The Voice: S10: Top4

We're down to the finale week and we have a tight field this time around. Really surprised the one is up there though, thought for sure she would have been gone weeks ago. Her spot really belonged to Mary Sarah, to be honest.

Tonight they'll be singing a cover, a duet with their judge, and then an original song. All 3 songs are available in ITunes for purchase.

Laith: White Room:
comments: This is a great choice for his voice. Holy hell that was a great performance. Do I think he'll win? Probably not. All I can ask for is that he outsells and does better than the blonde....
chart position as of 12:10am after performance: 23
chart position as of 1215pm: 13
change: up 10

Laith & Adam L: Golden Slumbers/ Carry That Wait:
comments: This was good, not great.  It was fun to see him and his judge jamming on stage. Will I buy it, I don't know. I kinda dug Adam & Blake's The Conversation better and I'm still on the fence with that one.
chart position as of 12:10am after performance: 36
chart position as of 1215pm: 22
change: up 14

Laith: Morning Light:
comments: Another one that just spoke to me for some reason. I think this song might work against Laith this week though as it's already been released on his January 2009 album called In the Round. Nice song, but compared to the other 3 who have all new music specially written for this performance (guessing because I don't see any of them out for sale other than the show submissions), this was kind of a cheat in my opinion. Why spend the $1.29 on this if you already bought it for 99 cents?
chart position as of 12:10am after performance: 13
chart position as of 1215pm: 6
change: up 7

Also returning for Laith this week are:
Make it Rain came back at 154 and made it up to 104 for a 50 spot jump.
One and Only came back at 90 and got up to 66 for a 24 spot increase.
The Thrill is Gone came back at 113 and went up to 76 for a 37 spot gain.
We've Got Tonight came back at 153 and got up to 110 for a 43 spot increase. 

After midnight returns:
Born Under a Bad Sign came up to 151
With A Little Help From My Friends 145


Alisan: Down That Road:
comments: Oh. I like this. It was one of a few songs tonight that resonated with me. I can easily see this song in my "empowerment " play list.
chart position as of 12:10am after performance: 8
chart position as of 1215pm: 5
change: up 3

Alisan & Christina: You've Got a Friend:
comments: This was a sweet duet, but I much preferred Alisan's parts to Christina's. Why? Because she would put a slight flair here and there, but nothing over-done, just very tasteful. Then there's Christina that has to season every. friggin. note.
chart position as of 12:10am after performance: 35
chart position as of 1215pm: 21
change: up 14

Alisan: Somewhere:
comments: This one was a very good choice. Then again, I don't think we've heard much from her that didn't work well with her voice. She's got a set of pipes on her along the lines of Celine and Barbra, with a hint of Idina in there. If she doesn't win, her next steps should be right onto The Great White Way.
chart position as of 12:10am after performance: 10
chart position as of 1215pm: 4
change: up 6

Also returning for Alisan were:
Blue Bayou returned at 105 and got up to 57 for a 48 spot gain
Desperado returned at 63 and went up to 45 for an 18 spot increase
Let Him Fly returned to 200 and arrived at 116 for an 84 spot leap.

After midnight returns:
Cry Baby came up to 156
Cryin returned to 189
River came back to 179
Stone Cold showed back up to 161



Adam W & Blake : The Conversation:
comments: I'm not much into the older country songs but this was decent enough and fun to listen to. Will I buy this? Maybe, maybe not.
chart position as of 12:10am after performance: 59
chart position as of 1215pm: 42
change: up 7

Adam: Lonesome, Broken and Blue:
comments:  *Sobs* what a sad song!! *Honks nose* Not sure I would have chosen such a sad song as my original submission, but hey.. the country folk will love this one. As much as I want to throw a pair of panties, it feels like that action would be very inappropriate considering the song. 
chart position as of 12:10am after performance: 3
chart position as of 1215pm: 1
change: up 2


Adam: When I Call Your Name:
comments: *Throws a couple pairs of panties at the set to make up for the song I couldn't toss them for*  What can I say? Seems like his performances are less competition and more like a snippit of his concert.
chart position as of 12:10am after performance: 12
chart position as of 1215pm: 9
change: up 3

Also returning for Adam :
I'm Sorry came back at 44 and got up to 28 for a 16 spot jump
Seven Spanish Angels came back at 193 and came up to 137 for a 56 spot increase.
Tennessee Whiskey came back at 101 and went up to 61 for a 40 spot gain

After midnight returns
Bring it on Home to Me returned to 166
I Got a Woman came back up to 190
Love Has No Pride returned to 171
Soulshine went back up to 182


Hannah: Every Breath You Take:
comments: I usually dig the creepy, minor versions of some songs. I got hooked on them thanks to the shows Defiance and Stalker. This, however, I didn't dig at all. Then again, I don't dig her at all.
chart position as of 12:10am after performance: 7
chart position as of 1215pm: 3
change: up 4

Hannah & Pharrell: Brand New:
comments: This was a fun performance to watch, if only because there was more interaction between these two than in the other duets.
chart position as of 12:10am after performance: 126
chart position as of 1215pm: 80
change: up 46 (this was the biggest leap this week in terms of current performances)

Hannah: I Call the Shots:
comments: This is her original submission. You're either gonna hate it, or love it. Considering some of the music we get these days, this is liable to do very well on the chart. I half expect this one is going to turn out to be my own guilty pleasure in short order. Haven't liked much of anything she's done this season.... except this one. It just kinda speaks to me. If you know my story, you probably understand why. 
chart position as of 12:10am after performance: 17
chart position as of 1215pm: 7
change: up 10

Also returning for Hannah are:
House of the Rising Sun came back at 191 and got up to 115 for a 76 spot increase
When a Man Loves a Woman returned at 109 and went up to 68 for a 41 spot gain

After midnight returns:
I Can't Make You Love Me came back to 158
Say You Love Me returned at 192

Analysis
This is pretty much anyone's game at this point, to be honest. Last season wasn't even this close. As much as I want to call Adam as the winner , I simply can't no matter how much I want to. There are far too many things to factor in. The biggest, of course, is the alternate voting numbers which no one has access to right yet. Then you have to add in all the sales. If I heard correctly ALL sales for ALL songs would be counted, which means all those come back entries get added up too. Some of the contestants had more repeat songs than others and that will factor in as well.

As of the May 20th posting on Big On Sports, Adam went into this week with 2:1 odds with Alisan (4:1), Hannah (5:1) and Laith (8:1) following him.

On Rickey's blog , at the moment Alisan is in the lead with 41.57% of the vote. She's followed closely by Adam (40.22%) and then bringing up the rear (and not much of a threat) is Hannah (12.36%) and Laith (5.84%). The poll on his site is still active so the numbers may change by post time here.

On MJ's Big Blog , we find Adam in the lead on the "Who WILL WIN" poll with 47. 23% followed closely by Alisan at 41.84%. Again, bringing up the rear is Hannah (8.65%) and Laith (2.27%). However, her "Who SHOULD WIN" poll finds that 50.42% think Alisan should be the winner and only 23.45% feel Adam deserves the win.

On Gold Derby , their poll has Adam at 37.4% . The rest of the pack is at 38.35% (Alisan), 11.58% (Hannah) and 12.67% (Laith... who finally barely edges out Hannah in one poll).

If we run the numbers like I used to when I was writing for a chatroom's news page, where the rating was based on 4 points for a 1st place win (2nd place got 3, 3rd got 2 and 4th got 1), then our numbers look like this:

(numbers listed as original song + duet + cover song = total)

Laith: 2+ 3+ 1 = 6 total points
I have a hunch that original song kind of bit him in the ass. We saw how intelligent some of those "Save so-n-so" voters were and something tells me that many of the sales for his original were grabbed from his cd (original release got up to 62 on the chart) and not the performance (original at 99 cents and the performance at $1.29.. just sayin'). If he'd just removed that cd from ITunes temporarily, he would have gone farther than 13th on the Top 200. Add onto this that his own judge never once on camera asked his fans to please vote for Laith (geez Pharrell pimped not only his own contestants, but ones from other judges)... or pimped his prior music out (again, thank you Pharrell). I think Adam really dropped the ball with this guy. Possibility of winning, extremely low. It'll take a friggin miracle.

Hannah: 1+ 1+ 4 = 6 total points
I haven't liked her all season, until she did her original song. To my surprise, I've had that sucker on repeat since I got it. Unfortunately, Laith just edged her out on the original song portion so even the hot selling cover wasn't able to bring her back into the running. She hasn't been really accurate when she needed to be and there seemed to be a disconnect during her performances. There never felt like anyone home when she performed. This can be corrected with a stage coach. Possibility of winning, low. A better shot than Laith, but with Adam and Alisan in the same season, I wouldn't put my money on her.


Adam:  4 + 2 + 2 = 8 total points
A decent grab, only 4 points short of perfection. He's been solid all season and each of his performances have felt more like a part of his concert and less like he was competing. Working against him is that he's on Blake's team and I'm fairly certain people are beginning to get annoyed with Blake winning all the damned time. He could be losing votes because of that. I wonder if we could get Blake to take a year off? Possibility of winning, very good depending on the alternate voting methods. I won't be surprised if he wins, but then there's another very strong contender we need to keep an eye on.

