It’s the last chance to vote for your favorite The Voice contestants! Cassadee Pope, Terry McDermott and Nicholas David perform tonight for the crown. The winner will be announced tomorrow on the big finale.
I am absolutely sure the winner of The Voice 3 will be….Blake Shelton. Cee Lo Green’s contestant, Nicholas David does not have a chance in hades of winning this thing. Being the underdog, he needed GREAT performances tonight and he just did not deliver. His personal song choice, the Jerry Lee Jimi mashup was totally cruise ship material. The duet with Cee Lo was…all about Cee Lo and his reprise performance was anti-climatic. Hello 3rd place!
Although I’ve seen stronger performances from her–Cassadee was solid. All of her song choices emphasized her strengths–as a female pop singer with the ability to convey big emotions through song. She knows how to hit those all important money notes and look pretty while doing it. She’s got a radio friendly pop voice and is the most viable and current contestant. She’d be a winner with a chance at a career.
But you can’t underestimate the Power of the Penis. Terry McDermott is youngish (but not too young), cute, a sweet family man–three characteristics that resonate strongly with the older female demo who typically votes on these shows. If all the throwback fans are busy voting for either Terry or Nicholas. Marbe Cassadee has a chance. But then, Cassadee came in to this thing with a solid fanbase from her Hey Monday days. Or maybe she’ll be the only contestant to reach the iTunes Top 10, and those 10x extra points will put her over the top. I’m sure that Cassadee’s “Cry” will be at least in the top 5, if not the top spot.
Terry’s tune, “Broken Wing” was another emotional gut buster, so I expect he’ll land somewhere in the top 10 as well. Blake Shelton has proven to be a savvy coach. He’s pretty good at figuring out what it is about his charges that resonates with viewers, and then proceeds to exploit the hell out of it. He also never overshadows his contestants, he gives them the spotlight when needed. Nudging Cassadee into the country pop direction was just pure genius. Heartfelt country ballads are beloved by a wide cross-section of viewers. More than say, a Pink song. Blakes done a great job of playing the middle with Cassadee, yet keeping her current. I would say, at this point, she deserves to win.
But…but…but…there is Terry and his big throwback 80’s voice, and his adorable shag haircut and his love of family. Blah blah blah. Personally, I don’t find what he’s about all that interesting. His taste in music is problem number 1 for me. I wish Blake would have worked a little harder to nudge him out of his box a little. But, in the end, Terry has been the most successful with the 80’s stuff. There’s a great love for the music of his favorite genre, and he sings it well. Even if Terry seems more suited touring with a tribute band rather than as a pop star in his own right, I still think he could win.
I’ve got to sleep on it to make a prediction.
A couple of other notes: I suppose it’s a blessing that we didn’t hear much blah blah from the coaches, but isn’t final night the week they would all want to get a word in edgewise, even if for some extra pimping, or the opportunity to throw a contestant under the bus. To the coaches credit, there was none of the latter going on. Still, the coaches managed to exert their influence on The Voice Stage. I feel strongly that on Final night, the contestants should be THE ONLY FOCUS. Sure, sing duets with your coaches, but how about saving it for the finale when it doesn’t affect the outcome? Anything that takes the focus off the contestants on such a big night is pitiful. Also, tonight felt like any other night of competition–particularly with the yawn-inducing (and downright goofy) song choices. Overall, I was underwhelmed with tonight’s show. All 3 contestants have performed better in the past. But, it’s not unusual for the Final to be a let down. At this point, the kids are just about out of gas.
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So. The coaches, contestants, and Carson Daley are singing “Hallelujah” while holding placards that have the names and ages of the victims of the Newtown school shooting printed on them. I don’t know how I feel about this to be honest. It’s a little much.
The pre-taped cold open makes way for a recap of the season, and sound bites from the three finalists. There will be solos by the finalists, and “special” duets with the coaches!
