'The Voice' Top 10: Producing Great Results
photos courtesy of NBC
Monday night on The Voice, the contestants were advised by some of the best producers in the game: Mark Ronson, former Eurythmic Dave Stewart, OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder, and Nashville powerhouse Scott Hendricks. While there were a few weak performances, overall this was a very strong top 10 episode. Sweet Voice dreams are made of this, indeed.
This was quite a production. Let’s get to the recap!
Kimberly Nichole (Team Xtina) – Kimberly really met her match in guest mentor Mark Ronson this week. The man has brought out the best in Amy Winehouse, Adele, Nikka Costa, and Christina Aguilera herself, and he’s brought uptown funk to the masses. And when he advised Kimberly on how to perform a roughed-up, dirrty’d-up, Ramonesy version of Etta James’s “Something’s Got a Hold on Me,” he brought out the best in this rock ‘n’ soul diva, too. Now here’s how you open a show! Kimberly uptown-funked this up and set the bar very high for the nine competitors who had to follow her — and she did it before even she even got up off her scarlet chaise lounge, making her hard-werking performance look so easy. “You reinvented what 10 means,” said an impressed Pharrell Williams. Mark called Kimberly “my idea of heaven” — so basically, she’s already won. I hope, whatever happens after this, that Mark produces Kimberly’s debut album.
Joshua Davis (Team Adam) – Kimberly was a tough act to follow, and Joshua’s mellow cover of James Bay’s “Hold Back the River” was such a 180. At first, the mood in the room sagged. This performance lacked so much power and verve, I actually wondered if Joshua was feeling under the weather. His voice was barely a gasp, scarcely a croak. It was clear that he was struggling with his lower register. He also seemed awkward standing in the middle of the crowd without his guitar (I had the same complaint about his guitar-free performance last week). Eventually he got back onstage and strapped on his axe, and the song built up to a crescendo where Joshua could work in his more comfortable upper register. And then some real magic happened. He was giving me a total Springsteen vibe, total heartland-rock stuff. A proud Adam Levine said Joshua “conquered the beast of having his upper register be great.” I wish the song had taken less time to get going, but at least Joshua finished strong and pushed himself vocally in previously unheard ways. We’ll see if that was enough.
Hannah Kirby (Team Blake) – How fitting that Hannah did Tears for Fears’ “Shout,” since that is pretty what she does week after week. She shouts. She shouts. She lets it all out. Some of her performances, I could do without. This one, I had mixed feelings about. I thought it was funny that Blake Shelton wanted to make Hannah’s performance feel “less ‘80s,” and then he put her onstage in Janet Jackson Rhythm Nation uniform and Valley Girl mall hair. I also thought it was funny that Scott Hendricks wanted Hannah to lift the song’s energy up; clearly he’d never watched The Voice this season, or he’d know that a lack of energy is not one of this “vocal monster’s” problems. “I’m gonna shout, and I’m gonna let it all out,” Hannah promised/threatened, as she stormed the stage with a fleet of military drummers. The whole performance felt very dated, and for some reason it reminded me of Jane Child. (Remember her? No? Never mind, then.) But I will say, Hannah did sing-shout the heck out of this song. “When it comes to singing, you truly are a freak of nature,” said Blake. He meant this as a compliment, of course, but I think Hannah’s bludgeoning, bellowing, unsubtle vocal style is starting to get old.
Meghan Linsey – Meghan sang “Home” — not the Phillip Phillips song, not the Chris Daughtry song, not the Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros song, not the Michael Bublé song, but the best possible “Home” for this Louisiana lady’s Southern drawl: the one by Marc Broussard. The intro to this performance was pure bayou fire, and after a few songs that been all about sadness and heartbreak, it was awesome to see Meghan being just such a badass. I didn’t agree with Christina that this was Meghan’s finest performance yet (I’d say last week’s “Girl Crush” was Meghan’s personal best), but this was rock-solid, and it rocked. I love how lately Meghan is incorporating her old country style into her new rock/soul direction; it absolutely works for her, and she could have the same kind of cross-genre career that Grace Potter or even Kelly Clarkson enjoy, if she plays her cards right.
Koryn Hawthorne (Team Pharrell) – This gospel girl took Ed Sheeran’s “Make It Rain” to church! And she was making it rain tears, because her intensely emotional performance, inspired by her difficult childhood, was incredibly moving. This was raw and real, not stiff or pageanty like some of Koryn’s earlier performances when she was still finding her way. This green teen has evolved so much in such a short time. This was such a phenomenal performance, she almost upstaged seasoned pros Kimberly and Meghan. “I don’t know if you could have done any better than you did,” said Blake. I honestly don’t know either. This was pretty much flawless.
