The Voice 2014 - Top 12 Post-Show Power Rankings
The Top 12 have performed onstage for the first time in Season 6 of The Voice 2014! So how did the artists do?
Honestly, I was really surprised by some of the performances, in both good ways and bad ways. Some contestants I expected to soar ultimately didn't impress, while others I'd written off came through with some truly memorable performances. Overall, it was an encouraging night, if only for what it means for the rest of the season. I feel like this is a far stronger crop of finalists than many are giving credit for. It might not be as strong a group as last season, but there are at least four viable winners in the bunch, which is more than can be said for many singing competitions, which seem like a done deal before live shows even begin. But enough with the soapboxing, let's get to the power rankings. A reminder, these are in no way meant to be my predictions for which artists will be in the bottom 3 or which will go home. These are simply my own subjective rankings for whom I think the best performers of the night were, and whom were the ones to take a bit of a hit in The Voice standings. Feel free to add your own Top 12 power rankings in the comments below. Let's get to it!
Credit: NBC
1. Sisaundra Lewis, "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me": It was a close one, but Sisaundra just barely pulled ahead. Although I liked the #2 performance more, I thought Sisaundra delivered a better overall vocal. Her restraint was stunning, and the way she allowed the vocal to crescendo to the powerhouse portions towards the end illustrates that this is a real pro at work. She brings out the story of a song the way makeup will bring out someone's eyes or cheekbones. Not that I know a single loving thing about makeup, but then, I know enough about The Voice to know Sisaundra is one of the best pure vocalists the show has had. (Download on iTunes)
2. Josh Kaufman, "Stay With Me": Josh took a song that isn't immediately current, and made it sound radio ready. And that's not something that's easy to do, especially when you have a voice as uniquely varied as Josh's. It's hard to really compare him to any single artist, since he's got this soulful voice that's infused with an alt-rock sensibility, but also with slight tinges of something more pained and bluesy. It's remarkable the way he delivers something different but familiar each week, and "Stay With Me" was no different, taking a recognizable tune and adding his own nuance to it, without losing any of the melody, the pathos, or the power. This was one of my favorite vocals of the season so far, and I think that he's right up there with Sisaundra as one of the frontrunners to win this entire competition. (Download on iTunes)
3. Jake Worthington, "Anymore": I've always liked Jake, but I still found myself surprised by how much I liked this, in particular. It started out pretty shaky and it seemed, in the early going, that Jake's nerves and the lower pitch would hamper his ability to really deliver the power we've come to expect from his vocals. But as the song picked up and Jake became more connected with the story of the track itself, I could see what he meant in the pre-performance videos when talking about how he wanted to keep classic country alive. Jake is a storyteller in the same vein as all the great storytellers of country music that came before, from George Strait to Waylon Jennings. He finds ways to connect with songs, and to impart that connection to the audience, all while laying it over top of a lovely, nuanced vocal. This wasn't perfect, but its imperfection made it all the more appealing. (Download on iTunes)
4. Kat Perkins, "Magic Man": Loved it. It was classic rock from a woman with a rocker's sensibility. This never felt disingenuous, like she was putting on the role of a rocker just to do this song. This felt authentic in a way few rock performances on this show ever do. And it sounded fantastic. There wasn't a bum note in the entire song, and the track itself provided Kat with a fitting showcase to display her powerhouse vocals. I think Kat is a real dark horse to go far, provided she stays on this course. Then again, I'm not exactly sure what kind of fanbase she has, so who knows? She could be fighting for her life tomorrow night during the results show. Either way, she acquitted herself exceedingly well here, delivering one of the most fully-rounded performances of the night. (Download on iTunes)
5. Christina Grimmie, "Dark Horse": It's no real coincidence that the most current song choice in tonight's lineup produced the most current-sounding performance of the night. Yet I feel like Christina would have produced the night's most current performance no matter what she'd sang. Christina is just ready. And it's never been more evident before tonight, as she took real command of the stage and of the vocal itself, showing real presence as a performer and potential star. She probably could have gone with something more understated to show off her voice, but I think this was a perfect introductory performance, setting the tone for her stay in the competition by establishing her as a wildcard of sorts, since I don't think she has a "comfort zone," per se. It makes it hard to predict what she's going to do from one week to the next, and that's exciting. (Download on iTunes)
