*SPOILERS*

….

BRYNN CARTELLI!!!

Team Kelly’s Brynn Cartelli took home the Voice trophy last night. This is Kelly Clarkson’s first win as a coach. Team Alicia’s Britton Buchanan came in second. Blake’s team members Kyla Jade and Spensha Baker came in third and fourth, respectively. All four of them were amazing this season. I can’t wait to see what talent next season will bring!

Congrats to Brynn and to all of the other artists for making it as far as they did this season. I will have a more in depth post soon, so be on the lookout for that!

I am currently on vacation and thus missed the top four’s performances from last night. Therefore, I unfortunately can’t break down the performances like I normally would. Instead, I’ll offer my results prediction.

Before last night, I would’ve placed the final four as follows: 4th Britton Buchanan, 3rd Spensha Baker, 2nd Brynn Cartelli, 1st Kyla Jade. Kyla has been killing it on stage every week. She has shown that she is a powerhouse singer who has what it takes to step out of the background and bask in the limelight herself. Brynn has been a fan favorite since the very beginning, so I’ve placed her as a close second. Spensha is the final country artist and since Britton had to get to the top four via the instant save, I had her edging him out for 3rd place.

After taking a look at the iTunes chart, I’m not so sure that prediction will come true. All four artists have one song in the top 10 on the iTunes chart. Both Brynn and Britton have two. Britton has the best average iTunes placement this week, but Brynn isn’t too far behind. It will be close as any of the final four could win, but taking the iTunes chart into consideration, I’m going to say that Brynn Cartelli will be this season’s winner. Britton will get second, followed by Kyla and Spensha, respectively.

Eight turned into four in last night’s intense results show.  Three artists were automatically voted through, two artists were immediately sent home, and three artists had to sing in the Instant Save for the final spot in the finale.  It should come as no surprise that both Rayshun Lamarr and Jackie Foster were the bottom two since they ranked so much lower on the iTunes chart than the rest of the pack.  Kyla Jade, Brynn Cartelli, and Spensha Baker all made it through to the finale.  That left Pryor Baird, Kaleb Lee, and Britton Buchanan to battle it out in the Instant Save.

Pryor growled his way through “Soulshine”:

Kaleb gave his all with “Simple Man”:

Britton got emotional with “Dancing on My Own”:

All three gave solid performances, but Britton’s vulnerable, pleading notes gave him the edge he needed to snag the final spot in next week’s finale.

Here’s how the teams look heading into next week:

TEAM ADAM:

none

TEAM ALICIA:

Britton Buchanan

TEAM BLAKE:

Kyla Jade
Spensha Baker

TEAM KELLY:

Brynn Cartelli

Is your favorite in the top 4?  Who do you think will win The Voice?

Last night’s semifinal saw the top 8 take to the stage twice.  Their solo performance was an inspirational song of their choice and each artist sang a duet with another artist in the top 8.  Only four can make it through to next week?  Did your favorite secure their spot?  Let’s break down last night’s performances below!

BRYNN CARTELLI- “What the World Needs Now is Love”

The Andra Day version of this song was perfect for Brynn.  She was poised and connected.  I really enjoyed the a cappella bit in the beginning and her head voice ad-libs.  She nailed the big note and had a little Kelly Clarkson soulful sound to her voice near the end.

JACKIE FOSTER- “Here I Go Again”

This started out like a slow ballad which I really enjoyed.  As she transitioned into the more rock part of the song, Jackie faltered a little.  She still had the power, but didn’t quite nail those high notes necessary to take it to the next level.

RAYSHUN LAMARR- “Imagine”

I felt this arrangement was a bit distracting.  I would’ve loved to have seen a more stripped back version from Rayshun.  He still gave it soul and I loved the pleading notes at the end.

SPENSHA BAKER- “My Church”

I loved the gospel beginning on this one.  Spensha added some really cool quick runs.  She did start a little early on the first verse, but she corrected herself and kept going like a pro.

KYLA JADE- “Let It Be”

Kyla took us to church!  She absolutely nailed this entire song.  This was more like a finale performance.  Incredible!

KALEB LEE- “It Is Well With My Soul”

This was a great song choice and he couldn’t have picked a better time to sing it.  The song allowed his vocals to be highlighted.  Kaleb put his whole heart into this one and sounded great.

PRYOR BAIRD- “Change the World”

I loved the bluesy feel.  Pryor brought his signature sound to this one, but gave us a little more dynamics with his added falsetto.

BRITTON BUCHANAN- “The Rising”

Britton felt in his element.  His delivery was moving and he sounded great as always.

