The Voice 2014 - Recap - Live Final Performances - 05/19/2014

Welcome to the live blog and recap of "Live Final Performances" on The Voice 2014 Season 6! It's the last chance the artists have to sing for America's vote this season! Which artist will make the best case for why they should be The Voice?

Add your thoughts in the comments below, and keep refreshing for analysis, thoughts, and videos of the night's big matchups! Videos will be added later. If you can't see them due to being outside the US, Rickey will be posting individual videos later that anyone can see, so check out the individual posts later if you can't see the videos in this post. Let's get this show on the road!

Credit: NBC

RECAP

-So it's a huge week here at Rickey.org, kicking off tonight. Rickey is doing night one of the Dancing With the Stars finale while I tackle The Voice; tomorrow night, he'll be doing night two of the DWTS finale, while I take on both American Idol and The Voice. Then, on Wednesday, Rickey will cover the crowning of the next American Idol while I do battle against the finale of Survivor: Cagayan. This is MADNESS, but I'm BEYOND pumped for it. And we hope you will be too.

-We kick things off with a video showing how each contestant got here, with Josh Kaufman, Jake Worthington, and Christina Grimmie reflecting on their respective journeys. We get previews of the mentoring sessions, and apparently, Josh is singing "Set Fire to the Rain," which -- I mean, really? I love Josh, but I'm not sold on that song choice. The full song spoilers are up on iTunes right now, but I tend to avoid those just so the show can be fresh, but you're more than welcome to spoil away in the comments.

CHRISTINA GRIMMIE kicks off the show!

-Christina will be singing her audition song, "Wrecking Ball" by Miley Cyrus, which was America's pick for her. She dedicates it to her fans, who saved her after last week's dramatic bottom 3 appearance.

-She has a giant light-up spiderweb behind her, because I guess someone loved The Amazing Spider-Man 2 as much as I did. Loving the arrangement here, as they added violins, which improve EVERYTHING. Christina gets swallowed up a bit by the band, but overall, I thought this at least as good as her blind audition performance, although it's a bit unspectacular, vocally. Troublingly, in the final fifteen seconds or so, she decides to really push her upper register, which comes out extremely unpleasant and shrill.I don't know why she keeps going for those notes when she lacks the control to keep them from sounding sharp as hell. But whatever, I'm still a massive Grimmie fan, so I'd love to see her go all the way. She's my favorite.

-Blake praises her vocal ability, while Usher calls it "yet another good performance." Shakira says Christina's upper register is insane, and adds that she thinks Christina has the highest upper register of anyone left in the competition (really, Shakira? Good to know). Adam thinks she did "Wrecking Ball" even better than she did during her blind auditions, noting the massive difference between the girl fighting to get chair turns, to the confident star she is onstage now. And I don't disagree. It was a damn solid performance. And kudos to the fashion team, as she definitely looked like a star out there, but not in a desperate "girl playing dress-up" kind of way.

Non-U.S. Viewers, watch here: Christina Grimmie, "Wrecking Ball"

JOSH KAUFMAN is up next!

-Usher tells Josh that while this will be their last time working together on the show, it will not be their last time working together in his music career. Josh says he couldn't believe he's actually gotten to sing with Usher, and says he wouldn't have gotten this far without his help. Usher has chosen "Every Breath You Take" by The Police for their coach/artist duet, and they rehearse it in the studio, doing some great harmonies. However, they're keeping the same, dated 80s arrangement, to the point where I wonder why he even bothered picking this song in the first place. It just doesn't sound like anything current, and I don't think it'll do Josh any favors in the voting.

-This is kind of weird. Either Josh forgot a lyric at one point, or he and Usher simply fell out of rhythm together during their harmonies. Regardless, it was just a strange mishap in the middle of the performance. Stranger still is the difference in fashion, as Usher is wearing a white t-shirt and baggy jeans while Josh is dressed to the nines. It's just a very peculiar visual that I found amusing. Of course, the vocal itself is impeccable, save for several spots in which it feels like Josh is overdoing it a bit. Still, for what it is, it was a very good performance. But I just don't see very many people buying it on iTunes because of that dated arrangement. It just sounds so...old fashioned. And not in a good way.

-No comments from the other coaches, because how can you judge Usher?

Non-U.S. Viewers, watch here: Josh Kaufman and Usher, "Every Breath You Take"

-Back from break with Keenan Ivory Wayans, JB Smoove, and Russell Peters from Last Comic Standing in the audience. What happened to random Marky Mark and his hot fictional daughter?

JAKE WORTHINGTON is up next!

