We’re now on The Voice’s lucky number seventh episode, and that means the teams of Season Three are almost completely formed. With eight contestants left to fill the spots on either Team Christina, Team Adam, Team Blake or Team Cee Lo, it should be no surprise that the stakes have elevated considerably. Unlike last season — which, at this point in the show, I had already awarded about four or five (****) Blind Audition scores — I’m left with only two contestants who’ve managed to eke out a perfect score from yours truly: Nicole Nelson and Trevin Hunte. I also haven’t revealed my reactions from Blind Auditions #5, so there may yet be another perfect score floating somewhere out there if the contestant’s are lucky. Before we get into wrapping up the rankings as they currently stand, it’s important to continue business as usual and talk about the most recent inductees into that exclusive club known as The Voice. Let’s dive in…
There were only four contestants that made it past the Blind Audition stage last night, and the first one who did so was Sylvia Yakoub, a girl whose backyard happens to include the pyramids (that’s code for: she’s from Egypt, ya’ll!). She takes a huge risk singing Rihanna’s “Only Girl in the World,” a song that could sound worse than a root canal drilling when performed live. It requires sustained energy throughout its duration, and the volume of the vocals must never soften, not even by a decibel. Sylvia managed to out-sing Rihanna on her own track, and the little jazz inflections she added to her voice really reminded me of Christina Aguilera. Would I have perhaps enjoyed a stripped-down, soulful reinterpretation of the overplayed pop hit? Sure, maybe, but Sylvia still proved she can hang with the best of them with her vocal superiority on a pretty by-the-numbers pop tune. I worry Sylvia may lack the creativity to go the distance, but her voice is in the right place at the moment: soaring high.
Performance Review: (***)
Judge Selected: Team Christina
Listen to Sylvia Yakoub:
Next to take the high-pressured stage was Long Beach resident, Charlie Rey. I had no idea he was singing Michael Buble’s “Home” until I Googled it afterwards, because his version was so well fused with that softly piercing voice of his. Although the judges weren’t able to see it, it was evident to those at home watching how scared Charlie looked. His eyes were like saucers, his temperament a bundle of nerves, and he was almost inaudible when he first began. However, once Adam and Blake boosted Charlie’s confidence by turning their chairs around for him, he magically shed his insecurities and sang astoundingly well. His falsetto near the end of the song was the best of the season from any singer, man or woman. I only wish Charlie had been as stellar during the first half of that difficult-to-emote song. His voice is so different from anyone I’ve heard, yet combines inklings of jazz, pop, soul, and even a little bit of R&B. As soon as Charlie loosens up a bit, he’ll be able to show America just how much of a dark horse threat he is to Season Three.
Performance Review: (***)
Judge Selected: Team Blake
Listen to Charlie Rey:
Third to deliver the goods to our esteemed panel of coaches was Amanda Brown, who left her job as a professional backup singer for a shot at solo stardom on The Voice. Amanda sings The Zuton Song’s “Valerie,” and more than halfway through, I almost began questioning the song’s release date. A track from 2006 shouldn’t sound so corny, old-fashioned and dated, and yet Amanda’s version were all of those misfortunes wrapped in a ham sandwich. The judges were right — Amanda brought oomph to her performance in the song’s final moments, wisely trailing off the beaten path to discover some very enthralling notes, but the last 10 seconds of a performance doesn’t undo the other 80 seconds of “meh.” I don’t believe Amanda Brown is a contender, and Cee Lo must really have loved that song to push his button for her. Amanda’s a sweet girl, but she’s going to be eaten alive by the vocal sharks that litter this season.
Performance Review: (**)
Judge Selected: Team Cee Lo
Listen to Amanda Brown:
The final contestant to make it past the Blind Auditions this week was 23-year old Cassadee Pope, formerly the lead singer of the punk band Hey Monday. I’ve never minded has-beens so long as they prove themselves, especially since they’ve basically succumbed to ditching the business route and are now launching themselves via reality television. For someone that caused all four judges to spin their chairs around, I was just a smidgeon underwhelmed by Cassadee Pope. She knows how to perform, knows where those notes are in the song, but her voice needs smoothing out. I am one of the few listeners of music who loves vibrato, but even I could tell that vocal technique wasn’t taken by the reins enough. There is a nasal quality to her voice that could be irritating if left to its own devices. That being said, for singing a song I absolutely abhor — “Torn” causes its intended pain to my ears almost every time I hear it on the radio — Cassadee’s cover was nearly stupendous. I think she has mad potential as a star and contestant on the show, but her bad singing habits need correcting pronto. I just wonder if Blake will be too shy and timid to give Cassadee, his preordained “superstar,” some constructive criticism to help her on the tough road ahead.
