blew the roof off the place nonetheless. INCREDIBLE instant save performance.

Finals: Steamroller by Rose Short
Honestly, for a Voice original song, this wasn't bad? It probably would've been incredibly bland in almost anyone else's hands but Rose really sold it the best she could. Even the dreaded Finale original song failed make a dent in Rose's straight A track record, what an icon.

Finals: Border Song by Elton John
You better close that Finale! And with a song that's never been done before or since too. This performance isn't usually included in discussions about Rose's best, but this is actually in my Top 3 from her. The vocals were incredible as always, but the passion on this one was something else. Rose going full gospel mode was the perfect way to end her flawless run; it felt like a celebration! If only she had won...

Rose Short is a gold standard for any female RnB/Soul singer that enters the show. Creative song choices, consistent throughout her run, can sing crazy vocals but never overdoes it, appropriate emotional delivery, hell, she even has a fun personality on top of all of that. I don't think she's the most vocally gifted AA diva, but I genuinely don't think there has been another whose run was as good as Rose's. She was phenomenal the whole way through.

Perfect run from beginning to end. One of the best contestants in the history of the show. She knew when to held back and when to blow the roof off.

[thevoicefan]

Katie's run was incredible

[Gustavo527]

I have been harsh on Katie on the past but i re-watched her run the other day, she is AMAZING! Her audition was one of the best of the history of the show, a woman with that type of deep voice?? She is definitely one of a kind. One of the most unique contestants ever. I loved her battle as well. I liked her knockout but it's not exactly

one of my favorites.  

 

I have to say, part of my criticism for her have to do with the fact that i get tired of her tone after a while. Like, yeah, i get impressed with her vocals but there is a point in her performances where my ears feel tired of the harshness of her voice (like with Juliett, nothing wrong with that, just not my thing) I personally loved the performances where she held back and showed a more vulnerable side, like ARUTW and Without You. 

 

And yeah, a lot of her song choices didn't do her any favors, like Lady Mermelade (WTF?? That is not a song for the freaking semifinal) and IDWMAT, which is a karaoke song at best and a meme song at worst. I Believe that with better song choices, she could have gotten second place (Jake was winning yes or yes, unfortunately)

[Gustavo527]

So, yeah, as if it wasn't already obvious, for me, Rose > Katie. 

[AliXRose]

Potentially controversial opinion : I was okay-ish with Rose not getting the PV cause I thought it was between her and Ricky and they were both great that night, but since Katie was probably third based on her finale placement, then Rose should’ve 100% gotten that third PV.

[FloorWax]

6 hours ago, Gustavo527 said:

I have been harsh on Katie on the past but i re-watched her run the other day, she is AMAZING! Her audition was one of the best of the history of the show, a woman with that type of deep voice?? She is definitely one of a kind. One of the most unique contestants ever. I loved her battle as well. I liked her knockout but it's not exactly

one of my favorites.  

 

I have to say, part of my criticism for her have to do with the fact that i get tired of her tone after a while. Like, yeah, i get impressed with her vocals but there is a point in her performances where my ears feel tired of the harshness of her voice (like with Juliett, nothing wrong with that, just not my thing) I personally loved the performances where she held back and showed a more vulnerable side, like ARUTW and Without You. 

 

And yeah, a lot of her song choices didn't do her any favors, like Lady Mermelade (WTF?? That is not a song for the freaking semifinal) and IDWMAT, which is a karaoke song at best and a meme song at worst. I Believe that with better song choices, she could have gotten second place (Jake was winning yes or yes, unfortunately)

 

Glad to hear you’ve had a change of heart! Katie’s tone is quite harsh yeah but that woman is an unbelievable singer.

[Hsamid]

 

 

Admittedly, at the time I didn't take notice of rose. I thought she was a disappointment vocally compared to past powerhouses and didn't have a unique or interesting enough tone or style to compensate for it.

 

However.. listening to her entire run, she might just be the most consistent powerhouse in a long time. As many of you said, She's a very tasteful singer that knows when to dial it back and go all out (maybe better than any other powerhouse) and you really get the most emotional impact out of the performance because of it. Her audition, KO, and her top 8 I'd say are the best examples of this. I also do think Border song is her best performance strictly on a vocal level.

 

 

As for Katie, she was my favourite among the contestants who made it far. her voice is pretty unique, and the power and theatrics of it can really fill a room like not many contestants before or since. Just like you, I'm a bigger fan of the first half of her run than the 2nd. I think a few of her song choices were more on range than power, and didn't allow her to fully utilize her strengths as a vocalist despite doing a decent enough job.

 

As for who I prefer. If I want an entertaining, upbeat vocal, I'll take Katie (I think she outshone Rose by a fair margin on their duet) For the ballads, I give the edge to Rose. Since I generally lean towards ballads, I prefer Rose nowadays.

[FloorWax]

I don’t know if anyone’s gonna be excited for it but the Jake writeup will be up soon within the day most likely.

