THE VOICE 7 Top 8 – (l-r) Craig Wayne Boyd, DaNica Shirey, Luke Wade, Taylor John Wiliams, Ryan Sill, Chris Jamison, Matt McAndrew, Damien Lawson — (Photo by: Trae Patton/NBC)
Tonight, The Voice Top 8 take the stage to sing for your votes. After last week’s elimination of TWO MORE GIRLS we’re left with an almost entirely male Top 8, which is unprecedented on any single season of an American singing show, that I can remember. I’m not going to lie, I was not happy to see Ryan Sill prevail over Regan James and Anita Antoinette. Yes, both of them performed poorly in their sing-offs. But should we really be determining who is eliminated based on some last minute performance, determined by east coast twitter users? The girls just did not have the fan bases to see them through a rough week, unfortunately. I twitter saved Reagan based on her potential and body of work. But others didn’t see it that way. So once again, Ryan squeaks by to deliver another mediocre-ish performance. Those girls can sing rings around him, but no point in complaining now!
Here’s my power list for the week!
8. Ryan Sill – Team Gwen Stefani – Despite Ryan’s ability to survive, I am once again putting him dead last in the power list. Sorry Ryan. You’ll be competing against other GUYS who are, in several instances, just as cute as you are. And they ALL SING BETTER THAN YOU DO.
7. Luke Wade – Team Pharrell Williams – Luke’s star has been fading in the last few weeks. I think messing up during the first week of the finals screwed with his head. He managed to get through his song last week without major mistakes, but he seemed to be trying SO HARD. Desperation does not wear well in singing competitions. Plus, he’s competing against some STRONG performers.
6. DaNica Shirey – Team Pharrell Williams – As the only female left in the competition, I don’t think Danica has to worry yet about being eliminated. Plus, she seems to have a fanbase of folks who love her impressive, but old-fashioned song stylings. If she lasts, the only thing I’d ask her is to PLEASE STAY AWAY FROM ALT ROCK CLASSICS. I’m still recovering from her lounge version of “Creep.”
ETA: If there is a triple elimination this week, either DaNica or Damien could go home. An all male Top 5 is definitely a possibility.
5. Damien – Team Adam Levine – I’ve got Damien 5th this week. But I could be misjudging his ability to stay in this competition. Compare him to all the singers I’ve put in the first 4 slots? He’s really riding in his own lane–the churchy soul singer. There’s no one like him left in the competition, while there’s a gaggle of guitar strummers that could begin picking each other off via vote splitting. Having said that…Adam may want to change it up a little for Damien. An awesome performance out of left field could steal some votes that might go to his competitors instead.
So now we’ve reached our WGWG Top 4! These guys have proven to be such STRONG contenders…I hesitate to rank them lower.
ETA: Chris Jamison doesn’t play a guitar. But the acronym still fits. He’s a White Guy Without Guitar. lol. None of these four singers are exactly the same, but I do think they have the same sort of the appeal for a cross section of The Voice voice viewers. Cute appealing guys in possession of both charisma and talent.
4. Taylor John Williams – Team Gwen Stefani – Taylor is as good as his song choices. Let me put it another way. HIS song choices are usually good. But when Gwen chooses for him? Not so much. If he’s going to stay in it, she needs to allow him room to follow his muse.
3. Matt McAndrew – Team Adam Levine – Honestly. Matt is perfect. He doesn’t need to change a thing. I believe his iTunes recording last week would have charted higher if he hadn’t performed first. Matt is a strong contender for the final.
2. Chris Jamison – Team Adam Levine – Chris is riding high this week! But it’s EXTREMELY important that Adam choose the RIGHT songs for him! One bad choice could send him to the back of the bas (See: the Live Playoffs, and Adam’s need to save him!)
1. Craig Wayne Boyd – Team Blake Shelton – Craig is the guy to beat. The most consistent and professional of all the remaining contestants, he marries strong vocals with charisma. Oh, and he’s super easy on the eyes. He hasn’t delivered a poor performance yet.
How would YOU rate the remaining contestants?
