The Voice: The Final Four

The Four Finalists:

From Team Adam: Tony Lucca
From Team Blake: Jermaine Paul
From Team Cee Lo: Juliet Simms
From Team Christina: Chris Mann

Some thoughts on last night's finale:

Overall, this was a great show, especially if you were a fan of one of the final four. Each contestant sang a final song, a thank you song to their mentor, and a duet with their mentor.

Jermaine started the night by singing I Believe I Can Fly by R. Kelly for his final performance. This song was the perfect choice for him, and in my opinion, his best performance this season. Christina said he had so much heart, soul, and emotion; she thought the song was made for him. Cee Lo enjoyed the performance. Adam called it elegant and said Jermaine is an incredible singer. Blake said his heart was in his throat and felt it was the best version of that song he has ever heard.

Juliet Simms saluted Cee Lo by performing his song Crazy (from his Gnarls Barkley days).

Christina and Chris Mann sang a rousing rendition of The Prayer by Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli. This was one of "the" performances of the night. Both of them sang absolutely beautifully, and they connected so well with one another as artists.

Tony Lucca sang 99 Problems by Jay Z for his final performance. This performance showed yet another side of Tony Lucca. It showed grit and a new degree of commitment by Tony; I loved it. Christina, of course, commented on how the song was derogatory towards women. Cee Lo thought it was hard and he liked it. Adam said the song was not meant to be about women problems but about how life can be a "blank" sometimes. He said the song in this case was meant to be a metaphor.

Chris Mann sang a tribute to mentor Christina Aguilera by singing her hit, The Voice Within.

Juliet Simms and Cee Lo brought out their wild sides with Born to be Wild by Steppenwolf.

Tony Lucca and Adam took on the classic, Yesterday by The Beatles. I love the harmonies they brought out in one another in this song.

Jermaine Paul honored mentor Blake Shelton by performing his hit single, God Gave Me You; awww.... how appropriate.

Chris Mann sang You Raise Me Up for his final performance. If Chris could have picked any song to sing tonight, this was it. It was the right song at the right time, he's given himself the best shot possible at winning this competition. Cee Lo called Chris one of the most incomparable artists he has ever heard. Christina said he got here with true talent and voice alone.

Blake and Jermaine Paul became soul brothers when they took on the duet Soul Man by soul duo Sam & Dave.

Tony Lucca's tribute to his mentor Adam Levine was a performance of Maroon 5's first single Harder to Breathe.

Juliet Simms sang Free Bird by Lynyrd Skynyrd for her final performance. With Juliet being the final female standing, I have a lot of respect for her. She deserves to be here, and she deserves a definite shot at winning this. I don't know that the song was the best for her; I was hoping she would take on Heart or Pat Benatar and just rock out. Adam admired the grit in Juliet's voice. Cee Lo said, with Juliet Simms on my team, I have no problems.

Congratulations to everyone in the final four, and may the best contestant win; I like all of them, so there is no way I can call this one.

The Voice: The Elite Eight Battle It Out

Tony Lucca from Team Adam sang How Do You Like Me Now by The Heavy-- Blake felt it had a Robert Palmer feel and it was "badass". Christina thought it was fun and that he and Adam could start a Britney cover band. Cee Lo saw it as a pleasant surprise and became a fan. Adam was happy that Tony convinced him to do this song and said he killed it.
Great performance from Tony, he pushed it and did something different at just the right time.

Erin Willett from Team Blake sang Without You by David Guetta and Usher--  Christina thought it was bold of Erin to do this, she thought it was original, and was happy to see her emotionally involved. Blake admired the strength that she had and loved how she held it together during her performance.
I like Erin a lot, but a part of me feels like there were parts of this performance where she was screaming instead of singing. I praise her for her originality though.

Chris Mann from Team Christina sang Ave Maria-- Cee Lo said the incomparable Chris Mann, your voice is so powerful, stellar performance. Adam said you lend to the show's credibility, incredible job.
I have been waiting for a performance like this from Chris; I feel like this is the type of performance that puts you back in the running for the title.

Jamar Rogers from Team Cee Lo sang If You Don't Know Me By Now by Simply Red-- Adam said, I'm a fan of what you do. Blake appreciated the note at the end. Christina felt inspired to get up and sing. Cee Lo loves Jamar's story and thinks everyone will want to hear it to get to know him more.
Jamar pulled it out this week because he has big competition in Juliet Simms; they could go toe to toe. I've loved Jamar since American Idol Season 8 when he tried out and didn't make it. I don't say this often, but big mistake Simon, big mistake.

