This week we find out who from Cee Lo and Adam’s team remain in the game and watch the contestants square off yet again. (One week away from the finale!)
I am not entirely clear what the deal is with Christina’s hair. Is that a scarf or did she dye her hair? And some crimped frizz. But she does have less cleavage showing.
The judges have to make their votes tonight which will get weighted with the viewers in some way that I am unclear on.
Before we get special performances and contestant performances, we need to learn who will be performing for Team Cee Lo and Team Adam (meaning all of them had to practice over the week with the assumption that they were going through).
Team Cee Lo is up first. Did you realize Vicci is so tiny? (Maybe she looks so small because she is next to Nakia.) America voted for…Vicci Martinez. No surprise there. Now Cee Lo must decide what to do for his second pick. Cee Lo was trying to pick very different artists (they have their own lanes!) Curtis is his only country guy. Nakia is like a determined brother. Tori and Taylor are delicate. In order to win, he picks Nakia (who he thinks everyone else will agree with as the best decision). It’s almost like when the judges saved Casey Abrams. He doesn’t quite break down but it is close.
Team Adam is up next. America’s choice is…Javier Colon (another non-surprise). The only real question is who Adam will pick. Will he base it on last week’s performance or on general talent. Jeff has a mind-blowing voice. Devon is the most improved–he now has confidence. Casey has argued with Adam a bit. He hates this but he has to choose…he thought he was going to pick Jeff but he has to go with Casey. (Well that is the answer–last week over overall. Jeff was many people’s choice to win the whole thing. I think the audience response to her influenced his decision.)
Team Christina‘s Frenchie Davis performs first with “Like a Prayer” which intimidates her at first. Christina wants her to take it to a choir-church-type place. Complete with the gospel choir around her. I think the thing she is most missing here is actual the enjoyment element. She doesn’t seem to be enjoying herself like she usually does. I want her to be louder and more energetic (rather than the slightly nervous she wears for most of it). By the end she starts to get into it more as she hits the higher notes, instantly making it a better performance.
- Cee Lo- that’s my soul sister throwin down.
- Adam- much better than last week even.
- Blake- you nailed it.
- Christina- Seconded. That took some power, control, etc.
Team Cee Lo‘s Nakia is up next with “What Do You Want From Me.” It was another reaction where he didn’t like the choice but it grew on him (this seems like a much better choice than “Sex on Fire.” Mostly Cee Lo is trying to push him. This song is quite perfect for his voice–how could he ever have questioned it? In a surprising choice from Cee Lo, there are no dancers, just Nakia and some lights.
- Adam- wow. you just forced me to like that song.
- Blake- that was award show top performance but also in tune.
- Christina- You have great stage presence.
- Cee Lo- My man is going to be the next big star.
Team Blake‘s Dia Frampton takes on “Losing My Religion.” Playing guitar this week, Dia orchestrated pretty much the entire performance herself. (Whereas most of the other contestants are decided by the judges.) I don’t love this actual song, but I think she sounds strong in it.
- Christina- You’ve grown so much.
- Cee Lo- You’re very inventive.
- Adam- Another atypical choice, which is awesome.
- Blake- You always leave your heart and soul on the stage.
Team Adam‘s
Casey Weston takes on “I Will Always Love You.” During rehearsals, Adam warns her not to try to be or outshine Whitney. This has the potential to be a mess (this what they always warn against on American Idol). Casey’s voice sounds extremely shaky in the beginning and I can’t tell if that’s nerves or intentional. As she continues she sounds a lot stronger.
- Blake- Every week you blow me away.
- Adam- You were incredible.
Time for one of the performances we’ve all been waiting for: “Moves Like Jagger” by Maroon 5 featuring Christina Aguilera. This show has really paid off for her, she’s gotten two singles/duets out of it. It looks a little weird for Adam to be in a suit (and weirder to see the guy with long hair suited up). The song itself is just ok, I think Adam has more talent than this song really shows off. The only thing I like about Christina’s outfit is her shoes. Someone needs to send her to Jennifer Lopez’s stylist: time to look classy not trashy. There’s a funny little awkward moment where they finish the song and Adam sort of starts to walk away as Christina tries to get his attention/hug him and he turns back sort of like “oh I suppose I should hug you.” And then, to top off the moment, Carson goes “Adam and Christina, they clearly like each other.” Yeah, clearly.
If there is one thing I would delete from the show, it is Alison Haislip. Her interruptions are neither informative or interesting. They just seem random and weird.
Team Christina‘s Bev McClellan gets “The Thrill is Gone” to show off the more bluesy side of her vocals. She’s worried about Frenchie’s talent but she wants to win so that her type of music can get more attention. As always, she sounds great. Her actually singing may not be for everyone, but she’s got a lot of talent. I think she brings more performance than Frenchie does to each song.
- Cee Lo- You’re every action and inflection is so sincere.
- Christina- You are one of the reasons I am so thankful I signed on to do this show.
Team Adam‘s Javier Colon picks up “Fix You” which is a song I have grown to love thanks to an excellent dance on So You Think You Can Dance. Adam warns him to stick to the melody since it is a song people will want to along to. For me, this is one of his best performances, he shows off his voice without going crazy.
- Christina- I want to see a soulful record from you. As always amazing.
- Cee Lo- Wonderful song choice again.
- Adam- I knew you were going to sing the hell out of that song.
Blake Shelton’s “Honey Bee” performance is up. He brings out Dia Frampton and Xenia to join in and honestly, I don’t think they sounded great in it though it is cute to see how much he cares about them. He’s like they’re dad.
Team Blake‘s Xenia is up next with “The Man Who Can’t Be Moved.” She sounds fine, but really, let’s not pretend she has a chance against Dia. I feel like her voice would be best suited for duets.
- Adam- You have such a unique tone. (The song was a little sleepy.)
- Christina- What baffles me is your maturity.
- Cee Lo- Great Job.
- Blake- That voice’s going to stand on when it’s on the radio.
Team Cee Lo‘s Vicci Martinez picks up “Dog Days Are Over.” Her father died before he could pursue his own singing dream so this entire journey is particularly poignant for Vicci. Her look is…different (her hair adds some height!). Having her playing those drum things were a bit of a waste. I’d much have rathered her walk around the stage the entire time. Her voice sounded a bit shaky maybe in part because of all the running around. It was just…weird, which is unfortunate because I really like her.
- Adam- You’re such a little dynamo. Coolest performance of the night.
- Blake- Most powerful performance of the night.
- Christina- That was a great performance.
- Cee Lo- The future is so bright for you.
Best line of the night:
Adam- “I’m Cee Lo, I know celebrities.”
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