Performance Review: (***)
Judge Selected: Team Blake
Listen to Cassadee Pope:
Here is how I rank the four contestants from last night:
1. Charlie Rey
2. Sylvia Yakoub
3. Cassadee Pope
4. Amanda Brown
And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for…the Up-to-Date personal rankings of Season Three (includes Blind Auditions #5, with score):
1. Nicole Nelson (****) — Team Adam
2. Trevin Hunte (****) — Team Cee Lo
3. Suzanna Choffel (***1/2) — Team Blake
4. Collin McLoughlin (***1/2) — Team Adam
5. Melanie Martinez (***1/2) — Team Adam
6. Brian Scartocci (***1/2) — Team Adam
7. Terisa Griffin (***1/2) — Team Blake
8. Avery Wilson (***1/2) — Team Cee Lo
9. Domo (***1/2) — Team Cee Lo
10. Aquile (***1/2) — Team Christina
11. Brandon Mahone (***1/2) — Team Adam
12. Gracia Harrison (***1/2) — Team Blake
13. Adriana Louise Figueroa (***1/2) — Team Christina
14. Benji (***1/2) — Team Adam
15. Charlie Rey (***) — Team Blake
16. Diego Val (***) — Team Cee Lo
17. De’Borah (***) — Team Christina
18. Alessandra Guercio (***) — Team Adam
19. Dez Duron (***) — Team Christina
20. Beat Frequency (***) — Team Christina
21. MacKenzie Bourg (***) — Team Cee Lo
22. Josyln Rivera (***) — Team Christina
23. Ryan Jirovec (***) — Team Blake
24. Alexis Marceaux (***) — Team Cee Lo
25. Bryan Keith (***) — Team Adam
26. Devyn DeLoera (***) — Team Christina
27. Mycle Wastman (***) — Team Cee Lo
28. Sylvia Yacoub (***) — Team Christina
29. Casey Muesiggman (***) — Team Blake
30. Samuel Mouton (***) — Team Adam
31. Terry McDermott (***) — Team Blake
32. Michelle Brooks-Thompson — Team Adam
33. Leila Broussard (***) — Team Blake
34. Kelly Crapa (***) — Team Blake
35. Cassadee Pope (***) — Team Blake
36. Lisa Scinta (***) — Team Christina
37. Nelly’s Echo (***) — Team Christina
38. Liz Davis (**1/2) — Team Blake
39. Jordan Pruitt (**1/2) — Team Christina
40. Sam James (**1/2) — Team Adam
41. Emily Earle (**1/2) — Team Cee Lo
42. Michaela Paige (**1/2) — Team Blake
43. Loren Allred (**1/2) — Team Adam
44. Adanna Duru (**1/2) — Team Adam
45. Nicholas David (**1/2) — Team Adam
46. Daniel Rosa (**) — Team Cee Lo
47. Ben Taub (**) — Team Cee Lo
48. J.R. Aquino (**) — Team Cee Lo
49. Todd Kessler (**) — Team Cee Lo
50. Paulina (**) — Team Christina
51. Amanda Brown (**) — Team Cee Lo
52. MarissaAnne (**) — Team Christina
53. Joe Kirkland (**) — Team Adam
54. Laura Vivas (**) — Team Christina
55. Julio Cesar Castillo (*) — Team Blake
56. 2Steel Girls (1/2 star) — Team Blake
I will actually backpedal a bit now, and won’t be revealing the judges’ rankings until the teams are finished being constructed. I’ll then add up the Blind Audition scores from each team and compare. Whichever coach’s team scores highest will become the front runner team after the Blind Auditions, and so on and so forth. It’ll be some easy yet fascinating number crunching. In the meantime, share your favorite auditions of this past episode, and don’t forget to list your five favorite contestants. It’s pretty wild that even after watching Blind Auditions #5, Trevin Hunte and Nicole Nelson are still my only perfect score recipients. Next week’s Blind Auditions should hopefully unveil another perfect performance, but no promises! Thanks for reading my The Voice recaps, and now it’s time to hit the comments section and unleash those opinions I know are waiting in the wings to be unearthed!
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Tags: Amanda Brown, blake shelton, Cassadee Pope, cee lo green, Charlie Rey, christina aguilera, Christina Milian, nbc, Sylvia Yacoub, The Voice, The Voice Blind Auditions #7 Recap, The Voice Blind Auditions 7, The Voice Blind Auditions Part 7, The Voice Blind Auditions Part 7 Recap, the voice recap
1 Comment(s)
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