The Voice 7 Winner Revealed on 12/16/2014 (Recap + Video)
Welcome to the live blog and recap for The Voice 7 "Live Finale"! Tonight, one singer will be declared the WINNER of The Voice Season 7!
Last night's show was a terrific two hours of TV, featuring some of the best original winner's singles we've had on a singing competition in ages, and easily the best of this year. But which artist will come out on top? Team Adam's frontrunner Matt McAndrew? His underdog Chris Jamison? America's wildcard choice Damien? Or Team Blake's Craig Wayne Boyd?
This is an incredibly tight race, but it seems like Matt McAndrew is out in front thanks in large part to his #1 ranking on iTunes. However, Craig Wayne Boyd is hot on his heels at #2, followed by Chris Jamison at #3. Damien trails at #8, but hey, all finalists charted, making this one of the closest races in years.
Credit: Trae Patton/NBC
Rickey.org readers predict that Matt McAndrew will be declared The Voice. The music teacher earned 1335 votes (as of press time). However, it's still fairly close, as Craig Wayne Boyd is close behind with 1134 votes, followed by Chris Jamison with 772 votes and Damien in a distant fourth with 117 votes. But it's not too late to have your opinion heard, so head on over and vote!
Keep it locked right here, as I'll be updating the post with live, running commentary, and videos as soon as they become available. Let's get this show on the road!
Credit: NBC
RECAP
-The coaches are all dressed to the nines for the finale, as are the finalists! We kick things off with a look back at last night's show, and we get some backstage clips, such as Pharrell singing "Soldier" with Damien, Blake congratulating Craig, and Adam telling Chris that "Velvet" is totally his song. Adam, meanwhile, tells Matt that his winner's single was "amazing" and that it was even better than they planned.
Carson then announces that each of the final four artists charted in the Top 10 of iTunes, and every song performed last night made the Top 50, which is unprecedented for the show.
THE TOP 20 FINALISTS perform!
-We get the finalists performing "Pompeii" by Bastille, and I can't tell if the audio is off or if the singers don't know the lyrics. Craig Wayne Boyd, at the very least, looks like he's trying to read the lips of everyone else to see what the words are. This performance doesn't pick up until all Top 20 are out onstage, since it isn't until we get 20 voices in on this thing that it feels like anything other than a mess. It's great to see the Top 20 back, but I didn't really enjoy this all that much.
-Back from break as Carson interviews the coaches, and some dude keeps shouting something every time Gwen tries to talk. They're far more amused by this than I would have been. Adam is proud of his team, while Gwen has loved her Voice experience. Pharrell really digs the finalists from the standpoint as a producer. Blake believes Craig can defy the odds, saying he did everything he possibly could to win. He's "nervous as crap" though. Speaking of Craig...
CRAIG WAYNE BOYD performs with DANICA SHIREY, SUGAR JOANS and TAYLOR BRASHEARS!
-Craig has decided to bring back DaNica Shirey, Sugar Joans and Taylor Brashears for his "Bring Back" performance, saying that they have the ability and attitude to really pull off his song choice, "Keep Your Hands to Yourself" by Georgia Satellites. He recalls DaNica being his main support during the show, while also singling out Sugar for her uniqueness, and Taylor for her ability.
-This is a fun little performance, especially since it takes on a story-like quality. It's like Craig is getting shouted at by three women he's wronged. It's like he's trying to get them back, but they just aren't having it. Sugar even takes Craig off-guard by practically shoving him to the ground in one spot. It's such a fun, lively number that I found myself loving it, even though this isn't a song I've ever been all that crazy about.
-We get back from break with a series of moments from the season, such as Elyjuh's scream upon meeting Alicia Keys, which is as entertaining now as it was then. I'm still kind of shocked Elyjuh didn't go farther than he did.
HOZIER performs!
