(l-r) Dexter Roberts, Gyth Rigdon, Rob Stokes, Maelyn Jarmon, Kim Cherry, Shawn Sounds, Carter Lloyd Horne, Andrew Sevener
The Voice season 16 semi-final is nearly upon us. The Top 8 perform solos and Beatles duets on Monday (May 13), then on Tuesday four will be eliminated. Here is how it will work: The three top vote getters will advance automatically to the Final Four, while the 4th, 5th and 6th place singers will compete via instant-save performance for the 4th spot.
There were more singers eliminated last week (5 out of 13) but a higher percentage will leave the competition this week (4 out of 8–50% of the Top 8). Bloodbaths abound on The Voice this season!
More than half of the Top 8 are members of Team Blake. That is a result of the show’s new twist, the Live Cross Battles. In the new round, contestants advanced based primarily on votes, without regard to team affiliation. And as it turns out, The Voice fans love them some country artists. Who knew? Actually, we already knew that. Kill me now, the Cross Battles were fun to watch. But the results? Not so fun. The Top 13 wound up heavily male, white and country.
And so here we are! I rank the remaining 8 contestants. How would you rate them?
8. Kim Cherry – Team Blake Shelton – Kim barely squeaked by last week’s instant save against LB Crew and Mari. I expect she’ll be one of the two singers eliminated before the Instant Save.
7. Andrew Sevener – Team Blake Shelton – As the least interesting of all Blake’s country singers, I did not expect Andrew to advance. At what point does vote splitting kick in? Maybe never. Still, with half the field heading home on Monday, Andrew will have a tough time competing.
6. Rod Stokes – Team Kelly Clarkson – Do not underestimate Rod Stokes. He performs power ballad throwbacks with a powerful voice. He fits the boomer/gen x demo perfectly.
5. Shawn Sounds – Team John Legend – …And I would say the same for Shawn. He’s the R&B/soul side of the boomer nostalgia equation. I could see the two artists facing off for the Instant Save.
4. Dexter Roberts – Team Blake Shelton – Nevertheless, I could see an all country Top 4 + John Legend’s Maelyn Jarmon. I can envision Rod, Shawn and either Carter or Dexter duking it out for the fourth spot, with the country boy reigning supreme. Right now, I think Carter and Gyth are more popular than Dexter.
3. Carter Lloyd – Team Blake Shelton – Carter may actually be peaking at the right time. I think Gyth and Maelyn are too strong for him to overcome. But remember that Dexter was a four chair turn, and Carter was an unassuming two-chair turn. Carter came alive in the middle rounds. His Cross Battles performance of “Way Down We Go” was a standout.
2. Maelyn Jarmon – Team John Legend – MaeLyn has been consistently incredible throughout the competition. She doesn’t sing a wrong note, her song choices are A+. She’s a pro through and through. And she deserves to win the competition.
1. Gyth Rigdon – Team Blake Shelton – But, Gyth seems to be a fan favorite and will probably take it all. I bet he sings a gospel song this week. Blake knows JUST when to pull those out. Or, maybe in the final Gyth will sing an a cappella version of Amazing Grace. Watch for something like that! Still, Gyth has a gorgeous tone and with the right song, he is very, very good. It’s just that MaeLynn is an even better and more consistent vocalist.
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