Kelly Clarkson cries over ‘Voice’ contestant DeSz’s top 5 performance: ‘I needed that song’
Last week on The Voice, Gwen Stefani was in tears over an emotional “Rainbow Connection” performance by her golden-child contestant Carter Rubin, which helped him sail straight into this week’s top five finale. But this Monday — when the top five performed for the public’s votes for the last time this season — it was coach Kelly Clarkson’s turn to cry, when her finalist, soul diva DeSz, belted an original single called “Holy Ground.”
“I needed that song. I know you needed that song,” Kelly stammered, struggling to get the words out through her tears as she spoke to DeSz. “And you did such a beautiful thing. Like, I know it's for the finale and everything, but everybody needs that message right now, and you're hands-down the greatest vocalist I've ever worked with on this show. You're crazy-talented. I'm so proud I get to be your coach.”
“Holy Ground’s” message of surviving tough times would of course resonate with anyone who’s survived 2020, but aside from the COVID-19 pandemic, Kelly has had a challenging and overwhelming year in other ways, due to her public and increasingly messy divorce from her husband and manager of seven years, Brandon Blackstock. In September, she admitted that her life "has been a little bit of a dumpster," and on Monday, one viewer tweeted, “@kellyclarkson crying on #TheVoice saying she ‘needed that song’ just broke me. Kelly, I know you probably won’t see this but I hope the world sees this and agrees that we are all behind you and giving you the biggest hug. We love you girl.”
DeSz was crying herself as soon as she heard “Holy Ground,” which was why she picked it among the options offered to her by one of this week’s guest mentors, Justin Tranter, who produced the track. (“Holy Ground” actually reminded me of some of work Tranter has done with R&B/blues powerhouse Shea Diamond.) “This song, when I heard it, 25 seconds in, I was in tears,” DeSz said. “Where we are in the world, and whatever anyone is going through, everybody's looking for some type of sanity. It's the time to give a song that will bring healing to the world.”
And Kelly’s fellow panelist, John Legend, thought DeSz had succeeded in that mission, telling her, “I love the song choice. I feel like you know who you are as an artist. It's so important when you're picking a single, you're telling the world what kind of record they could expect from you. And I love that you summoned this holy energy for this song. People need this feeling right now.”
Incidentally, all five contestants performed twice this Monday — one cover song, one original single — with three of the five originals produced by Tranter, whose writing credits include massive hits for Justin Bieber, DNCE, Imagine Dragons, Halsey, Janelle Monáe, Fall Out Boy, Selena Gomez, Lady Gaga, and The Voice’s own Gwen Stefani. Tranter, the former flamboyant lead singer of glam-rock band Semi Precious Weapons, made for excellent TV, and their star turn on Monday’s Voice episode seemed like an unofficial (or maybe even official?) audition to join Season 3 of Songland. Watch this space…
DeSz’s Monday cover was an even sadder song, perhaps the saddest song in rock history, Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide,” but Kelly managed to regain her composure this time and give a more technical critique of this equally magnificent performance. “I'm not crying anymore; I compartmentalized all feelings,” Kelly joked to DeSz. “I wish I could have said this in your last performance too, but you do things vocally that no one I know can do. Like, your runs, your precision with it — and also, it's believable. It's felt. It's pure. It's raw. It's all the things that I desire to be as a vocalist, and honest to God, will never reach. You have an amazing gift.”
It might seem like DeSz would win by a landslide after all that — but this has been an extremely competitive season, and really, anyone has a chance of being crowned the series’ 19th winner on Tuesday night. Let’s look at the other four contestants’ performances and try to make some predictions...
Carter Rubin (Team Gwen)
Miley Cyrus’s treacly, triumph-of-the-spirit, pre-Bangerz/Plastic Hearts ballad was an age-appropriate choice for 15-year-old Carter, and older/more conservative viewers probably loved it. But as he performed amid the weird staging and styling (tufts of cotton-candy clouds, that angelic all-white outfit), it didn’t connect the way last week’s more pure “Rainbow Connection” had. Carter sang well, but this production had a school-recital vibe; it’s too bad he didn’t save “Rainbow Connection” for this week, because “The Climb” felt like a regression and not quite finale-worthy. But Gwen still seemed confident in Carter’s chances, assuring him, “It just feels like you're meant to be doing this, and I know that America's going to see that tonight and vote you through to win this show, because you are just so special and so gifted and so natural.”