Alisan: 3 + 4 + 3= 10 total points
Only 2 points shy of perfection. She, too, has had solid performances all season. Working for her is, as I said in Adam's, that many fans have got to be getting sick of Blake winning all the damned time. The contestants from Adam Levine and Pharrell aren't as strong this year as they have been in past seasons. She's got a great voice and can sing just about anything put in front of her. Alisan is an excellent choice for the anti-country fans. Christina did well in picking Alisan for her team.

So what this means is it's far too close to call. The odds give it to Adam, as do 2 of the 3 blog polls... which means yet another Blake win.

However, one blog poll and the figures point to Alisan being crowned and Christina being the first female judge to win this thing.

Finale spoilers: Superstar duet pairings revealed

The Voice: S10: Top 8

This week's going to be a rough one as we'll be losing 50% of the contestants, so the song choices and execution of their performances have no room for error. There will be 2 performances from each contestant this week, one Solo and one duet.

Shalyah: And I Am Telling You, I'm Not Going:
comments: Good Lord, I am so sick of this damned song. Seems like every Diva Wannabe does this one. No way as good as JHud, and far too young for the material. A child her age singing "You're the best man I'll ever know".... puh-leeze. Get out of your diapers first, honey. Then we'll talk about this guy being the best you'll ever know. Thank goodness she's in the death spot because this one's been on my nerves for weeks. If I have my way, yes... you'll be going.
chart position as of 12:02am after performance: 36
chart position as of 12:15pm : 28
change: up 8

Adam & Alisan: Angel From Montgomery:
comments: This was a wonderful pairing of voices and if neither wins, I would highly recommend they go on tour as a duo. A real shame the duets aren't available for purchase. 


Paxton: I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That):
comments: No... just no. Adam, Alisan or maybe even Laith could pull this one off, but not him. Shit, even Shalyah might have managed this one better (and we all know how I feel about her).
chart position as of 12:02am after performance: 93
chart position as of 12:15pm: 71
change: up 22

Laith: One and Only:
comments: Wow. Just wow. I'll be buying this one. AND he managed to do the performance without clenching his butt cheeks! Kinda glad because there's no way I'd be able to get through the Christmas holidays thinking that Santa needed to clench his ass to hit the high notes. ^_~
chart position as of 12:02am after performance: 22
chart position as of 12:15pm: 10
change: up 12
* The Thrill is Gone returned at 169 and as of this writing is at 119.
** We've Got Tonight returned at 136 and is sitting in 101.
***Overnight Make It Rain reappeared at 188.

Bryan & Mary Sarah: Break Free:
comments: Surprisingly decent. I was thinking this would be a better fit for his voice because of the genre. Maybe it's because Ariana has a nasally voice that Mary Sarah managed to pull her part off?


Alisan: Desperado:
comments: This song fit her like a glove. Very nice. This show can't end fast enough for me tonight so I can get this bought (gotta make certain the purchase counts towards the votes, ya know). Will this one be enough to stop that slight slide she's had the last couple weeks?
chart position as of 12:02am after performance: 4
chart position as of 12:15pm: 3
change: up 1
*Let Him Fly returned at 172 and as of this posting is at 124.
** Blue Bayou came back at 153.
*** Cryin came back and is sitting at 200.

Hannah & Laith: Knock on Wood:
comments: Laith and disco? Shouldn't have worked, but it was fun. Glad this wasn't his competition song though.


Adam: I'm Sorry:
comments: I'm with Pharrell with this one. It seems like Adam isn't competing, but just coming out to share a couple minutes with us each week. It's been this way since the very first day we saw him on the show. Was this my favorite performance of his? Not really. But I'll be buying this later, because it's an Adam recording. 
chart position as of 12:02am after performance: 3
chart position as of 12:15pm: 2
change: up 1
*Love Has No Pride returned at 151 and is sitting at 112
** Tennessee Whiskey also made a return and is at 159.

Bryan: Hurt:
comments: This did nothing for me this week. Then again, I'm not fond of the song in general anyhow.
chart position as of 12:02am after performance: 14
chart position as of 12:15pm: 7
change: up 7

Paxton & Shalyah: Masterpiece:
comments: No, just no. 


Mary Sarah: I Told You So:
comments: Aw shit. This was a very excellent choice for her voice. I might just have to buy this one this week.
chart position as of 12:02am after performance: 10
chart position as of 12:15pm: 6
change: up 4
*My Church made a return and is at 160.

Hannah: When a Man Loves a Woman:
comments: This was awful. Exorcism on aisle 3 please! She needs to be glad she had the pimp spot. 
chart position as of 12:02am after performance: 12
chart position as of 12:15pm: 5

change: up 7
*Say You Love Me returned to 174.

Analysis: If Justin Timberlake hadn't dropped his song from the upcoming Trolls movie this week, I suspect one of our contestants would have seen the first place spot this time around. Some of the hardest things to beat in sales are new albums from A-Listers, an A-Lister's "Song of the Summer", or the death of a musical icon.

The biggest increase this week went to Paxton with a 22 spot leap. I doubt that this will help, though, unless his fans created endless email accounts to vote from. The big huge increase hasn't really helped anyone so far once they got past the meddling judges rounds (and even then the only one that benefited was this dude because Blake just HAD to keep him in the competition).  Besides, he was in the bottom 2 that had to sing last week and that hasn't boded well for any of the contestants this season.

In sales this week, we saw 6 of the 8 in the Top 10 of the sales chart. The other 2 didn't even make it into the Top 20 and as such I don't really see them getting through to next week unless there's a huge miracle in the alternate voting methods. 

Adam and Alisan leading the pack with 2nd and 3rd respectively on the Top 200. I feel very confident to say that of the Top 8, these two are the most likely to breeze through to next week. I will be very shocked if either has to sing for their spot or if either one doesn't go through.

Paxton and Shalyah were in the bottom of the barrel with 28th and 71st spots respectively. Unless there's a huge glitch or miracle, I don't see these two going through. I will be shocked if they do. Both have been hovering around the bottom of the pack for weeks now. Really surprised that either has lasted this long.

I see the fight for the 3rd and 4th spot coming down between Hannah (5th), Mary Sarah (6th), Bryan (7th) and Laith (10).

I haven't really liked Hannah for weeks now. I think the only thing that saved her this week was that pimp spot. Someone over there is bound and determined to keep Pharrell in this race. I don't know why. They didn't do it the other seasons. If it's an effort to keep this from being a Blake vs Adam showdown, they needent bother because I'm very sure Christina will have a horse in this race right up and to the end.

Mary Sarah has been a likeable contestant all along and has decent performances all season. Just, not exactly my cuppa tea kinda performances. It's the old country throw back sound that keeps her from being one of my favorites. That is until last week's performance, which was spot on, and then to follow it up with this week's song. She's peaking at the right moment and can be a real contender to the 2 up front. They need to watch this one.

Bryan is okay. I find him rather bland and generic most times. The last couple performances really did nothing for me at all. If we could package his looks and voice, then add Paxton's charisma and showmanship on top of it all... we'd have a real  winner. It won't be too much of a surprise if he doesn't go through. If he DOES though, it'll be because they're afraid the fans will have a stroke if there's no AAF/AAM in the final rounds.

I've liked Laith since day one. Not in a "I'd tolerate massive crowds of people in a huge concert" kinda way, but more along the lines of "I'd venture out to a small bar to watch him perform" way. Will I get his albums? Most assuredly. Do I think he's a winner in this format? Not so much. I'm 50/50 with this one. I'd be surprised if he goes through to next week, but I won't be too disappointed if he doesn't. I think he's pretty much run his course here and he got what he needed from it. Exposure for his other albums.

Of the 4 we just looked at, I'd rather see Mary Sarah and Laith go through. However, I won't be terribly surprised if either of the other 2 sneak into next week's show.

Wouldn't it be funny if the duet pairings turned out to be how they really ended up this week? Adam & Alisan in the Top 4 joined by either Bryan & Mary Sarah OR Hannah & Laith (the latter pairing being the least likely of the 2 options), with Paxton & Shalyah definitely going home?

The Voice: S10: Top 9

This week's attempt at analyzing is coming out of  Indiana. I've already caught the snippits in ITunes and am catching the videos where I can. I may or may not have a chance to catch the final numbers right at noon, because up until 9pm or so it's family time and we have a day of hair appointments and then painting crafts planned.

Forgive the typos, I'm writing with my laptop today.