[Hsamid]

1 hour ago, FloorWax said:

I don’t know if anyone’s gonna be excited for it but the Jake writeup will be up soon within the day most likely.

Will be interesting to see what you think of him compared to past country winners and contestants. Personally only remember "desperado" and "cover me up". I might revisit his run as well.

 

I may be wrong but I think he was considered the weakest of the country winners before S22

[Misirlou]

I actually prefer Katie´s voice to Rose, due to the blues grit it has (I tend to enjoy "dirty" voices a lot). However, even though her voice still shone, Katie´s song choices in the last few weeks of the show got really weird/ I wasn´t a fan. Lady Marmalade? I Don´t Wanna Miss a Thing? Come on. Rolling in the Deep was fine but I would have chosen something else as well.

 

Meanwhile,  while I could have done without the Foreigner song (she still did great), Rose did God´s Country, and a relatively obscure Elton John song, tracks you wouldn´t exactly expect a soul powerhouse to cover, and I appreciated that.

Edited June 20, 2023 by Misirlou

[Misirlou]

For real though, Lady Marmalade for Katie has to be one of the most bizarre semis song choices ever. It was fun, and she showed versatility, but it could have happened the previous week, not on such a crucial round. That's really the type of song TPTB gives to someone who's DOA going into the semis, not a frontrunner.

 

And with Ricky getting Let it Be and having a moment, that likely contributed to them switching the expected placements. (I remember Ricky being widely predicted as 3rd, and Katie being either the winner or runner up)

[FloorWax]

Just now, Misirlou said:

For real though, Lady Marmalade for Katie has to be one of the most bizarre semis song choices ever. It was fun, and she showed versatility, but it could have happened the previous week, not on such a crucial round. That's really the type of song TPTB gives to someone who's DOA going into the semis, not a frontrunner.

 

And with Ricky getting Let it Be and having a moment, that likely contributed to them switching the expected placements. (I remember Ricky being widely predicted as 3rd, and Katie being either the winner or runner up)

 

I think some users here also mentioned that despite Katie’s SM numbers being the highest every week, the comments were always a mixed bag.

[Misirlou]

30 minutes ago, FloorWax said:

 

I think some users here also mentioned that despite Katie’s SM numbers being the highest every week, the comments were always a mixed bag.

Yeah, I don't remember if that was given much importance here (could be wrong), but she did have Jake  beat on FB stats. I know a lot of people expected her to win, which is why I remember the panic here when LM was announced as her semis song, and again the following week with the Aerosmith song lol.

[FloorWax]

 

Season 17: Jake Hoot

Coach: Kelly Clarkson

 

 

Blinds: When It Rains It Pours by Luke Combs
After seasons of winners who made great impressions right from the get go, it's kind of interesting to see how aggressively average the Hoot's introduction to us was. Of course, the song choice did him zero favors, but if I knew nothing about Jake's run, I probably would've assumed that he was Knockouts fodder at best after watching this. When even Blake doesn't turn for a country singer, that's saying something. That said, it's not like he did bad, but nothing about this screamed "Contender". Besides him being a country singer, of course.

Battles: Always On My Mind by Willie Nelson
This performance, however, is where I began to take notice. The classic ballad did wonders for his nasal but strong country tone, and allowed him to shine in a way that his Blinds song didn't. This battle was reminiscent of Katie vs Destiny from the same season, in the sense that while the other singer did the best they could, Jake was just such an obvious choice for Kelly to move forward.

Knockouts: Cover Me Up by Jason Isbell
First of all, I feel the need to thank this performance for introducing me to the incredible Jason Isbell, who has now become one of my favorite songwriters of all-time. "Cover Me Up" is a gorgeous song, and I'm surprised that no one on this show has covered it since. Anyway, I remember being quite shocked at how good this performance was. His voice was booming with power on those choruses. However, nowadays, I feel like this has kind of shrunk on me? I just love the original so much that this truncated version doesn't do it for me, especially when it's missing the verse about sobering up. Still, this was an undeniably excellent KO, definitely his breakout moment.

Playoffs: You Lie by Reba McEntire
Oof, this was shakier than I remember it being. The switch from the pre-taped and live rounds this season was ROUGH, and Jake wasn't an exception. He seemed to have trouble finding the pocket for most of it, and those high notes sounded shockingly strained. He was going to move on no matter what but he's still lucky that the rest of Team Kelly sans Max also did pretty bad.

Top 13: Danny’s Song by Kenny Loggins
To Jake's credit though, this performance was a nice recovery. It's hard to go wrong singing "Danny's Song" because all you have to do really is turn in a genuine performance. It was here when I first noticed how awkward Jake looked on stage, but that kind of made this all the more endearing. He looks like a sweet dad who shocks everyone with his voice on karaoke night. This ended up being one of my favorites from him, pleasant surprise.

