The Voice UK 2017 Live Semifinals Live Blog (VIDEO)

The Voice UK Top eight singers from Teams Jennifer Hudson, Gavin Rossdale, will.iam and Tom Jones will compete in the Semifinals tonight. The Top 4 move on to next week’s GRAND FINALE.

Tonight ONLY YOUR VOTES COUNT. All eight will perform YOU vote. FOUR advance to next week’s FINAL.

UPDATE: Sorry! I’ve lost the internet connection I need to watch the show online. Hopefully, I can watch the last 15 minutes and put up the results. I’ll recap the entire show from a torrent as soon as I can download one.

Jason Jones – Team Will – Use Somebody by Kings of Leon – He wasn’t expecting Will to save him last week, because his voice was shot. Jason’s grandad bought him a karaoke machine–that’s how he started singing. We don’t get much footage from the BTS mentoring sessions this week. A good song choice for Jason, he doesn’t have a pop star look, but sings with an engaging, soulful rasp. But then, Sam Smith didn’t have the look either. Maybe though, Jason should have tackled an emotional song at such an important point? The performance is solid, but not really impactful. Jhud got the chills. Jason gives the chills because he has the skills to be in the finILLS says Will. Oy. Gavin believes Jason took the song to a great place. Jennifer says he leads with his foot during a performance. She gets up to demonstrate. Tom thinks he’s gotten stronger every week. Gavin mentions that he wanted the song for Keziah. He misses her. She wuz robbed!

Max Vickers – Team Gavin – Boys Don’t Cry by the Cure – He and Mo are really good friends and flatmates. They have experienced The Voice journey together. Max has been told to calm down by former mentors. But Gavin encourages his energetic mannerisms. “Just be yourself…go where it takes you,” he says. It’s amazing Max has gotten as far as he has with an alt-rock voice that’s not “competition good.” He’s an energetic and compelling performer. But his vocals aren’t polished in the way viewers expect. Personally, I enjoyed that. Gavin says Max is like a “magnet” and “the full package.” Jennifer admires his energy. “That’s what it takes to be a real performer.” Tom enjoys his enthusiasm. Will likes that he’s not playing by the traditional Voice rules. Max compliments the band. “At some point I’m going to form a band.” Good idea, Max.

Michelle John – Team Will – Get Here by Oleta Adams – Will insists that Michelle is the best singer on the show. Her son is very proud of her. Michelle has never performed the song before–it’s not one she would have chosen. A song that’s been performed a lot on competition reality shows, the performance will further cement her image as an old fashioned singer. Runs and big notes may propel Michelle to the very end. I mean, she sings the crap out of that song. But if she wins? The singer will be yet another winner whose career goes nowhere. By the end of the song, the crowd is on their feet. She tells her son from the stage, “Don’t let anyone tell you not to go for your dreams.” Will shares that his uncle used to play the song for his mom. “That is a perfect song for you,” says Tom. “Your professionalism shows through.” Jennifer says, “It was chilling.”

Craig Ward – Team Tom – Castle on the Hill by Ed Sheeran – Craig loves the song choice–he really identifies. He comes from a huge family. His brother is flying in from Chicago to sit in the audience. A good song choice for Craig, Tom has been smart choosing the right contemporary songs for Craig to sing. I enjoy his tone and the way he delivers a story. I wonder if he writes songs? “You did it!” says Tom. “You’ve listened and you’ve worked really hard.” Gavin loves that he’s a family man. “I’m a family man too,” he says.  Except when he’s boinking the nanny. Oops.

Truly Ford – Team Gavin – Elastic Heart by Sia – I’m used to this song sung by big voices. The song is re-arranged to fit her vocal style. Still, she has a tendency to sing just underpitch. It’s distracting and flattens out the performance. She doesn’t have the upper range to pull the song off. Gavin calls her “complete and perfect…you’re on another level.” Jennifer says, “You’re a star…you take charge of it. You truly belong up there.” Tom says, “When you sing…you believe it…you have a unique sound to your voice.”

Jamie Miller – Team Jennifer – Stitches by Shawn Mendes – Jamie is sure he can do better than he did last week. Jennifer’s first song for the singer was “Love on Top” by Beyonce. He tried, but in the end he felt “it wasn’t me.” Next, Jennifer chose “Stitches,” and he went for it, even though he had little time to rehearse. Singing a girl song was a huge risk. “Stitches” is a safe choice. He’s performing it well, but without a unique twist in the arrangement, it comes off karaoke. And the torrent included no coaches comments. Did that happen live?

Mo – Team Jennifer – Human by Rag n Bone Man – Mo broke down backstage after last week’s performance and needed to be comforted by a crew member. Jennifer understands the stress, but she can’t imagine moving forward without him. She believes he’s the one to beat. He’s nervous about the song choice, because he doesn’t want to imitate. It’s another passionate performance from Mo. He’s really bringing on the rasp, and an angry edge. Whatever life experiences this man has had, he’s learned to channel it all into his performance. What a talent. Aside: Jennifer isthisclose to a wardrobe malfunction. In any case, she calls Mo “a beast…you get a whole nother look in your eye…you take us with you.” Gavin says, “It’s like a religious experience with you.” Will felt like he took the song and made it his own. Tom agrees. “You did your own thing with it.”

Into the Ark – Team Tom – Let it Be Me by Ray Lamontagne – The duo felt last week’s performance was subpar and were grateful that Tom saved them. The two are “over the moon” about the song choice. The studio rehearsal becomes tense. Tom tells them not to sweat it. Great song choice, superb delivery. Picking an emotional ballad at this point in the competition is smart. The song highlights the duo’s vocal ability and close vocal harmonies–all their strengths, really. “You listen and you work hard…just fantastic,” Tom says, “You have so much potential.” He’s heard their original music and is impressed. Jennifer almost threw her shoe, “You’ve got so much soul..you guys are stars.” Gavin believes Tom has stripped them down to reveal who they really are.

After all the performances, the vote openw. Call, text and app for UK viewers. Before the commercial break, we see clips of all eight performances, as a reminder. The coaches pitch for their team members before the break. While viewers continue to vote, the singers themselves campaign for votes. And then, the voting window closes.

Next, Jamiroquai performs “Cloud 9.” Did we just take a trip back to the 90’s? It bugs me when I can’t see a singer’s eyes. 

After the break, the finalists are announced in no particular order. Jamie is called first. Michelle is called next. And next through is Mo. Max gives him a big hug. The last place in the final goes to Into the Ark. Gavin looks sad. Team Gavin totally shut out. Team Jhud 100% represented. The eliminated contestants are grateful to have gotten as far as they did.

The results makes sense. Except I would have voted Max Vickers through instead of Jamie Miller. Maybe that’s just a personal preference. Jamie is a better singer, but Max is more original and fun to watch.

Advancing to the Finals

Jamie Miller – Team Jennifer
Michelle John – Team Will
Mo – Team Jennifer
Into the Ark – Team Tom

Eliminated

Jason Jones – Team Will
Max Vickers – Team Gavin
Craig Ward – Team Tom
Truly Ford – Team Gavin