Paxton: I Wanna Dance With Somebody:
comments: This did nothing for me. Maybe we'll get lucky and he'll go home this week? 
chart position as of  12:05am after performance: 113
chart position as of  12:10pm: 78
change: up 35

Mary Sarah: My Church:
comments: My gal in Chicago dropped me a note in FB saying that this one must have been reading my blog. We'll know for certain she does (or a judge or someone close to them does) if she pulls a Kellie Pickler number next week. I was right. This was the perfect artist for her to sing. I'll be buying this one. 
chart position as of  12:05am after performance: 20
chart position as of 12:10pm: 11
change: up 9
*She was (and still is) out selling the original version which is sitting at 34 with a 2 spot drop overnight)

Nick: Hold On We're Going Home:
comments: I wanted to like this, I really did (even though it was a Drake song and I generally don't like that man's "music")... but I was distracted by his wardrobe. WTF was THAT???
chart position as of 12:05am after performance: 158
chart position as of 12:10pm: 113
change: up 45
*biggest over night leap

Hannah: Say You Love Me:
comments: zzzZZZZZZZZZZzzzz *snork* Wow. *YAWN* Took her most of the song to put some excitement into that snoozer.
chart position as of 12:05am after performance: 27
chart position as of 12:10pm: 18
change: up 9

Shalyah: A Change is Gonna Come:
comments: This week's Regan MacNeil Award goes to Shalyah. All we were missing were the 360 degree head spins and the split puke soup. 
chart position as of 12:05am after performance: 52
chart position as of 12:10pm: 37
change: up 15

Laith: We've Got Tonight:
comments: Really decent performance. Only changes I would have suggested was to not clip the ends off the ends of the phrases , and look up from the keys more. If you're going to play an instrument while competing, you really need to know the song well. The constant looking down makes one thinking that you're reading a sheet of music, which would be cheating. Otherwise, it was a decent enough performance that I picked this song up as well.
chart position as of 12:05am after performance: 22
chart position as of 12:10pm: 10
change: up 12
*The Thrill is Gone returned at 170 and rose to 138 over night for a 32 spot increase.

Adam: Love Has No Pride:
comments: *SQUEAKS!* *throws all the panties at the laptop* Laith needs to take lessons from this one. If Adam is looking at that keyboard, he's definitely NOT being obvious about it. 
chart position as of 12:05am after performance: 21
chart position as of 12:10pm: 9
change: up 12

Alisan: Cryin:
comments:  whoa. *purchase* That is all.
chart position as of 12:05am after performance: 39
chart position as of 12:10pm: 25
change: up 14
*Let Him Fly returned at 153 and got up to 123 for a 30 spot increase.

Bryan: 1+1 :
comments: That was okayish. Not fond of the song to begin with so it's kind of hard to say. I think there were at least a couple performances better than this. The pimp spot should help him out though.
chart position as of 12:05am after performance: 29
chart position as of 12:10pm: 21
change: up 8


According to the sales, Adam, Laith and Mary Sarah came out on top with sales spots of 9, 10 and 11 respectively). I doubt we'll see any of them hit the bottom this week.

Bottom of the heap is Shalyah, Paxton and Nick, respectively.

Shalyah seems to have been making a come back every week with the voters as she goes through even though her sales dictate that she should be one of the ones singing. It's possible we'll see the same this week as well. If it happens, one of the ones in the middle grouping will fall down to take her place.

Paxton's performance didn't do anything for me. I'm hoping that a death spot singing position will finally get the best of him.

Nick's performance was okay but the only thing that was memorable was that awful wardrobe. He was saved last week and I suspect that if he ends up in the bottom again, he might go home. That's the way the pattern seems to be going so far this cycle. Contestant falls to the bottom, sings for his/her life, gets saved only to be sent home the next week. *shrug*

In the middle, we have Hannah, Bryan and Alisan. Each of these 3 could possibly show up in the bottom.

Hannah had a snoozy performance, barely memorable.

Bryan was in the pimp spot so of the 3 he's least likely to end up in the bottom. You never know though. Not sure that his performance quite connected with the fans. Beyonce was a good choice for his voice, but I think I would have had him do Love On Top instead. That would have really gotten the girls squealing.

Alisan has been having a slight slide from the top as of late. I liked this performance but I don't think that it might have resonated with everyone. I've seen some other blogs where they hated this one. I'm wondering if she peaked a bit too early.  Sucks because I was hoping this would get down to an Adam and Alisan finale.


Not sure if I'll catch the results tonight so if someone would be so kind as to put the results in the comment section for me and let me know how close I got this week. Thanks bunches!!

The Voice: S10: Top 10

Daniel Passino: I Don't Want To Miss a Thing:
comments: About the only thing I liked about this performance was the swaybots. It was pitchy and that high note in the song? Steven can hit it, with Daniel it was painful.
chart position as of 12:02am after performance: somewhere in the Twilight Zone.
chart position as of 12:30pm: 186
change: up more than 15 spots

Shalyah Fearing: My Kind of Love :
comments: Didn't dig that at all. 
chart position as of 12:02am after performance: 120
chart position as of 12:30pm: 92
change: up 28

Nick Hagelin: I Can't Help It:
comments: This was good, but there wasn't anything really special about it. He sounded so much like Michael at times that it was hard to find moments where he made the song his own.
chart position as of 12:02am after performance: 122
chart position as of 12:30pm: 91
change: up 31


Hannah Huston: Rolling in the Deep :
comments: Didn't dig this either. That sliding note at the beginning of the chorus really killed it, and not in a good way. That note needs to be nailed. The way she did it made it sound sloppy, lazy. 
chart position as of 12:02am after performance: 35
chart position as of : 23
change: up 12

Laith Al-Saadi: The Thrill Is Gone:
comments: There was a bit more growl than I care to hear and to be honest, this is The Voice, not The Instrument. However, I quite dug this anyway and bought it (mostly because he's hubby's favorite and hubby's the one who feeds my music addiction).
chart position as of 12:02am after performance: 19
chart position as of 12:30pm: 11
change: up 8
*Make It Rain returned at 127 and got up to 108 for a 19 spot increase.

Paxton Ingram: It's All Coming Back to Me Now:
comments: Okay Blake, I kinda get it. It was an okay performance that was a blend of both Celine and Meatloaf (Meatline? C-Loaf?).
chart position as of  12:02am after performance: 60
chart position as of 12:30pm: 37
change: up 23
*Break Every Chain returned at 94 and got up to 83 for an 11 spot increase.


Mary Sarah: Stand By Your Man:
comments: I really despise this song. That said, she did a decent job with it. I wonder if she couldn't have brought it up a half step because it sounded like some of the lower notes were too low for her to hit comfortably. 
chart position as of 12:02am after performance: 25
chart position as of 12:30pm: 18
change: up 7
*Overnight, her version of Johnny & June made a reappearance and is presently sitting in 176th.

Bryan Bautista: Promise:
comments: This wasn't bad. Haven't decided if I like it better than the original or not. It's just good enough so that it's on my wishlist for later.
chart position as of 12:02am after performance: 63
chart position as of 12:30pm: 35
change: up 28

Alisan Porter: Let Him Fly:
comments: I liked this one enough to buy it. Not sure if I like it as much as Patty Griffin's or Jessica Simpson's versions, but enough that it'll be a nice addition to the Alisan Porter music file.
chart position as of 12:02am after performance: 10
chart position as of 12:30pm: 6
change: up 4


Adam Wakefield: I Got a Woman:
comments: SQUEALZ!!! Flings ALL da panties and then some. Yeah. I'll be buying this one. 
chart position as of 12:02am after performance: 20
chart position as of 12:30pm: 16
change: up 4

Analysis: Sales-wise this was a better week for our contestants. We had 3 of them each have a song return. Biggest increase might be Daniel, but it's hard to tell since he was in the Twilight Zone before my bedtime. So I'm going to say biggest sales jump went to Nick , with his 31 spot leap. Right behind him is Bryan and Shalyah with a 28 spot increase each.  Why not Daniel? Because I assume (usually incorrectly , but it makes figuring the numbers easier) that the person who hasn't charted is at 201 and just out of sight. In this case, Daniel has more than a 15 spot increase but I can't guarantee that it was more of an increase than the other 3.

Top 3 according to the Top 200 in ITunes are Alisan, Laith and Adam. No real surprises there to be honest.

Alisan: She's proved, yet again, what a contender she is. I won't be surprised to see her in the finals to be honest. She's got a massive following and has been a favorite since the auditions. The only surprise was that none of her other music came back this week. Maybe we need to have Pharrell pimp her out too? Hey, it worked for Laith. I'd like to see her tackle some Sheryl Crow or Cass Elliot, just to see where she can so with songs from those 2.

Laith: This one is hubby's favorite. Over the last couple weeks I've noticed just how often this one growls while he's singing. Somedays I dig it, somedays not so much. He needs to learn when to use it properly. Over seasoning a dish makes it unpalatable. However, they could always work with it and give him some Steppenwolf or Jonny Lang to chew on. Could work out even more to his advantage.

Adam: Next to Alisan, Adam's my favorite. With a more polished look and less growl, it's more versatile than Laith. Those two suggestions would work well with Adam as well. However, with his versatility, I can see him doing any of the songs Bo Bice did on Idol, or how about throwing some songs at him from the artist Bo was most often compared to... Donnie Van Zant.  Songs from .38 Special, Skynyrd, etc would be right in his wheel house.

The Middle of the pack is fill with Mary Sarah, Hannah, Bryan and Paxton.

Mary Sarah: I really hated that song this week, but then anyone could have sung it and I still would have disliked it. I will say she did a good job with it though. She seems to be another fan favorite, so I'm not really seeing her in the B2, but anything could happen with those fickle voters. She was one of the few that had a song come back on the charts this week. I'm thinking she needs to try her hand at some Maren Morris or Kellie Pickler sometime. Both, especially Pickler, have the same basic sound to their voices as her and it should work out fairly well.