-Hozier sings "Take Me To Church," a song I'm still pretty ambivalent about. It's certainly a good song, but it's one of those songs that has awesome verses and a meh chorus. Still, Hozier feels like the real deal. Dude can SING, and he's clearly a talented songwriter. I had no problems with this performance, or with the coaches racing to their feet to give him a standing O.
WATCH: Hozier, "Take Me To Church"
CHRIS JAMISON performs with LUKE WADE, RICKY MANNING, RYAN SILL!
-Chris is bringing back Luke, Ricky, Taylor and Ryan. In explaining why, he says Luke pours himself into every song, and praises Ricky for being so emotional and singing with his heart. He feels Taylor Phelan is a really cool guy, with very captivating moves. He thinks Ryan never hits a bad note, and loves how he looks into the camera in each performance. They'll be singing "Dedication to My Ex" by Lloyd, which is a TERRIFIC song.
-Luke appears to be in the Preston Prohl role of "Drunk Uncle at the Finale". Not that I'm complaining. He sounds downright great here. In fact, they all do, for the most part. I wouldn't mind seeing these guys as a regular group. I mean, I know it's never going to happen in a million frigging years, nor should it necessarily, but I thought this was fun all the same.
MATT MCANDREW performs with FALL OUT BOY!
-Matt McAndrew is here to perform "Centuries" with Fall Out Boy, and this is probably the most I've liked a Fall Out Boy song in nearly ten years. Maybe Matt singing on it has something to do with it, but honestly, it's a catchy tune on its own. I love the little sample of "Tom's Diner" by Suzanne Vega it utilizes. And Patrick Stump sounds pretty damn great too. This is packed with energy, and I find myself inexplicably stomping along. I would be remiss if I didn't mention that the non-Pete Wentz guitarist looks like a cross between Sideshow Bob and Sideshow Mel.
Carson points out, after the performance, that Patrick Stump will be on tomorrow night's special edition of The Sing-Off. Sounds awesome.
-We then get a pretty amusing Star Wars-themed video package of Pharrell having "Jedi powers" akin to Yoda's. We get some flashback clips, but in each one, he's got a filter over him that makes him look like a hologram. Although Pharrell is like Yoda, Adam says he would be like Han Solo and Blake would be Chewbacca. When the video is over, Pharrell looks equal parts amused and embarrassed. At least it wasn't as bad a reaction as Demi's reaction to that weird Laugh Juice skit at the end of The X Factor USA Season 3 finale.
WATCH: Matt McAndrew and Fall Out Boy, "Centuries"
BRYANA SALAZ, DANICA SHIREY, JEAN KELLEY, MIA PFIRRMAN AND SUGAR JOANS perform!
-This is...kind of a mess, actually. They sing "Bang Bang," and really, there's no reason this shouldn't be better than it is. I wish I had more to say about this, but this was mostly The DaNica and Sugar Show. That said, I still love that this show brings back eliminated finalists from throughout the Top 20 in random combinations. Hell, I'd love it if they went even farther and brought back people from earlier in the competition. You know, give us a chance to see Troy Ritchie, since he probably isn't allowed to audition again.
BRUNO MARS AND MARK RONSON perform!
-I LOVE "UPTOWN FUNK" MORE THAN CAKE! Seriously, this song is my jam. And this performance is on POINT. That said, I have absolutely no idea on Earth why Bruno Mars would go on national television with curlers in his hair. I love the guy, but he doesn't need anymore help looking like a character out of a Saints Row video game.
I almost feel kind of bad for the contestants though, because I have no idea how they're supposed to top this. Of course, for all I know, maybe some more conservative viewers will have changed the channel and skipped this altogether after mishearing the lyric and thinking Uptown Funk was coming to "f*** them up."
-We then get a video of the finalists putting on a Christmas concert for fans. Matt McAndrew sings "Oh Christmas Tree" while Craig Wayne Boyd sings "Silent Night". Chris Jamison sings "Joy to the World" and Damien sings "Little Town of Bethlehem" (I think). Then all four sing "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" before getting surprised with brand new cars. Chris is thrilled to have something to take him to and from school a lot quicker, while Matt notes that he actually sold his truck to make his album, so he's stoked to have a car again. Well, until he finds out how much taxes he's going to have to pay on this gift.
