Well, that was certainly a game changer for me. A few mediocre contestants really upped their game last week. I wonder if they can keep up that momentum. I’m betting though that they bought themselves enough attention from a new fanbase that they’ll survive this week.
10) Kris Thomas (last week #9)– Let’s face it. Everyone had a projected bottom 3, and Kris was the one who survived. Song choice is key for Kris, as he keeps getting lousy song choices. He had a late performance last week, which is likely the only thing that saved him from being eliminated. I’m guessing Kris performs early this week, and unless he’s prepping a game changing performance, he’s gone. But the way things are going, I expect him to be doing something like I Believe I Can Fly.
9) Holly Tucker (last week #7)– This is going to be controversial. I know Holly is a terrific singer, probably one of the best in the competition. But the problem with Holly, is that she’s a singer, and not an artist. She failed to actually interpret the song Broken Wing last week, and just opted to “sing her face off” as Randy Jackson would say. She was shown up later by Amber Carrington, who explained her emotional connection to the song, and sang it like she understood the lyrics. Coupled with the fact that Holly is clearly Blake’s weakest teammate (the Swon Brothers sold the most Itunes sales last week, and that can’t be ignored even if you hate them), she isn’t likely to make it much longer. Blake is a great coach, but he went all in on the country vote this time, and three acts pulling the same genre can’t last too much longer (with Amber also pulling for those same votes).
8) Michelle Chamuel (last week #5)– I think Michelle is definitely an interesting artist, but she’s so unique and specific, that there’s not much you can do with her. You have to pick songs that are really great for her. Last week’s song choice was cool, but it wasn’t a huge hit, and it was overpowering her on stage. She doesn’t need “better” songs, like Kris does, she just needs the right songs. True Colors was great for her, and we need more songs that Michelle can interpret artistically, without worrying about being drowned out by intense backing, or a musical score that requires far too many runs.
7) Josiah Hawley (last week #12)– Jumping up my charts this week is Josiah, who sat on stage with a guitar, and played a cover of a popular song. Sound familiar? This kind of shit wins American Idol, so you can’t ignore him now that he’s making WGWG a thing on The Voice. I still wonder if he’s too bland to go far, and also if there just aren’t more popular singers already. He’s got a little bit of momentum this week, and if he continues to use it to his advantage with smart song choices, and a lot of close ups reminding the female voters that he’s incredibly good looking, he could stay around for a lot longer than 7th place.
6) Sasha Allen (last week #3)– Sasha is a great example of what NOT to do when you have momentum. Coming out on stage and doing an astonishingly theatrical performance of one of the most oversung songs in reality singing competition show history is not the way to catapult you to the top of the power list. They even left her on stage till the final decision was made, because by the producers they believed in your mind it was accepted as plausible that Sasha was in danger. Sasha needs better coaching, or she’s not going to make the finale.
5) Sarah Simmmons (last week #8)– While “The Story” isn’t groundbreaking, it was the right song for Sarah last week. While “Angel” wasn’t groundbreaking, it was the right song for her that week. Sarah Simmons isn’t hitting home runs, but she’s being consistent. As the competition progresses, and we have a lot of other (stronger) competitors getting poor song choices, Sarah is giving her fanbase songs they would want to hear her sing each week.
4) The Swon Brothers (last week #11)– They were the closest thing to hitting the Top 10 last week. A whole new base of fans were opened up to them last week through their cover. If they can create a similar magic this week, riding on the success of last week, we could be looking at contenders on the show. A duo has never done this well before, and they’re breaking new territory.
3) Judith Hill (last week #4)– I’ve spoken to several people I know personally who are put off by Judith, because of what I call the “overpolished” problem. There’s something so professional, so trained, and so polished about Judith, that it actually is hard to root for her. And if the show and the judges continue to treat Judith as infallible, she won’t make it to the finale. Most of the time, we want someone imperfect, or someone undiscovered on these shows, and Judith is neither of those things. She came prepared last week with her OWN ARRANGEMENT of that song, and then proceeded to accompany herself on piano. This girl deserved a record deal 20 years ago, and being reminded of that will likely cause her to lose this season to a girl who deserves a record deal right now.
2) Danielle Bradbury (last week #1)– She’s the only contestant to crack the top 10 so far, but Danielle also failed to do it consecutively, meaning her fanbase is picky. Danielle is very much a contender (and I believe the competition is going to continue to jocky between her and Amber), but she’s going to take a backseat to Amber this week.
1) Amber Carrington (last week #2)– Whether its fair to Danielle or not, Amber got the opportunity to open up to America about her mother’s battle with cancer, then sing an emotional song about it, and got to close the show. The golden trifecta, coupled with her already being a front runner, is giving her some strong momentum. Obviously, she can’t close this week, so it’ll be up to her to find a way to be memorable, without the benefit of closing the show.
That’s my power list and thoughts. What are yours? Sound off in the comments below!