Hannah:  I keep wanting to call her Juliet because she reminds me of that actress from Psych, Maggie Lawson. Although I didn't particularly like her performance, I think Adam's comment (which I agree with) about that scooping note into the chorus (it needed to be hit straight on) might have helped her because his remark would have driven her fans into a voting frenzy. It all depends on how the other voting methods went. She might slip into the bottom, maybe not. I'm thinking I like Elle King or Rachel Platten for her if she gets through.

Bryan: He's still lingering in the lower midpack area. His problem? He's not the only AAM in the competition AND the other one is starting to have more memorable performances. He's going to need to step up and fast. I'd like to see him pull off some Al B. Sure or Nelly. Maybe even some Chris Brown or Bobby Brown would help. Granted those last two artists are personae  non gratae in most circles these days, but their songs would fit nicely with his voice. If the voting goes freaky, he might end up in the bottom. If he does it'll be because the other AAM put forth a more memorable performance.

Paxton: Okay. I almost get it with this one. However, by sales alone C-Loaf should have been gone weeks ago. Do I like him? No. I'd much rather Bryan stayed around, but I have to be honest... there is something about his performances. If he gets through, I'd like to see him tackle some Train or Jason Mraz, just to see what he's made of. If he doesn't, it'll be because his performance this week wasn't nearly as good as last week's.

Pulling up the rear, and most likely (according to the Top 200) to be in the bottom 3 are Nick, Shalyah and Daniel.

Nick: His performance this week was good, but nothing really special. You want to do enough to a song to make it your own without totally wrecking it, but you also don't want to do so little that a person thinks that they're in a karaoke bar. This was the latter. I won't be surprised to see him in the B2, but I'm kinda hoping he's not because I'd much rather watch this guy than the other generic white dude. If he manages to get through , I'd like to hear his take on anything by Timberlake (if he can do Michael, he should be able to manage JT), Rob Thomas (solo career or Matchbox 20 stuff), or even Owl City. Songs from any of those should fall in his wheel house and help boost his ratings.

Shalyah: Not sure what's up with this one. I haven't really liked any of the performances. I'm thinking something's just not sitting right with me in regards to her voice. Maybe it's that she's not choosing the right song? I agree with the comment we heard saying that they want to hear Mary J from her. I think it might be a decent fit. If not Mary J (and Mary's songs are really difficult to master), then perhaps Kelly Rowland, Ciara, or Monica? All have the right sound to fit her voice. If she ends up in the B2 , it's because either others are like me and just not feeling it OR because she sang in the secondary death spot. It all depends on the other voting.

Daniel: He's in the bottom grouping yet again. That death spot singing position didn't help him any, especially with such a generic performance. This wasn't even a good karaoke performance. It was more like a half step better than drunk karaoke on a good night. If you're going to do a song like this, you best be damned certain you can hit the one iconic note the artist is not only known for, but still can hit at the age of 68.

Next week I won't be around to see the show, so there a huge chance that there won't be a write up for the Top 9. IF there is one, it's going to be based solely on the ITunes chart (assuming I even have that program on my laptop).

The Voice : S10: Top 11

Nice that they began the show with the acknowledgment of the music industry's loss last week. It was wonderful hearing the judges share their memories about Prince.

Sales are liable to be soft for the contestants this week because not only did we lose an incredible musical talent last week, but Beyonce also dropped a new album on Sunday. As of midnight after the performances, the Top 20 was mostly tracks from those two artists.

Shalyah Fearing: The Climb:
comments: A little growling going on in there. Not to exorcism levels like "Regan" had the other week.
chart position as of  12:08am after performance: 139
chart position as of 1:30pm: 96
change: 43

Daniel Passino: Time After Time:
comments: Not really digging this one. That big note towards the end really didn't do his performance any favors.
chart position as of 12:08am after performance: 158
chart position as of 1:30pm : 107
change: 51

Paxton Ingram: Break Every Chain:
comments: This was very much the type of song that we would have sung in the non-denominational church I belonged to in Louisiana. It was a decent enough choice for him. Adding the second modulation was a very smart move. 
chart position as of 12:08am after performance: 27
chart position as of 1:30pm: 18
change: 9

Owen Danoff: Fire and Rain:
comments: Not sure on this. It should have been a decent pick for him, but there's something just off about it. Too much vibrato, maybe? 
chart position as of 12:08am after performance: 151
chart position as of  1:30pm: 99
change: 52

Mary Sarah: Johnny & June:
comments: She sounded alot like Pickler with this one. It was a very good choice for her voice. 
chart position as of 12:08am after performance: 33
chart position as of 1:30pm: 26
change: 7

Alisan Porter: Stay With Me Baby:
comments: Every season there's one contestant that just runs away with the show. I'm telling ya, Jordan 2.0..... Oh yeah, bought this one...
chart position as of 12:08am after performance: 40
chart position as of 1:30pm: 31
change: 9

Bryan Bautista: Just The Way You Are:
comments: He was a touch sharp, but it was a decent enough performance. Could be that he was more emotional with the performance because he was singing to his sister. I had a feeling the studio version of the song would be better because he wouldn't have the distraction of his loved one in front of him. As expected, the recorded version was better than the live performance. Bought this one as well.
chart position as of 12:08am after performance: 113
chart position as of  1:30pm: 80
change: 33

Adam Wakefield: Lights:
comments: Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaamn. Where the HELL did that falsetto come from?? Excuse me while I throw a set of panties at the set. Bought this one too. 
chart position as of 12:08am after performance: 46
chart position as of 1:30pm: 33
change: 13

Nick Hagelin: Your Body Is a Wonderland:
comments: Not a Mayer fan. YBIAW is one of the very few songs of his I do like. This was a most excellent choice for Nick's voice. The studio recording was sweet enough for purchase. 
chart position as of 12:08am after performance: 143
chart position as of 1:30pm: 100
change: 43

Hannah Huston: I Can't Make You Love Me:
comments: Didn't love it. Can we please get rid of her now? 
chart position as of 12:08am after performance: 48
chart position as of  1:30pm: 34
change: 14

Laith Al-Saadi: Make it Rain:
comments: Should have been a good choice, but wasn't. Tonight the part of Regan MacNeil will be played by a brunette Santa. Listened to the studio version, didn't bother spending the $1.29.
chart position as of 12:08am after performance: 38
chart position as of  1:30pm: 29
change: 9

Analysis:  As expected,  the death of Prince and the fact Beyonce dropped her new cd on Sunday affected the contestants' sales. In the Top 10, only the 9th best seller wasn't one of those two artists. Top seller from Monday night's performances only reached 18th.  Not a single contestant had a song make a reappearance this week. What can you expect when nearly every single one of Prince's songs made it into the Top 200?

Biggest sales gains went to Owen, who saw a 52 spot increase, and Daniel, who was right behind him with a 51 spot jump.

According to the Top 200, the top sales for the week went to Paxton, Mary Sarah,  and Laith.  For these three, if adjustments were made, they would have made it into the Top 10.  I won't be discussing the adjustment on the others simply because it wouldn't have benefited them anyhow.

Paxton's very wise choice of a Christian song pushed him into the lead this week with top sales of 18 on the chart. If you account for the type of week we're looking at and remove Beyonce's album from the sales, as well as Prince's , then Paxton's performance shoots right up to 4th on the chart. Instead of a mere 9 spot gain, he ends up with a 23 spot gain.

Mary Sarah  was behind him at 33rd on the Chart. If adjusted, she would have gotten into 9th, for a 24 spot increase instead of the 7 that was actually registered. Not sure if I'm surprised or not with this one. She has a Pickler sound to her voice, but so did the original artist. In fact, I didn't hear much difference at all , listening to them back to back. Maybe it's because the song is nearly a decade old? *shrugs*

Laith brought up the rear of the top 3 in sales. Accounting for what's going on in ITunes, his 29th seating on the chart could have seen 10th. His 9 spot increase sees a 28 spot one if the same adjustment is added to his figures. This one surprised me because I honestly didn't see him getting this far this week. Maybe it's because it was a Sheeran song? Personally, I would have rated him alot lower.

Alisan, Adam, Bryan and Hannah fill out the middle of the pack.

Alisan seems to be filling the "one contestant that seems to run away with the show" place right now. She sang in 6th and on a horrible week to try and make sales, so her in the middle are understandable. However, considering the past week or two  I'm still a bit worried. If they put her in the bottom you can bet I'll be tossing my Twitter vote to her. Unless she goes against the next one....

Adam really shouldn't be with this grouping at all. All I can think of is that maybe that falsetto threw the fans for a loop? Maybe, just maybe, it was a bit too much?

I'm on the fence about whether Bryan belongs in this grouping or not. His performance was a tad sharp last night. Although the studio version is lovely, not everyone has an ITunes account so you can't rely on a perfect recording. You have to nail the lives.

As for Hannah, I've been over her for a few weeks now. If anyone from this grouping goes, I'd like it to be this one please.

The last 4 in sales this week are Owen, Nick, Shalyah and Daniel.

