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The Top 11 is in the books and now only 10 artists remain in the competition. To see who shined, who moved on and who went home, read on.
Editorials 10

Top 11 Recap: Season 12 of “The Voice”

By Sam Bodnar · On May 6, 2017


With the Top 10 looming, the remaining contestants powered through rehearsals to deliver unforgettable performances. Artists sang for America’s votes and two of them went head-to-head in an instant save battle. Viewers can vote by downloading “The Voice” app, buying the artists’ songs on iTunes, or tweeting their names during the instant saves. As always, the best songs of this week are marked with a “*”.

Monday Night:

Opening Performance

Vocalist: Stephanie Rice

Coach: Alicia Keys

Song Choice: “Behind Blue Eyes”

Original Artist: The Who

Stellar Moments

Where it Went Wrong

Score /10

  • Her connection to the music was very evident and strong.
  • The transition in the music’s energy from the drum and guitar solos added spunk to a slow start.
  • Rice took advantage of the entire stage and took appropriate measures within the music to stage herself.
  • Too many of her notes were breathy and lacked diction and volume.
  • While this rock side was different from past performances, it was not a good fit for her.
  • I could not understand what she was saying, the beginning was way too slow and the energy was in the instruments, not her vocals. Not a top performance.

5.5/10

P2

Vocalist: Aliyah Moulden

Coach: Blake Shelton

Song Choice: “Take It Back”

Original Artist: Reba McEntire

Stellar Moments

Where it Went Wrong

Score /10

  • The trumpets, saxophones, and Western feel on the keys added a fiery Motown spirit to the piece.
  • The stop and start of the instruments before the final chorus allowed her to call upon her lower breath and dig deep for her higher notes.
  • Her performances “keep getting better,” according to Coach Stefani, and it is still hard to believe that she’s only 15.
  • She overdid the growling on her notes, which took away from their raspiness and uniqueness.

7/10

P3

Vocalist: Tsoul

Coach: Blake Shelton

Song Choice: “Lay Me Down”

Original Artist: Sam Smith

Stellar Moments

Where it Went Wrong

Score /10

  • The arrangement of the drums, flute, and background vocals was a great choice for him.
  • Starting his performance on the piano and transitioning with the other instruments (while “getting lost in the moment”) was unlike anything I’ve seen this season.
  • Tsoul’s choice to lay on the ground was cool, but his falsetto was very flat and disconnected from his air flow.
  • His vibrato in the beginning was shaky and distracted from the quiet introduction for which he was going.

6/10

P4

Vocalist: Lilli Passero

Coach: Adam Levine

Song Choice: “Town Without Pity”

Original Artist: Gene Pitney

Stellar Moments

Where it Went Wrong

Score /10

  • Her manner of trickling down on her notes was classical and extremely jazzy.
  • The setting behind her fit the mood of the song well, and the saxophones & trumpets complemented her voice too.
  • The show’s host, Carson Daly, said that if felt like the beginning of a James Bond movie.
  • At times, her vocals felt monotone and less energetic than the music behind her.
  • Passero’s falsetto faltered from time to time.

6.5/10

*P5

Vocalist: Hunter Plake

Coach: Gwen Stefani

Song Choice: “All I Want”

Original Artist: Kodaline

Stellar Moments

Where it Went Wrong

Score /10

  • Plake’s falsetto was spot on and had a subtle contrast from the pounding of the piano keys behind him.
  • His arrangement, allowing the high energy drums into the piece after the second verse, was brilliant and gave his soft tones an extra boost of soulful power.
  • You could hear a pin drop in that place. Plake may be in the Top Four.
  • He was hard to hear every once in awhile due to his diction getting a bit messy.

8/10

P6

Vocalist: Vanessa Ferguson

Coach: Alicia Keys

Song Choice: “Diamonds”

Original Artist: Rihanna

Stellar Moments

Where it Went Wrong

Score /10

  • Her staging was calm, collected, and beautiful. It was very appropriate for the song choice as well.
  • Ferguson had a special hint of gravel and grit in her high notes during the final chorus.
  • She was pushing down on her higher notes, which needed to have more space.
  • The musical arrangement did not carry the energy and momentum that Rihanna’s does.