DUETS:

I enjoyed all four duets.  I thought each pair blended really well.  Without getting into too much detail, here is how I’d rank the duets from most favorite to least favorite:

1. Kyla and Spensha - “Rise Up/What’s Goin On”
2. Jackie and Rayshun- “Believer/Radioactive”
3. Britton and Brynn- “Four Five Seconds/You Can’t Always Get What You Want”
4. Kaleb and Pryor- “Hillbilly Bone/Hillybilly Deluxe”

Before this week’s performances, my top 4 was Britton, Brynn, Jackie, and Kyla.  After listening to this week’s performances and taking a look at the iTunes numbers, I’m afraid that one of those artists will not make it to next week’s finale.  All of the artists except for Rayshun and Jackie made it into the top 10 on the iTunes singles chart.  Jackie and Rayshun also scored the fewest amount of retweets on their duet performance (3.1k) with Kyla and Spensha getting the most at 6.4k.  I still feel that Britton, Brynn, and Kyla have done enough to make it through to next week.  While I would love to see Jackie join them, I’’m afraid her Voice journey will be coming to an end.  It is a bit of a toss up between Kaleb and Pryor  for who will snag that final spot, but I think it just might go to Pryor.  Although, if I can’t have Jackie, I’d love to see the final spot go to Spensha.

But that’s just this Voice Superfan’s opinion.  What’s yours?

It was so hard to pick a bottom three this week and I know it will be near impossible to the top 8 down to four next week.  As hard as it was, the bottom three did end up being who I expected: Christiana Danielle, Jackie Verna, and Rayshun Lamarr.

Christiana sang “Unchain My Heart” for the instant save:

She hit some really nice low notes and carried her vocal power through the big notes.  Her vocals were truly on point here.

Jackie V. went with “I Told You So”:

Jackie brought her beautiful tone and country twang to this one.  She hit the big note and made the performance seem effortless.

Rayshun chose “Let’s Get it On”:

Rayshun has a knack for song choice.  He brought it on stage and I loved his high rasp.

This was a close one, but with a 21/35/44 split, Rayshun earned the final spot in the top 8.  Unfortunately, this meant Christiana and Jackie V. were sent home.

Here are the teams as they head into the semifinals next week:

TEAM ADAM:

Rayshun Lamarr

TEAM ALICIA:

Britton Buchanan
Jackie Foster

TEAM BLAKE:

Kyla Jade
Spensha Baker
Pryor Baird

TEAM KELLY:

Brynn Cartelli
Kaleb Lee

I’m a little (read: a lot) late on this post.  Sorry!  Last night, the top 10 took the stage.  Only eight can make it through to next week.  Who will be in the bottom?  Let’s break down last night’s performances below:

KYLA JADE- “This is Me”

I love this song and thought Kyla did a great job with it.  The performance was very emotional and vulnerable.  Every word she sang, I believed.

KALEB LEE- “Boondocks”

I felt this was a good song choice for Kaleb.  It fit well with his voice.  This was an overall solid performance; perhaps even his best so far.

JACKIE VERNA- “Love Triangle”

I loved the simplicity of this performance.  Jackie V.’s tone was beautiful on this.  I thought this was a good performance.

RAYSHUN LAMARR- “Grant Green”

As always, Rayshun had a strong stage presence.  I enjoyed this feel-good performance.  He had a strong vocal here.

SPENSHA BAKER- “Red”

I wasn’t entirely sold on the song choice, but Spensha did make it her own.  I loved her ad-libs.  Good job overall!

JACKIE FOSTER- “Gravity”

I was happy to see a softer side of Jackie F..  She was poised and captivating.  Jackie F. gave a beautiful vocal performance.

BRITTON BUCHANAN- “What’s Love Got to Do With It”

I really enjoyed his take on this classic.  He truly made it his own and delivered a solid vocal.

CHRISTIANA DANIELLE- “Ain’t No Sunshine”

I loved the smooth jazz sound.  The scat section was really fun.  She nailed her falsetto.

PRYOR BAIRD- “My Town”

This was a more country version of Pryor.  He sang a solid performance and made sure to use his usual grit.

BRYNN CARTELLI- “Fix You”

I thought this was a great vocal performance.  It was heartfelt and emotional.  I loved the slow build with the instrumental.

If I were to predict a bottom three, I’d say Christiana, Rayshun, and Jackie Verna just based on iTunes performances.  It’s a toss up, but I’d say the instant save would go to Rayshun.