-Jake will be singing America's pick for him, "Don’t Close Your Eyes" by Keith Whitley. He thanks his fans for voting him through to the finale, and seems sincerely overwhelmed to have made it this far. Jake may not have always been my favorite singer in the competition, but I have pretty much no doubts that he's a genuinely good dude. And that counts for a lot on a competition like this.

-This was one of my favorite Jake performances this season. It was a raw, honest, emotional vocal. In many ways, it played into Jake's strengths as a storyteller, as he really connected with the song on a narrative level, conveying the story through his voice and embellishments. If I have one complaint, it's from the audio department: turn the man's mic up, people! Seriously, maybe Jake was singing too low during the verses, or the acoustics in the studio were off, I don't know. But for crying out loud, this is the finale of America's top singing competition (whatever that's still worth in an age where these sorts of shows are declining), iron out the audio mix! But, other than that, great performance.

-Usher congratulates him for working hard and coming back after last season to reach the finals, calling this another "great performance." Shakira talks about wanting to squeeze him, and says his performances are always very heartfelt and sincere. She praises him for making her pay attention to the lyrics. Adam, meanwhile, says he won't squeeze Jake, but he does still love him. "We love you as a person, we love you as an artist, and it's been fun watching you," Adam says. Blake, meanwhile, tells Jake he has so much respect for him because he's a throwback to Keith Whitley and that generation of country stars. He loves that Jake has such respect for that era in country music, and laments that we lost Keith Whitley too soon. I do have to agree with Blake though, Jake clearly does have a deep, abiding respect for country music that, in many ways, mirrors Blake's own, which is why I think he's been more passionate about Jake than he's arguably been about any one of his contestants over the past six seasons. It's actually quite touching, their bond.

Non-U.S. Viewers, watch here: Jake Worthington, "Don't Close Your Eyes"

-Back from break with Carson talking to the contestants. Jake says he got to meet Miranda Lambert in Blake's trailer, and he says this is "every redneck's dream." Meanwhile, Josh talks about how his son initially thought his dad was off at Target for the first few weeks of the competition, thus explaining his absence around home, which is, frankly, adorable as hell. Christina then talks about getting to see some of her best friends again, and adding that she'll be performing with some of them tomorrow, which I guess means Bria Kelly will be having a "harsh upper register" duel. Still, their friendship has been so cute that it's impossible for me to hate on them.

BLAKE SHELTON AND SHAKIRA PERFORM "MEDICINE"

-Full disclosure: I hate Shakira's voice. There, I've said it. I can't unsay it. That said, "Medicine" isn't a bad song or anything. And Blake sounds great. But man, I just cannot get onboard with Shakira. She's a lovely human being, and is obviously very successful at what she does. But nope.

Non-U.S. Viewers, watch here: Shakira and Blake Shelton, "Medicine"

JOSH KAUFMAN is up next!

-Josh will be singing "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" by Stevie Wonder, which he called a great moment for his journey, since it's what prompted Usher to steal him in the first place. This was also America's pick for Josh, so he thanks them for sticking with him through this entire competition.

-It's a damn fine performance. I mean, Josh just absolutely sings his ever-loving ass off here, to the point where I actually think he might have overdone it a bit. Still, stale song choice aside, I really dug this. It's not just that Josh has a ton of soul, he's also got a lot of funk. So much funk, man. And this was a funky performance. Even got Usher up on his feet and clapping along.

-Shakira thinks Josh has a dynamic voice with a lot of charisma and so many facets that no one could ever get bored listening to him. She says she can't believe he almost went home after first singing this song, and is thankful that Josh was saved by Usher. Adam jokes that Josh is twisting the knife by singing the song that reminds him of that telltale moment where he let him go, allowing Usher to steal Josh. Josh admits he borrowed a vocal tic from Delvin's performance, and Adam notices and loves it. Blake jokes that he loves any performance that makes Adam uncomfortable, while Usher tells Adam not to beat himself up too much, since he chose an amazing record for Josh. He proclaims that Josh is the new Voice of The Voice.

-I love Josh, and he sounds amazing, but these song choices were clearly not made with iTunes votes in mind, because I just cannot imagine anyone buying either of the songs he's performed tonight so far. Too old fashioned. Which wouldn't be a problem if it hadn't been a simple, straight-up rendition of the same arrangement. Even changing it up a little bit can pay dividends, such as his subdued "I Can't Make You Love Me" worked, or how Jake Worthington's countrified "Heaven" was one of his biggest hits. This was a great vocal, but it's not something I think people are going to feel compelled to revisit.

Non-U.S. Viewers, watch here: Josh Kaufman, "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours"

CHRISTINA GRIMMIE is up next!

-Adam chooses "Somebody That I Used To Know" by Gotye for their coach/artist duet, and it's a really charming segment, as they go into the studio to rehearse the song, and Adam makes her laugh by doing a running commentary on each verse in an "overbearing grandmother" accent. It's great, and shows how the rapport has grown between them. And their harmonies are great. Adam thinks this will be the perfect song for them, and I don't disagree.

