Bec Heim

and Erika Rivera

Managing Editor and Senior Editor

Welcome to The Voice Top 8!

With Caroline Pennell saved, Cee-Lo’s team is down to one.

Who will be cut this week?

Stay tuned to find out.

Bec’s Take:

“Feel Good” sung by Robin Thicke: Well at least this song seems to not be about date rape. So if Glee covers it, I don’t have to cringe and ask why Will Schuester is being punished. Although Liberace is the only one who can work the shiny mirrorball piano. It’s got a pretty nice 70’s inspired beat. But it’s honestly nothing to write home about.

“Somebody To Love” sung by James Wolpert: James is Tessanne’s hand-holder. That is adorable. James chooses a Queen song that his girlfriend arranged. Adam thinks it is perfect due to the operatic range. He just needs James to pull back and not get too into it. OhmyGod it’s an army of James Wolperts! Wow. This is…really good. It’s like the only BIG song that James has done well on. HOLY HELL THAT NOTE! ALL THOSE NOTES!!! Goddamn James. This sounds really good. Like really good. I can’t hear any instances of him losing breath. Adam says that it was a very tall order and that James can sing in Queen tomorrow. He said that it was an unbelievably dynamic and powerful.  Blake said that it was dynamic and dramatic and the best James has sounded. Christina said that it was fun and that he went different. Ultimately it was special and like the theater of it. Cee-Lo said that he did an impressive and had razor sharp timing.

“Underneath It All” sung by Tessanne Chin: They’re going for an island-fun-rock vibe with one of my favorite No Doubt songs. Apparently they want her to show her awesome accent. The colors are very eighties and neon and bright. I don’t get the women in the tracksuits. That seems…weird. The vocals are great. The reggae though? It’s awesome and hilarious. Her accent comes out in full force, and it was the highlight of the performance. Even the little upticks weren’t annoying. Tessanne does seem to be having fun. Honestly? That’s all that matters. It was fun to watch. Adam thought it was an amazing moment for her, and the song was perfect. They thought it was well-rounded. Cee-Lo loved the reggae and thought it was great. Christina was thrilled to hear the accent and that she tapped into her truth. She also says Tessanne should do one of her songs.

“Dog Days Are Over” sung Caroline Pennell: Caroline and Cee-Lo get gelato. He tells her not to be discouraged. Cee-Lo wants her to come out of left field. He thinks the indie-alternative vibe is perfect for her. Caroline is worried about the big notes. Caroline doesn’t want to be in the bottom three again. This really is a great fit for Caroline. Her dreamy tones can lure you in. It’s the big notes she’ll need to nail. Pretty good notes. The mic sucks though. Oh! That’s what I wanted to hear Caroline. Audience simmer down. I need to hear here. This sounds much better than last week. Seriously so much better. That final note! Awesome! Cee-Lo is really proud and says she is the only thing that matters. He says she won his heart. Adam said that she needed to go to a new place and that she did it really well. She did the best thing she could do at this point in time.

Now Carson and Robin are hanging out in the SkyBox.

“I Still Believe In You” sung by Cole Vosbury: Blake took them to see Jay Leno. Who said that it was okay to be shy. Cole reveals his country influences and that his grandma was a country artist. Again Cole has to go to the guitar over piano. See I don’t mind Cole doing country because he’s established his versatility. Seriously though he has the best emotive  voice ever. Seriously though Cole has the best kind of emotive voice. I just get wrapped it in over you know thinking. He just sounds so honest and in pain. I just want to give him a hug. Blake said that Cole left his heart on the stage. Christina loves how invested everyone is and said that Blake was really invested. She also said that she was invested into the quiet.

“It’s Time” sung by Matthew Schuler: Matthew is going back to his alternative roots with. Christina wants it to be strength and has a choreographer help him with it. Oh I do like the dancers. This really is perfect for Matthew. It shows his power and sincerity. Seriously this is the fun performance of the second hour. James had the first now Matthew. These big, grand performances are awesome. OH THOSE BIG NOTES!!!! I love those big notes. More of those big notes! I love Matthew’s family they are so sweet. Christina loves his sense of urgency and that his integrity shows in his style. She loves how he wants to connect. Cee-Lo loves the sentiment and Matthew’s cover.

“At Last” sung by Will Champlin: Hi Will! Adam is proud of everyone and says that Will surprises him. Will practices all the time and keeps turning. He wants to give a lasting performance. He takes on the classic. Adam says to exaggerate emotion over technique. He likes that Will is going outside. Adam says he needs to be focused on something different then his head. This could be bad if not done right. OH BIG NOTES! Will shows the full range of his votes.  He totally nailed it. The audience is going nuts. But seriously those huge fantastic notes.  Adam says that he needs to reign Will in at times because he is a fighter. He loves Will’s ambition and thought it was a wonderful job. Christina says she knows that song backwards and forwards. She says that he did such a tremendous job. She was happy to just hear Will sing his heart out.  She thought it was magical and that it was cool to hear a guy sing it.