Nicholas David – Team Cee Lo – Great Balls of Fire by Jerry Lee Lewis mashed with Fire by Jimi Hendrix – WTF? Worst song choice ever. Nicholas’ piano is ON FIRE as he sings. CHEESY. This is exactly the kind of song YOU ABSOLUTELY DON’T PERFORM ON FINAL NIGHT. It’s a total throw away. The Hendrix part is a little better. But seriously, it’s like a mediocre Las Vegas lounge act, straight down to the sparkly suit jacket. I have no quarrel with his vocals, but the final is THE TIME TO BRING IT. This is pretty silly. He wasn’t going to win in any case, so I guess it doesn’t matter. And he probably knows it. Nicholas probably figures…why not go out having a little fun? Adam says, “This is so great.” Adam thinks it’s awesome that he performed a throw away performance. Not surprising that Adam has nobody left in the compeition. Blake, who must BE THRILLED WITH THAT RIDICULOUS PERFORMANCE, thanks him for being so entertaining. Cee Lo says, “You’re fire burned this house down. I loved it. I am forever a fan of yours.” 1-855-864-2301 or Sprint text 1 to 8642
Cassadee Pope – Team Blake – “Over You” by Miranda – And Cassadee is playing to win! She reprises one of her big, emotional ballads. And its theme of loss pings the nation’s sense of grieving in the wake of tragedy. And you make sure your coach makes the connection, if the audience isn’t able to do it for themselves. That’s how you get viewers to pick up the phone, OK? Having said that,the song was one of Cassadee’s best performances of the season, so good pick. I don’t think it measured up to her first, chilling rendition, but Cassadee did it justice again. Christina says, “You look drop dead gorgeous. You nailed that song once again. Sky’s the limit for you. Adam says, “You’ve developed your voice so much.” Blake says, “You know how I feel about that song. It’s perfect. America’s heart is heavy right now. It was a great moment. Music starts the healing process.” 1-855-864-2303 or Sprint text 3 to 8642
Terry McDermott and Blake Shelton – Team Blake – “Dude Looks Like Lady” by Aerosmith – Blake flew in Terry’s father, whom the singer hadn’t seen in 4 years. Aw. Adam is playing guitar…inexplicably wearing dreads. Is he supposed to be all rock n’ roll or something? That was ALSO pretty ridiculous. But better to leave the silliness to the coach duet. Again, that was one of those throwaway performances you toss off on results night. If I didn’t hate the song so much, I probably would have enjoyed it. 1-855-864-2302 or Sprint text 2 to 8642
Nicholas David– “Lean on Me” – One of Nicholas’ best cover reveals how deeply soulful and musical he is. It didn’t have the same impact the first version did, but it’s still very good. Adam says, “You look like a principal..of the school of funky stuff. Version of that song is killer.” What? Cee Lo says, “You never cease to amaze me. I appreciate you so much. I believe in you. I love you.” GET A ROOM FELLAS.
Terry McDermott – “Broken Wing” by Mr. Mister – Mr mullet 80’s guy! So original! So refreshing. Not. OMG. This song choice is making me stabby. OK. I get that it’s his son’s favorite song, but MR. MISTER? Really, what does a kid know. You’re in this to win a contest, dammit. Thing is, it probably doesn’t matter, because he has a pretty good chance of winning, regardless. I’m not sure what was going on, but he sounded off at the beginning of the song…like his ear piece wasn’t working or something. Later in the performance he recovers, but he was still kind of pitchy. Adam says, “I could tell there was something going on in the beginning…and you recovered…and frigging nailed it.” Blake says, “That is hard what he does up there.”
Cassadee Pope and Blake Shelton – “Steve McQueen” by Sheryl Cole – Blake invited Cassadee’s family and boyfriend to his house. The family, consisting of mom and sister seem very nice. This song is right in Cassadee’s wheelhouse, but I could have done without her singing through a mini-megaphone. That’s really not her thing. Blake wisely hung back–his contribution mainly playing guitar for her in the background. Allowing her to shine is the smart thing. Oh, how I wish Christina still had a contestant in the game, just to watch her hilariously over sing and dominate the duet.
Terry McDermott – “I Wanna Know What Love Is” by Foreigner – This song choice put Terry over the top the first time he sang it–smart to bring it back. But like all of the reprises tonight, I’m not terribly excited to hear any of these performances twice. Christina says, “Your voice is incredible, but to be on this show, it takes strong work ethic…you’re still plowing through and bringing it home.” Blake says, “That was your breakout moment on the show. I think you sang that song better tonight than the first time. You blow me away, I don’t know how you do it.”
Nicholas David and Cee Lo Green – “Play That Funky Music” by Wild Cherry – Wow. Nicholas’ wife thinks winning The Voice means the family will be able to spend more time together. Uhm. No. Another not-to-be-taken-seriously song choice. Once again, lots of fun in a wedding-singer kind of way. Oh look. Go go dancers in cages. YAWN. Wait…WHAT! A little person…yes AN ACTUAL LITTLE PERSON is dressed like a mini-me Cee Lo. Way to take the focus OFF OF THE CONTESTANT. I guess this is supposed to be funny…or something. To say that was NOT FINAL WORTHY doesn’t even begin to describe what I just witnessed. That was like a joke performance from an American Idol finale.
Cassadee Pope – “Cry” by Faith Hill – And Cassadee’s new song is left for the pimp spot. She hits all the expected moments for a final performance. Big notes, loads of emotion, confident stage presence–Cassadee did what she needed to do to put her over the top. But was it enough? I expect this performance will be #1 on iTunes by tomorrow morning.
