The Voice Recap: Et Tu, Michael Bublé? The Playoffs Deal Out One Last Crushing Blow
Coaches on The Voice love to say how hard it is to make decisions during the Playoffs. Well, they should try being us sometime, ’cause it’s damn near impossible to sit still and watch as they reveal picks that break hearts you’d think would be immune to it all after 26 seasons! What was Michael Bublé’s grievous error? Read on, and like it or not, we’ll discuss.
Shye, “Story of My Life” — Grade: B | Not sure One Direction’s hit was really the ideal choice to showcase Shye’s talent. She’s likable as heck, and she has a gorgeous, rich voice, but this felt like a bit of a song/singer mismatch. Needless to say, the coaches disagreed. Snoop even went so far as to give her a 10. “Some people just got it,” said Shye’s coach. Agreed. But this wasn’t the best way to demonstrate that she’s got it.
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Jaukeem Fortson, “Man in the Mirror” — Grade: A+ | Look, I loathe this Michael Jackson classic, but hearing Jaukeem sing it, I had to altogether reconsider my stance. Kid sold the hell out of it, imbuing it with personality, life and feeling for days. If his coach cut him, there was gonna be some swearing around my place. “This is the first time I’ve seen you unleash the beast,” Gwen marveled. May it not have been the last time!
Sloane Simon, “Good Luck, Babe” — Grade: C+ | I hate to be hard on Sloane when she lost her dad only days before giving this performance. It’s impressive enough that she managed to stick it out and get on that stage. But the arrangement on this version of Chappell Roan’s smash set her up to fail. Sloane has talent for sure, but the petal-soft vocal and melodic departures that accompanied this rendition turned a whopper of a hit into a whimper.
Cameron Wright, “Exhale (Shoop Shoop)” — Grade: A- | Another so-so song choice. Cameron could handle Whitney Houston, that’s for sure. But as beautiful as they sounded here, and as remarkably controlled as the performance was (that long note!), they could have had a much bigger moment with a much bigger number. Maybe Michael thought he was saving “Run to You” for the finale? Cameron’s performance was “elite,” their coach said afterward.
Sofronio Vasques, “Crying” — Grade: A+ | Wow. Now that was the way to end a show! Sofronio redefined magnificent on Roy Orbison’s ballad, dealing us an incredibly well-modulated performance that respected the original while still making it sound uniquely the contestant’s. What a voice this guy has: Every time you think he can open it up wider, there he goes proving us wrong! “It kept building,” Gwen said, “to a place I didn’t think was possible.”
Advancing to the Top 8 | Sofronio Vasquez, Shye
Eliminated | Jaukeem Fortson, Sloane Simon, Cameron Wright
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Well, I couldn’t say that I was surprised that Michael chose Shye. Everyone loves her. Hey, I do, too. But based on what we’ve heard for the last two weeks, I would have 100-percent gone with Jaukeem in her place. There’s something magic about that kid. Like, he doesn’t even have to wear his heart on his sleeve because his heart is so obvious. Years from now, Michael is gonna look back and realize that he dropped a youngster who was poised to be another MJ. If you need me, I’ll be off in the corner cursing.
What did you think of the results? Vote for your favorite performance below, then hit the comments.
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