The Voice season 10 finale is finally here… almost. This is the last night the contestants have to perform for your votes. Those will then determine a winner, who will be crowned the next night after a bloated ceremony of performances and Carson Daly jokes.
During the final performance episode, though, the Daly humor will be limited and it will be all about the singing. This is the last time the contestants have an opportunity to prove they’re worthy of being The Voice champion. Or, more accurately perhaps, it’s the last time Laith and Hannah can prove if they have any shot at beating Alisan and/or Adam.
Remember, this a live blog, so stay on this page and refresh every 15 minutes or so for the latest swan songs, commercials for Laith’s album on iTunes and updates on Pharrell’s underwhelming head wear.
Laith Al-Saadi Performs “White Room”
Though I still have a lot of problems with Laith and what I perceive to be false modesty, I do enjoy this quite a bit. It is one of the Laith’s better performances. While it’s much more guitar solo than a vocal performance, that is Laith’s thing.
Laith is still a long shot to win this thing and not because he is an “unconventional” and “different” artist; he’s just not as good as his competition. I’m interested to see his original song since all his covers do sound virtually the same.
Alisan Porter Performs Her Original Song “Down That Road”
It is impressive that Alisan wrote this song, but it doesn’t do much for me. It takes a while to get going and not just because the song starts slow. The lyrics are really simplistic as well. It thankfully picks up towards the end and has an earworm tune to it. I do understand, though, even with how much The Voice is obsessed with all things Alisan, that this is the first original song of the night and therefore the easiest one to forget.
Adam Wakefield and Blake Shelton Perform “The Conversation”
This is the perfect song for Adam and Blake to sing in the sense that it fits their sensibilities and voices flawlessly. In terms of my interest, though, I couldn’t care less. It’s my least favorite type of country music, which is basically talking with a twang over instrument playing.
Hannah Huston Performs “Every Breath You Take”
I’ll admit that I’m a sucker for slowed-down “creepy” versions of pop songs and pretty much everything Hannah does, so this is my perfect storm of a Voice performance. This is ethereal and weird but in the best way. There is no way Hannah is going to win, but gosh, I hope she at least gets some career out of this competition.
Laith Al-Saadi and Adam Levine Perform a Beatles Medley
As much as I hope Laith doesn’t win this thing, I don’t think any contestant is going to have a better duet with their coach. This is just a lot of fun and it’s hard to go wrong with The Beatles. I will admit that I enjoy Laith’s voice and grumble far more if it is balanced out with a voice as melodic as Adam’s.
Alisan Porter and Christina Aguilera Perform “You’ve Got a Friend”
I was really worried that Christina and Alisan would go full diva for their duet. There is a chance that could be amazing, but there is a far bigger chance that could have been exhausting. So luckily, they go in the exact opposite direction with a James Taylor song. It’s not as fun as the Laith and Adam medley, but I’ll take easy listening over another performance like whatever Blake and Adam did to open these duets.
Adam Wakefield Performs His Original “Lonesome, Broken and Blue”
This is a far better original song than Alisan’s in almost every way. I wouldn’t have anticipated this before finale week because, of the two frontrunners, I have always been a bigger Alisan fan. Adam’s song has genuine heart, passion and really does hit on something that Alisan was trying to do with her original and failed.
Hannah Huston and Pharrell Performs “Brand New”
Oh, okay … this is what Hannah and Pharrell go with for their duet. There has to be another Pharrell song that fits Hannah’s voice better. This song fits Justin Timberlake and Pharrell fine but does not translate to Hannah. I’ve never heard Hannah sing anything before this season and thought she sounded like a female Justin Timberlake. This is just a bit of a mess, but at least Pharrell and Hannah are enjoying themselves.
Laith Al-Saadi Performs His Original “Morning Light”
The best thing about this being the finale — and I mean this with absolute sincerity — is that I can finally stop hearing how special and wonderful Laith is on The Voice. He has lasted to the finale, so he’s no longer an underdog anymore. He’s the brie cheese of The Voice artists, if brie cheese was the cheese that never shut up about how artsy and unique it was.
I will say that I’m enjoying Laith’s original. It’s not as good as Adam’s, but it is a step above Alisan, who is looking like the real loser in this original song mini-competition. I think the main reason I like Laith’s original is it gets away from the tropes of Laith’s covers. The guitar solo is still there, but this is a lot more pleasant to listen to than his constant grumbles and bellowing. It wouldn’t be a Laith performance if it didn’t end with Pharrell telling us to spend our money on Laith. At least Pharrell is consistent.
Adam Wakefield Performs “When I Call Your Name”
So far, Adam is leading the finale with his performances. The Voice is trying hard, so hard, to make Alisan the winner of this season, but based on this performance episode, it is really Adam’s competition to lose. I’ve never been a huge Adam fan — I’ve obviously respected him — but Adam is really giving it his all and making it look effortless.
Hannah Huston Performs Her Original “I Call the Shots”
This is not the best song in terms of vocals and doesn’t fit much with Hannah’s previous covers. However, there is something really cool and moody about this that fits with Hannah’s journey, if not her body of work. This is definitely a Pharrell song and I’d question how much Hannah “co-wrote” this one, but it is probably the most commercially viable of the originals.
Alisan Porter Performs “Somehwere”
We get to hear that Laith is special one last time, so it is only fair that we hear how a female coach has never won The Voice before and Alisan just might break the “curse.” It’s only fitting with all the hype that Alisan gets this finale spot in the final performance episode.
I really would be kind of bitter about it if this wasn’t so good. I didn’t care much for Alisan’s original song, which should be troubling. This is easily my favorite cover of the night. It’s still a race between Adam and Alisan, but with this performance, Alisan might have closed the gap and overcome it.
The Voice season 10 finale airs Tuesday, May 24 at 9pm on NBC.
(Image and videos courtesy of NBC)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
Derek is a Philadelphia based writer and unabashed TV and comic book junkie. The time he doesn’t spend over analyzing all things nerdy he is working on his resume to be the liaison to the Justice League.