“Gimme Some Lovin’” sung by Ray Boudreaux: Jay Leno tells Ray that Hollywood is “high school with money.” Blake is worried about the melody because of the rapid fire verses and the quick chorus. Ray wants to show his chops for this song.  Oh dear. I don’t know if this was the best choice. It sounds like he is swallowing his words. Plus the notes are kind of note sounding. Sorry. The Blues Brothers did it so much better. I’m bored despite the high energy. Oh don’t talk to the audience. Bored. Blake likes Ray’s “swag.” Christina thought it was a great performance. Cee-Lo agreed that it had “swag” as well and thought it was real rock and roll.

“Who’s Lovin’ You?” sung by Jacquie Lee: Closing out the show again Jacquie. Christina wants to go back to power since going soft shows her flaws. Christina wants her to not hold back and be aggressive. She wants her to have passion and be angry. Christina wants Jacquie to lose herself. Oh yeah there’s that power. Goddamn there’s that huge, huge voice that sounds perfect. Then we go to the high notes and ehhhh. Some of those high notes are not good. It’s detracting for her performance. It really is.. She does perform it but her age does show in some of the songs. Christina wanted her to show her complexity and thought she was amazing. Adam is wondering where all that heartbreak comes from. Blake loved it. Cee-Lo pretty much agrees with Adam and says Jacquie swallowed an old lady.

Erika’s Take:

Team Adam: James Wolpert: “Somebody to Love” by Queen. This could be a big HIT or a big MISS for our nerdy singer. He definitely has the chops to pull it off but it is a major song to try tackle. I’m not a fan of the warbling bits he does throughout this performance but man his high notes are pretty epic. He also nails that Freddie Mercury feel in his tone. At the end, I kinda felt that his performance outdid his vocals at some points but overall, Wolpert did a great job.

Team Adam: Tessanne Chin: “Underneath It All” by No Doubt. This song couldn’t be any more perfect for Tessanne. The Jamaican feel of it will work beautifully for her if she nails it. OHMYGOD…YES TESSANNE! Girl gets into it and I’m swaying along with the Jamaican beats and vibe. Tessanne delivered one hell of a performance vocally and energy wise. Seriously the best performance from her all season! Fusing her background with her performance really helped her nail it.

Team Ceelo: Caroline Pennell: “Dog Days Are Over” by Florence + The Machine. I loved the Glee version of this song along with the original so I hope Caroline can pull it off since I think it plays in her wheelhouse. Caroline doesn’t disappoint me. This song suits her voice perfectly. Adam jams out to her performance while Ceelo tries to get the crowd going. Caroline’s control in this song is amazing. Not too many can pull off Florence’s unique stylings but Caroline does. If she’s in the bottom again, I’ll be shocked as it’s one of her best performances so far this season.

Team Blake: Cole Vosbury: “I Still Believe In You” by Vince Gill. As everyone pretty much knows, I am not a fan of country music in general but when it is done like this, I can get behind it. One of my favorite things about Cole is that he makes all the songs he sings his own, and this one is no exception. I had never heard this one until tonight, and I love it. Cole really gets the emotion of the song and delivers one of the night’s most memorable performances. Just chills all over as Cole’s voice compliments the stripped down music wonderfully. He’ll get through to next week.

Team Christina: Matthew Schüler: “It’s Time” by Imagine Dragons. The Voice sure loves Imagine Dragons as this is the third song of theirs that has been done on the show. I expect Matthew to crush it. AND CRUSH IT HE DOES! Just when I think Matthew can’t get any better, he surprises me. Those high notes were so incredible, and the one he hits at the end is no exception. He always keeps true to himself, which helps him stand out from the rest of the pack.

Team Adam: Will Champlin: “At Last” by Etta James. This particular song choice causes me to raise my eyebrow because it’s so not like Will. I might hold my breath during this performance because it make or break Will’s time on the Voice. Looks I can relax though because Will hits that first note beautifully. Chills all over. Total smooth sailing after that. Will’s voice is so smooth and really embodies the spirit and passion of that classic love song. GET. IT. WILL. So proud of him!!

Team Blake: Ray Boudreaux: “Give Me Some Loving” by the Spencer Davis Group. I really wish I could get the appeal of Ray but I don’t. This is a bad knock off of a performance. Nothing particularly exciting going on with this performance. Ray sounds like he is going through the motions for me. Next please.

Team Christina: Jacquie Lee: “Who’s Loving You?” by Smokey Robinson. This is an old fave of mine, and one that can be difficult to do. Jacquie showed some serious flaws last week in her performance and exposed some weaknesses. This performance didn’t help her out that much to be honest. I am not sure what’s been going with Jacquie but her flaws are out there. Not one of her strongest performance to date. She sounded super rusty and unsure which made her pitchy and squeaky.

Join us tomorrow to find out who’s going home!

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