I'm going to say, as I did last night when I wrote the comments, there was something off about Owen's performance. His vibrato was out of control and he sounded like a goat singing. Other than that, it was bland to no end. Don't get me wrong, I've loved Owen up until this point, but last night was definitely not one of his best. It should have been a good choice of song,  but it evidently wasn't. If he's sent packing, it'll be because of this.

I didn't dig Daniel's at all. Didn't dig him last week either. That big note near the end seriously didn't do him any favors. If he goes this week , it'll be for overly flourishing where he didn't need to. If he comes back, he needs to start taking better control of his product. Just because a judge suggests something, doesn't mean it's going to sound right. They are just as fallible as the next person. Take ownership in your product and learn when to say no.

Of the 4 in the bottom of the sales, Nick is the only one I'm clueless as to why he's down here. He had a beautiful performance, much better than the other 3 in this group and certainly better than a couple others in the first 2 groups.

And then there's Shalyah, who I totally forgot sang (and that's why she's listed last in the analysis). A bit of growling, and a death spot singing position didn't help matters. Worse yet, Paxton totally brought the fans to church with his inspirational number and totally out sang her. Her semi-inspirational, lukewarm performance was quickly forgotten.

Sales-wise B3 is:
Owen, Nick and Daniel (in that order)

Who might end up in there in place of one of more of the B3s:
Hannah, Bryan, and Shalyah (in that order)

However, we saw Emily leave last week and she had 3rd highest sales. The alternate methods of voting are really fickle. If this happens again, we might actually see Laith go home instead, especially if he ends up against a squwee-worthy pretty boy.  Then again, he's hubby's favorite and I've seen how accurate that bugger can be.

The Voice S10 Top 24

This week the contestants are still broken down into teams, so I'll keep them this way for now.

I have limited funds in my ITunes account at the moment, so I'm allowing myself only one purchase per team this time around.  However, those songs I plan on purchasing later will go into my wishlist and I'll note them as I go along.

The contestants may or may not be in order by the time I post this. Monday's contestants are for sure out of order. If I think think to fire this up on Tuesday during showtime, those contestants just might manage to be in singing position. 

MONDAY

Team Blake: His team was up against Team Christina on Monday night and honestly, her contestants sang circles around most of Blake's. I bought 1 from Blake's group and put only 1 in my wishlist.  Not a good showing. Maybe he should have kept Miss Tonguesalot around one more week?

Adam Wakefield: Seven Spanish Angels
comment: Didn't know the song, but loved it all the same. There was a feel of Travis Tritt with a little twist of Bo Bice thrown in. I could happily sit in a bar and listen to this guy sing all night long. Not a panty throwing happily, but more like a very contented happily ^_~

chart position as of 1am after performance: 34

chart position as of 1:44pm: 31 

change: up 3

Joe Maye: Long Train Runnin'
comment: Nope. Didn't dig this one at all. Nothing comes close to the Doobies version. Especially when the contestant's version is mostly instrumental and totally over embellished.

chart position as of 1am after performance: 78

chart position as of 1:44pm: 66

change: up 12

Justin Whisnant (CBC): Here's a Quarter
comment:  Was okay. Nothing really special.

chart position as of  1am after performance: 149

chart position as of 1:44pm: 110

change: up 39

Katie Basden: Georgia Rain 

comment: Really kinda dug this one. I think hubby did too. I've placed her version in my wishlist to get later. 
Additional note: This one has a cd out called Release the Sound. Very nice cd. It's only in digital format. Yep, another for my wishlist. LOL. 

chart position as of 1am after performance: 75
chart position as of 1:44pm: 59 

change: up 16

Mary Sarah: Rose Garden

comment: Don't know. Kind of on the fence with this performance. It's the type of song I expect from her, but there's just something I can't put my finger on. Too much freshening, not enough? I don't know. Maybe it's because the song choice is so very predictable for her. Is this all we'll get from her? Old  AF songs with a light misting of Febreez on them? Is this all she has?

chart position as of 1am after performance: 91

chart position as of 1:44pm: 70

change: up 21

Paxton Ingram: How Deep Is Your Love?
comment: About all I have for this one is that I'd rather listen to his version over the original and even THAT isn't enough to get me to buy it. 

chart position as of  1am after performance: +200

chart position as of 1:44pm: +200

change: unsure because he didn't rank in the Top 200 at all....

Analysis: Not sure what's in Blake's cup there, but I think he should switch to water or sweet tea or something. Maybe he's just getting tired of doing the show and needs a vacation? Considering the lack of results in ITunes for Paxton, it should be safe to say he may be one of the ones going home. It all depends on the other voting methods. Biggest increase this week goes to Justin, but that means nothing compared to how low he is on the chart. A shoo-in for the week should be Adam as he was the highest vote getter for the team. Next in line should be Katie and it's possible that Joe will join those other 2. Considering how close Mary is behind Joe, it's probable that she could knock him out of that spot. Again it all depends on the other voting methods. 

Team Christina: Not a great team, but not really bad either. Then again, this is only Day One and we haven't seen Team Adam or Team Pharrell yet. Personally, I think Team Christina has a better shot than Team Blake at this point. Of the 6 contestants presented, I bought 1 of the songs but have 2 others in my ITunes wishlist.

Alisan Porter: Cry Baby
comment: There are very few Joplin songs I like and this aint one of them. I liked this performance better than the other rocker-type chick gave, that's for sure. It was decent enough that I've placed it in my wishlist and ... oh looks she has a couple albums... *places the more recent one in my wishlist as well*... I've featured one of the songs from her album, Who We Are, on my blog already.

chart position as of  1am after performance: 21

chart position as of  1:44pm: 12 

change: up 9
*Last week's Blue Bayou had reappeared at 156 by 1am and by 1:44pm had gotten up to 114th for a 42 place increase. Have we found Jordan 2.0? I mean, his repeat performances started pretty early last time too, didn't they?If some of the articles I've been seeing online, like this one from Wet Paint  are to believed, then the answer could be yes. 
** As of this afternoon's check, her song from 2 weeks ago, River, is back on the chart at 200

Bryan Bautista: Pillowtalk
comment: His performance was enough to make me check out the original. Both of which are in my ITunes wishlist. Actually think I like Bryan's version better.

chart position as of  1am after performance:  55

chart position as of 1:44pm: 37 

change:  up 18

Kata Hay: Natural Woman
comment: All the jumping and growling made me think I was watching an exorcism. All we were missing was the spinning head and spewage of split pea soup. Sorry. The performance did NOTHING for me. The recorded version was just enough better that I've got it in my wishlist as well. Now whether or not I actually BUY it, is another matter.  

chart position as of 1 am after performance:106 

chart position as of 1:44pm: 81 

change:  up 25

Ryan Quinn : I'm Not the Only One
comment: Loved this. Threw my panties at the set. Bought the recording ..... ^_~ 

chart position as of 1 am after performance: 80

chart position as of 1:44pm: 58 

change: up 22

Tamar Davis: Rise Up 

comment: No thanks. I'd rather stay seated. And no, I don't want to buy your song.
Additional note: She has an album out called My Name is Tamar.

chart position as of  1am after performance: +200

chart position as of 1:44pm: +200 

change: no friggin clue

Nick Hagelin (CBC): Stay 

comment:  I found this bland and totally boring. *YAWN* Talk about your generic handsome guy contestant. Not sure how he managed to do as well as he did. If either of my favorites from this group get booted because of this one, I'll be pissed. 
Additional note: He's got 4 albums and a handful of singles out.

chart position as of  1am after performance: 37

chart position as of 1:44pm: 26 

change: up 11

Analysis: Decent line up. I do have to question why she felt the need to pull her CBC from someone else's team when the boys were confident enough in their choices to call back one of their own. Or maybe the guys didn't read the fine print? Anyhow I bought one from Team Christina and have 3 of the others in my wishlist right now. Can't say that about Team Blake. I am beginning to think we've got Jordan 2.0 in Alisan and it would be a huge surprise if she didn't make it through until next week, especially since the was the top ITune vote getter for the week. Right behind her was the Boy Blander (Nick). Also possibilities for going through to next week could be Bryan or maybe Ryan. I'd rather see both of these over Nick any day. Unless there's a miracle, Kata looks to be out, which is fine because she's splitting votes with Alisan (who can do rock as well as country so she's more versatile, plus she doesn't put on a Regan MacNeil worthy performance... just sayin'). Almost a sure thing to be on the way out is Tamar, who, like Paxton from Blake's team, didn't rank at all. Maybe she needs more time as a background singer? It all depends on how the alternate methods of voting went. 

TUESDAY
WTH was Christina wearing? Half gloves and a dog collar???
Team Adam vs Team Pharrell was fairly evenly matched. Neither team running circles around the other. If you count the one that my buddy in Chicago liked and I didn't, then I'd say Team Adam won by a slight edge. I bought 1 studio recording and put 2 in the wishlist from both teams.