-Where has Adam's lower register been all this time?! It's kind of gorgeous. And Christina sounds wonderful here, as her voice takes on this lilting quality that is really beautiful. The choruses are a bit rough, however, as it sounds like they're right on the edge of shouting each other hoarse. That said, I still found myself really enjoying this -- partially because I find it kind of amusing that Adam's singing voice sounds nearly identical to his speaking voice, which isn't always the case for most singers. Okay, I liked this for other reasons, but I'm just looking for things to talk about other than vocals, because we're at the point in the competition where EVERYONE can sing -- and sing well. Might as well chat about other things.

Non-U.S. Viewers, watch here: Christina Grimmie and Adam Levine, "Somebody That I Used To Know"

JAKE WORTHINGTON is up next!

-Carson interviews Jake on talks about how, technically, Blake was his coach last season, since he offered him the advice he needed to get a four-chair turnaround. Jake talks about how strange it is to be in a room with Blake, Adam, Shakira, Usher, and Carson, and he continues to come across so adorably overwhelmed by it all that I get the strange feeling he might just win this thing on likability alone. Blake says Jake is like the little brother he never had, and that artists like him are why he signed up to do this show in the first place. He gives Jake a pep talk by telling him about how he moved to Nashville at 17, just like Jake. It's strange that the season that arguably ended the Adam/Blake bromance has inaugurated a new one with this Blake/Jake thing (good luck coming up with a ship name for that one).

-Jake is singing "Right Here Waiting" by Richard Marx, and this is what I mean by changing things up when you're given an old fashioned song. Instead of doing a straight version of the original arrangement, Jake is performing a version that's slightly countrified, and loaded with gorgeous strings, and his own strong baritone to make a song that I imagine is going to sell like hotcakes on iTunes. Because you can actually LISTEN to this outside the context of a competition, since it's a version that sounds like it exists outside the context of a competition. Seriously, this could be on the soundtrack to a Harry Connick Jr./Sandra Bullock movie. Loved this. The arrangement was better than the vocal, but I think Jake more than held his own.

-Usher called it a "spotless" performance, and talks about how Jake identified with the emotion despite his age, which is the mark of a real artist. Shakira is loving the "countrified" versions of the songs, and says he's making them sound new. She says she doesn't know if it's because he's been doing vocal exercises or what, but states he's been singing better than he ever has. Adam loved Jake's performance, and tries to do Jake's country nuances, making for a really funny moment. He describes it as every first note having a "Yuuuup" quality to it, which is such a stunningly apt way to put it. Blake thanks Jake for everything he's done, and it's a sweet little moment that, once again, illustrates just how much Blake seems more invested in this particular finalist than just about anyone else he's ever coached (at least from all appearances).

Non-U.S. Viewers, watch here: Jake Worthington, "Right Here Waiting"

-Back from break, and Carson asks Shakira about her performance earlier with Blake. She notes that she didn't want to say this in front of him, lest his head get too big, but Blake is one of her favorite male singers at the moment. Well that's nice.

USHER AND ADAM LEVINE PERFORM "UNTITLED (HOW DOES IT FEEL?)"

-There are going to be so many children born nine months from now thanks to this performance. Seriously, it's like Usher and Adam are trying to outdo each other in the "Baby-Makin' Music" department throughout this entire vocal, dipping into their respective falsettos and really nailing the highly sexualized emotions of the song. They get into a falsetto sing-off, shouting "Yeah yeah" back and forth, and this is probably my favorite coach performance in Lord only knows how many seasons. SO good. I kind of just want to vote for these two.

-Back from break, and Maya Rudolph is in the crowd! Carson praises her for her Beyonce bit on Saturday Night Live, and plugs her variety show coming up after The Voice. Maya talks about all her friends appearing on the show. She says Kristen Bell "blows the roof of" the place, and I might have to watch this thing after all. I do love a good variety show, after all. For her part, Maya notes that the Adam/Usher performance was incredibly sexy, basically saying what I imagine was already on the mind of many a viewer.

JAKE WORTHINGTON is up next!

-Jake and Blake work on their duet, which is "A Country Boy Can Survive" by Hank Williams. Blake tells Jake that his performance of the track in the studio is the best he's ever heard him sing. Jake goes on to say that he feels like he's been doing this forever now. However, no matter what the result is tomorrow night, he feels he must go back home and finish school first. I think I'm switching my prediction for the win to Jake. I just have this weird feeling about him now that makes me feel like he can't possibly lose. Of course, that can all change by tomorrow. But it seems like the only halfway successful winners they have are all country singers, so hell, it might as well be Jake. I mean, if it were up to me, it'd be Christina, but could an Instant Saved singer really win? I guess Kat showed that a saved singer can go farther than you might think, but that was the difference between Top 8 and Top 5, not Top 5 and the win. But I suppose we'll see, come tomorrow night.