But, that’s just this Voice superfan’s opinion.  What’s yours?

p.s. sorry for the brief descriptions this week and the late posting.  Next week will be better, I promise.

It seems as though each week this season will be a Sophie’s choice situation, as yet again two very incredible artists found themselves in the bottom two.  Last week, it was D.R. and Rayshun.  This week, Christiana Danielle and Sharane Calister found themselves having to sing for the Instant Save.

Sharane went first with “If I Were a Boy”:

Sharane has proven throughout the competition that she has the vocal chops to make it all the way to the end.  However, her voice sounded tired with this performance.  I don’t know if it was nerves or just straight up fatigue, but it wasn’t her best.  She still gave the song the emotion it needed and showed that she still wanted to be there.

Christiana went second with “A Thousand Years”:

Christiana applied her unique artistry to this very popular song, just as she has with all of her previous performances.  Unlike with “Umbrella”, the original melody was still recognizable with this performance.  Christiana was more poised and delivered a better performance pitch-wise than Sharane.

While I love both artists, out of the two Instant Save performances, I would’ve chosen Christiana.  And, the Voice fans agreed granting Christiana that final spot in the Top 10.

Here are the teams as they head into next week:

TEAM ADAM:

Rayshun Lamarr
Jackie Verna

TEAM ALICIA:

Christiana Danielle
Britton Buchanan
Jackie Foster

TEAM BLAKE:

Spensha Baker
Kyla Jade
Pryor Baird

TEAM KELLY:

Brynn Cartelli
Kaleb Lee

Last night, the top 11 sang songs picked by their superfans.  Let’s break down how everyone did below:

PRYOR BAIRD- “Night Moves”

It was cool seeing a softer side to Pryor.  While he did deliver a softer sound, he never lost his vocal power.  I love his rasp!  This was an easy listening performance; one that you could just throw on and it immediately puts you in a good mood.

SHARANE CALISTER- “Hero”

Sharane was given one of the hardest songs of the night, but she fared well.  She showed good restraint in the beginning of the song and worked her way up to some really great runs.  she stepped up to the diva song challenge, for sure!

KALEB LEE- “T-r-o-u-b-l-e”

I liked hearing Kaleb do a more fun, upbeat song.  There was a bit of an anunciation issue, but beyond that he did a good job!

JACKIE FOSTER- “Love Reign O’er Me”

Jackie showed great breath control with this performance.  She was relaxed and had fun with it.  There were a few pitchy moments, but she rocked the stage!  I really liked this arrangement as well.

JACKIE VERNA- “Strawberry Wine”

I felt that this was a great song choice for Jackie V.  I liked hearing her hit some of those lower notes while still giving us the higher pitched vibrato she’s known for.  This performance was the best she’s done so far, in my opinion.

KYLA JADE- “Sweet Sweet Baby (SInce You’ve Been Gone)”

This was an excellent song choice!  Kyla slayed this song as she has done with all of her performances so far.  Like Blake alluded to, Kyla really has come into her own on stage.  She had some big shoes to fill, but definitely did the song justice.

CHRISTIANA DANIELLE- “Umbrella”

This was a haunting arrangement.  The arrangement paired with the jazzy stylings of Christiana’s voice gave some intense Post-modern Jukebox vibes.  She gave a great vocal performance on this one!

BRYNN CARTELLI- “You and I”

I really enjoyed the arrangement on this one.  Brynn had fun with it.  Though she faltered on her pitch in a couple places, she gave a solid performance overall.

RAYSHUN LAMARR- “Try a Little Tenderness”

This was literally the perfect song choice for Rayshun.  I loved the instrumental in the opening.  This song allowed Rayshun to showcase his range and energy on stage.  Overall, a great performance!

BRITTON BUCHANAN- “Perfect”

Britton performed without his guitar this week (although it did just sit awkwardly on stage).  I thought his performance was very heartfelt and beautiful.  He sang with conviction; I believed every word he sang.

SPENSHA BAKER- “Better Man”

Spensha was poised on stage.  This performance was vulnerable and beautiful.  It was a nice way to close out the show.

Who do I think will be in the bottom this week?  It’s hard to say.  Statistically, if one has been in the bottom previously, they find themselves there again.  So, Rayshun could find himself back in the bottom despite having a solid performance.  As far as who joins him, I’d say maybe Christiana because of how much people are attached to the original song.  Neither one of them would be in my personal bottom two, but at least one in my own personal bottom for the week is popular with the voters, so I do not forsee them being anything but safe this week.

BUT, that’s just this Voice superfan’s opinion. What’s yours?