Team Adam:

Laith Al-Saadi: With a Little Help From My Friends 

comment: That was... WOW. There was a section in there where the background singers were a tad too loud and over-powered him though. If he goes forward , he needs to watch out for that.  

chart position as of  12:10am after performance: 39

chart position as of 12:10pm: 32

change: up 7

Owen Danoff: Hero  

comment: Not bad. Kinda dug this one. After hitting repeat on the studio preview, I decided I may as well just buy it. Oh no... is the WGWG going to take over The Voice? The Swaybots found a home here already. 

chart position as of 12:10am after performance: 38

chart position as of 12:10pm: 24

change: up 14

Shalyah Fearing: Listen 

comment: Not diggin this at all. Seriously not certain what they see in this one. Better re-invest in SUTA panels, just to be certain.

chart position as of 12:10am after performance: 26

chart position as of 12:10pm:  14

change: up 12

Nate Butler (CBC): Sarah Smile
comment: Not bad. I kinda liked it. This will be a wishlist song for sure. 

chart position as of 12:10am after performance: +200

chart position as of 12:10pm: 181

change: up >19

Caroline Burns: All I Want 

comment: It was okay. Good for her age. I do have to question this particular song for her. It's a good pick group-wise, but lyrically wasn't the best pick for her age. (Chicago, take a drink... LOL).

chart position as of 12:10am after performance: 98

chart position as of 12:10pm:  67

change: up 31

Brian Nhira: Alive

comment: Um... nope. Nope. Nope.

chart position as of 12:10am after performance: 115

chart position as of 12:10pm: 73

change: up 42

Analysis: Over all, Adam's group did okay-ish. According to the sales numbers his group wasn't nearly as good as Christina's and was about comparable to Blake's, edging his Bro-mate out by the slightest of margins.  Nate is the only one who didn't chart at all by midnight, but over the next 12 hours managed to squeak into the Top 200.  Neither of contestants from the Monday show that didn't chart managed to get on the Top 200, unlike Nate (and this is why I say Adam's team squeaked out over Blake's this week). According to the sales in ITunes, I think we'll more than likely see Shalyah and Owen go through with a third spot going to either Laith or Caroline. Biggest sales increase goes to Brian, but I doubt that's going to help him any.  It all comes down to the alternate voting methods.

Team Pharell: Wow. Ouch. Poor showing for the most part on this one. I bought 1 and wishlisted 2. I may or may not get those wishlisted ones though. 

Daniel Passino (CBC): When I Was Your Man
comment: not sure I dug that one. The studio recording is better, but I think he's another that falls into the Generic WG category. I think if he goes through, it's going to be a split vote for him and Nate (assuming he makes it through as well). 

chart position as of 12:10am after performance: 56

chart position as of 12:10pm: 40
change:  up 16

Emily Keener: Still Crazy After All These Years
comment: Very Sarah McLachlan / Carole King feel to most of the performance. I didn't exactly dig that last high note. Honestly don't think it was necessary. I've placed her in the wishlist for now, but I doubt I'll buy hers.
chart position as of 12:10am after performance: 70

chart position as of 12:10pm: 57

change: up 13

Moushumi: Love Yourself 

comment: Hard to belieb that this is a JB song. I can't stand JB, but I'm kinda enjoying this performance. I still say Pharell needs to have this girl do some Sonna Rele. I bought this one.

chart position as of 12:10am after performance: +200

chart position as of 12:10pm:  +200

change: none

Lacy Mandigo: Love is a Battlefield
comment: Not sure this was a great pick for her. Fairly certain it would have been delivered better by Kata or Alisan. 

chart position as of 12:10am after performance: +200

chart position as of 12:10pm: +200 

change: none

Caity Peters: I'll Be Waiting 

comment: She doesn't have the lower end proper enough to handle this song. The only times she actually came close to sounding good is on the chorus part. Not sure if it was because she realized how bad it was, tried to fix it, and fell apart OR if she thought she did well and was excited at the end but that sucker fell apart at the end.  Her recording, however, is much better than her live performance. I can only hope people think to check the studio versions. I've placed her in the wishlist for later.

chart position as of  12:10am after performance: +200

chart position as of 12:10pm:  +200

change: none

Hannah Huston: Ain't No Way

comment: It was okay. Even the studio recording didn't stir anything more than a "meh". 

chart position as of 12:10am  after performance: 62

chart position as of 12:10pm: 44

change: up 18
House of the Rising Sun from last week wasn't anywhere to be found by first check, however by the afternoon check in it had risen to 180

Analysis: This is the worst team showing I've seen since I started watching the figures in ITunes. THREE of the six didn't even chart. I wouldn't be surprised if all three go home. I'm really surprised because I thought Moushumi's performance was really nice. I wonder if her ethnicity didn't come into a factor, especially in this day and age. It seems if you're not Caucasian or an AAF or AAM, then you just don't do well because the American voters can't seem to be bothered. In all the time I've been watching these shows (2 shows, 13 years) I can only think of 4 that did Top 5 or better and only 1 of them actually won.  Considering the sales, I'm thinking that we'll see Emily, Hannah and Daniel (a CBC)  coming back for next week. The only way any of the other 3 have a shot at a spot next week is if the other voting methods bail them out. 

The Voice: Season 9: Top 4: Finals

Missed most of the show tonight due to an unexpected trip out of town so I'm having to review through Rickey's page. Thank goodness he posts videos over there, otherwise I would have had to resorted to analyzing based on the 30 second snippit on ITunes.

Each kiddo had 2 solos and a duet with their judge. I am just going to bundle their performances together because it'll be easier on me in the long run.

This time around will have 3 sets of numbers, because we'll be checking out at noon and I won't have time to grab the actual final numbers right at 12pm. I plan on grabbing the third set of numbers around 3:30pm to see if there's much difference. The first set of numbers were grabbed at 11:30 and they're in parentheses.

Jordan Smith:
 
Climb Every Mountain
comment: Yet another of near perfection. I'm telling you, the race is for second place.
ITunes chart placement by midnight on show night: 3
ITunes chart placement by noon (close of voting): (3) 3
change: none

duet with Adam: God Only Knows
comment: Nice performance. Did it showcase Jordan's vocals? Not really. However, by this point he doesn't really need to. He could go on stage, cough , leave and still have the highest sales. The only way he wouldn't get into the Top 200 is if he got on stage, barfed, sharted and flipped everyone off. This actually came across much like a generic buddy song you'd find on a Disney or Dreamworks movie. Replace Sully and Mike and you'd get pretty much the same result.
ITunes chart placement by midnight on show night: 5
ITunes chart placement by noon (close of voting):  (5) 5
change: none

Mary Did You Know
comment: Oh for cryin out loud... just crown him already!  I'll be buying this one later, when the votes DON'T count because honestly, this one doesn't need my help ^_~
ITunes chart placement by midnight on show night: 1
ITunes chart placement by noon (close of voting): (1) 1
change: none
* Chandelier returned to 63rd. (47) 45
** Great is Thy Faithfulness returned to 45th. (33) 34
*** Hallelujah returned to 17th (this one has been in the Top 200 since it was released) (17) 17
**** Halo returned to 57th. (44) 42
***** Set Fire to the Rain came back to 65th. (51) 52
****** Somebody to Love returned to 10th. (10) 9
******* Who You Are returned to 110th. (79) 78
NOTE: Of the Top 10 at 12:30am, 4 are his. Both solos from this week, the duet and last week's performance. 

Emily Ann Roberts:
Blue Christmas
comment: This was okay. Nice, but kind of generic. We listened to the show once we got home and hubby teared up. Then again, many of the sad holiday songs do that to him these days.
ITunes chart placement by midnight on show night: 14
ITunes chart placement by noon (close of voting): (13) 15
change: +/- 1 depending on when that slip happened. Willing to bet it was after noon though.

duet with Blake: Islands in the Stream
comment: This was a sweet moment between the two of them. Going to check the ITunes version to see if it's worth the $1.29.  The first song was a bit better, but the duets don't count towards the votes anyhow. Won't be surprised if this one shows up on his tour with her as the duet partner.  This was the ONLY duet I bought of the bunch.
ITunes chart placement by midnight on show night: 6
ITunes chart placement by noon (close of voting): (6) 6
change: none

Burning House:
comment: Now this was the way to leave a final impression. If any of the other 3 have a shot of dethroning Jordan, it'll be her. Both of her solo performances were pretty much flawless tonight. This one was the better of the two and definitely the way for her to end her night.
ITunes chart placement by midnight on show night: 2
ITunes chart placement by noon (close of voting): (2) 2
change: none
* Cowboy Take Me Away reentered at 144. (90) 93
** I Hope You Dance reentered at 115. (81) 81
*** In the Garden came in at 158. (106) 105
**** She's Got You came back at 105. (75) 76
***** Why Not Me came back at 116. (84) 82
****** 9 to 5 came back at 74. (61) 61
******* Blame it on Your Heart (167) 172
NOTE: Considering the number of return songs this week, she might actually be a real contender for the win.

Barrett Baber:
duet with Blake: Rhinestone Cowboy
comment: Yet another old time, throw back song for Barrett. Dude's got 3 albums out right now. Nice songs, but weren't enough for my to buy. This is just more of the same. At this point of the game, we need to hear if the contestant can pull off something a bit more current.
ITunes chart placement by midnight on show night: 22
ITunes chart placement by noon (close of voting): (18) 19
change:  ^ 3 or 4 depending on where the slip was.