Deanna Johnson (Team Adam) – Something about Deanna’s cover of Jefferson Airplane’s “Somebody to Love” fell flat. It lacked the urgency and menace and desperation of Grace Slick’s original. I could see Deanna really trying (she was wearing her “focus face,” to borrow an old phrase from Christina), and aside from a couple of stray bum notes at the end, she kept it together vocally. But the massive, propulsive song swallowed her up, and the band steamrolled right over her. The struggle was real. Deanna was in the bottom three last Tuesday, and she was saved by America via the Instant Twitter vote. I have a feeling she may be up for elimination again this Tuesday. She’d better have her “save me” song ready.
Rob Taylor (Team Xtina) – We already knew Rob could work a stage like nobody’s bizness, but who knew he could slay behind the piano, too? I almost wish he’d stayed at the piano for his entire performance of Donny Hathaway’s “A Song for You.” Mark Ronson advised Rob not to play piano, but in this case, Mark was wrong. Mark had worried that the keyboard work would distract Rob from delivering a killer vocal, but instead this consummate showman was focused on all aspects of his performance like a laser beam. Inspired by his long-absent piano-playing father, with whom he recently got back in touch, Rob put everything he had into this song. He held nothing back. Emotionally, it was stunning, but technically, this was also a masterful effort, full of Rob’s famous off-the-scales falsetto and some octave leaps that left Pharrell in utter awe. “I was totally inspired, so moved, and so touched,” declared Rob’s beaming coach, Christina. I still haven’t decided who delivered a more powerful tour de force this Monday, Rob or Koryn, but all I know is, I desperately want to see those two duet someday.
Corey Kent White (Team Blake) – This was the first Corey performance in a while that left me underwhelmed. I blame the song choice. Yes, I commend this kid for wanting to go old-school and do some crowd-rousing George Strait, even if he did flub some of George’s lyrics. But Corey excels when he emotes (see: “Live Like You Were Dying,” “Make You Feel My Love”), so the uptempo honky-tonk jam “Unwound” just felt like a throwaway — especially right after Rob and Koryn. Corey was a slick and assured performer, slapping hands and charming the adoring girlies in the front rows, and I could see this song going over well at a Corey concert. But as a competition song, it was just meh. Corey will probably be safe this week, because he has a fanbase and a lock on the country audience, but next week, I want to see him back in full-on crying-in-yer-beer, country-balladeer mode.
Sawyer Fredericks (Team Pharrell) – While I would have preferred a more stripped arrangement that would have put Sawyer’s fragile voice front and center, I think Sawyer did a fantastic job making the Goo Goo Dolls’ '90s movie anthem “Iris” his own. This young boy with the old soul has an uncanny knack for infusing a song’s lyrics with new pathos and pain; really, I’d always thought “Iris” was so middle-of-the-road and mawkish, but when I listened to Sawyer’s raw and heartbroken version, suddenly the song took on new weight, and it made me want to sob. Sawyer himself practically seemed on the verge of tears as he sang, and it’s that kind of believability and guilelessness that makes him such a true artist. Really, he could probably sing “My Humps” and make everyone cry. Pharrell told him, “We need more 16-year-olds in the country like you,“ but honestly, there is only one Sawyer Fredericks. He’s a true original.
India Carney (Team Xtina) – India once auditioned for The Lion King with Whitney Houston’s “Run to You,” and she didn’t get the gig. So I am baffled as to why her coach, Christina, would suggest that she sing it on live TV. Something about conquering her demons, I guess. But why take that risk when the stakes are so high? Conquer those demons offscreen, India! Anyway, for the most part, I think India pulled this off vocally, and we all know it’s not easy to pull off Whitney songs under any circumstances. But after last week’s rockin’ “Take Me to Church,” which felt modern and fresh, this old-fashioned performance felt like a regression. India has always seemed like 21 going on 51, so this song choice did her no favors. That being said, this was good enough to give that old Lion King casting director second thoughts, and I am sure India will be safe, especially since she got the pimp spot. And her gorgeous lioness hair this evening is worth a few votes alone!
So who won’t be safe? It is now prediction time, and this one is a toughie, because this is such a solid top 10. I think Hannah Kirby and Deanna Johnson will be in the bottom three for sure, but who will join them? I’m going to tentatively guess it’ll be Joshua Davis, but if that’s the case, he will easily, easily win the Instant Save.
Tune in Tuesday to see if I’m right! See you then.
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