Jake’s Take: The Top 10 Best “Voice” Performances of All-Time

 

By: Jacob Elyachar, jakes-take.com

Tomorrow, The Voice will return for its tenth season!

But before, Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, Pharrell Williams and the Queen of The Voice- Christina Aguilera begin the NBC reality competition’s tenth round of Blind Auditions, Jake’s Take is celebrating the ten greatest performances in the show’s history.

 

10-Will Champlin: “At Last” (Team Adam; Season Five)

It’s no doubt that Season Five was one of the best seasons in show history. Will Champlin was amongst the artists that made this season so special. After being bounced around between Team Adam and Team Christina, Will finally found his stride as a frontrunner when he paid homage to Blues icon (and one of his former coach’s personal heroes) Etta James during Season Five’s Top Eight Week. I had the privilege of watching his one-of-a-kind performance at The Voice soundstage at Universal Studios Hollywood, and the room erupted with delight when Will showed off his fantastic falsetto near the decrescendo of the track.  Will’s interpretation of the record not only landed in the iTunes Top 10, but it also helped him land a spot in the Season Five finale.

9-Cassadee Pope: “Cry” (Team Blake; Season Three)

When Cassadee Pope sang Faith Hill’s “Cry” during the Season Three finale, fans instantly knew that she won the show after that performance. Like Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood did during their final rounds on American Idol, she tugged at viewers’ heartstrings and brought out her sonorous voice that impressed the coaches since her Blind Audition.

8-Frenchie Davis: “When Love Takes Over” (Team Christina; Season One)

Ms. Frenchie Davis was the very first artist that made everyone get up on their feet and dance during the show’s inaugural season! Her cover of David Guetta and Kelly Rowland’s massive hit not only transported everyone to Studio 54, but her bombastic voice shook the stage to its core and proved that soul powerhouses can elevate EDM to a whole another level of excellence.

7-Matthew Schuler: “Hallelujah” (Team Christina; Season Five)

One song that has been covered obsessively on numerous talent competitions is Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” Countless artists have transformed this song into either a massive choral performance, a hard rock anthem or a bombastic opera track. But, it was Team Christina’s Matthew Schuler that brought back to what it originally was: a simplistic track but with a powerful message. Every word that Christina’s protégé sang during his one minute and 51-second performance tugged at fans’ heartstrings and because of that factor, I believe that Matthew Schuler owns this song!

 

6-Sisaundra Lewis: “Oh Sherrie” (Team Blake; Season Six)

In all honesty, Sisaundra Lewis should have won the sixth season of The Voice! If it weren’t for tweens that preferred Christina Grimmie and the country mafia that rallied around Jake Worthington, the former Celine Dion vocal director would have had a legitimate shot winning the Universal Music Group recording contract. Surprisingly, “Oh Sherrie” was my favorite Sisaundra performance. Team Blake’s High Priestess of Soul took one of the cheesiest 80s hair songs of all-time and transformed it into a beautiful rock ballad that showcased her powerful vocals to the max! If The Voice decides to bring any alums back to celebrate the tenth season to sing with its current crop of artists, I hope that Sisaundra is high up on their list!

5-Chris Mann: “You Raise Me Up” (Team Christina; Season Two)

My fellow Kansasn and friend to Jake’s Take comes in at number five! His cover of Josh Groban’s signature song remains the best master class performance from the first five seasons. By combining American Sign Language, a string section, and a youth choir, Chris gave one of the best male vocal performances in show history that not only moved Christina to tears but also inspired more classical singers to audition for Reality TV singing competitions.

4-Jordan Smith: “Somebody to Love” (Team Adam; Season Nine)

Season Nine winner Jordan Smith usurped Chris Mann’s position as the show’s best male singer in history with his cover of Queen’s “Somebody to Love.” Unlike another Team Adam member who abysmally performed this song two years ago during the fifth season, Jordan brilliantly had his Star is Born (and show-winning) moment by unleashing his high-octane vocals and showcasing his outstanding falsetto that left everyone in awe.

 

3-Kimberly Nichole: “What’s Up” (Team Christina; Season Eight)

Kimberly Nichole was always a fan favorite during her season of The Voice, but it was this performance that cemented her spot in the competition and an impeccable future in the music industry. When the NYC rocker ballerina got to the lyric “Get real high,” I got the strongest cases of the goosies that didn’t stop until all four coaches gave her a standing ovation. In addition to making both of her family (her mother and great-grandmother were in the audience) and songwriter Linda Perry proud, “What’s Up” was the song that firmly placed Kimberly in The Voice Hall of Fame.

 

2-Amanda Brown: “Dream On” (Team Adam; Season Three)

Joining Kimberly in The Voice Hall of Fame is longtime friend and Season Three alum, Amanda Brown. Amanda blazed her path to Voice history when she sang one of the greatest rock songs of all-time. I have watched the show since the very first season and Amanda was one of the artists that I instantly knew that she was going to do incredible things on the show and in the music industry.

Before, I get to the number one performance, here are several honorable performances that you should also check out:

Jeff Jenkins: “Bless the Broken Road” (Team Adam; Season One)

Cody Belew: “Crazy in Love” (Team CeeLo; Season Three)

Sasha Allen: “Bad Girls” (Team Shakira; Season Four)

Dani Moz: “The Edge of Glory” (Team Shakira; Season Six)

Jeffrey Austin: “Believe” (Team Gwen; Season Nine)

 

1-Juliet Simms: “Roxanne” (Team CeeLo; Season Two)

In all honesty, The Voice got its legitimacy as a show after Team CeeLo’s resident indie rocker performed The Police’s number one hit. Juliet blew everyone away with her interpretation of the 1978 classic rock anthem and put the NBC singing competition on the map!

I don’t own any clips from the article. They belong to NBC and United Artists Media Group.