6. Tess Boyer, "I'll Be There For You": Tess continues to be the fighter of the competition, and her performances illustrate this. More than anyone still in the competition, she knows what it's like to feel like your dream has been crushed. Sure, other contestants still in the competition have been cut, only to be saved at the last minute by the Steal. But Tess has bounced from one team to another, re-experiencing the heartbreak of getting cut, only to experience the thrill and relief of having been saved. And those emotions pour through every performance, as she seems desperate to not let that happen again. Tess communicates the desire to be here better than anyone remaining in the competition. She wants this, and it gives her vocals a sense of urgency that makes her performances compelling even when the vocals themselves aren't perfect. I loved this performance because I could get the sense of Tess tapping into something deeper and more personal than what was shown. It felt like she was railing against rejection and coming back stronger, and that makes it easy to root for her. (Download on iTunes)
7. Audra McLaughlin, "Angel of the Morning": Blake has a talent for finding just the right country classic to suit the voices of his contestants. And such was the case here, as I thought this was the best Audra has sounded. More than that, it gave me an idea of just how she'd sound on the radio, as she's this blend between classic country crooner and contemporary crossover star. Kind of like Amber Carrington, but without the edge. Yet it's this lack of edge that makes her far more appealing, since there's a certain guileless quality to her, an honesty to her "Girl Next Door" image. You get the feeling that what you see is what you get with Audra, and what we get is pretty damn good. (Download on iTunes)
8. Delvin Choice, "Unchained Melody": It's a tall order to tackle a song as well-known as this, but Delvin performed admirably. He totally slayed the big note he needed to hit, giving the words "I need your love" a more driving force than I've ever heard from a contestant on a singing competition like this. Delvin has the tools to go far, and I really hope Adam starts giving him song choices that allow him to show he can be current. But no matter what Adam ultimately gives him, Delvin really does have a one-of-a-kind voice that will be hard to forget once all the performances have come and gone. And that's a valuable asset in this sort of competition. (Download on iTunes)
9. Kristen Merlin, "Stay": No one impressed me more tonight than Kristen. I had been all but ready to write her off, but she shut me right up with a performance that was both tender but piercing. And her graceful recovery from the technical mishap with her microphone made her all the easier to root for. Not many performers on a reality show would be able to keep their cool like that, much less continue to sing and finish as beautifully as Kristen did here. It isn't just that Kristen is a singer looking to prove that being different shouldn't exclude you from country radio, it's that she actually has the tools to back it up. I thought this was a lovely performance, and I might just have to rethink my prediction last week that she'd be one of the first two to go. (Download on iTunes)
10. TJ Wilkins, "Waiting On the World to Change": I liked this more on a technical level than on any other criteria. He's a great vocalist, to be sure, but he's also kind of boring. And I'm not sure this performance did anything to disabuse me of that notion. A great vocal and an inventive arrangement will only take you so far. I'm not even really sure what's missing from TJ. I kind of wish there were more fire and passion behind his vocals, but I'm not entirely certain that's what's missing, since he does have a certain connectedness to what he sings that comes through in nearly every vocal. Maybe it's stage presence? But even then, I don't think he's that bad at making use of the performance space. I wish I knew what it was about TJ, because I want to like him, but I'm just finding it hard to really get excited about anything he does, no matter how technically sound it happens to be. (Download on iTunes)
11. Dani Moz, "Just Give Me A Reason": Probably the biggest disappointment of the night. I loved Dani last week, and I'm not sure what happened here, but she sounded way off pitch through large chunks of this song. The verses were lovely, since they sat comfortably within her gorgeous lower register. But once the song required her to make full use of her vocal range, it became a bit dicey, particularly at the bridge of the song. It wasn't exactly bad or anything, but it was in no way up to the standard of last week's performance. I'm chalking this up to song choice, mostly, since I think Dani is capable of far better. That said, I really can't think of any reason why this shouldn't have been a great performance. But, for whatever reason, it wasn't. (Download on iTunes)
12. Bria Kelly, "Rolling in the Deep": Crummy song choice is a real killer. And such is the case here. I'm not sure there's anything anyone could do with "Rolling in the Deep" that could make me hear it with new ears, but even if there were, Bria's wasn't that version. As the song rolled on, she sounded more and more hoarse, a quality the coaches chalked up to her customary "grit." However, I'm not sure "grit" had as much to do with it as Bria simply pushing her voice beyond its capabilities. Bria just comes across as a singer who so frequently gets caught up in the moment that she ends up damaging her voice or damaging the performance around it by shutting her eyes and getting lost in the vocal itself. I just didn't get this at all. And that sucks for me, because I quite like Bria. But this just wasn't her best moment. (Download on iTunes)