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

[Hamza Tufail]

2 hours ago, Hsamid said:

I remember in the youtube comment section there were quite a number of people that preffered Hannah to Alisan because her tone was less grating.

 

Actually, I think that's why I don't like Alisan as much as other. In most of her live performances her tone was not pleasant to me at all. I dont think she ever topped her blind. Though her KO comes close.

I'm not a big of Alisan's tone either. Esp in Stone Cold, Stay With Me Baby, Cryin' and Desperado. But at the same time, I LOVED  Blue Bayou, Somewhere, Cry Baby, and River. Let Him Fly was great too.

 

But nonetheless, she's a Fantastic, versatile, risk taking vocalist, who 100% deserved to win (even tho an argument can be made in Adam's favor that he was almost just as consistent as her.)

[Dai]

12 hours ago, QueenCami said:

wait, seriously? that's insane, i thought you loved Alisan because her voice is one of the most powerful pop/rock/country voices we've had on the show, and Hannah's definitely a step below her in terms of power / range (though Hannah's insane as well). Do you prefer Hannah's tone to Alisan's? What would be the difference b/w the two if the song choices were equally good?

It’s close but yes. I am a sucker for raspy voices and the way she switched between rasp and head voice was *chef’s kiss*
 

I don’t like to admit it but I was slightly turned off by Alisan’s upper register at times (Stay With Me Baby and Stone Cold) That said the softer side of her voice remains unmatched and her high notes sounded great like 90% of the time so no big deal.

[FloorWax]

I’ll say what I have to say about Stone Cold soon 

 

I finished like 80% of the writeup yesterday then had to go do something else lol. 

[Hsamid]

2 hours ago, FloorWax said:

 

Season 13! I saw a commercial for it and I noticed it started the day after so I just gave it a go. Prior to that the only performances I knew were from those winners compilations.

Damn what a season to start watching the voice! The downside to that though is the upcoming seasons might have not lived up to your very first time watching TV for a full season..

 

So are you just gonna do the seasons you haven't watched fully?

[FloorWax]

1 hour ago, Hsamid said:

Damn what a season to start watching the voice! The downside to that though is the upcoming seasons might have not lived up to your very first time watching TV for a full season..

 

So are you just gonna do the seasons you haven't watched fully?

 

Season 14 was definitely a huge letdown to me. Lmao.

 

For some of the seasons I watched in full, the last time I saw most of the winners’ performances were when they first aired so… I’ll do these reviews for every winner because I want to see how my ranking ends up looking like.

[Hamza Tufail]

49 minutes ago, FloorWax said:

I’ll do these reviews for every winner because I want to see how my ranking ends up looking like.

Btw, just wanna say thanks for doing this bc I got to rewtach a lot of performances from my favs.

 

 

I was so excited to see where you'd place Jordan (You didn't disappoint, tbh). And even now too, to see where you'd place Alisan, Sundance, and Chris. And of course I really enjoy reading the write ups as well.

 

Even tho your Top 2 is predictable lol, but I'm really curious to know who else will be in your in top 5.

Edited April 17, 2023 by Hamza Tufail

[FloorWax]

26 minutes ago, Hamza Tufail said:

Even tho your Top 2 is predictable lol

I was tempted to place Craig above Jordan for the chaos but I controlled myself 

 

Btw Alisan write-up will be posted very shortly!

[Cookie73]

1 hour ago, FloorWax said:

 

Season 14 was definitely a huge letdown to me. Lmao.

 

For some of the seasons I watched in full, the last time I saw most of the winners’ performances were when they first aired so… I’ll do these reviews for every winner because I want to see how my ranking ends up looking like.

I do consider it to be one of the weakest seasons of the show. I’ll go into more detail later

 

Also, since Season 11 is next, I do want to mention that it was very poorly received here (be prepared for a lot of bad performances in Lives)

 

[FloorWax]

 

Season 10: Alisan Porter

Coach: Christina Aguilera

 

 

Auditions: Blue Bayou by Linda Ronstadt
This, now this is the definition of an all-timer. Of all the winners I’ve reviewed so far, or even the ones I’ve yet to review, very few made as good a first impression as Alisan did in this performance. I mean, everything about this was flawless, and she was hitting some DIFFICULT notes. The ease at which she hit that “man of mine… BY my side” will never not blow my mind. The ridiculously lovely head voice note she added at the very end was just the cherry on top. Certainly one of the best auditions ever, and its a shoe-in for my Top 10 if ever I get around to making one.

