Cry Baby
Jacquie was coming into this week as our number one and had a lot to live up to. Jacquie saying that she lacks confidence, blows my mind. She was so poised and confident during her performance. Besides the confidence, through the raw power and riffs, Jacquie displayed her emotional and vulnerable side through the performance. She managed to show great control and limited her “screaming”, which was enjoyable. It truly has been a pleasure watching Jacquie and her growth this season and I know I’m not the only one who feels that way.
The Voice Within
Jacquie had her work cut out for her by taking on Christina’s song, which was dedicated to her coach. Jacquie started the song beautifully and softly sounding almost angelic with a subtle power behind her voice. Eventually, the subtly faded and the power really emerged. I am normally not a fan of the background singers, but they really added to her performance. She really cemented herself as the favorite to win in this competition. I would be shocked if she exits the show this week and I believe that it would be a shame.
A Change Is Gonna Come
WIll dedicated his song to his wife and daughter, and his emotional investment to was clearly evident throughout the performance. He came on stage with glasses and a classy suit/sparkling tie combo and chose to play the piano at the very beginning. This song was actually pretty similar to his incredible performance last week. He took a risk by choosing a song with such great range, and it paid off for the most part. There were times where he reached for notes that were higher than his voice permitted, but he sounded great when we was able to hit the other notes. With another heartfelt performance, Will was able to continue his momentum toward the top of this competition.
Hey Brother
Singing Avicii was a risky song choice by Adam, but Will did a great job with it. He switched the outfit up to a more simple collared t-shirt and vest, and chose to play the banjo. However, he didn’t rely on the banjo throughout the whole performance. Once again, he showed great range and handled this song better than his first one of the night. Although it wasn’t the most exciting performance, I was still entertained the whole time, which is what I’ve come to expect from Will. I can’t say enough about the progress he has made each week. He continues his rise up the rankings this week and deserves to avoid the bottom three.
Rich Girl
Blake
chose a more upbeat and fun song for Cole this week that he said would
show off more of his range. I’m not sure it showed off his range too
much , but he still sounded solid as always. I didn’t hear any glaring
mistakes with the vocals, which seems to be the case every week with
him. The song choice didn’t hurt him at all, but I don’t know if it
necessarily helped him because it isn’t the most well known. He played
the guitar again and wore a red jacket/hat combo that looked pretty
fresh. We’re at the point in the competition where we know what to
expect from Cole, which are consistently good performance. This wasn’t
his greatest, but that’s only because he’s set the bar pretty high for
himself.
Better Man
Cole dedicated his song to his first love, who he claimed made him a better man. I’m not crazy about that dedication, and I’m still waiting to see some more fire out of this man. He chose to play the guitar again, and gave us a same old cole performance. It was emotional, and he even changed his outfit to fit the song. He switched to a black jacket and ditched the hat. Although I do like Cole overall, I’m still waiting for something different from him. I liked the performance but didn’t love it like I did of for some of his past performances. He should be safe for another week.
4. Matthew Schuler
Story Of My Life
Matthew was coming off a bottom three appearance last week and needed a strong performance to claw out. He began by having a loving and touching dedication to his family before the song. I will be honest that I did not like the song choice for Matthew, but it could sell very well on iTunes. Matthew started it off softly and a little bit awkward. I thought he would really turn the power up on the chorus, and though the power was present, I found that the background singers detracted from his performance and did not let him stand out. I really wanted Matthew to do good this week, especially with the great dedication, but again this week, I felt underwhelmed and expect more from Matthew.
After his first performance, he needed to come out strong and make a statement, in order to stay out of the bottom three. In a change of pace from the first performance, Matthew came out stronger and delivered a more satisfying performance. He took on a classic and stripped down song, Matt truly was able to show a more vulnerable side. This was definitely more like the Matthew I have come to expect. While it was a very strong second performance, I am unsure if it was enough to save him from a bottom three appearance. If he does end up there, an infamous Twitter Save is a definite possibility.
Tessanne faced a difficult song this week. She was not only singing for herself, but also for the country of Jamaica. With such an iconic song Tessanne was worried that she would not do the song justice. Fortunately, she was able to put her own spin on the song and still stay true the song at the same time. The song was performed acoustically which forced the listener to focus on Tessanne’s singing and the message of the song. Overall I thought she did a fantastic job this week. She hit one huge note that should stay with the voters when they vote. The competition is very steep this week, but Tessanne certainly did no favors to help her competition.
Unconditionally
Tessanne changed it up for her second song. She sang a difficult pop song that really showed her range. The song has some powerful moments, but I feel also had some missed notes. Overall I felt it was a good performance, but not as good as her first of the night. If Tessanne does find herself in the bottom three it will be because of this song.
Fell In Love With A Girl
This week James sang a song that was similar to what he sang during the blind audition.
Week after week James continues to show his versatility and demonstrates a variety of performing styles. He sang the song with alot of power and used inflection very well during the song. I hoped for more from James this week. I feel that the song did not allow him to demonstrate his range and ultimately didn't challenge him enough. He sang the song well, but I did not hear a ‘wow’ moment that the voters seem to love. With only six talented performers left a slip up or average performance may lead to the bottom three. I hope this is not the case for such a talented singer.
I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)
The final song of the night was a classic James song. He was comfortable with the rock genre and it showed during the performance. He was very dramatic and theatrical and gave life to the song. The song was fun and he showed good stage presence. This was his best performance of the night and made up for his poor performance earlier. However, I do not know if this song will be enough to keep him out of the bottom three. James’ future on the show may rely on the shoulders of the twitterverse.