WATCH: Bruno Mars and Mark Ronson, "Uptown Funk"
CRAIG WAYNE BOYD performs with LYNYRD SKYNYRD!
-This is certainly very lively. If nothing else, I think if they ever need a singer in a pinch, Craig could fill in, the same way Adam Lambert has become the frontman for Queen. I think he's a natural southern rocker, more so than traditional country artist. I mostly enjoyed this, even though I could go without hearing "Sweet Home Alabama" again for as long as I live. (I don't hate the song, but it's just one of those songs that diminishes from overplay, like "Against All Odds").
WATCH: Craig Wayne Boyd and Lynyrd Skynyrd, "Sweet Home Alabama"
MEGHAN TRAINOR performs!
-She sings "Lips Are Moving," and I just find her whole throwback shtick so adorable. Makes her songs a whole lot catchier than they would be otherwise too, without this 60s doo-wop thing she's got going, since I'm not sure this song would be as infectious if it didn't sound like something straight out of American Bandstand. Meghan sounds great here too. I mean, it's not this big surprise that she can sing, but this is the most impressive she's ever been live, that I've seen. And I don't think she's lip-syncing, since her voice cuts out when she takes her mouth away from the mic. That said, when she tries to say hey to Carson, her mic doesn't appear to be on. But eh, conspiracy theories are so 2013.
WATCH: Meghan Trainor, "Lips Are Moving"
-After break, we get a cute video of "Adam Levine: The Musical, as we see a bunch of behind-the-scenes clips of Adam singing showtunes, an apparent obsession of his. Gwen thinks if Maroon 5 doesn't work out, he has a future on Broadway. Taylor Swift seems to be having way too much fun reenacting "Cool" from West Side Story with Adam. And I'm getting a shocking amount of joy out of watching this.
DAMIEN performs with JENNIFER HUDSON!
-I wonder if Jennifer Hudson ever gets fed up with her apparent second career as "Person Who Sings Almost Exclusively in Duets With Reality Show Contestants at Overlong Finales". She sounds great on "It's Your World," a song I generally find decent even though I think it sounds like a song Chaka Khan didn't feel like recording. And Damien does a hell of a job matching her crazy runs, like the world's toughest game of Simon. I can't imagine ever listening to this song in any other context but this one, but this was perfectly acceptable television.
-We then get a video tribute to Gwen about how she's a sweetheart offstage, but fierce onstage. We then get into her obsession with fashion. In a nifty visual effect, Adam transforms himself into Craig Wayne Boyd by giving himself a Craig hair-do (although he ends up looking more like He-Man than anything else).
WATCH: Damien and Jennifer Hudson, "It's Your World"
ED SHEERAN performs!
-Ed sings "Thinking Out Loud," and...nope, still not sick of this song yet. Ed sounds outstanding, as usual, although he looks a bit scraggly. Maybe he's cashing in on that "frat boy who just rolled out of bed" look. If nothing else, it works for him. In a neat touch, the lyrics are projected behind him in what looks like the Elvish script from Lord of the Rings. I mean, they're in English, but it's not like I can read them anyway with the corrugated curtains they're projected against.
WATCH: Ed Sheeran, "Thinking Out Loud"
MATT MCANDREW performs with TAYLOR PHELAN, MIA PFIRRMAN, SUGAR JOANS and TAYLOR JOHN WILLIAMS!
-Matt is performing "Go Your Own Way" by Fleetwood Mac. In explaining why he brought back who he did for this "Bring Back" performance, Matt says Taylor Phelan always throws himself into a performance, while Mia's ambitions line up with his. He thinks Taylor John Williams knows exactly who he is as a person and as an artist, and if he was going to form a group with anyone, it'd be with him. He then says he always wanted to perform with Sugar Joans, since he's a fan of her powerful vocals.