-As for this performance, it's a solid vocal from both men. I'm not exactly crazy about it or anything, but it fits both their voices pretty well. It's your standard finale duet performance, neither spectacular nor bad. Just good. And hey, ain't nothin' wrong with that.

Non-U.S. viewers, watch here: Jake Worthington and Blake Shelton, "A Country Boy Can Survive"

CHRISTINA GRIMMIE is up next!

-Christina talks with Carson and they commiserate over having mothers that survived cancer. She goes into detail about having performed "I Won't Give Up" for her mother, before noting that she wanted to do "Hold On We're Going Home" because she doesn't do safe. Christina is overwhelmed that Adam has such faith in her. Adam loves Christina's passion, and her instinct for changing up the songs with her own unique vocal inflections, arguing that she's never been wrong in the direction she chooses to take each vocal. Christina reveals she'll be singing "Can't Help Falling In Love" by Elvis Presley, a song she's wanted to sing since she decided to audition for The Voice, even having gone as far as to promise herself that if she made the finale, she would sing that song. The rehearsal footage has me nervous, because it has her going for those really shrill high notes, but maybe she'll prove me hilariously wrong once again. She does hit some beautiful runs though.

-I loved, loved, LOVED the a cappella opening. And when the band kicked in? Still fantastic. While I wish she'd done less runs, this was gorgeous simply for how magnificently she reined in her voice, and showed control over her upper register. It never once got out of control or shrill, and it became one of my favorite performances of this entire season. I just loved this. If she wins tomorrow night, I think this performance will be a huge reason why. She's going out on a high note here.

-Blake is impressed that she tackled Elvis, while Usher gives props to the arrangement, and notes that Christina is a great singer. Shakira calls the performance "flawless," and praises Christina for how she puts her stamp on everything. Adam says when he thinks of what epitomizes a winner of this show, it's the artistry and determination that Christina embodies. He says that every good choice she made on this show was entirely hers, with very little input from him. "This is yours. I think you're going to win this show, and I'm going to do everything I can for you." Does that mean he'll be voting for her himself?

Non-U.S. viewers, watch here: Christina Grimmie, "Can't Help Falling In Love"

JOSH KAUFMAN closes the show!

-Carson asks Josh if he ever imagined he'd be on the season finale of The Voice, and he says he didn't even think so when he went to audition. It was the most nervous he'd ever been for a performance. When the first chair turned, he felt that even if the rest of the performance bailed, he still has someone who turned. But then the other chairs turned as well! They chart the journey from Adam letting him go, to Usher stealing him, all through "Stay With Me" and "I Can't Make You Love Me," both of which are songs he'd have better been served repeating tonight. However, he'll be performing "Set Fire to the Rain" by Adele, which he thinks is a perfect song for the finals. He's trying to do everything he can to take hold of this opportunity, not only for himself, but for his family. Usher tells him, in rehearsal, that he should get emotional, cry if he has to, or get angry and knock things over (Usher demonstrates, surprisingly -- well, it would have been surprising if the preview at the start of the episode hadn't spoiled it. But if there's anything remotely interesting that happens in a pre-tape, you bet your sweet ass the previews are going to make sure you know exactly what happens and how, before it airs). Usher feels Josh deserves this.

-I really wish Josh was singing something else. I swear, these song choices have made him drop from a surefire win tomorrow night, to what could very well be a third place finish. He's a magnificent singer, but this is a complete mess, in the worst possible way. I have no idea what could compel anyone to sing this song as a finale song. Josh may have poured his soul into this, but it just didn't work for me in the least. I love ya, Josh, but this wasn't my bag, my friend.

-But hey, the crowd loved it. So much, in fact, that their cheering barely allows Adam to get a word-in edgewise. He basically just tells Josh that he's amazing, and moves on to Usher. Usher declares "The destination is the journey," stating that Josh was up and down, and he went on to land in the Top 10 of the Top 100 songs in the country. He declares that "This is what The Voice is!" and that Josh MUST win The Voice. Either way, should be an incredibly close one.

Non-U.S. viewers, watch here: Josh Kaufman, "Set Fire To the Rain"

-So what did you think of the show? Who did best? Who underwhelmed? Who will win THE VOICE 2014?! Sound off in the comments! Until tomorrow night, check back for videos, which I'll be adding as soon as they become available. And check back tomorrow, as I'll be recapping the live finale, in which we crown the winner of The Voice for Season 6!