'The Voice' Recap: Live Semifinals
Final eight singers bring on their 'A' game with hopes to win America's votes
Down to the final eight on "The Voice," it has somehow, somewhere along the way, become anyone's game. Hot damn, how'd that happen? (Maybe around the time James Massone got blown out?)
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One singer from each team will be gone by Tuesday night, and while I can happily tell you who I want it to be, I can't tell you who it will be, largely due to the fact that they all did "their thing" so well. What's more, if the Teams Adam and Cee Lo performance that took place midway through Monday night's episode is any indication of what could happen should they tour this summer, then by all means, gang, book it. (Teams Blake & Christina not so much.)
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But, as always, first things first:
Tony Lucca opened the show, and was totally in the zone on "How D'Ya Like Me Now?" When he took the stage I was looking (hoping) for his guitar, but Lucca was feelin' it and the unexpected fancy footwork was welcome, even by Christina. She remains (passive) aggressive when it comes to Lucca though, and Carson cutting her off made things even more awkward. Oh, and Lucca and Levine covering Britney tunes (which she suggested)? Great download, especially if Levine took on "Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman."
Erin Willett took "Without You" down tempo-wise, but her vocals, and the emotion they gave way to, was a thing of beauty. I was ready for her to go 'til this. Jermaine had a mouthful of fingernails backstage, no two ways about it.
Chris Mann selected "Ave Maria" (no, that's not a typo), saying he didn't "care if it's cool." It most definitely wasn't, nor the white scarf, but he could certainly open for Il Divo and sell a ton of merch. Xtina rushing up to hug him was "Awkward Aguilera Moment 2." I predict he'll be gone by next week (and would like for him to be), but the show is called "The Voice" and he's got a monster one.
Jamar Rogers, who obviously thinks he already has this all in the bag (which is off-putting), chose "If You Don't Know Me by Now," and I was thrilled. Mostly because I'm for Simms all the way, and he needs to be gone in order for that to happen, and this was the tepid '80's single that could punch that ticket. But, man, Jamar brings it EVERY time. Soaring vocals, bordering on something spiritual. (Sidenote: Has anyone else noticed that Simms is ALWAYS last?)
Jermaine Paul did not surprise when it came to the song he tackled: Journey's "Open Arms." Not the choice, or the fact that he did a solid job with it. Levine told him he was no longer a backup singer thanks to his stab at Steve Perry. America, do you agree? Jermaine versus Erin is a toss-up.
Katrina Parker managed to "save herself" last time around by rocking Pink's "Perfect," so I was surprised she brought it down with "Killing Me Softly." But it was the Fugees' rendition, and Parker was up for the up-tempo end of the equation. Even so, my bet is she won't make it to next week.
Lindsay Pavao sang Bon Iver's "Skinny Love," and might have been better served with something more popular and less folksy. She positively glowed, though, and like Jamar, appears to prefer the pressure. She didn't miss a beat, sang with confidence, and it was SO nice to see her smile.
Juliet Simms' nerves have been getting the best of her towards the end here, and picking a James Brown song made ME nervous. "It's a Man's Man's Man's World"? Why, Juliet, why? Why not "Dream on"? But, she kicked her nerves, the song, and America in the crotch. Adam called her the one to beat and Xtina (after making it about herself: "Aguilera Awkward Moment 3") said Juliet sings from her heart. Total showstopper. Simms sizzled.
It's on.
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"The Voice" airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/PT and Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.
Anyone else notice how we've neatly come down to each team having one male singer and one female on each team? Anyone really think that wasn't planned?
For the last two rounds, I've thought we were going to end up with all men in the final round, and that still might happen. However, I wouldn't be surprised if we end up with and even split again, with Juliet and Erin representing the women. But personally, I think only Juliet deserves to be in the final from the women and there isn't a guy who doesn't deserve to be there.
Christina obviously has a favorite she wants for her team's finalist. I'm just not sure if it's Chris or Lindsay. Hopefully after last night, Lindsay will finally be gone, as she should have been two rounds ago. Her voice makes my head hurt when she sings.
