Top 20 Power Rankings

Power Rankings

Live Shows: Top 20

  

Since the elimination this week is different, the rankings will be based on each team. 

Here we go: 

Team Blake

Cole Vosbury: Maggie May

Cole has been a pleasant, bearded surprise this year. Blake managed to steal Cole during the knockout round from CeeLo. Cole (the bearded wonder) had the strongest performance for Team Blake on Monday. His rendition of Maggie May had the judges gushing over him. His transitions were smooth and his voiced beamed of confidence. He appeared to be vocally the strongest on Team Blake. We are left wondering if Cole has the star-power to win it all, but either way Cole may not have the star power or appeal to win it all, but he has definitely earned a spot in the top 12. From a one chair “turner” to the number one spot on the power rankings for Team Blake. You can’t get much better than that!

Austin Jenckes: She Talks To Angels

Austin caught everyone’s attention before he even sang by telling the tragic story of his father’s suicide in the first episode, but who knows if anyone remembers that. He seems to really channel this loss into his songs with displays of raw emotion, which was clearly evident this week. His choice to sit down and play the guitar seemed to pay off. Austin showed solid range in his very soulful, powerful voice throughout his smooth performance. However, he did fail to establish a strong connection with the audience and didn’t really seem very excited. I don’t think the song choice helped him or hurt him, and I do believe that he’s on his way to the top 12 but wouldn’t consider him a favorite to win it all at this point.

Shelbie Z: Fancy

Shelbie Z appears to become more confident each week. She was coming off her best performance last week, during the knock outs. She did not slump this week and had a strong, powerhouse performance. The song chosen by Blake was a great fit for her. She has a lot of power in her voice, but sometimes it can become a bit overpowering. The judges really seemed to enjoy her performance. Blake really seems to like Shelbie and I cannot imagine Blake would want to move into the final 12, with no female singers. It is tough whether to put Shelbie or Ray in third because it is close, but Shelbie comes out on top because it seems like Blake would more likely steal her. So with the Blake save, moving on to the next round: Shelbie Z.

Ray Boudreaux: Home

Ray has the small town kid appeal going for him, but other than that there’s no good backstory to help him out. He had the advantage of following Nic Hawk, which clearly made his vocals sound better than they are. Smooth is the word I would use to describe his performance. He seemed very comfortable on stage and had a great presence that the crowd loved. His voice is one of the weaker ones in the competition, but his boyish good looks might just make up for that. Ray is one HANDSOME guy and that just might help him sneak into the Top 12 despite being one of the weaker vocalists to perform.  It’s basically a toss up between Ray and Shelbie, and we think that Blake may lean toward choosing Shelbie.

Nic Hawk: Blurred Lines

Coach Blake has really surprised us with Nic Hawk, from stealing him in the battle rounds to selecting him over (early favorite) Holly Henry in the Knockouts. Could Blake really see something in Nic? I can’t really say, but Blake has won the past three years. Nic performance was entertaining, but, he was pitchy and overall did not have a good vocal performance. It seemed like his voice did not fit the song and he truly seemed to struggle with controlling it. He did have good stage presence and the judges remarked that his performance was fun, but neglected to mention much his voice. I would be surprised if Nic managed to make it into the top 12, but who knows he could have the Sanjaya effect.

Team Adam

Tessanne Chin: Many Rivers to Cross

Tessanne blew us and the judges away with her POWERFUL performance to conclude the first night. She had the best performance of the night by a mile, which lead to a rare standing ovation from Adam. She engaged the audience and showed off her power, as well as some raw emotion on her way to a near flawless performance. Her sweet accent and unique look help to set her apart from the other contestants in this competition. She’s the clear #1 on her team and an early favorite the win the whole thing, which makes her a clear lock to make it into the Top 12.

