“The Voice: Season 12” Top 10 pose together. (Photo property of NBC’s Trae Patton)
By: Jacob Elyachar, jakes-take.com
America, before we get to my Top 10 performance recap…we got to address this elephant in the room: Team Adam’s Mark Isaiah.
Mark Isaiah has been voted on three times in the past three weeks, and his presence has begun to erode the season. Just like a certain Sanjaya Malakar did on the sixth season did on American Idol ten years ago, this Justin Bieber-Shawn Mendes-Cody Simpson wannabe’s piss-poor vocals have taken out strong talents such as Johnny Hayes, Josh West, Cory Ramey, and Stephanie Rice. Mark’s time on The Voice needs to end…pronto! Stop channeling the Ghost of Vote for the Worst and focus on the talent.
This week, the Top 10 performed on the Universal Studios Hollywood soundstage for a spot in the Top Eight. Which singers rocked the show? Which Top 10 might be playing for the Instant Save tomorrow night? Read on to find out!
Carson revealed that all of the Top 10 moms met their coaches in honor of Mother’s Day. Team Adam’s Jesse Larson brought his step-mom, Connie, to meet the Maroon 5 front man. Jesse kicked off Top 10 night with The Time’s “Jungle Love.” While this was the first time that I heard the song, I thought Jesse brought Minneapolis funk to the show, and I loved his wicked solo. It was a great start to the night. B+
15-year-old Aliyah Moulden brought her grandmother (a huge Blake Shelton fan) and her mom to her rehearsal with the five-time winning coach. Aliyah tackled Labrinth’s “Jealous, break down” and it was about how she was jealous of her older siblings who spent time with her deceased father. Aliyah broke my heart with this performance. She connected with the lyrics in the right way, but it was hard for me to watch her break down and cry. If she did not give out and cried, I would have given her an A+, but because of that mishap: A-
I am so excited that Vanessa Ferguson tackled one of her greatest musical heroes, Ms. Lauryn Hill’s signature song: “Doo Wop (That Thing)” on The Voice. I have to give Vanessa kudos for the sweet beats that she dropped on the Universal Studios Hollywood stage. This was probably one of my favorite performances of the season so far. If she is not in next week’s semi-finals, there is something wrong with the voting process. A
Can I be honest with you, America? When Mark came on stage, I did not give him anytime because I did not want to hear him butcher Harry Styles’ “Sign of the Times.” I want to encourage you to do the right thing and VOTE HIM OFF THE SHOW! F
After five-time showing winning coach Blake Shelton debuted his new single: “Every Time I Hear That Song,” Team Alicia’s Chris Blue brought his mom (who wanted Alicia to say “Happy Sistah Day”) into her rehearsal and declared Alicia…Chris’s second mom! Chris had the biggest challenge to cover Bruno Mars’ “24K Magic,” which is probably one of the greatest performer songs on the radio right now. While I did not enjoy the auto-tune during the first few beats of the song, Chris’ personality and sparkling gold suit set him apart from his fellow Top 10 competitors. I honestly believe that Chris will be one of the artists left standing during the Season 12 finale. I hope that he does not slow down anytime soon. A+
Team Adam’s Lilli Passero tackled one of the greatest standards of all time: the Coles’ “Unforgettable.” This marked the first time that someone sang this song on the show. I was very hesitant about Lilli performing this song because jazz music has to be the perfect solution to a Pre-Calculus equation. I love Lilli, but this was the wrong song for her to sing. I could not connect with her, and I am terrified that she will be facing off against Mark tomorrow evening. C
Blake got a double portion of Duski, when her mom, Janice, met the five-time winning Voice coach. For Lauren’s Top 10 performance, she sang her favorite country singer, Wynonna Judd’s “Tell Me Why.” After a kick butt pep talk via phone from Wynonna, Lauren took the stage and delivered a stellar performance. I hope that when she records her debut album, Lauren invites Wynonna to record this song as a duet. A-
Hunter Plake is modernizing “Higher Love, ” and it was okay. I am still not a fan of his voice, and my ears could not stand his annoying falsetto. I am worried that Steve Winwood and Chaka Khan would not be happy with Hunter’s interpretation. D+
TSoul brought his tiny mom to his rehearsal. While I may not be a fan of her son’s vocals, Ms. Soul was one of the best mothers of the evening. The Team Blake soul man tackled “At This Moment” and I was bored with the whole thing. I do not know why we have TSoul on the program when we have a more spectacular and radio-friendly R&B artist in the form of Chris Blue. D
Team Gwen’s Brennley Brown closed out the Top 10 night with Martina McBride’s “Anyway.” I have nothing negative to comment about this performance. This was probably one of the better female vocal performances of the night and of all the young artists who braved the Universal Studios Hollywood soundstage over the past five seasons, I would put Brennley’s “Anyway” in my Top Five. Brava, Brennley! A+
Tomorrow night, two artists will be eliminated from the show!
