Danielle Bradbery, the Swon Brothers and Michelle Chamuel delivered on the fourth season finale of “The Voice.” (Photo by NBC)
By: Jacob Elyachar
Three months ago, hundreds of artists appeared on the Blind Audition stage in hopes to catch the attention of four of the biggest names in music: Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, Shakira and Usher.
Only four-dozen acts received the invitations to compete on a spot on their coaches’ teams in the Live Shows.
As early leaders were surprisingly eliminated (we miss you Judith Hill, Midas Whale and Sasha Allen), only three acts were able to impress America and were voted into the finale.
The finale kicked off with all four coaches reunited on stage to perform a cover of the Beatles’ “A Little Help From My Friends.” All four of them were terrific and it was great to see them in action together one last time before founding Voice coaches Christina Aguilera and Cee Lo Green return to their judges’ chairs next Fall.
Oklahoma natives (and the first ever duo to make it to a Voice finale) the Swon Brothers tackled the Eagles’ “I Can’t Tell You Why.” This was the first time that we heard their falsettos (where were they during the past couple of weeks?) and it would remind music lovers of the Gibbs’ signature harmonies. They have grown so much on the show and I have a feeling we are going to be hearing a lot more from them outside the show. A-
Team Usher’s lone survivor Michelle Chamuel decided to reprise her famous cover of Taylor Swift’s “I Knew You Were Trouble.” This was one of the best decisions that she made so far in the competition. She sounded awesome and that high note rocked the house! Michelle represents the best in Indie rock and she will also go very far in the music industry. A
The youngest contestant remaining in the competition teamed up with her coach to deliver an intriguing cover of Patty Loveless’s “Timber, I’m Falling In Love.” Danielle and Blake’s vocals blended so well together but it did not connect with the audience as previous mentor-contestants’ duets (see Dia and Blake, Chris and Christina and Nicholas and Cee Lo). B
Blake chose the Swon Brothers to revisit their cover of Loggins and Messina’s “Danny’s Song.” Both Colton and Zach improved their vocal delivery and harmonies with this song and Adam and Usher agreed that they transported us from the Voice stage to their living room. A-
Michelle tackled Annie Lennox’s “Why” for final solo of the evening. This was an outstanding performance that gave the audience chills. Shakira stated that she had the perfect combination of humility and talent, which is the key for long-term success. Blake commented her on being laid back during the performance. This was her best solo of the season. A+
For the Swon Brothers’ final song of the night, they teamed up with their coach to perform Brad Paisley’s hit: “Celebrity.” It was great to see Blake give Zach and Colton their individual moments to shine and when all of three of them sang together, magic happened and it was one of the best toe-tapping performances of the night. A+
Blake stated that Danielle Bradbery’s defying moment in the competition was when she put herself on the map during the Top 16 Live Shows. It was a good performance and I think Adam pulled a Simon Cowell during his comments and declared Danielle the winner. A-
All three finalists teamed up for a very special performance as they joined forces with the rest of this year’s Top 16. While it was great to see Michelle reunite with the rest of Team Usher and both the Swon Brothers and Danielle to reunite with Justin and Holly, it was a great joy to see all of Team Adam and Team Shakira back on stage together! A
Michelle and Usher tackled U2 and Mary J. Blige’s “One” for their duet. This was a unique take on the song because in the Mary J. Blige re-recording of the classic U2 hit, Mary stole the number (and she did it when she sang it seven years ago during American Idol with Elliott Yamin.) However, Usher let his star pupil shine and it was a great way to end their respective times on the show. A+
Danielle Bradbery closed the finale with Sara Evans’ “Born to Fly.” This was the first time that Danielle went up-tempo. There are certain performances that are star-making moments at the finale. From Juliet Simms’s “Freebird” and Chris Mann’s “You Raise Me Up” in The Voice: Season Two to Cassadee Pope’s “Cry” last season, this was her star making moment! Look out Carrie Underwood! A
Tomorrow night, The winner will be revealed plus tons of guest performers including Florida Georgia Line, Bruno Mars, Cher, One Republic, Hunter Hayes, Bob Seger and returning coach Christina Aguilera!
