The Voice 11: Top 12 Report Card

Disclaimer: All these opinions are clearly subjective and I am in no way affiliated with The Voice or any other corporation. 

There came a point during last night's show when I just shut the television off. Don't get me wrong, the concept of 'The Voice' is brilliant. The judges will simply focus on the raw talent of a contestant. I applaud that because I haven't kept it a secret that you can get me to do almost anything if you have a stunning singing voice. It's just, simply, everything else about the show that annoys me. 

I don't want to get into a whole think piece about it but there's something about this season that really bothers me. It's almost draining the energy out of me to just sit back and watch while we get the same contestants performing over and over and over again for two hours. A lot of the performances are just ridiculously generic and it almost becomes a chore trying to distinguish them from, not only each other, but also from over contestants of past seasons because it's just...the same. What's the fun in watching the same exact thing twice a year for 30 something episodes? I don't know, but I'll try and keep going with this show as much as I can! On to the Top 12!

SUNDANCE HEAD (TEAM BLAKE)
"My Church"

Sundance picked the one country song that's come out in the past five years that I actually like. Good taste, man. Haha! When he's performing I just feel like I'm watching Laith Al-Saadi without the edgy grit to his voice. I thought he sounded great with this song, though! B+

DARBY WALKER (TEAM MILEY)
"Ruby Tuesday"

Darby's one of the few contestants that actually stood out to me. There's a unique tone to her voice that I can really appreciate, at something we're really lacking this season. The production of the performance, and the floral touches on her and the mic stand, were absolutely stunning and made for a gorgeous visual. She sounded pretty good with this song, her yodeling vibrato is a bit irritating to me, however. C+

CHRISTIAN CUEVAS (TEAM ALICIA)
"The Scientist"

Christian's got this warm, soothing tone to his voice that makes it comfortable to listen to just about anything he sings when he get sup on that stage. On paper, this song was perfect for him. There's just something about him that translates really well to the emotional capacity that a song can bring. Something seemed a bit off towards the end and his last note was pretty shaky but it was solid overall. B

SA'RAYAH (TEAM ALICIA)
"The Show Must Go On"

Let's get the obvious out of the way, Sa'Rayah sounded absolutely amazing. Pitch perfect. Her vocal ability will never be a question. That. Was. Just. A. Lot. There was way too much happening on the stage. I didn't feel like her vocals were going anywhere and she was just belting, growling and straining her voice for no reason. That last note sounded good but my voice started to ache after! Haha. B-

BILLY GILMAN (TEAM ADAM)
"The Show Must Go On"

Hi, Alisan Porter! We've missed you. He's got a really good voice but when he sings songs like this it comes off as fake. I'd love to see him do a stripped back number and actually connect to a song. He just looks too focused on showing off. Showing off is great but there's only so much random belting I can take (especially this early in the competition) before I just want to go to bed. B

AUSTIN ALLSUP (TEAM BLAKE)
"Do Right Woman, Do Right Man"

Good effort on Austin's part for the unexpected song choice! I've just seen and heard this so much (especially on this show). Not memorable. C

WÉ McDONALD (TEAM ALICIA)

"Take Me to Church"

What happened to her hair?! It looks good, I just miss her short do. The beginning was absolutely stun. Her deep tone fit perfectly with the warm intimate parts of the song. She took absolute control of the stage after she stepped away from the piano and it was stunning to watch, especially when it looked like she was about to drop to the ground. Haha!  There was also some real grit in her voice I hadn't heard before! Powerful stuff. A-

AARON GIBSON (TEAM MILEY)
"Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings"

This was a really random song choice but it worked for his voice pretty well. Unfortunately, I don't really find him memorable either. Just alright. B-

COURTNEY HARRELL (TEAM BLAKE)
"I Don't Want to Miss a Thing"

This is the performance before I turned the television off, in case you were wondering. Courtney's a great singer, there's no denying that. There were just a lot of major pitch issues, she sounded out of breath half the time and the song choice is a bit of a turn off. C-

JOSH GALLAGHER (TEAM ADAM)
"Why"

Nice voice, he just looks and sounds like nearly every other singer when I accidentally turn to the country station on the radio. C+

ALI CALDWELL (TEAM MILEY)
"Did I Ever Love You"

Stunning. I really appreciate the unexpected song choice. I just realized what a versatile voice she has! It was pitch perfect. The staging was superb and she looked amazing throughout like she was gliding through the stage in an elegant commercial for Dove chocolate. Haha. A-

BRANDAN FLETCHER (TEAM ADAM)
"Whipping Post"

Diction. It's a thing. I found this performance to be particularly baffling. Whereas his vocals were really off and confusing in parts of the song, there's this intensity to his performance that's captivating. It felt like there was this distinct anger in his voice (and physicality), as if he was actually...well, tied to a whipping post! B+

RANKINGS:

12. Courtney Harrell C- (Last week's position: N/A)
11. Austin Allsup C (Last week's position: N/A)
10. Darby Walker C+ (Last week's position: N/A)
09. Josh Gallagher C+ (Last week's position: N/A)
08. Aaron Gibson B- (Last week's position: N/A)
07. Sa'Rayah  B- (Last week's position: N/A)
06. Billy Gilman B (Last week's position: N/A)
05. Christian Cuervas B (Last week's position: N/A)
04. Brendan Fletcher B+ (Last week's position: N/A)
03. Sundance Head B+ (Last week's position: N/A)
02. Ali Caldwell A- (Last week's position: N/A)
01. Wé McDonald A- (Last week's position: N/A)