Barrett Baber, Emily Ann Roberts, Jeffery Austin and Jordan Smith pose together before performing on ‘The Voice: Season Nine’ finale. (Photo property of NBC & United Artists Media Group)
By: Jacob Elyachar, jakes-take.com
This is it!
Last night, the Top Four (Jordan Smith, Jeffery Austin, Emily Ann Roberts and Barrett Baber) took the stage and delivered three performances that showcased why they should win the NBC singing competition.
According to MJsBigBlog, all four ‘Voice’ artists cracked the iTunes Top 10 with Jordan securing four spots, Emily Ann two and both Jeffery and Barrett each receiving one slot.
Who will take the crown? Did frontrunner Jordan Smith fulfill the prophecy laid out by ‘Voice’ Powers That Be earlier this season? Or did Emily Ann or Jeffrey score a surprise come-from-behind victory?
Read on to find out!
The Top 24 kicked off the two-hour celebration with Major Lazer, DJ Snake and MO’s “Lean On.” It was great to see Korin, Madi, Amy, Mark and Evan back, I wished that they gave Celeste, Ellie and Regina solos over Zach and Braiden. Otherwise, it was a solid start.
Barrett kicked off the Bring Back Round with his fellow Team Blake artist Zach Seabaugh. They sang Randy Travis’ “Forever and Ever, Amen.” I really, really wanted to use my hi-jacked ‘America’s Got Talent’ buzzer on them to shut them up! This was not fair to the other Team Blake members (who might have grudge with Barrett after the show). F
The Season Nine soul singers (Celeste, Regina, Nadjah, Darius and Mark) teamed up on a beautiful rendition of the O’Jays’ “Love Train.” Regina Love and Mark Hood proved that they should have been in the finale as their solos gave me chills. This was one of my favorite group numbers of all-time because of their superb harmonies! A
Each finalist had the opportunity to work with some of the most iconic names in the music business. Emily Ann Roberts kicked off this segment with her hero: 14-time Grammy-winning country icon Ricky Skaggs. Their performance was so quick that it felt like I was watching Sabrina Bryan and Louis van Amstel’s Quickstep from the ‘Dancing with the Stars’ All-Stars season. Despite not being my cup of tea, I think Bluegrass fans will enjoy this performance. B-
Missy Elliott teamed up with her longtime collaborator and current ‘Voice’ coach Pharrell Williams to debut her latest single: “WTF (Where They From).” Between lifelike marionettes and multiple generations od dancers, both of these Hip-hop superstars gave the ‘Voice’ audience a rap master class.
I was ecstatic to learn that Jeffery brought back Team Pharrell artist (and should be in the finale instead of someone named Garrett Trainor) Madi Davis. They tackled the late Amy Winehouse’s “Tears Dry On Their Own.” While I have not heard the original tune, I wished that ‘Voice’ Powers That Be would let them record this song and release it as a charity single. This was vocal chemistry at its finest! A-
My three favorite ‘Voice’ coaches of all-time are Blake, Christina Aguilera and Season Six winning coach Usher. Tonight, Usher returned to ‘The Voice’ to perform with Adam’s prized pupil, Jordan Smith, to perform his 2011 hit with David Guetta- “Without You.” I was so proud of Jordan for stepping out of his comfort zone and doing an up-tempo track. Their harmonies were amazing and I got my first goosies of the night! A+
While former Kansas City Chiefs prospect Sam Hunt made the girls scream as he performed “Break Up In a Small Town,” we got to see the Top Four go on a scavenger hunt all across the famous Universal Studios Hollywood backlot that lead them to their coaches and brand new Nissan cars.
Jeffery Austin returned to stage to perform with Grammy nominee Tori Kelly as they delivered an impeccable duet of her hit: “Hollow.” Their vocals blended beautifully together and both of them complemented each other. This was one of my favorite duets of the past two seasons! As I summed up the performance on Twitter, “@JeffreyAustin + @ToriKelly= @NBCTheVoice finale magic!” A
Barrett concluded the duet segment with his all-time favorite singer: Wynonna Judd! The duo tackled Wynonna’s hit: “No One Else on Earth.” I definitely thought Barrett held his own against the country music powerhouse and it was definitely a treat to watch them perform together. B+
After the Weeknd made his ‘Voice’ debut with a medley of his hits including “The Hills,” “Earned It” and “Can’t Feel My Face,” Jordan brought back Korin Bukowski, Amy Vachal, Evan McKeel, Regina Love and Mark Hood. They tackled Journey’s “Any Way You Want It.” I already got chills before they sang and they kept coming all throughout the performance. Attention, future ‘Voice’ finalists, this is how you do a “Bring Back Performance!” A+
For her final time with onstage, Emily Ann brought back Nadjah Nicole, Riley Biederer, Shelby Brown, Ivonne Acero and Morgan Frazier to perform Rascal Flatts’ “Summer Nights.” While it was a great feel good performance, it did not keep my attention as Jordan Smith and Co.’s powerhouse performance. B-
Now for the Results:
FOURTH PLACE-Jeffrey Austin (Team Gwen)
THIRD PLACE-Barrett Baber (Team Blake)
The Winner of ‘The Voice: Season Nine’ is….JORDAN SMITH!!!!
Congratulations to Jordan on winning ‘The Voice!’
I cannot wait to have Adam, Blake and Pharrell reunite with Christina Aguilera next year on ‘Voice: Season 10’!