Battles: California Dreamin’ by The Mamas And Papas
Lacy Mandigo… she tried her absolute hardest to conquer the beast that is Alisan Porter, and while she absolutely killed it as well, Alisan was just on another level. Her high notes, as “showy” as they were, never felt out of place or done just for the sake of it. I don’t know why, but something about her stage demeanor in these earlier rounds makes it seem like she’s still not giving her 100% yet. It’s almost intimidating, and I applaud anyone who took on the impossible task of facing her.

Knockouts: River by Joni Mitchell
First of all, 10/10 SONG CHOICE. Any halfway decent performance of a song from the Blue album, I’ll end up being biased towards. Though of course, Alisan was much, much more, than halfway decent. Here, she showcased how lovely she sounded even in her lower register, proving that she doesn’t need to belt to sound compelling on a song. Even so, she still found a space to add her signature firepower, swapping out the high note usually done in head voice/falsetto with an earthshaking belt. Granted, I will say that the belt was my least favorite part of the performance, but I can’t say it wasn’t necessary. Amazing KO.

Playoffs: Cry Baby by Janis Joplin
Somebody contact American Idol on ABC to show them this performance, so they can finally learn the definition of a SHOWSTOPPER. A part of me was honesty expecting this to be a shouty mess, but Alisan’s voice is so controlled and powerful that it just worked. Also, her stage presence? That came out of nowhere! This woman was giving it her all on that stage, stomping about yet never losing a beat or her pitch. I can’t imagine there being many Playoff performances topping that. I am blown away yet again.

Top 12: Stone Cold by Demi Lovato
To absolutely no one’s surprise, this was another fantastic performance from Alisan. The restraint for the first half of this was the perfect way to make room for the utterly insane second half. Y’all, that run on “goodbye” at the end of the bridge? That was ridiculous. RIDICULOUS. And she went into the final chorus right after, which she demolished. I’ve seen some say this was too much for them, but honestly? I like this more than any of her pre-live performances. I don’t want to jinx anything but, this is five flawless A+/A’s in a row at this point. Utterly insane.

Top 11: Stay With Me Baby by Lorraine Ellison
Ahhh, the infamous Shilo Gold flop song choice (pre-reset IDF users might get that one). Once again, the diva’s astonishing pipes were at full display, but for some reason this didn’t seem like it was on the level of her previous performances. A reason for that might just be the song, which I don’t particularly enjoy, but this kinda seemed like a weaker version of her Playoff (which to me, was an A+, but this was still a B+/B imo). Still, much better than most contestants could dream of doing live.

Top 10: Let Him Fly by Patty Griffin
Let Him Fly is one of those songs I never would have discovered if it weren’t for The Voice, and I’m so thankful the show introduced me to this gorgeous folk/country ballad. It’s going to be hard to top the emotion of Patty’s performance, but damn if Alisan didn’t come close. Sensational performance, even if it probably won’t make my Top 3 (a testament to how insane her run is).

Top 9: Cryin’ by Aerosmith
I went into this performance knowing it’s widely regarded as one of her weakest, and I can’t say I disagree. This was the first time all season that she wasn’t pitch perfect for basically the entire performance. That said, it’s still a far cry (lol) from bad in my opinion. Just a misstep in song choice.

Semifinals: Desperado by Eagles
This felt like a quintessential Semis performance. Fated frontrunner swings for the fences by picking an emotional song that blows the roof off the place. This was a beautiful performance through and through, and to me, was probably her best showcase of storytelling in her entire run. However, I will say that this didn’t feel like that big a highlight from her in the grand scheme of things, but that’s a testament to how great she is that a performance like this ends up ranking in the middle of her run.