6.5/10

*P7

Vocalist: Lauren Duski

Coach: Blake Shelton

Song Choice: “Somewhere in My Broken Heart”

Original Artist: Billy Dean

Stellar Moments Where it Went Wrong Score /10
  • Removing the bass and piano was an intelligent move that isolated the classic and delicate feel of Duski’s voice.
  • The strings, acoustic guitars, and male background vocals gave the piece a sense of hope and peace.
  • According to her coach, she is “important to country music,” and according to Levine, she “will be in the finale.” Duski is a top dog for sure.
  • Her vibrato got away from her at a couple of moments.
  • Duski did not take advantage of the final measures of the piece in which she could have added an extra run or smooth note.
9/10

P8

Vocalist: Mark Isaiah

Coach: Adam Levine

Song Choice: “How to Love”

Original Artist: Lil Wayne

Stellar Moments Where it Went Wrong Score /10
  • Isaiah commanded the melody and worked his way around the tricky rhythms of the piece.
  • The mix of synthesizers, acoustic guitars, and shakers brought forth instrumental diversity from his previous songs.
  • Stefani only complimented him for remembering the words. That’s it.
  • He was pushing the notes out, rather than letting them flow smoothly. Major breath control issues.
  • Notes in his upper register were flat and not in sync with the music behind him.
5/10

P9

Vocalist: Jesse Larson

Coach: Adam Levine

Song Choice: “Human”

Original Artist: Rag’n’Bone

Stellar Moments Where it Went Wrong Score /10
  • Larson did a solid job of sticking to the piece’s dark theme and haunting vibe.
  • The electric guitar chords and downbeat of the drums guided him throughout transitions between the verses and choruses.
  • His ability to toggle with his vocal spectrum was stylish and very effective in displaying his vocal capabilities.
  • The first portions of the song’s melody and tempo felt way too slow.
  • It was low on energy — like most of the night’s performances — so it didn’t stick out to me as one of the best.
6.5/10

*P10

Vocalist: Brennley Brown

Coach: Gwen Stefani

Song Choice: “River”

Original Artist: Joni Mitchell

Stellar Moments Where it Went Wrong Score /10
  • The violins and background singers brought a sense of intimacy and tranquility into this soulful country song.
  • Brown’s falsetto added a feeling for the desire to escape, which is exactly what the song’s message is.
  • Brown put on one of her top performances of her season so far.
  • Some of her notes in the beginning verse and second half were overly breathy.
  • She struck out in the final chorus by choosing to flip into her head voice rather than power through with a belt on the lyrics “teach my feet to fly.”
8/10

*Closing Performance

Vocalist: Chris Blue

Coach: Alicia Keys

Song Choice: “When a Man Loves a Woman”

Original Artist:  Percy Sledge

Stellar Moments Where it Went Wrong Score /10
  • Blue’s strength and charisma lit up the audience with passion and a surge of energy.
  • His scratchy belt and electric falsetto were completely shocking and fantastic additions to this classic and world-renowned song.
  • This was one of the top performances of the entire season.
  • His falsetto went flat upon its first arrival but was quickly evened out.
  • Staging-wise, he left the mic stand too soon. Another line or so more in the second verse would have been better.
 9/10

Tuesday’s Highlights:

  • Team Alicia performed a lovely rendition of “(You Make me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” by Carole King.
  • Alisan Porter debuted her new single, “Deep Water” for the live audience (my full review on that here).
  • Team Gwen sang “Fix You” by Coldplay.

Instant Save Battle:

Mark Isaiah from Team Adam singing “7 Years” by Lucas Graham vs. Stephanie Rice from Team Alicia singing “Issues” by Julia Michaels.

Who Went Home?

Unfortunately for Rice, she was voted off and will not be competing next week in the Top 10.

Adam LevineAlicia KeysAlisan PorterBlake SheltonCarole KingColdplayDeep WaterGene PitneyGwen StefaniJazzJoni MitchellJulia MichaelsLil WayneLucas Grahamneeds editingPercy SledgeRag'n'boneReba McEntireRihannasaxophoneseason 12The VoiceThe Whotrumpet
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Sam Bodnar

Sam Bodnar is a sophomore at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. He is a Journalism Major and will be working with the Indiana Daily Student in the fall of 2018. He is one of the youngest staff writers for MEB and the former Editor-in-chief for his high school publication, "The Sage." He looks forward to many more unique experiences with MEB and the journalism world.

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