James Wolpert: A Case of You

This “geek” left his job working at an Apple store to pursue his dream of singing. He wowed the judges right of the bat by turning all four chairs and has been a clear favorite of Adam ever since. He may not be the most marketable guy but he sure can sing. He gave a humble and emotional performance that got better as he went along. He chose to play the guitar and seems almost too reliant on it, which could hurt him moving forward. Overall, this was a great performance that is killing it on iTunes right now. He’s definitely a lock to move to the next round whether by viewer voting or Adam continuing his love affair for him by choosing him.

Will Champlin: Secrets

Will has been surprising everyone recently. From a guy who lost in both the battle and knockout rounds, you would not expect this much talent. The past few performances have shocked us and even the judges. Will shows great versatility in his singing and performing. This week’s performance of Secrets was crazy. Not only was his voice on point, but he had fantastic stage presence, going from piano to stage and back to piano. Though he is behind James Wolpert and Tessanne Chin on the Itunes’ charts, James could be a dark horse in the competition and we don’t see a situation in which Adam does not save him. Every week he comes out and performs stronger and we look for this trend to continue in the Top 12.

Preston Pohl: Nothin' On You

Preston has a unique voice and style for the competition. Preston’s voice has an almost Louis Armstrong quality to it. Preston’s performance was quite forgetful and uninspired this week. He did not seem to connect with the crowd and did not really venture into his range. Unfortunately for Preston, he is on a strong team in which two teammates will have to go home and I can’t really picture Adam using his save here.

Grey: Still Into You

Grey came into this round with so much promise. She’s easily one of the prettiest contestants remaining and showed some great vocal talent in the previous rounds. Unfortunately, the pressure of putting on a love performance seemed to get to her. She did come on stage with a smokin’ hot outfit and did engage the crowd, but her pitchy and inconsistent vocal performance made me think that she may be best sticking to performing at weddings. I don’t think she will make it to the next round but crazier things have happened, especially when a beautiful woman is involved.

Team Christina

Jacquie Lee: I Put A Spell On You

Jacquie Lee has been a rising star this season. She has moved from the background to the forefront of Team Xtina. When it was her turn to perform on Tuesday, she was following a very strong performance by Matthew (the early 4-chair turn favorite). When it seemed like he would take the crown of performance of the night, Jacqui stepped on stage. Jacqui’s performance was hauntingly beautiful, a rendition of I Got A Spell On You. She truly showcased her vocal ability. You have to trust a young female vocalist’s talent, when Christina Aguilera says that she sees a younger Christina in Jacqui. Jacqui has proved that she stands a real chance at winning it all.

Matthew Schüler: Wrecking Ball

Before this performance I knew Matthew was good, but I had no idea he was this good. He rocked the stage. Taking a popular Miley Cyrus song ‘Wrecking Ball’, Mathew put his own twist on the song and boy did it deliver. The slow parts of the song were filled with emotion and the diction was tremendous. Where Mathew really delivered was during the chorus. The room ignited in cheers and had all of the judges smiling ear to ear. His stage presence was terrific and the audience was actively involved. With this weeks performance Matthew has officially made his presence known. I find it almost impossible for Christina to come up with a single reason he deserves to go home. I look forward to more powerful and enthralling performances in the future from Matthew.

Olivia Henken: Roar

Olivia is a country girl from Louisville who has an accent to die for. This blonde bombshell is a beauty, and she knows it as was evident by the hot outfit she wore. She looked completely comfortable up on stage, and the audience seemed to enjoy the performance. I don’t think Christina helped her much with the song choice, which didn’t seem to fit her style. However, she made the best of it and gave a solid performance despite a few weak moments here and there. Olivia is definitely a step below Jacquie and Matthew and will be competing with Josh for the third spot in the Top 12. I’d give her the slight edge over Josh, but I’m not gonna be surprised either way. It all comes down to Christina’s save.

Josh Logan: Crazy

Josh is charming and charismatic but has no real backstory to give him an edge. He showed good range and made the song his own but was missing anything real unique about his singing. The guitar was a nice touch and definitely enhanced the performance. I think he would have benefited from wearing the hat on stage that he wore during his rehearsals because the bald head wasn’t really helping his cause. He is definitely a very likable guy and displays solid control over his vocals but doesn’t seem to have the star power that other contestants have. It should come down to him and Olivia for the last spot on the team, but I’d give Olivia the slight edge.