Semifinals: Angel From Montgomery by John Prine (w/ Adam Wakefield)
This was very good from both, and their voices blended beautifully, but I didn’t really get the sense that either contestant was trying all that hard. But at that point, they really didn’t need to anyway.

Finals: You’ve Got A Friend by Carole King
Both ladies sounded stunning on this one, with Alisan’s sharper tone contrasting nicely with Xtina’s thicker one. I liked that they showcased restraint too, with neither trying to overpower the other. Still, I can’t help but dream of what could have been if these two chose a powerhouse song for their duet.

Finals: Down That Road by Alisan Porter
For some reason, this one called to mind a great Cassadee Pope performance, with Alisan going pop country on a self-penned track. While it was definitely good, it, like most finale original songs, was pretty forgettable and ended up being her least essential performance to date. I won’t be remembering anything about this time tomorrow, that’s for sure.

Finals: Somewhere from The Westside Story
In truth, Alisan has been performing like she’s already in the finale all season, so I was curious to see how her actual finale cover would end up. And… this was gorgeous. The whole thing was just so elegant and well-paced, and she brought the emotion that a musical song like this really needed. It had that “awards show” feel to it that the judges sometimes blabber on about, with the staging and Alisan’s incredible poise. Am I going to remember it as one of her best? Probably not, because she has been even more incredible prior, but this was a satisfying way to end one of the best runs by any contestant ever.

 

Overall:

I think I’ve praised Alisan so much over this review that I’ve ran out of superlatives to use for this final write-up, but I’ll try my best lmao. Alisan’s run was actually the one I was most excited to watch out of everyone, as what I’d already seen from her beforehand (First 4 performances) was phenomenal. And who knew? Almost everything else was, too! Her Top 12, Top 10, and Semifinal performances were all stellar, and hell, I even liked Stay With Me Baby. The range, control, confidence, and stage presence she showed throughout the entirety of her run were so good that whichever coach she picked would basically have the trophy tied up in a neat bow. I gave it some thought, but I actually think she beats Tessanne for my favorite run by a winner so far. That’s not an easy feat!

Top 3 Performances:
1. Cry Baby
2. Stone Cold
3. Blue Bayou

 

 

Winners' Ranking (so far):

1. Alisan Porter

2. Tessanne Chin

3. Jordan Smith

4. Craig Wayne Boyd

5. Danielle Bradbery

6. Josh Kaufman

7. Sawyer Fredericks

8. Cassadee Pope

9. Javier Colon

10. Jermaine Paul

11. ???

 

[Misirlou]

Not really my thing vocally but no complaints from me regarding Alisan´s run except for Cryin. Deserved win.

Edited April 17, 2023 by Misirlou

[Hamza Tufail]

5 minutes ago, FloorWax said:

I was tempted to place Craig above Jordan for the chaos but I controlled myself 

 

Btw Alisan write-up will be posted very shortly!

I wouldn't have minded that tbh, just like I don't mind you putting Tess above him. Tess and Criag are in my top 5 as far as winners are concerned.

 

Excited for the Alisan write up.

 

Btw, by top 2 I meant your top 2 for all 22 seasons, not this current top 2.

[FloorWax]

I never got to mention it in the write-up, but honestly Alisan's tone / upper register never got on my nerves in the lives. I mean, my favorite performances were literally Cry Baby and Stone Cold lol. I loved powerhouse Alisan. The only time it bothered me was probably the big note in "River", because I don't think that's a song for big notes, but that's practically it.

Edited April 17, 2023 by FloorWax

[Hamza Tufail]

1 minute ago, FloorWax said:

I never got to mention it in the write-up, but honestly Alisan's tone / upper register never got on my nerves in the lives. I mean, my favorite performances were literally Cry Baby and Stone Cold lol. I loved powerhouse Alisan. The only time it bothered me was probably the big note in "River", because I don't think that's a song for big notes, but that's practically it.

Cry Baby is one of my absolute fav Playoff performances of all time. The range, control, the sass, the stage presence, literally everything.

 

But I'll say, I didn't like Stone Cold as much as you.

