The Voice 24 Playoffs: Jacquie Roar Shines On, With Classic “The Chain”
Last week the Season 24 The Voice Playoffs kicked off with some strong performances from Team Niall Horan. Playoffs resumed on Monday night with performances from Team Reba McEntire and Team Gwen Stefani. Team Reba’s mostly country team had more big moments. Those moments were anchored by country rocker Jacquie Roar. (Read our Recap)
Jacquie reveals that she is singing “The Chain” by Fleetwood Mac. Her daughter reacts to the choice saying “I love that song, mom,” and then declaring, “I bet you can win the whole thing.”
Prior to rehearsal, Reba says, “I like Jacquie’s enthusiasm, she’s got great stage presence, she’s a strong woman singer, and she’s very confident on stage.” Jacquie shares that she fronted a band, Lace and Thorn which has since dissolved. It’s how she got her start in performing. But the band ending allowed her to become a solo act. She will be doing a full-on Jacquie Roar solo version of this song. She says, “Lace and Thorn opened the door for me. It opened my eyes to what kind of performer I really am.” Her confidence is continuing to grow, and she feels it is at its height. Reba exclaims, “Bravo, you sang your butt off on that one” after she hears Jacquie sing in rehearsal. Reba’s advice is to use the “you don’t love me now” line as a march when it comes to choreography.
“This is my favorite Jacquie performance so far”
Jacquie starts the song in an eerie way. She gives a more modern twist to the classic song. As the performance builds, she gives it more and more grit, building the dynamics as it goes on. She doesn’t veer too far from the melody, but manages to have a unique moment on the number that showcases her super powerful voice. The quiet moments are what stand out the most for Jacquie here, as her voice has character and this is a side we haven’t seen from her. As a a country and rock hybrid, she is one of the most versatile singers in the competition. This performance was a perfect mix of both styles. If only the lives were longer, she would have more rounds to showcase her versatility.
John Legend says, “This is my favorite Jacquie performance so far,” calling it “tasteful.” Gwen questions why she let her go, telling Jacquie “you never seem to look nervous, you know exactly what you are doing.” Reba comments on the performance’s dynamics saying that she “went for that big note” back to quieter singing “which is very hard to do.” Later, Reba tells John, “That was by far her best performance of the whole season.”
Reba chose Jacquie to move on to the Live shows
Reba picked Jacquie as one of her three singers to advance. The other stand out on Team Reba was classic country teen singer, Ruby Leigh who sang Linda Ronstadt’s “Long Long Time”. Also advancing was country singer Jordan Rainer who delivered a swampy version of “Boondocks” by Little Big Town. Folk country singer Noah Spencer also would have been a worthy singer to advance, but was sent packing even after a very solid rendition of Ray Lamontagne’s “Jolene.” Ms. Monet was also eliminated from Team Reba.
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Team Gwen also performed
Team Gwen was the other team that performed on Monday night. Her team’s stand out was R&B singer, Kara Tenae who was silky smooth with SWV’s “Rain.” She also advanced 19-year-old pop singer Tanner Massey who sang a rendition of Shontelle’s “Impossible” and country entertainer BIAS who sang “Where I Find God.” Another worthy singer went home here in Super-Save singer Lennon Vanderdoes who brought some real emotion to “Falling Slowly.” Rudi and Stee, also members of Team Gwen, were sent packing.
Playoffs wrap up Tuesday night, and hopefully we get more explosive performances like Jacquie’s, from Team Legend, the final team to take the stage.