Stephanie Anne Johnson: Georgia On My Mind

This week Stephanie Anne Johnson took on one of the most iconic and challenging songs of the competition. Admittedly I was not too high on Stephanie going into this week, but this performance changed my mind. She showed excellent voice control and was able to put her own spin on a classic song. I was very impressed by the high notes she was able to hit. They were sung with power and confidence. That being said I don’t think Stephanie will be around this week.Unfortunately what happened during the after performance interview may be what does her in. Christina asked her to sing a little opera. Admittedly, I do not know much about opera. To me it sounded like screaming and I instantly forgot her performance. Stephanie also faces the challenge of being on the best team. Spots are limited and I do not see an instance where she makes it unless saved by Christina. Perhaps if she was on a different team she would have made it to the Top 12.

Team CeeLo

Caroline Pennell: We're Going To Be Friends

Keep your eyes on Caroline because I have a feeling she is going to be staying around for a while. The crown jewel of Cee Lo’s team this girl demonstrates both the finesse to accentuate the subtleties of a song and the power to blow you away. Its hard not to fall in love with the shy seventeen year old. Her song this week emphasized the softer size of her voice. It was a nice contrast to some of the other performers who reached for the higher and more powerful notes. I liked the song choice by Cee Lo this week, but hope to see her sing more challenging songs in the near future. Only a teenager Caroline will appeal to the younger audience and has a voice that will enchant even the oldest viewers. At this stage in the competition I label Caroline as an early favorite to win it all.  

Tamara Chauniece: I Will Survive

Tamara seems like a very nice girl who was raised with an emphasis on church, which she sure let everyone know during her interview. Cee Lo mentioned that he had a connection to her, which might not be a good thing. She’s a decent looking girl and definitely had one of the better outfits of the night, while showing great stage presence. She sang a fun song and was clearly having fun with her performance, as was the audience. She showed off her powerful voice and range, while also showing great control. She had one of the better vocal performances of the night. She definitely deserves to make it to the next round, but I would not be shocked if Kat is able to use her strange and unique personality to grab her spot. Cee Lo is always a wildcard so who really knows what will happen.

Jonny Gray: Bitter Sweet Symphony

Jonny had a lot of promise and potential coming into the live rounds, but his latest performance was left me with mixed feelings. First of all, his military background is a plus and should only help him get votes despite his average looks. However, his performance was nothing special and even left me a little bored toward the middle. He had the benefit of singing a popular song but didn’t display much range or passion. On the other hand, he has a very unique voice that could be shown off with different songs as the competition moves on. I think he’ll be moving on to the Top 12 but will have a lot to prove in order to be considered a serious contender.

Kat Robichaud: She Keeps Me Warm

Ditching the frizzy hair this week, Kat performed ‘She keeps me warm’.  A softer song, Kat strayed away from her usual rocker performance perhaps to show versatility. She showed a strong stage performance during the entirety of the song and really engaging the audience. Unfortunately, her vocal performance left much to be desired. Her trademark vibrato was barely used. Maybe she was just showcasing another side of herself. She reminds me a lot of last years Michelle Chamuel. Ultimately, I think Kat doesn’t survive this week. Her performance was not as strong as the other contestants and its hard to identify the niche she fits in. If she is able to stave off elimination, I hope she returns to the style that got her this far, the rocker chick with the high leg kick.    

Amber Nicole: Wasting All These Tears

Amber’s run should be coming to an end after a below average performance. She a kind of Rihanna look and sound going for her but seems to be more suited as a cheap impersonator rather than someone who could do her talent justice. She looked uncomfortable on stage at times, which led to a weak start that she could never recover from. She missed a few crucial big notes that could’ve elevated her to contender status and even sounded like she was yelling at times. She was dressed very nicely and had some great earrings on, but this wasn’t enough to prevent some of the weakest judge feedback of the competition so far. She’s watching the next round from home.