[Misirlou]

Regarding the powerhouse duet with her and Christina, they sang Led Zeppelin together after the show.

 

 

[erik g]

Blue Bayou is probably my favorite winner's audition. 

[thevoicefan]

Alisan is my favorite winner

[Dai]

Damn I didn’t expect you to like her as much you did. Totally thought you were gonna be Team Adam W or Hannah.

 

Anyways, she’s insane. It’s already rare to find a contestant who delivers stellar performances almost every week, but to find someone who on top of that is able to sing almost every genre flawlessly?? I can only think of Alisan, honestly. 
 

Let Him Fly is definitely my favorite performance from her but I love them all except SWMB and her original, which are just ok. I said I had some issues with Stone Cold (her voice sounds way too thin in the firs part of the song), but the second half of that performance is so incredible that it makes up for it. Also Cryin’ is great, sue me 

 

Btw I find interesting that, based on your write-up, you like “powerhouse Alisan” a bit more than me. 

[Cookie73]

I am going to say right out of the gate that Alisan is my favorite contestant of all time, so I was excited for this run. Her Blind Audition is my favorite audition of all time. She took a song that isn’t a vocal showcase, and showed that it is possible to have a moment with it. She set the bar very high for this song, and I can’t hear a performance of Blue Bayou on the show without comparing it to this. Her battle with Lacy was also excellent, and I preferred her there. Her Knockout of River was fantastic as well. I didn’t mind the belt, since that’s one of the things that really drew me to Alisan.  I think this and GNT’s versions are honestly similar in quality, and I can’t fault someone for preferring either one over the other, since they are so different. Her playoff was one that didn’t stick out to me as much before, but it was the best of her rock songs, one of the best playoffs that season and one of the best playoffs from a winner. It’s also not a round that is critical for the frontrunners as much as underdogs. Stone Cold was probably my favorite performance from her in Lives, and she gave a very strong performance again. I like it even more than Brooke’s audition. Stay With Me Baby was very solid, even with it being one of her weaker performances. Let Him Fly was her most emotional performance, and it was the best performance of that song on the show too. Cryin was her weakest performance on the show, and there’s not much, but she was obviously never going to be in the bottom this week. Her Semis was also great, and it helped that I love the song. Alisan and Jake both sang this in Semis, but the main difference is that Alisan’s was much further from the original than Jake. Somewhere was an excellent performance to close the season, and one of my favorite winners’ finale covers. It was nice to see her do a Broadway song, since she was in Footloose on Broadway prior to the show.

 

Alisan is my favorite winner for many reasons. I enjoyed her versatility, since she tackled pop, rock, country and Broadway during her time on the show. She also had so many excellent performances, throughout her time on the show, and she provided a lot of attack in her performances. Not only did she show a lot of vocal power, but you never got the sense than she phoned in any performances. Alisan is probably the biggest reason why Season 10 is in my Top 5 favorite seasons of all time.

[Hamza Tufail]

7 minutes ago, Daillon said:

Damn I didn’t expect you to like her as much you did. Totally thought you were gonna be Team Adam W or Hannah.

 

Anyways, she’s insane. It’s already rare to find a contestant who delivers stellar performances almost every week, but to find someone who on top of that is able to sing almost every genre flawlessly?? I can only think of Alisan, honestly. 
 

Let Him Fly is definitely my favorite performance from her but I love them all except SWMB and her original, which are just ok. I said I had some issues with Stone Cold (her voice sounds way too thin in the firs part of the song), but the second half of that performance is so incredible that it makes up for it. Also Cryin’ is great, sue me 

 

Btw I find interesting that, based on your write-up, you like “powerhouse Alisan” a bit more than me. 

Yeah, she's very versatile. I think her and Tessanne showed the most versatility out of all the winners.

[allistr]

That time when I'm trying to predict Morgan M's KO song choice based on her hair flip and her lips and Alisan's performance of "Cry Baby" was in my mind

Edited April 17, 2023 by allistr

[Misirlou]

Wasn´t here at the time, but considering IDF was more anti-country back then, I imagine the forum was scared of the prospect of Adam beating Alisan?

