The Voice 2014 - Top 3 Finale Post-Show Power Rankings
The Top 3 finalists performed on The Voice 2014, and I imagine this article is going to ruffle a few feathers. So let's make certain, right off the bat, I want to reiterate a few things...
In no way does a low ranking reflect what I think of the artist overall. I've put some of my favorite contestants on the bottom over the season because I just wasn't feeling them that night, for example. Similarly, these rankings are in no way meant to reflect my predictions for how these contestants will place when the results are read tomorrow night. These are merely my immediate, gut reactions on who I thought had the best night on this particular evening. So let's please be civil and respectful of one another's opinions. Disagreements are more than welcome, as are the lively debates that spring from them, but remember: in the grand scheme of things, it's just a reality TV show.
Anyway, if you missed tonight's show, I've got a full recap up along with videos, so hit up those links and then come back here and contribute your own power rankings in the comments! You can also declare who you think should/will win The Voice by voting in our official poll! You know, after you vote for your favorite contestant and all.
Let's get to it!
Credit: Trae Patton/NBC
1. Jake Worthington: I'm as surprised by this ranking as you probably are. Going in, I wasn't expecting Jake to impress me as much as he did, but he had an absolutely stellar night. The only performance that didn't really do it for me was his duet with Blake, and even that wasn't exactly bad or anything. Yet he nailed the hell out of "Right Here Waiting" and "Don't Close Your Eyes," two of his best vocals of the season, and two of the most underrated vocals of the night. Instead of doing a straightforward version of the original arrangements of each song, we got some lovely, orchestral arrangements that, when paired with Jake's strong vocals, made each song sound immediately more current than they would have sounded otherwise. But there are other pluses to take into consideration with Jake. Even factoring out what a likable guy he is (since all three of the remaining finalists are incredibly talented and immensely likable), Jake has a sincerity that imbues each of his performances with a deeper level of emotional attachment and conviction than I've seen from just about any other country contestant on this show. In my opinion, nobody else had a more consistent night than Jake did: no, he didn't take any risks, but he does his style of music extremely well. And, in a show that privileges artistry, there's a lot to be said for a singer knowing who he is from the word "go". Which is not to say that neither Josh nor Christina have fully-formed artistic identities. They do. And their artistic identities appeal to me far more than Jake's does. But -- well, to put it in the simplest possible terms, I just enjoyed Jake's performances more tonight. (WATCH: "Don't Close Your Eyes" / "A Country Boy Can Survive" / "Right Here Waiting")
2. Christina Grimmie: Christina's night probably could have gone better. The "Somebody That I Used To Know" duet with Adam felt off, in certain places, even though they both sang well (some voices don't always blend; or, rather, some songs don't always allow for perfect blending). And "Wrecking Ball" was at least as good as her blind audition, but failed to be memorable in the same way. Or for the same reasons, as I found myself turning on the vocal towards the end, once she dipped up into her upper register, which has always been hit-or-miss for me. With that said, "Can't Help Falling In Love" felt like a winning performance. That a cappella opening was STUNNING, and she managed to control her upper register with the skill of a season pro, nailing her performance at the exact time she needed to nail it. In short, this was everything I could have wanted from a Christina Grimmie performance. And yet, I felt a certain disconnectedness from her performances tonight, like she wasn't entirely keyed in to what was going on around her until "Can't Help Falling In Love". Maybe it was nerves, or the pressure of having her confidence shaken after nearly being eliminated last week. But even while I loved at least two of her performances, something prevented me from really feeling as connected to Christina's performances as I've been in the past. She's still my favorite contestant of the remaining three, and I expect big things from her after the show is over, but beyond "Can't Help Falling In Love," I didn't feel Christina had as good a night as she could have, or should have, had. (WATCH: "Wrecking Ball" / "Somebody That I Used To Know" / "Can't Help Falling In Love")
3. Josh Kaufman: I can't even believe I have him here, but this was seriously a case where song choice did in an otherwise surefire winner. None of his performances were bad, per se (although "Set Fire To the Rain" came perilously close towards the end, as the vocal just completely got away from Josh). But none of his performances were terribly memorable either; worse than that, the songs he was given were stale song choices performed with straight arrangements that I just couldn't imagine anyone purchasing on iTunes. Of course, I wouldn't be surprised one bit to be proven embarrassingly wrong on that score, since it's not like Josh hasn't had hits in the past with older songs. But "I Can't Make You Love Me" at least changed up the arrangement a bit to make it sound more contemporary, to where I could see exactly where Josh would fit in the current musical landscape, outside this competition. But tonight was too much of a throwback. Sure, "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" was funky, and he more than matched Usher on "Every Breath You Take," but neither song was particularly noteworthy, which is a shame. Josh is one of the most soulful singers this show has ever had, and one of its best pure vocalists, so picking songs for him should have been easy. Yet he got saddled with songs that did him absolutely no favors...and it wasn't his fault. Naturally, Josh can still win if his fans are passionate enough. But none of Josh's performances tonight did anything for me, personally. And I say that as a season-long fan of the guy. Best of luck to Josh, but I just wasn't feeling it tonight. If nothing else, if he does manage to pull off the win, he'll have really earned it. (WATCH: ("Every Breath You Take" / "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" / "Set Fire To the Rain")