(Photo property of NBC)
By: Jacob Elyachar, jakes-take.com
The Voice: Season 13 enters week two of its live shows by paying homage to the show’s fans.
Earlier this season, Carson Daly asked The Voice fans to select songs for the Season 13 artists to sing during the live shows!
What songs did the artists perform? Who was heading to the top of the iTunes charts? Who might be singing for the Instant Save? Read on to find out!
Team Miley’s Janice Freeman kicked off the night! The fans stated that they wanted to hear to sing Collective Soul’s “Shine.” Like Miley said in the pre-performance package, this was the first time that the song was ever performed on the show and Janice set the bar so high for other contestants. Her raw vocals shook the Universal Studios Hollywood soundstage, and Janice’s rich lower register and growl made me smile. I hope that the fans will vote for her to move forward in this competition! A
Red Marlow brought his biggest fan, his father Jerry, to meet Blake for rehearsal. Tonight, Red’s fans chose Garth Brooks’ “The Dance.” One of Red’s advantages in this competition is that he is a master storyteller. He hit all of the right notes, and it was probably one of his personal best performances on the show. I hope that Garth Brooks was watched that performance. B+
In all honesty, Shi’Ann Jones has been off since the Knockout Rounds. I cringed when I found out that her fans wanted Shi’Ann to perform “Listen.” Also, when Shi’Ann performed the song live, her vocals were all over the place! If you want to watch “Listen” done right, just Google “Sam Bailey Listen X Factor.” F
Adam Cunningham was saved last week during a dramatic sing-off with fellow Team Adam vocalist Jon Mero. He hoped to rebound with his fans’ picked song: Tom Petty’s “American Girl.” While it was a sturdy vocal, I felt that some brief cheesy moments decreased the performance’s value. If Adam’s fans do not rally and vote for him, he could be facing another sing-off. C
Brooke Simpson’s fans picked P!nk’s “What About Us” for her to sing for the Top 11 Live Shows. Miley came up with the idea to bring out Brooke’s Native American heritage by adding a drum circle and adding a few “Os” in the song. Brooke’s “What About Us” gave me chills and it was a moving performance. A-
I am surprised that Davon Fleming’s fans picked Whitney Houston’s “I Have Nothing” to sing. This song has been performed multiple times by numerous artists such as Johnny Manuel on America’s Got Talent and the show’s Empress, Christina Aguilera, during the American Music Awards this year, plus his coach performed this track on American Idol 13 years ago! Like Blake stated in his commentary, Davon has a high falsetto that he correctly utilized throughout the song. I genuinely believe that Davon will be one of the last artists standing. A+
Ashland Craft’s fans assigned her to perform Zac Brown Band’s “Chicken Fried.” I am having a hard time connecting with Ashland. She has a voice that can stand out in the country music world, but at the same time, I think she needs to open up her soul to us. I was bored during this performance. D+
Adam Levine stated that Addison Agen was born to sing Joni Mitchell’s “A Case of You.” Initially, I was worried about Addison not capturing the magic of this song. But, Addison delivered a gorgeous rendition of the 1970 classic. You could barely hear a pin drop because that was the quietest I have ever heard the Universal Studios Hollywood soundstage in four seasons. I genially believe that Joni Mitchell will be happy with this performance. A+
Keisha Renae’s fans selected Faith Hill’s “It Matters to Me” for her to sing. She delivered another home run and continued to make me smile throughout her performance. I can see Keisha performing on the Grand Ole Opry stage one day. B+
Team Jennifer’s Noah Mac’s fans took a risk tonight by giving him Borns’ “Electric Love.” I am unfamiliar with the track, and I think that half of the Midwest would also be in the same boat. However, Noah’s voice along with his suggestion of keeping the strings and the drum track. I swear every week, Noah reminds me so much of Sting it is not even funny. I have to say this regarding Noah: “See you in the finals!” A
Chloe Kohanski closed out the night with Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart.” In all honesty, I did not like hearing Chloe’s lower register at all. I was disappointed with the performance. I wish that the fans picked another song for her to sing! F
Tomorrow evening, Blake Shelton will debut his new single tomorrow night as two more artists face off for the second Instant Save of the season.
