Aliyah, Chris, Lauren, and Jesse competed to inherit Sundance Head’s crown & sash tonight on “The Voice.” (Photos & graphic property of NBC)
By: Jacob Elyachar, jakes-take.com
This is it!
Tonight, the Season 12 Final Four—Chris Blue, Lauren Duski, Jesse Larson, and Aliyah Moulden sang three times (one final cover, one original song, and a duet with their coach.
Which artists rose to the occasion and were ready to join Jordan Smith, Alisan Porter, and Sundance Head in the winner’s circle? Whose dreams came crashing down?
Aliyah Moulden kicked off the night with performing her original song—the Fancy co-penned “Never Be Lonely.” In all honesty, this song did not feel like a finale track. This song could have been recorded by Meghan Trainor or Camilla Cabello. I will never understand why America voted Aliyah in this finale. She is not ready for the big time! I rather wished that either Brennley Brown or Vanessa Ferguson had her spot. F
Team Adam’s Jesse Larson recapped his journey with Carson and his coach before performing his final cover of the season: The Doobie Brothers’ “Takin’ It to the Streets.” I had a hard time listening to Jesse’s version, because of a dear friend to the blog, Clark Beckham, delivered a show-stopping version of this song on a soon-to-be revitalized singing competition. It was good, but nothing to write home about. C+
Chris Blue and Alicia Keys tackled “Diamonds & Pearls” by Prince & the New Power Generation. I only have one word to describe this performance: EXCELSIOR! A+
As the duo left the stage, Lauren reflected on her time on the show with Blake and Carson. For her final cover of the season, she sang Garth Brooks’ “The Dance.” Blake described this song that this is one of country music’s essential songs and I believed that Lauren brilliantly executed the track. I got chills from the beginning of the tune, and I hope that Garth watched this performance because he would be proud of Lauren. A+
Aliyah Moulden kicked off Round Two of the Season 12 Final Four by performing “Dancing in the Street” with Blake Shelton. It was just a bland performance. There were no vocal fireworks, and I was very bored with the performance. F
Chris Blue’s debut single, “Money on You,” reminded the Team Alicia singer when he first met his girlfriend. This song made me dance in my seat, and I think this was the perfect radio ready song of the night. Alicia was right in the pre-performance package where he put Chris Blue in the same category of greatness as former coach Usher and Chris Brown. This performance made me smile. A
Jesse Larson and Adam were the second artist-coach team of the evening to perform a Prince song. They did one of his all-time greatest hits: “Let’s Go Crazy.” This was a strong tribute performance, and I was tapping my toes throughout the song. A-
Lauren Duski teamed up with her coach, Blake Shelton, to perform the Hank Williams, Sr. and Hank Williams, Jr. track: “There Is a Tear in My Beer.” To be honest with you, Blake hogged the microphone during the first half of the song. Unless your name is Christina Aguilera or Jennifer Hudson, coaches should never outshine their artist. Also, like the other Team Blake performance of the evening, this duet bored me to tears. F
Jesse Larson wrapped up his run on The Voice with “Woman,” a song that was co-written by one of Jesse’s heroes: Chris Stapleton. This single would be perfect for any Alternative or folk radio station. “Woman” is a slick track and I think that this might be the breakout song that could crossover into multiple music charts. A-
Aliyah Moulden ended her Final Four run with a cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Signed, Sealed & Delivered.” This is one of my favorite Stevie Wonder songs of all-time and my ears would not particularly satisfied with her cover. It was a little nasally, and I was bored to tears, yet again! F
Of all of the original songs that were performed during Season 12 Final Four night, the one song that stood out to me the most was Lauren Duski’s penned original song: “Déjà vu.” Ms. Duski’s lyrics tugged at my heart strings, and I believe this was one of the most notable tracks that have been performed in any final over the past four seasons. A+
Chris Blue closed out Final Four night with an homage to Ms. Janet Jackson! He tackled one of her recognizable songs in her songbook: “Rhythm Nation.” This performance had everything: spectacular vocals, outstanding choreography, and screaming audience members. This was an excellent way to wrap up a show, Chris! Bravo!! A+
Tomorrow night, superstar coaches CeeLo Green and Miley Cyrus will join guests Chris Stapleton, Zedd, Gladys Knight, and Little Big Town as the 12th champion will be crowned.