Jermaine Paul from Team Blake sang Open Arms by Journey-- Christina thought he killed it. Cee Lo loves hearing a strong male vocal and was impressed with him. Adam congratulated him and said he is no longer a backup singer. Blake said Jermaine is a frontrunner, he is the guy to beat, and he is peaking at the right time in this competition.
I have been a fan of Jermaine since he first came out to sing at the blind auditions. I am so thrilled that Blake has helped to develop him into the singer that was inside him all along. I hope he advances cause he deserves it.

Katrina Parker from Team Adam sang Killing Me Softly (With His Song) by The Fugees-- Blake loved her awesome tone. Christina said she has fallen in love with Katrina Parker throughout the course of the show. She urged Adam to take a look at Katrina Parker because she is a star.
I think Katrina and Ashley were the two most improved contestants on the show. Katrina is impressive; however, I actually have to agree with Christina that it was like Katrina trying to copy Lauryn Hill's version of the song.

Lindsey Pavao from Team Christina sang Skinny Love by Bon Iver--  Blake liked how Christina decided to take Lindsey back to her roots and where she came from.
This is the best I have heard Lindsey since the blind auditions. There is something so unusual and so original about her. Could she be the dark horse?

Juliet Simms from Team Cee Lo sang It's A Man's Man's Man's World by James Brown-- Adam called the performance special, unbelievable, and said that it captured all the judges. Christina said that song takes her back to when she sang it on the Grammy Awards. Cee Lo said, you killed it baby, you killed it.
I have been skeptical of Juliet for a while. I felt there was nothing that compared to her original performance of Oh Darlin'. It cemented me being a fan, but I had doubts with her performances going forward. She won me back tonight, her performance was memorable, she could have gone first and still received big votes because that's just how wonderful this vocal was.

My final four:
Team Adam Tony Lucca over Katrina Parker
Team Blake Jermaine Paul over Erin Willett
Team Cee Lo too close to call between Jamar Rogers and Juliet Simms
Team Christina Lindsey Pavao over Chris Mann

The Voice: Live Eliminations!

Rae Lynn from Team Blake once again kicked off a live show, they must have tons of faith in her. She sang She's Country by Jason Aldean in top form; it had tons of sass and she made the song her own. Christina even talked about wanting to become a country singer because the performance was so bad ass. I think Christina should stick to pop.

Jesse Campbell sang Halo by Beyonce; I didn't love this song for him but creatively he did his thing. His coach Christina naturally loved the performance, I don't think it was his best but I do think he takes risks fairly consistently and he gets points for that.

I was so touched by Jordis Unga's performance of Stronger by Sara Evans. Adam praised her connection with the song and the passion and emotion that she showed. This was a totally different side of her tonight, and I feel like the audience is going to understand her that much better.

Ashley De La Rosa sang Foolish Games by Jewel, and I will say it again, this young lady has stepped up in the competition. Adam agreed with me and said Ashley is the biggest surprise in this competition. Blake reiterated and said that smartest decision this year was Christina saving Ashley.

I always get scared when contestants take on Adele, especially right now since Adele is so white hot. Erin Willett took on Set Fire to the Rain, and she killed it. She made it a little different, and it really worked well with her voice. Adam urged her to focus on her phrasing for the future. I agree with Blake, I think she is the only person left in this who could effectively sing an Adele song.

I adore Lindsey Pavao, but I didn't care for this performance of Part of Me by Katy Perry. I just didn't find it exciting enough.

Christina praised the phenomenal Jermaine Paul; he killed Against All Odds by Phil Collins, he brought so much soul to that. Christina even said he was her favorite on Blake's team. Cee Lo and Adam both loved it and felt he did his own thing with it. Blake felt this performance was a turning point for Jermaine and that it turned him into a superstar.

I loved Chris Mann's performance of Viva La Vida by Coldplay. It was so wonderful to have someone who sings opera sing that song in that way. I really hope Christina keeps Chris on her team because I think he is going to thrill everyone.

So tonight was instant eliminations on The Voice, and I think both judges were wrong sadly Christina eliminated Jesse Campbell, I would have eliminated Lindsey Pavao (I love her but her performance was the weakest). Blake eliminated Joris Unga, and I think I would have eliminated Erin Willett.