‘The Voice’ Season 15: Live Top 13 Performances Recap
Trae Patton / NBC Reading Time: 8 minutes
The Top 13 was set last week on The Voice. And now that the team quotas are done, it’s every man for himself! So will JHud‘s team be as strong as expected? And will Adam end his streak of not having any artists in the Finale? We won’t have all the answers this week, but the Top will become the Top 11 tomorrow.
So let’s see what we’ve got from the Top!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZWTNp-4gXM
Chris Kroeze
First up from the Top is Team Blake’s Chris Kroeze. Chris sang “Let It Be” by The Beatles. Overdone song choice but I’ll give it a chance. He dedicated it to a girl who was abducted recently in his hometown. In the rehearsal with coach Blake Shelton, they decided to have Chris start the song with only him and his guitar. It definitely made for a dramatic opening and showed the vulnerability in his voice. By the end, he was fully rocking out. And hitting some crazy notes! Even Adam says he wish he could scream with rasp like that. Chris could be a black horse this season!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQz2MwquFjw
Tyke James
Second, we have Tyke James on Team Adam. In typical teenage heartthrob fashion, he brought his mom along for rehearsal. Yeah yeah, aww so cute. Tyke sang another overdone song, Bryan Adams’ “(Everything I Do) I Do It For You,” in a performance dedicated to his mom! But his rendition was actually unique, with a ukulele accompaniment. And his voice sounded pretty solid on it too. Kelly was really impressed by how Tyke and Adam changed the song to fit his style.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7k5Czso4nLA
DeAndre Nico
Another Team Adam member was up next, DeAndre Nico. DeAndre sang “I Can Only Imagine” by MercyMe. Cue the appeals to the Christian vote! DeAndre dedicated the song to his girlfriend, with whom he lost a baby. But there was a cute moment when he got to call her and invite her to watch his performance live! Then, he delivered an extremely emotional performance. He was pitch perfect and added just enough to the song. I thought this was DeAndre’s best song choice to date, even if it was pandering. He is definitely a threat to go far!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1PyGW4xC9Y
Kymberli Joye
For Team Kelly‘s first performance of the night, we have her coach save, Kymberli Joye. I was ready to see another dynamic performance by this powerhouse diva! She chose to sing a broken down version of “Diamonds” by Rihanna. Why?! First Imagine Dragons, now this. I think Kymberli is better than these songs she’s choosing. She dedicated “Diamonds” to her sister, who is ten years younger than her and also a singer. Her performance was by no means bad though! She is definitely special and talented. Kymberli knows how to make the most out of moments in her songs. Her coach Kelly said she’s “the best kind of vocalist” because she sings the song differently every time. Kymberli knows how to get lost in the music she’s singing and it’s amazing to watch!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPEvbG02TT8
Kennedy Holmes
JHud’s first artist of the night was-year-old Kennedy Holmes. Kennedy sang yet ANOTHER overdone talent show song, “Wind Beneath My Wings” by Bette Midler. Is this karaoke night and we missed the memo? I need some contemporary, popular music here! Anyway, Kennedy dedicated the song to her parents. And of course, when it came to the performance, she killed it. Kennedy seems like such an experienced singer already. She is mature beyond her years and her musical theater background helps keep her performances on pitch. Jennifer compliments her on being a star and says she’s “beautiful in every way.” Well said, JHud.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2Nkz0NOxP4
SandyRedd
Jennifer’s fellow “Chicago sister” SandyRedd was next. She dedicated her song, “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday” by Boyz II Men, to her late mother. I liked seeing this slowed down side of SandyRedd. Obviously, we’ve seen her bring the fire to the stage in past performances. But this showed off her range so well and her emotion. And those low notes were honestly INSANE. Even Blake commented about her low register. This might’ve been my favorite performance of hers to date. She proved that she deserved that coach save!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvwdqxbRO14
Chevel Shepherd
Right into the next artist, 16-year-old Chevel Shepherd sang “Little White Church” by Little Big Town. Chevel dedicated the performance to her dad, who loves this song. In the rehearsal, Kelly talks about bringing the sass out of Chevel. She definitely looks the part, in a Western shirt and a big belt buckle. And she brings the energy to her performance too! She got a standing ovation from all the coaches and her parents, who were in the audience.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLpgrQy7fnk