This performance is another case of a song I don't love, but a performance I mostly did. I guess Sugar Joans wins "most popular" honors in The Voice yearbook, since it seems like everyone is bringing her back for their performance. Well, except Chris. But I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if Damien chose her as one of his four.
DAMIEN performs with ANITA ANTOINETTE, DANICA SHIREY and ELYJUH RENE!
-Never mind then. In explaining why he chose these three for his "Bring Back Performance" (don't know why he didn't bring back a fourth, but hey, it's his prerogative), Damien says he chose Anita because she's one of his closest friends, and delivered some awesome vocals on "All About That Bass". He thinks Elyjuh has a great voice, and is going to be "ridonkulous" once he gets older. He feels DaNica has one of the best voices he's heard, so this was a no-brainer.
They sing "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," and it's exactly as good as you'd think it'd be. Elyjuh, in particular, sounds terrific. No complaints here.
CHRIS JAMISON performs with JESSIE J!
-Chris performs "Masterpiece" with Jessie J, and hot damn, this is the best Chris has sounded across both nights of the finale, in my opinion. I would totally download his version of this song. And Jessie J is just an insane talent, so this was naturally my favorite of the guest duets. Jessie J lets a curse slip out, but it's so quick that I hardly even noticed, particularly since the tape delay helped the guys in production catch it. I enjoyed the hell out of this.
-We then get a Blake tribute video for MC Blakey Blake, creating a version of MC Hammer's "Can't Touch This" comprised entirely of interview clips from the coaches this season. Kind of impressed by this, actually, since the editors did quite a fine job here. I'd listen to this again in a heartbeat, but then, I'm a sucker for these sorts of silly music videos.
WATCH: Chris Jamison and Jessie J, "Masterpiece"
BLAKE SHELTON, ADAM LEVINE, GWEN STEFANI and PHARRELL WILLIAMS perform!
-The coaches take the stage to sing "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas," and I adore the staging of this number, with the huge Christmas tree, falling snow, and orchestra. Also, whoever styled Gwen deserves some kind of award. Her red gown is stunning.
Surprisingly, I thought Blake sounded the best out of all four coaches here. But maybe I'm just thrown by Gwen's weird facials on this track. Either way, the arrangement of the song is downright lovely. So there's that.
FINALE RESULTS!
-It's time to get to the results!
DAMIEN finishes in fourth place!
CHRIS JAMISON finishes in third place!
MATT MCANDREW finishes in second place!
CRAIG WAYNE BOYD is the winner of THE VOICE 7!
If anything, this result is proof that we all put WAY too much stock into iTunes voting results. It'd be one thing if that were the only way to vote, but people in Craig's demo/genre probably vote through more traditional means. Of course, I don't know this for certain. It's just a theory. But U'm taking this as a sign for Season 8 not to view iTunes as the be-all, end-all.
That said, I was Team Matt, whereas my mom called this back at Top 12. I spent the entire season telling her she was crazy. So yeah, I'll never hear the end of it now. My only comfort is that neither will Adam (poor guy does NOT look pleased).
Of course, I don't think Craig is a bad winner, by any means. He was right up there with Matt for delivering the most consistent performances throughout the competition, and Blake made some brilliant song choices for him, playing straight into his demographic. He's a worthy winner, even though I was rooting for Matt. That said, this is the fourth win for Blake, so I'm wondering if it might not be time for him to take a season off before this show becomes Nashville Star. Then again, there's the risk that he could end up taking the country viewership with him, so I can see why NBC keeps him around. He's also one of the most likable personalities the show has. But I think The Voice is in need of a shake-up.
What do you think? Was this the right result? If not, whom do you think should have won? And how does this season rank among all seasons of the show? Sound off in the comments! Until next season, thanks for hanging out! It's been a blast covering this, and chatting with you all. Hope to see you again for Season 8!