The Voice season seven keeps chugging along, proving that time is but a quick illusion. Like, it's already November and stuff too. WHAT! Tonight (Nov. 3) was the final round of the knockouts, narrowing down the four teams to just five apiece and gearing up the coaches and The Voice audience for the live shows.
With Taylor Swift as guest mentor again this week, the singers continued to get a lesson in the art of performance. Eyes? Need to be opened. High heels? Need to be kicked off (sometimes). And, most importantly, it all needs to feel natural and the audience has to connect. Swift may not be the best singer in the world, technically, but she sure can please a crowd, so these kids are in good hands.
Like a lot of the matchups this season, the final six knockouts were some uneven matches. Reggae versus country? Diva pop versus Bob Marley? Ne-Yo versus JoJo singles? Okay...
Nonetheless, it made watching the show enjoyable, even if there was plenty of slayage. Check out the knockout round final analysis below:
Allison Bray "Sin Wagon" v. Taylor Brashears "Landslide": It's a little bizarre and a little fitting that the first battle of the night went to Team Blake and two songs regularly in Dixie Chicks' repertoire. This was a battle of the so-so country from Allison Bray versus the more established, versatile and soft country from Taylor Brashears. Though we've regularly seen Taylor take things with a bite (like her audition track "You Ain't Woman Enough"), she softened it up for her take on Fleetwood Mac's landslide, and showed that she could be a truly versatile artist. Meanwhile, Allison's "Sin Wagon" felt really contrived. She couldn't quite nail her marks and it seemed like she was just overthinking it. It's singing, girl, not rocket science. Just let it flow.
Who technically won the knockout? Taylor Brashears won by a... landslide.
Who should have won the knockout? It seems like Blake, who has a keen ear for the best country on this show, made the right decision. Somethings always been a little off about Allison, and on a team full of all-star country like Blake's, she was never going to live it up.
Ryan Sill "Miss Independent" v. Beth Spangler "Too Little Too Late": To be honest, neither of these singers has particularly dazzled during their tenure on The Voice. Beth Spangler was a lowpoint on the already weak Team Adam, and there's just something particularly punchable about Ryan Sills' face and voice. So, yeah... color this one an uninteresting battle from Team Gwen. Luckily for Ryan, he was able to make his performance of Ne-Yo's "Miss Independent" feel effortless, despite the mass amount of intricacies and training that went into his performance. Meanwhile, Beth just struggled to find the right notes on her JoJo cover. And, oh yeah, we got some JoJo on The Voice.
Who technically won the knockout? Ryan Sill maintains his spot on Team Gwen, and despite my personal dislike of his tone, it's undeniable that he could actually sing on key and make it all feel seamless.
Who should have won the knockout? Gwen made the right decision. In a talent packed season, someone like Beth just can't quite crack it.
Menlik Zergabachew, "Could You Be Loved" v. Jean Kelley "Chandelier": Pharrell, who has such a solid ear for finding good talent, stole both these picks from Gwen Stefani, hence the bizarre pairing. Reggae versus diva pop? Okaaaay... Menlik Zergabachew was up first, and he really struggled his way through "Could You Be Loved." This guy was never the most solid singer on this show, but man, did he struggle to get comfortable here. Maybe it was Taylor Swift's advice to keep his eyes open that threw him off, but he never felt that into the groove. Meanwhile, Jean Kelley was all about her take on Sia's "Chandelier." Much like the haunting music video, Jean threw herself into the performance, throwing herself about the stage like a madwoman. She did her own interpretation on the melody and with the dynamics - because Sia herself is basically untouchable. Jean started off slow and soft before really going into full diva mode for the final chorus, thus killing it in the competition.
Who technically won the knockout? I mean, it was pretty clear even from the rehearsal footage than Jean Kelley got this. And she did.
Who should have won the knockout? Yeah, Jean.
Blessing Offor "Your Body is a Wonderland" v. Chris Jamison "Sitting on the Dock of the Bay": It always seemed like everyone liked Blessing Offor more than I did. I don't know... maybe it was the blind thing, but he just always felt like a second rate Stevie Wonder. That notion, however, was stripped away tonight with Blessing's unique R&B twist on John Mayer's "Your Body is a Wonderland." The song was rendered nearly unrecognizable, which was impressive, though Blessing's flubbed notes were not so much. Meanwhile, Chris Jamison aged himself by about 45 years by performing "Sitting on the Dock of the Bay." It was a cheesy song choice, and maybe not the one that showed of Chris's vocals the best, but he gave the song a fittingly breezy and easy interpretation without missing a beat or a note. And, well, that is basically good enough for Team Adam.
Who technically won the knockout? Chris Jamison will live to see another day on the dock of the bay.
Who should have won the knockout? Adam made the right decision. Though neither of these performances were particularly mind-blowing, Chris did manage to outsing Blessing, even if some of the artistry was lacking. And, in the end, this is a pure singing competition. So, it worked out.
Grant Ganzer "Apologize" v. Reagan James "Hit 'Em Up Style": Well, time to feel bad for yourself... you'll never be this talented or successful as a teenager. Both Grant Ganzer and Reagan James are youngins, sitting at 16 and 15 years old, respectively. So, given that, it's so impressive that they could make it out of their high school show choirs and on to an actual singing stage... for a national audience, even! Grant Ganzer took on the dramatic OneRepublic song "Apologize." As the coaches later pointed out, there are really two Grants: the bluesy, strong singer and the guy with the mile high falsetto. One of these is much stronger than the other, and spoiler, it's his deep bluesy chest voice. Whenever Grant tried to reach up in his register for the chorus, it just felt very thin. Meanwhile, Reagan is maybe a little too adult for 15, but hey, sometimes when you're mature, you're just really actually a mature gal. Her take on the cheating revenge anthem "Hit 'Em Up Style" was so confident and sassy, that even her overwhelming youthful tone couldn't dilute the prowess of her performance.
Who technically won the knockout? Both were far better at singing than I was at anything at 16, but Reagan was the real star. She has a unique, breathy tone and a performance style for days.
Who should have won the knockout? Grant's upper register was just a little too weak for me, so Blake Shelton made the right choice in going for Reagan.
Anita Antoinette "Rude" v. Craig Wayne Boyd "Can't You See": This match up on Team Gwen literally made zero sense. Like, sure, this maybe is sort of both their second chance on The Voice, but that doesn't mean Anita Antoinette and Craig Wayne Boyd have any reason to be compared to each other. So, I won't even try. It was weird hearing an actual Jamaican singer take on the Canadian band MAGIC!'s "Rude," but Anita's actual patois was really unique and engaging, and she wound her way through the performance like an ol' pro... and that's even with the annoying gender swapped lyrics. On a whole 'nother musical planet, Craig took us all to church with "Can't You See," pouring his heart and soul into the performance to make up for his lack of hair and fringe. Both were incomparable to the other and strong on their own merits, making this the most tense battle of the night.
Who technically won the knockout? I mean, this is Team Gwen... so of course the No Doubt darling is going to go toward the reggae artist Anita Antoinette. That's not to say Anita wasn't a deserving winner... she was, it was just that Craig Wayne Boyd had no chance and no reason to be on this team in the first place... other than to be held over for Team Blake (again), which is what happened as Craig was the last steal of the show.
Who should have won the knockout? It's really hard to say, because both Anita and Craig are strong singers with rich backgrounds and plenty of respect for their genre. In the end, though, Gwen probably made the right choice. Will another reggae singer win The Voice so soon after Tessanne Chin? Probably not... but Anita is an undeniable talent.
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