MaKenzie Thomas
MaKenzie Thomas has come a long way since not getting a chair to turn last season. Now on Team JHud, MaKenzie has been able to thrive. She dedicated her Top performance to her coach and sang her song, “I Am Changing.” MaKenzie clearly idolizes her and respects her a ton, which is endearing to see play out. This time around, MaKenzie doesn’t quite have the power of JHud, but she brings it! Unfortunately, she doesn’t exactly hit all the notes. That last note was under, ending it on a less than perfect note. This is a difficult, big song. Very few can actually cover it well, but Davon Fleming from season 13 comes to mind. Jennifer was polite in her reaction but it was clear there wouldn’t be any shoe throwing here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDYLxUXaL_o
Sarah Grace
Sarah chose the Sara Bareilles version of “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” originally by Elton John. She dedicated the song to her performing arts school, which she says helped shape her. Even just from the rehearsal, this seemed like a breakout performance for Sarah. The song choice was honestly perfect for her voice. She got to sit at the piano, showing off her instrumental skills along with her vocal prowess. Plus, we got plenty of that signature Sarah “stank face.” Ever since the Live shows began, Sarah has been a standout. Kelly complimented her old soul and how she can play so many instruments. It really is impressive, especially for a 15 year old!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCF4jJXXdcU
Dave Fenley
Dave was just saved last week by his coach, Blake Shelton. He sang “Hard to Love” by Brice Lee for his Top 13 performance. Dave dedicated the song to his wife. This song choice fell flat for me. I didn’t think the performance really went anywhere and it was far from his great performances in the pre-Lives. Dave clearly has a good voice but these songs aren’t highlighting the best of him. “Hard to Love” is repetitive and anti-climactic, not allowing Dave a chance to shine. But Blake still gave him a standing ovation and raved about how he’s a “rock solid” singer. I don’t see him going anywhere any time soon, but his outlook isn’t as promising as it once was.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nV09Gb77bM
Lynnea Moorer
After winning “The Comeback Stage” last week, Lynnea joined Team Kelly. This gave Kelly an advantage, now with four artists on her team! But not everyone was pleased with the late addition. Many fans protested the companion series and Lynnea joining at such a crucial moment in the competition. This will be an uphill battle for her. Lynnea came to win though, singing “Wolves” by Selena Gomez. She actually exceeded all my expectations! I thought the song worked well for her. Going into it, I didn’t think she stood a chance to make it past this week. But after that performance, she maybe even deserves it. She has such presence on the stage, as JHud also pointed out. Kelly says she’s “killing everyone tonight!”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkdCplVefbo
Kirk Jay
Blake’s final artist of the night is African-American country singer, Kirk Jay. He dedicated his performance of “I’m Already There” by Lonestar to his mother, who gets to see him perform live for the first time in the Top 13. The beginning of the song seemed off but he got it together by the first chorus. From that point on, he absolutely nailed it. Kirk is definitely one to watch this season. He could go all the way! Meanwhile, his mom was in the audience absolutely sobbing. If he is able to get this response from one of the most overdone songs ever, think what he’ll do with some more original song choices. Let’s hope for more of that in the future!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CwYxfwar6w
Reagan Strange
For the last Top 13 performance, Reagan Strange from Team Adam took the stage to close out the night. Reagan chose to sing “You Say” by Lauren Daigle, dedicated to her grandparents. She even got a video message from her idol, former The Voice winner Danielle Bradbery, after performing her song last week! It was a super sweet moment for her. Then, her performance of “You Say” was probably her best yet. It still wasn’t perfect but you could feel her emotion. She is rising to the top, even in a season filled with a lot of young female singers.
Tune in tomorrow night to see who will go home! Next week is the Top 11, so tomorrow, two artists will be eliminated. My predictions for the bottom three are Tyke James, Lynnea Moorer, and either Kymberli Joye or Dave Fenley, with the last of those artist getting Instant Saved on Twitter. But we’ll find out live tomorrow night!