Die A Happy Man:
comment: Holy shit. A MODERN song??? *faints* I didn't think this was even possible. Kidding aside, this was a decent performance. Not as good as the original, mind you, but a decent enough try. This was the only one of his I bought this week.
ITunes chart placement by midnight on show night: 11
ITunes chart placement by noon (close of voting): (7) 8
change: ^ 3 or 4 spots depending on where he was at noon

Silent Night:
comment: This is actually the first one I caught on tv. We'd just gotten in and I was washing up in the vanity area when I heard this one come on. My first thought was "Gee, Blake sounds good tonight. They must have the judges singing Christmas carols" Then I saw exactly WHO was singing. Definitely should have been calling this one Blake 2.0 this year. Does that make Emily Ann the Miranda 2.0? *smirk* This was meh at best.
ITunes chart placement by midnight on show night: 27
ITunes chart placement by noon (close of voting): (20) 21
change: ^ 6 or 7 spots
* I'd Just Love to Lay You Down came back onto the Top 200 at 122. (105) 102

Jeffery Austin:

O Holy Night
comment: I should have loved this. It's my utmost favorite song of this time of year. However, Jeffery was off during the first part of it and I couldn't get through the rest of the song I was so disgusted with him. At this point, I'd rather hear Adele's Hello for the bazillionth time. (Seriously, I'm so sick of that song and Idol season is coming up... *ugh*)
ITunes chart placement by midnight on show night: 29
ITunes chart placement by noon (close of voting): (21) 20
change: ^ 8 or 9

Stay
comment: Not sure what's going on with him tonight. He doesn't seem to be going at 100% at all. Starting off flat and having to fight to get back into key. I expected better out of him.
ITunes chart placement by midnight on show night: 12
ITunes chart placement by noon (close of voting): (9) 10
change: ^2 or 3

duet with Gwen: Leather and Lace:
comment: Seriously, I don't know why they chose a duet for his last impression since the duets don't count toward the final tallies. Wasn't overly fond of this vocal. His was actually better than hers ^_~. Glad to see that she CAN dress normally when she chooses. I was beginning to wonder if that was possible.
ITunes chart placement by midnight on show night: 19
ITunes chart placement by noon (close of voting): (15) 16
change: ^3 or 4
* Believe returned to 64th. (55) 56
** Jealous returned to 143rd. (104) 104

NOTE: Jeffery's ITunes recordings were much better than the live performance and I bought both.


Analysis:
As of the evening part of this entry. I'd have to rank them at
Jordan

Emily
Jeffery/ Barrett. Fairly certain Jeffery just edges out Barrett by the barest margins performance wise.

Afternoon thoughts: Hubby just said that he's thinking Jordan with Barrett in second. I can't say how many times this guy manages to be accurate. If he's right, I may have to throw a pillow at him.

I guess it all depends on how the alternate voting methods went. Jeffery is a very long shot, to be honest. I don't see him doing better than 3rd. Would have been a more interesting fight if Amy had been in there. 

The Voice: Season 9: Top 9

Looks like Cindy Lou Who is taking over mentoring duties for Gwen tonight....
Final numbers gotten at 1:11pm. I was running late because of a bad night's sleep so the numbers might be off a bit from the true totals.

Barett Baber: Ghost:
comment:  Not really digging this one. Not at all.
ITunes chart placement by midnight on show night: 11
ITunes chart placement after noon (close of voting): 9
change: ^2
*Before the show, I'd Just Love to Lay You Down was still in 187th from the previous week. By midnight, it was up to 80th and then up again to 68th when I checked at 1:11pm

Shelby Brown: Even God Must Get the Blues:
comment:This didn't do much for me at all.
ITunes chart placement by midnight on show night: 25
ITunes chart placement by noon (close of voting): 18
change: ^7
* By midnight, Go Rest High on That Mountain was at 184th and at the final check had gotten to 151st.

Jeffrey Austin: Believe :
comment: This was good, but not good enough for me to want to buy it.
ITunes chart placement by midnight on show night: 4
ITunes chart placement by noon (close of voting): 3
change: ^ 1
*By midnight, Jealous came back at 110th and had risen to 82nd by 1:11pm

Braiden Sunshine: Amazing Grace:
comment: Definitely the right time to pull out a song like this. A very smart play on his part. Enough changes to make it his own. I think the only thing that will get him through (if he does manage it) will be the song choice.
ITunes chart placement by midnight on show night: 6
ITunes chart placement by noon (close of voting): 7
change:  DOWN 1 spot (the only reason for the drop is because Amy's and Madi's sales overtook him)

Zach Seabaugh: The Climb:
comment: Cutting from 9 contestants to 4 this week and he pulls out a slow song? I think this week should have been another uptempo number because the girls love to see him move. That said, this was beautifully performed. Is it enough to go into the Top 4? Maybe, maybe not. More than likely the latter.
ITunes chart placement by midnight on show night: 10
ITunes chart placement by noon (close of voting): 8
change: ^2

Madi Davis: Big Girls Don't Cry:
comment: Just no. Odd because she reminds me a tad of Joey Cook from Idol in her stylings and I just adored Joey. Just goes to show how fickle taste can be.
ITunes chart placement by midnight on show night: 7
ITunes chart placement by noon (close of voting): 5
change: ^2
*By midnight, Girls Just Want to Have Fun was back up to 62nd and had gotten to 53rd by the final check.

Emily Ann Roberts: 9 to 5:
comment: Not much a country fan. Even less a Dolly fan. However, this was a very fun performance to watch. She's a real contender for a spot in the Top 4.
ITunes chart placement by midnight on show night: 5
ITunes chart placement by noon (close of voting): 4
change: ^1
* Before the show, She's Got You was at 199th. By midnight it was up to 85th and had gotten to 67th by final check.
**In the Garden came back onto the charts and is sitting in 199th.
***Why Not Me made a resurgence and is presently at 139th.

Amy Vachal: To Make You Feel My Love:
comment: I kinda dug this one. She's got a vibe going for her that reminds me of The Corrs and Leigh Nash, with a little Norah Jones twist.
ITunes chart placement by midnight on show night: 8
ITunes chart placement by noon (close of voting): 6
change: ^2
* Blank Space returned to the chart in 200th by midnight and is presently in 136th place.
** Bye Bye Bye returned and came back in at 120th and is sitting in 86th.
***Dream a Little Dream of Me is back on the chart at 165th.


Jordan Smith: Somebody to Love:
comment: With the exception of that small section where he was told to go nuts and "Christina Aguilera it", this was a show stopper of a performance. A slam dunk and this boy is in the finals (as though there was any doubt as we've known for weeks he'd be going straight to the top in this season). I am, however, rather put out that they had him in the pimp spot yet AGAIN .
ITunes chart placement by midnight on show night: 1 (he got here by 11pm)
ITunes chart placement by noon (close of voting): 1
change: none
* Before the show Jordan's Hallelujah was still on the chart in 74th. By midnight after the show, it was at 17th and is now at 12th. Both this one and his song this week outperforming Shelby's song of the week.
** Chandelier came back in 94th and is at 66th.
*** Great is Thy Faithfulness came back into 63rd and is in 42nd place.
**** Halo came back to 82nd and is now at 62nd.
***** Set Fire to the Rain came back to 131st and is now at 85th.
****** Who You Are came back to 163rd and is sitting in 106th.


By 1:11pm, there were 8 of the 9 contestants in the Top 10.

Of the 9, 7 of them had at least 1 additional song on the chart by the last check. Zach and Braiden are the only ones without multiple songs on the Top 200.


Analysis:
This week's biggest sales increase went to Shelby. The only reason she even had that much of an increase is because she had farther to go in order to catch up.

This week's loss went to Braiden. Although it isn't entirely his fault because once you get near the top, there isn't much farther you can go and people will get displaced while performers are jockeying for position.

If ITunes is accurate (and it hasn't been so far, I'm just putting this as an option because it is entirely possible), then we should see Jordan, Jeffrey, Emily Ann and Madi in the finals.


Fairly certain we won't see Barrett, Zach or Shelby in the next round.
Shelby's song didn't even get close to the Top 10. Her performance this week didn't even rate up with Jordan's week old one and that's not a good thing.

Unless Zach or Barrett did better in the alternate voting methods, their performances weren't quite up to par with the rest of the group. I'd like to put Braiden with this group as well but with all the fuss they made about his voice changing now (this is why you don't audition until after puberty, peeps!), and with his choice of song I'm going to need to put him in the "it's possible" list because you KNOW they were angling for pity votes.

For sure through is Jordan. This guy's been a beast this season, singing everything near flawlessly. He annoys me to no end, more so than Braiden simply because he's got some serious talent where the latter is just a heat rash at best.

Now for the rest of the pack:

Jeffrey has been a mostly solid performer this season. He's got a Clay Aikenish vibe to him and can sing most anything he chooses. We really could use another singer like him on the charts these days considering Clay's decided to step away and be a daddy. Real life comes first and let's be honest, with all those Claymates showing up at nearly every performance of his, he's more than likely got the fund to stay home for a good long while. I forsee a life like that for Jeffery. Is it possible he'll go through, maybe. Do I believe Jeffrey will come in second? At this point, not really.

Braiden has that aw gosh cutie patootie attitude that tweentards and grammies all love. Whether or not he can keep it up is debatable. Is he a threat to the most likely to be crowned? Not really. I don't see him getting second either.