[Cookie73]

9 minutes ago, Misirlou said:

Wasn´t here at the time, but considering IDF was more anti-country back then, I imagine the forum was scared of the prospect of Adam beating Alisan?

I suppose so. I wasn’t here either, but I knew they were going to be the Final 2 during most of the Lives, and honestly, I’m happy Adam W made Top 2. He was a great male country contestant.

 

I knew Alisan was winning that season since her Blind Audition. I guess it helped that Sawyer and Jordan had huge auditions and won

[FloorWax]

37 minutes ago, Daillon said:

Damn I didn’t expect you to like her as much you did. Totally thought you were gonna be Team Adam W or Hannah.

 

 

While they had great runs, I didn't like either Adam Wakefield or Hannah Huston as much as I thought I would. Alisan was my favorite in that finale by far. 

[jarmon]

Alisan ate 

[StarWalker1]

1 hour ago, FloorWax said:

 

Season 10: Alisan Porter

Coach: Christina Aguilera

 

 

Auditions: Blue Bayou by Linda Ronstadt
This, now this is the definition of an all-timer. Of all the winners I’ve reviewed so far, or even the ones I’ve yet to review, very few made as good a first impression as Alisan did in this performance. I mean, everything about this was flawless, and she was hitting some DIFFICULT notes. The ease at which she hit that “man of mine… BY my side” will never not blow my mind. The ridiculously lovely head voice note she added at the very end was just the cherry on top. Certainly one of the best auditions ever, and its a shoe-in for my Top 10 if ever I get around to making one.

Battles: California Dreamin’ by The Mamas And Papas
Lacy Mandigo… she tried her absolute hardest to conquer the beast that is Alisan Porter, and while she absolutely killed it as well, Alisan was just on another level. Her high notes, as “showy” as they were, never felt out of place or done just for the sake of it. I don’t know why, but something about her stage demeanor in these earlier rounds makes it seem like she’s still not giving her 100% yet. It’s almost intimidating, and I applaud anyone who took on the impossible task of facing her.

Knockouts: River by Joni Mitchell
First of all, 10/10 SONG CHOICE. Any halfway decent performance of a song from the Blue album, I’ll end up being biased towards. Though of course, Alisan was much, much more, than halfway decent. Here, she showcased how lovely she sounded even in her lower register, proving that she doesn’t need to belt to sound compelling on a song. Even so, she still found a space to add her signature firepower, swapping out the high note usually done in head voice/falsetto with an earthshaking belt. Granted, I will say that the belt was my least favorite part of the performance, but I can’t say it wasn’t necessary. Amazing KO.

Playoffs: Cry Baby by Janis Joplin
Somebody contact American Idol on ABC to show them this performance, so they can finally learn the definition of a SHOWSTOPPER. A part of me was honesty expecting this to be a shouty mess, but Alisan’s voice is so controlled and powerful that it just worked. Also, her stage presence? That came out of nowhere! This woman was giving it her all on that stage, stomping about yet never losing a beat or her pitch. I can’t imagine there being many Playoff performances topping that. I am blown away yet again.

Top 12: Stone Cold by Demi Lovato
To absolutely no one’s surprise, this was another fantastic performance from Alisan. The restraint for the first half of this was the perfect way to make room for the utterly insane second half. Y’all, that run on “goodbye” at the end of the bridge? That was ridiculous. RIDICULOUS. And she went into the final chorus right after, which she demolished. I’ve seen some say this was too much for them, but honestly? I like this more than any of her pre-live performances. I don’t want to jinx anything but, this is five flawless A+/A’s in a row at this point. Utterly insane.

Top 11: Stay With Me Baby by Lorraine Ellison
Ahhh, the infamous Shilo Gold flop song choice (pre-reset IDF users might get that one). Once again, the diva’s astonishing pipes were at full display, but for some reason this didn’t seem like it was on the level of her previous performances. A reason for that might just be the song, which I don’t particularly enjoy, but this kinda seemed like a weaker version of her Playoff (which to me, was an A+, but this was still a B+/B imo). Still, much better than most contestants could dream of doing live.