Last night’s bottom two reveal was not exactly a surprise, but certainly a disappointment.  D.R. King and Rayshun Lamarr found themselves having to sing for the Instant Save.  I expected D.R. to be in the bottom despite his undeniable talent, but I did not expect to see Rayshun, an equally talented individual, to join him.

D.R. sang “Papa Was a Rolling Stone”:

He absolutely slayed the runs and poured his heart out on the stage.

Rayshun followed with an impassioned performance of “I Can’t Stand the Rain”:

He brought his A game to this one and made it an even match.

I had a hard time choosing a winner, but America went with Rayshun Lamarr with about two-thirds of the vote, thus sending D.R. King home.  It is such a shame to see D.R. go home so early.  I hope we don’t have any more heartbreaking bottom two battles this season, but I know that’s just wishful thinking.

Here are the teams as they head into next week:

TEAM ADAM:

Sharane Calister
Jackie Verna
Rayshun Lamarr

TEAM ALICIA:

Jackie Foster
Christiana Danielle
Britton Buchanan

TEAM BLAKE:

Spensha Baker
Pryor Baird
Kyla Jade

TEAM KELLY:

Brynn Cartelli
Kaleb Lee

Last night, the top 12 took to the stage to sing songs they are connected to.  Every artist did well, but did they do well enough to make it through to next week?  Let’s break down the performances below!

TEAM ADAM:

RAYSHUN LAMARR- “When Love Takes Over”

I thought this was a great song choice.  He showcased good range and delivered a fun performance with great energy on stage.

SHARANE CALISTER- “In My Blood”

Sharane gave an incredibly strong performance vocally.  She hit those big notes toward the end.  She truly connected to the song and gave a believable performance.

JACKIE VERNA- “I’m With You”

Adam was spot on with this song choice being adaptable to Jackie V.’s country stylings.  I loved her take on it and she hit the big notes in the chorus.  I think she has a beautiful tone to her voice.

TEAM ALICIA:

JACKIE FOSTER- “Toxic”

I thought this was a really cool, interesting arrangement.  Jackie F. fills that pop-punk void in my heart.  I felt that she gave a pretty solid performance.

CHRISTIANA DANIELLE- “Say Something”

Every time Christiana  sings, she takes a cool song and gives it an even cooler twist.  She put her whole heart into this one and provided a really strong vocal performance.

BRITTON BUCHANAN- “Small Town”

I’m a fan of Britton’s rich tone.  I personally would’ve liked a different song choice, but that’s just me being picky.  He did a great job and delivered a solid performance.

TEAM BLAKE:

SPENSHA BAKER- “Down on My Knees”

This performance was so beautiful vocally.  Spensha is a true storyteller.  She poured it all out on stage with pleading lyrics.  Amazing job!

PRYOR BAIRD- “Pickin’ Wildflowers”

I’m a big fan of Pryor’s bluesy vibe.  He sang with the right amount of soulful grit and truly rocked the stage!

KYLA JADE- “One Night Only”

Kyla’s performance was captivating.  She always sings so beautifully.  Kyla is a powerhouse vocalist with a delicate vocal touch.  Her performance closed out the show.  Simply incredible!

TEAM KELLY:

KALEB LEE- “Amazed”

I dig Kaleb’s raspy soul-country vibe.  He held out the longer notes in this one really well.  I felt this was a good song choice for him.  I am happy he chose to forgo the guitar on this one, although he did look a little lost without it at times.

D.R. KING- “White Flag”

I absolutely loved the opening to this performance.  D.R.  showed off his incredible range and buttery ad-libs.  He dug deep and it paid off!

BRYNN CARTELLI- “Up To The Mountain”

Wow!  This was a gorgeously sung performance from beginning to end.  I love Brynn’s vibrato and her lower register.  She sang this song with such conviction, which is hard to do at only fifteen.  Amazing!

I’m writing this a little late, so I’m not sure where the artists stood on the iTunes chart at the end of voting.  If I had to make a blind guess as to who would be in the bottom two, I would say JACKIE VERNA and D.R. KING.  Like I said at the beginning, everyone did really well.  In my own personal rankings, (1-10 with 10 being Jennifer Hudson shoe throwing amazing) no artist was below a 7.  In fact, D.R. was in my top 5 of the night.  I put him and Jackie V. in the bottom because they both were coach saves last week and may not have as much traction with the voters as the others.  If this is the case, I believe that Jackie Verna will be going home.

BUT, that’s just this Voice superfan’s opinion.  What’s yours?