We’ve reached the semi-finals of The Voice, which means the singers have enough time to perform two full songs, we watch some cute hometown video reels ( a slight encroachment on American Idol territory) and a final season twist is thrown our way: The Wild Card.
We introduce our FIRST-EVER #VoiceWildcard episode on Tuesday at 8/7c. Be. There.
— The Voice (@NBCTheVoice) December 5, 2014
Tomorrow night, directly after two of our semi-finalists are sent home, the eliminated Top 12 will compete to claim a spot in the finale. But before we jump into to any predictions about who will return, let’s talk Monday night’s performances.
Two singers who shocked us
Chris Jamison
There was one clear frontrunner Monday night, and it was Chris Jamison. Chris has always been a favorite, but he proved to everyone during his two performances that he is the man.
His first song, Maroon 5′s next single “Sugar,” was fun, upbeat, on-key, etc. Chris nailed it. Not only did he easily switch back and forth between fast-paced bridges and falsetto choruses, but he managed to throw some dance moves and audience flirtation in there as well. The coaches agreed that his performance was great, and again, they couldn’t stop gushing over his falsetto. In Blake’s words, “Your falsetto is so good. It’s the fun part of your voice. When you go there, the party starts.”
But it wasn’t until Chris slayed his second song that he owned the night. Performing Bruno Mars‘ “When I Was Your Man,” Chris forced our jaws to drop. The soul. The falsetto. The runs. Unbelievable. And we’d rather you take the time to watch him sing than for us to even attempt to put into words the incredible performance that ensued:
*Serious slow clap.*
Matt McAndrew
Matt wasn’t always a favorite performer, but he has slowly risen to the top of the charts. His poise, emotional connection to a song’s lyrics and vocal range rival that of professional singers.
His rendition of “Make It Rain” by Ed Sheeran brought the coaches to their feet, and they had major compliments to dole out:
“That was a grammy worthy performance.” — Blake
“There aren’t many rockstars that sing like that, so I’m gonna take off the rock, and just say star.” — Pharrell
“The tone in your voice gives me chills every time.” — Gwen
“You astound me all the time. There’s nobody more humble or laid back than this guy, but you can do literally anything. I don’t think The Voice has ever had a guy that can do as much as effortlessly and gracefully as you can.” — Adam (his coach)
His second performance was also solid, gaining great momentum at the final moment of the song when Matt dropped to his knees, belting the ending notes of U2‘s “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.” Coach Adam was super enthused and commented, “The beauty of not knowing what to say is that I don’t need to say anything at all. Listen to these guys [audience roared like crazy]. Just wow.” Pharrell agreed: “As if you didn’t just come out and slaughter the performance before now. Dude, Bono would be so happy and so proud and so congratulatory to you.”
Our predictions
If everything goes smoothly, two of Coach Adam’s team, Chris and Matt, are shoe-ins for the finale. As for the third to join? We’d say it’s probably going to Craig Wayne Boyd who has consistently been a season frontrunner with a natural talent for performing country music. His rendition of Alan Jackson’s “The Old Rugged Cross” during Monday’s show was incredible. Sadly, Taylor John Williams didn’t impress Monday night. He’s a talented performer, but his lack of range and confidence keeps him from surpassing his contenders.
As for the Wild Card, we’re hoping a female contender comes back into the mix, particularly Anita Antoinette or Sugar Joans. We wouldn’t be too upset about DaNica Shirey either. But, America is unpredictable, and Ryan Sill did pretty well with the Instant Save in the past. So, who knows? Maybe he’ll be the one to jump back into the competition.
But, truly, it’s still anybody’s game.
Vote for you favorite to move on to the Final 4. And be sure to watch tomorrow night for the final twist of the season.
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