Top 10: Let Him Fly by Patty Griffin
Let Him Fly is one of those songs I never would have discovered if it weren’t for The Voice, and I’m so thankful the show introduced me to this gorgeous folk/country ballad. It’s going to be hard to top the emotion of Patty’s performance, but damn if Alisan didn’t come close. Sensational performance, even if it probably won’t make my Top 3 (a testament to how insane her run is).

Top 9: Cryin’ by Aerosmith
I went into this performance knowing it’s widely regarded as one of her weakest, and I can’t say I disagree. This was the first time all season that she wasn’t pitch perfect for basically the entire performance. That said, it’s still a far cry (lol) from bad in my opinion. Just a misstep in song choice.

Semifinals: Desperado by Eagles
This felt like a quintessential Semis performance. Fated frontrunner swings for the fences by picking an emotional song that blows the roof off the place. This was a beautiful performance through and through, and to me, was probably her best showcase of storytelling in her entire run. However, I will say that this didn’t feel like that big a highlight from her in the grand scheme of things, but that’s a testament to how great she is that a performance like this ends up ranking in the middle of her run.

Semifinals: Angel From Montgomery by John Prine (w/ Adam Wakefield)
This was very good from both, and their voices blended beautifully, but I didn’t really get the sense that either contestant was trying all that hard. But at that point, they really didn’t need to anyway.

Finals: You’ve Got A Friend by Carole King
Both ladies sounded stunning on this one, with Alisan’s sharper tone contrasting nicely with Xtina’s thicker one. I liked that they showcased restraint too, with neither trying to overpower the other. Still, I can’t help but dream of what could have been if these two chose a powerhouse song for their duet.

Finals: Down That Road by Alisan Porter
For some reason, this one called to mind a great Cassadee Pope performance, with Alisan going pop country on a self-penned track. While it was definitely good, it, like most finale original songs, was pretty forgettable and ended up being her least essential performance to date. I won’t be remembering anything about this time tomorrow, that’s for sure.

Finals: Somewhere from The Westside Story
In truth, Alisan has been performing like she’s already in the finale all season, so I was curious to see how her actual finale cover would end up. And… this was gorgeous. The whole thing was just so elegant and well-paced, and she brought the emotion that a musical song like this really needed. It had that “awards show” feel to it that the judges sometimes blabber on about, with the staging and Alisan’s incredible poise. Am I going to remember it as one of her best? Probably not, because she has been even more incredible prior, but this was a satisfying way to end one of the best runs by any contestant ever.

 

Overall:

I think I’ve praised Alisan so much over this review that I’ve ran out of superlatives to use for this final write-up, but I’ll try my best lmao. Alisan’s run was actually the one I was most excited to watch out of everyone, as what I’d already seen from her beforehand (First 4 performances) was phenomenal. And who knew? Almost everything else was, too! Her Top 12, Top 10, and Semifinal performances were all stellar, and hell, I even liked Stay With Me Baby. The range, control, confidence, and stage presence she showed throughout the entirety of her run were so good that whichever coach she picked would basically have the trophy tied up in a neat bow. I gave it some thought, but I actually think she beats Tessanne for my favorite run by a winner so far. That’s not an easy feat!

Top 3 Performances:
1. Cry Baby
2. Stone Cold
3. Blue Bayou

 

 

Winners' Ranking (so far):

1. Alisan Porter

2. Tessanne Chin

3. Jordan Smith

4. Craig Wayne Boyd

5. Danielle Bradbery

6. Josh Kaufman

7. Sawyer Fredericks

8. Cassadee Pope

9. Javier Colon

10. Jermaine Paul

11. ???

 

Aaaaah so glad you loved Alisan!!!

 

Definitely in my top 3 all time winners (Along with Tess and Maelyn)! She is such a dynamic performer and really showcased so many sides of herself that season! What made her standout was how commanding she was in each performance, whether it was uptempo or ballad! It was also Xtina's first (and prob last) win, which is why this win felt so iconic at the time. I think her audition IS the best audition of the entire show ... like no one can really top that