Top 11: Every Light in the House by Trace Adkins
Hmm. I've definitely garnered a deeper appreciation for country music in the past few years but this was just so... boring? I dozed off a few times while he was singing and by the time I post this on IDF, I'd have probably already forgotten what this sounded like. Oh, and there were pitch problems too. Not egregious, but definitely noticeable. Both boring and pitchy. Yikes.

Top 10: That Ain’t My Truck by Rhett Akins
Oh, Lord. Even if this was an improvement from last week's vocal, it was just as boring. Isn't Top 10 supposed to be Challenge Week? This was the safest Jake ever played it. He still got the streaming bonus after this, seriously?

Semifinals: Up Where We Belong by Joe Cocker (w/ Marybeth Byrd)
Marybeth sounded beautiful on the intro of this performance, but once Jake came in, the whole thing just slowly fell apart. Despite them both being country singers, their voices did NOT blend well together, and it's hard to tell who was off. I expected this to go much better.

Semifinals: Desperado by Eagles
I've been quite harsh on Jake for much of this writeup, but I'll give him some credit: this was his best to date. I thought it was a smart choice to just let him stand in place while singing this, because not only was he laser-focused on his vocals, but the awkwardness that usually permeates his performances was absent here. No pitch issues to be found either. He did a great job with delivering the story of the song, and because of that, I actually preferred his version to Alisan's. This was gorgeous, and if it were based strictly on the Semifinals, he 100% deserved that PV.

Finals: Wintersong by Sarah McLachlan
Let's get the obvious out of the way. Kelly sounded absolutely phenomenal! She sounds impossibly perfect on every performance I hear from her like... how does she do it? She just steals the show every time, without needing to try very hard. And thankfully, Jake acquitted himself very nicely on this song, sounding better than he had for most of his live run. Their voices sounded great together too. One of the best coach duets in recent memory.

Finals: Better Off Without You by Jake Hoot
Ironically, even though Jake was the only contestant in the Finale who had a part in writing his original song, he ended up giving the weakest performance out of everyone. He just didn't sound like he was giving it his all for whatever reason. Katie, Ricky, and Rose all outsold.

Finals: Amazed by Lonestar
This was a solid end to Jake's run! After the disappointment that was his original song, I enjoyed this much better in comparison. The song choice fit him like a glove and the sincerity that characterized Jake's best covers was very much present. It wasn't amazing (heh) or anything, but at this point, all this guy needed to do was stick the landing, and that's what he did.

 

Overall:

I'm sorry, but with the runs of his three competitors fresh in my mind, I cannot in good conscience say that Jake was the rightful winner of Season 17. Upon a rewatch, I found his run to be quite underwhelming most of the time, especially for a winner. I enjoyed the performances where he was at his best, but not to the point where I'd want to watch them again and again. I wasn't able to mention this for some reason, but I guess I'm just not a fan of his tone? It's a bit too bright and nasal for my tastes, and rather generic too. Also, he was pitchy far too often on songs that shouldn't have been too difficult for him. It pains me a little to be this harsh, as he always seemed like such a genuine guy but what can I say, I'm not a fan. He had his moments; I don't think they were enough to justify his win.

Top 3 Performances:
1. Desperado
2. Cover Me Up
3. Danny's Song

 

Winners' Ranking (so far):

1. Maelyn Jarmon

2. Alisan Porter
3. Tessanne Chin

4. Sawyer Fredericks

5. Craig Wayne Boyd
6. Chloe Kohanski
7. Jordan Smith
8. Chris Blue
9. Josh Kaufman

10. Chevel Shepherd

11. Brynn Cartelli
12. Danielle Bradbery
13. Sundance Head
14. Cassadee Pope

15. Jake Hoot
16. Javier Colon
17. Jermaine Paul
18. ???

[Gustavo527]

Something i appreciate of Jake, is that he has a strong country tone. Sorry, but i can't stand when male country singers have these weak, thin tones (Tanner Gomes is an extreme example of this). But with him, i was able to somehow enjoy his performances because, despite being a pure country singer unlike Sundance who was partially soul and Craig who was partially country rock, he still has an strong country voice. But yeah, boring run overall, especially for a winner. At least he delivered on two crucial points in the competition, which are KO's and Semifinals.

[Misirlou]

Jake´s run was tricky for me. When he was on, he was ON, but most of the time, he didn´t need to be lol, he had the win in the bag the minute his KO was over. 

 

I actually liked his PO, and found everything after that up until his semis quite iffy, especially his T11 performance. 

 

The Eagles cover and duet with Kelly were phenomenal. 

 

I can´t really make a case for him being the winner of the season with the strong finalists he had on his side, but he did have a moment or 2 where he sounded like the winner.  Of course that shouldn´t just be it, but the guy can sing, for sure. Just wish he would have had more oomph in the lives. 

[nytsch]

I agree Jake was a disappointing winner given the overall strong (or at least interesting) season. I liked him more than you, but I agree the T11 and T10 were boring, I hoped it might be better since he can connect with those songs, but except a few parts where he added the growl, it didn’t do anything for me.