I think Christina has really wanted to have Chris be her finalist all along, which explains why she made the decision to keep saving Lindsay -- send home any real competition on her team and keep around this so-so voice until the semifinals so it looks like he was really the best all along. We'll find out tonight when we see how much weight the producers give to the judge's score vs. public.
Some good singing, but I didn´t hear all of them being great like the judges did. Juliet definitely won the night (again), but there were several that were excellent. I´m with another poster...enough of the pity stories. I buy music, not life stories. I applaud and admire anyone that manages to pull his/her life together, but life isn´t fair and it doesn´t give you an automatic reason to win.
And for the love of God, someone please, please, PLEASE remove the makeup spatula from Xtina´s hand and give her a mirror. The woman looks like she belongs on the street.
jt11200 i will agree with u on ur critiques except on lindsay to a degree. its better to have "unknown" songs than to sing the "standard 25-30" songs we hear from every competition on the planet. this way its harder to compare her singing of an adele or lady gaga or... whomever song. she is more nora jones-ish.
keep on truckin'
First of all, note to Crust-ina: "it ain't about YOU, baby!" Every time she commented, she had to recall something about HER instead of the singers. GMAB! OK, now on with my review:
Tony Lucca wasn't that bad, but I liked last week's performance better. Maybe I'm the only one who was watching last night that wasn't familiar with his song so I couldn't get into it as much as the week before. Still, SCREW anything that Crust-ina has to say. Obviously she had a teen crush on Tony back in the day and he probably blew her off, so now he has to pay for it on national TV every week. She's pathetic.
Erin Willett - am I the only one who found the first half of her performance all pitchy? She finally got it together in the second half of the song, but she was flat quite a bit. Sorry to the writer, but I didn't hear any of what you heard.
Chris Mann - I've always found "Ave Maria" to be one of the most moving songs ever written, and I was waiting for Chris to move me, but I didn't get the chills I was expecting. At times, his voice has too much vibrato which masks the true note that he is trying to sing. Sorry, I thought it was good but not great.
Jamar Rogers, nice try but I'm sure that Teddy Pendergrass wasn't impressed. And I'm tired of "his story." If that is what you are relying on to win this thing, I'll pass. The verses were great, the chorus did not deliver. And dude, quit bouncing around with that weird smile on your face. Looked like you were on something.
Jermaine Paul did not impress me at all. There are some songs that you just should not do, and this one of those songs. He sure sounded like a backup singer to me and I think it was his worst outing so far. He was one of my faves, but I'm not sure that this one was that good. However, since it's a toss-up between him versus Erin, she's gone, but only barely.
Katrina Parker seems to be getting better every time she sings. I loved her rendition of "Killing Me Softly." I thought it was the best song of the night, but second best performance of the night. She needed to cut loose on the song a little more and she did not, she played it safe. Still, I loved it.
Lindsay Pavao - does she know ANY songs that John Q. Public knows? She's annoying at best and I'm hoping she is finally gone this week. Too stuck in her own world to deliver the goods to win the show. Honey, you have to WIN first, then you can be the coffee house singer all you want. MASS appeal will win this contest, not what you keep doing.
Juliet Simms - best performance of the night and second best song of the night. The only reason I think that is because I'm getting tired of her yelling at me every week. Tone it down just a tad honey. Regardless, I think it's hers to lose at this point. And, note to author, it WAS a better song than "Dream On" would have been.
Finally, am I the only one who thinks that the show this year blows as much as it was great last year? With Juliet going last again, it's kind of obvious that they want her to win this thing, and she probably will, but I have not been as impressed this year as last. Maybe it should be more like "Idol" and eliminate one or two each week with America's vote ONLY and have the judges sit back and just critique. They'll probably change the rules yet again next year.
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Deanna Barnert | Los Angeles, Calif.
Entertainment journalist Deanna "TVDeeva" Barnert visits sets, interviews industry players and critiques the final product. Buzz's daytime TV queen covers it all for MSN TV, but loves her sitcoms, soaps and any juicy drama that doesn't call itself Reality TV.
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