Carter’s Tranter-produced original, “Up From Here,” was similarly corny, but Carter did an amazing job with it, showcasing a mastery of phrasing, dynamics, and chest/head voice interplay that many vocalists twice his age could never pull off. This kid has a real future, whether or not he wins The Voice. “I'm so proud of you, and I'm so honored to know you, and I can't wait to see what happens after this show,” said Gwen.
Ian Flanigan (Team Blake)
There was a time when I thought Ian could win this season, and I was frankly shocked when he wasn’t among the top four vote-getters last week (he scraped into the finale via the Instant Save). Now that I realize he’s not Season 19’s frontrunner, despite having Season 19’s most distinctive (and, according to Blake Shelton, “iconic-sounding”) voice, I fear that his cover song this week, Jamey Johnson’s “In Color,” was not the sort of go-for-broke performance he needed to make it to the winner’s circle at this point.
However, for his original, Ian sang “Never Learn,” produced by Ross Copperman, who along with co-writing Blake’s last two No. 1 singles has worked with Luke Bryan, Keith Urban, Dierks Bentley, Darius Rucker, Jake Owen, and many other Nashville A-listers. Ian had revealed, interestingly, that he considers himself more of a songwriter than a singer, so I wonder why he didn’t want to (or wasn’t allowed to) perform one of his own songs in the finals. But his laid-back delivery and smoky drawl made “Never Learn” feel authentic and lived-in, as if he’d written it himself. This was truly lovely. “Your voice is just so majestic and larger than life, and I think it's a gift and a blessing. It gives you the natural ability for people to listen to what you are saying, because they just want to hear your voice. It really lends itself to a great song like that,” said Blake. Hopefully voters will really listen to Ian, and not ignore his quiet strength as he goes up against the louder power-singers of the week.
John Holiday (Team Legend)
John H’s. cover song, Beyoncé’s “Halo,” was absolutely not the right fit for his voice, and he sounded pinched and nasal throughout. Yes, his range was impressive from a technical standpoint — Kelly called it “stupid incredible,” and host Carson Daly joked, “You hit every note, on every scale known to man” — but some of those notes were downright unpleasant.
Holiday’s original single was the Tranter-produced "Where Do We Go,” a slinky and fiery track that allowed him to better display his elastic voice — though he was wise to heed Tranter’s advice to rein in his shrill falsetto just a bit. Holiday still overextended himself a couple times, but overall, this was the most modern and cool of all of Monday’s originals. Legend told him, “You've just been so versatile throughout this competition. … It's just magical to see all the things you're able to do, all the expectations you're ready to defy. … I love that you keep challenging yourself to do different things on this show.”
Jim Ranger (Team Blake)
Jim went with a beloved Beatles classic for his cover song, “With a Little Help From My Friends,” of course doing the equally beloved Joe Cocker version to take full advantage of his voice’s naturally gravelly soulfulness. This was an explosive, spectacular, preacherman performance — his best of the season, according to Kelly. “That felt, honestly, like it could have been your original — like, it was so just well-suited for your voice, this moment. Like, way to live your best finale life, right then!” Kelly raved, while Gwen called Jim a “huge star.”
Jim’s original was the Copperman-produced “Last,” a generic love ballad with trite lyrics about a girl dreaming of her wedding day since age 16. Ian definitely got the better Copperman track tonight. But as Jim dedicated “Last” to his wife of 18 years, he elevated the material with his earnest, soulful delivery and sophisticated sense of dynamics. Gwen praised his voice for being “so full of character,” John praised Jim’s ability to “tell stories with his heart,” and Blake compared Jim to classic ‘70s/’80s country artist John Berry. You know, Jim just might win this thing.
So now, it is prediction time — and, yes, I am calling it for Jim. Last week, I would have totally called it for Carter, but now I think Carter (and Gwen) will have to settle for second, with DeSz, Ian, and John H. respectively placing third, fourth, and fifth. Tune in for Tuesday’s grand finale to find out if I’m right.
Read more from Yahoo Entertainment:
Teen 'Voice' contestant has coach Gwen Stefani in tears: 'That was God answering my prayers'
Kelly Clarkson can't take 'glued' eyes off 'Voice' contestant Ian Flanigan: 'It was inappropriate!'
Gwen Stefani talks faith, Christmas and the 'spiritual intervention' that led her to Blake Shelton
How ‘My Corona’ made ‘Voice’ star Chris Mann the Weird Al of the COVID-19 era
Follow Lyndsey on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Amazon, Spotify.