I think Jordan's biggest threats are Emily Ann, Madi and Amy though.

Amy's performances all season have been pretty solid. She's got this Leigh Nash/ The Corrs/ Colbie Callait/ Norah Jones with a James Taylor twist to her. There's such a laid back, throwback sound to her that is just so cool. It's a perfect contrast to those that don't like Jordan's performances.

Madi... I'm not fond of her, honestly. I haven't been from day one. Weird because I love Joey Cook and this girl reminds me of her. Maybe my taste changed. Maybe something else is there that I just can't put my finger on. However much I don't particularly like her, I cannot deny the reaction the crowd had to her performance last night. It could simply be that she's much better to see in person as opposed to a recording.

Emily Ann has done fairly well the last few weeks. Of the country artists left in the competition, she's the best of the bunch. This show isn't necessarily one that goes for the WGWG (although last season they did, but then... he was just that good). Usually, for the country artists, they seem to lean towards' Blake's taste of blue-eyed blonde girls. Of these 3, she's the only one who doesn't already have other recordings out for sale. She's young, and she's hungry for a break. Jordan shouldn't underestimate this one if she gets through.

The Voice: Season 9: Top 10

Jeffrey Austin: Jealous:
comment: Nice. Not sure. After checking the original by Labrinth, I decided I quite dug this and bought both Jeffrey's and the original.
ITunes chart placement by midnight on show night: 8
ITunes chart placement by noon (close of voting): 7
change: ^1
*Dancing on My Own made a resurgence sometime in the "overnight" hours and at this posting is sitting in 175.  Actually, by noon it could have been a tad higher or lower because I've had a Murphy's Law kinda day and didn't get the figures until 2:30pm.

Emily Ann Roberts: She's Got You:
comment: Again. Nice. Not exactly my kind of music so it's hard to tell. Holy cow how many times can you mention the young age of a contestant? This time it was 2 in the package, 3 by one judge and once more by another. If my gal in Chicago was feeling better and drinking, she'd have been on the floor already.
ITunes chart placement by midnight on show night: 5
ITunes chart placement by noon (close of voting): 4
change: ^1
* By 12:18am, In the Garden is back on the chart in 155th. At 2:30pm, the song is now in 123rd.
** By 12:18am, Why Not Me is back on in 57th. At this posting, it's sitting in 44th.


Braiden Sunshine: Radioactive:
comment: no... just no. This was probably the worst choice he's made ever.When Adam sits there and tells you that singing a song took balls, it's not exactly always a compliment. Actually, it seemed like the judges were fighting to say something nice, and weighing each word so it didn't come off as completely dismissive. It's contestants like this that make me miss Simon Cowell. At least they didn't flat iron those curls again, although I can't say I was liking this style any better.
ITunes chart placement by midnight on show night: 151
ITunes chart placement by noon (close of voting): 122
change: ^29

Shelby Brown: Go Rest High on That Mountain:
comment: Not bad. Definitely  better than previous weeks. I'll be surprised if she doesn't do well this time around.
ITunes chart placement by midnight on show night: 9
ITunes chart placement by noon (close of voting): 10
change: DOWN 1


Korin Bukowski: Same Old Love:
comment: This was a fairly strong performance. Definitely better than some of the other stuff she's done. Gwen needs to stop trying to take the quirk outta Korin though. Glad to see the platinum was gone and a more flattering color was in her hair. Hubby almost didn't recognize her (he calls her mini-Gwen). Constant change ups make it confusing for the fans. What kind of artist does she want to be? At this point of the competition, the contestants need to be solidifying who they are as an artist. I don't feel Korin's accomplishing this. She seems to still be floating a drift. I wondering if another judge might not have been a better choice for her.
ITunes chart placement by midnight on show night: 47
ITunes chart placement by noon (close of voting): 28
change: ^19

Amy Vachal: Bye Bye Bye:
comment: Oh... I am SO digging this one. If PMJ was smart, they'd scoop this one up as well as their additions from Idol. I even went as far as to tweet them and suggest that they might want to keep an eye out for her because honestly, she'd be a perfect fit. 
ITunes chart placement by midnight on show night: 15
ITunes chart placement by noon (close of voting): 8 (She's the one that bumped Shelby down a spot on the chart)
change: ^7
*By 12:18am, Blank Space came back in at 74th. At this posting, it's sitting in 61st.
**During the sleep shift hours, Hotline Bling made a come back and is sitting in 166th.

Jordan Smith: Hallelujah:
comment: This is one of the most over done songs out there. Not sure I'm even liking his treatment of it. Won't be surprised if he gets top sales again this week though, simply from the timing of his performance.
ITunes chart placement by midnight on show night: 2
ITunes chart placement by noon (close of voting): 2
change: none (in his defense, he's up against Adele's Hello, which has been heard EVERYWHERE lately. It would have taken a massive amount of luck to knock her out of top spot twice in three week's worth of competition.)
* By 12:18am, Chandelier was back in at 153rd. At this post, it's in 111th.
** By 12:18am, Great is Thy Faithfulness was back up to 55th. Now it's in 49th.
***By 12:18am, Halo was back at 117th. Now it's in 86th.
****By 12:18am, Who Are You was back to 126th. Now it's in 97th.
*****During the sleep shift, Set Fire to the Rain came back and is presently sitting in 179th place.

Zach Seabaugh: Crazy Little Thing Called Love:
comment: I've decided that I simply cannot watch this boy during these uptempo songs and be objective in my comments. I kinda lost it with the first.... uh where was I going with this? 
ITunes chart placement by midnight on show night: 25
ITunes chart placement by noon (close of voting): 21
change: ^4


Madi Davis: Girls Just Want to Have Fun:
comment: Really didn't dig this arrangement at all.
ITunes chart placement by midnight on show night: 6
ITunes chart placement by noon (close of voting): 5
change: ^1
*By 12:18am, Love is Blindness was at 125th. At this posting, this one's sitting in 105th.

Barrett Baber: I'd Just Love to Lay You Down:
comment: Ugh. What is it about them picking such dated songs for this guy??? Looks like the pimp spot and Blake's insistence that this was a Top 10 song really helped him out. Personally, I liked his performance from last week better. Then again, I'm not a fan of The Twitty.
ITunes chart placement by midnight on show night: 3
ITunes chart placement by noon (close of voting): 3
change: none (he got stuck behind Jordan and Adele, so this is about as far as he was going to chart to be honest. A really strong showing though.)
*During the sleep shift hours, his Delta Dawn came back to 194th.


Analysis:

Holy crap. As of 12:18am, there are 6 of them sitting in the Top 10.
By the time I got back to check the Top 200 Chart, 7 of the contestants had muscled their way into the Top 10.  Of these 7, six of them had at least one song from previous weeks make a re-entry to the chart.

This week's biggest sales increase went to: Braiden.

Top performers, according to the Top 200:
Jordan (in 2nd with 5 additional songs on the chart)
Barrett (in 3rd with 1 come back song)
Emily Ann ( in 4th with 2 come backs)
Madi (5th with 1 additional come back song)

Those 4, for sure, should be going through to next week.

Also more than likely joining them will be:
Jeffrey (in 7th with 1 more song added on the chart)
Amy (in 8th with 2 more on the chart)

Most likely to be the ones in trouble this week:

Shelby: She slipped a spot, but it's simply because Amy out performed her last night. She's still in the Top 10, so this might be her saving grace. It all depends on how the alternate methods of voting treated her this week.

Zach: What he gained in squeals from the girls during his performance, didn't really translate well into the recorded version. It was nice, but really not a great pick for the week. It's something you'd expect to hear in the middle of a concert as filler and not something that translates really well to radio. Even with my squeal and panty throw at the tv last night, I didn't buy this one.

Korin: This was a strong performance,  but I'm not sure it's strong enough. Gwen seems bound and determined to make Korin just like her, but all this transformation is doing is making Korin look like an inferior Gwen. Her choice of judge is really working against her as it feels like Gwen is stifling all that made Korin really quirky and special. It feels like Korin is floundering in an attempt to discover who she really is. This confusion translates to the fans as we try to figure out exactly what kind of artist she's wanting to be. I suspect that Adam would have been a better choice for her mentor. Shoot, even Pharrell might have made a difference. I'm sad because she really is a decent performer, it's just that her judge doesn't know how to package her. Kind of like Hailey Reinhardt in AI, no one knew quite what to make of her either. I suspect that Korin would find a nice fit with the PMJ as well because of that uniqueness.

Braiden: By ITunes standards, this boy shouldn't even be in the running still. However, the other methods of voting is the only way he's making it through. I have been calling him out almost every week and every week I'm surprised he was saved.  Presently, there are 94 places between him and 9th placed Korin. I'm so over this boy and have been for awhile now. Oh Lord.... he annoys me and we all know what that means. He's The Voice's Sanjaya!

If things go according to the Chart (and they haven't yet) , we should see Braiden in a sing off with Korin tonight. However, taking into account the way things ran the last few weeks, I will not be terribly surprised if it turns out the sing off is between Korin and Zach/Shelby. Disappointed, yes. Surprised , not really. The only surprise will be if anyone other than those last 4 end up in the sing off and then sent home tonight.