Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Jazz McKenzie listens to the coaches’ feedback during the playoffs on The Voice. (NBC Photo)

Pre-taped playoff performance from members of Team Michael Bublé aired Monday night on The Voice.

At the end of the episode, Michael selected Jazz McKenzie as his choice to advance to the finals. He called her the best vocalist he’s had in his three seasons on the show.

For the first time in Voice history, coaches are hand-picking finalists. The finals are set for Monday, Dec. 15 (performances) and Tuesday, Dec. 16 (results).

The other three other members of Team Michael are still eligible for a fan-voted spot in the finale.

Fans, who have always picked all of the shows finalists, will vote in two contestants this year. One singer from Monday’s show will advance. Voting ends at 7 a.m. Tuesday.

Here are Voice Views song by song grades for Monday’s performances.

Jazz McKenzie, 31, of Birmingham, Ala, “Don’t Stop Believin'” by Journey: Jazz certainly put her own spin on the Journey classic. Loved, loved, loved the opening, where her distinct vocals were on full display. And the ending, when she showed how effortlessly she can unleash the power in her big voice. Kudos to The Voice for the arrangement. Jazz had background singers, but they stayed in the background and supplemented, rather than overwhelmed, Jazz’s performance. Niall called her a “ridiculous” singer who’s “on a different planet.” Michael said the performance gave him goosebumps. Grade: A–

Trinity, 25, of Stamford, Conn., “Barracuda” by Heart: Trinity turns rocker for the playoffs in a somewhat surprising song choice. This did not work. Trinity nailed some nice notes near the end, but needed to cut loose in terms of her stage presence and didn’t. She also needed to cut loose vocally long before she did. This called for a wild, over-the-top performance, and that’s not what Trinity delivered. Snoop said Trinity moved up in his book. Michael likes the confidence she brings to the stage and said she has the elements of a star.
Grade: C–

Rob Cole, 34, of Pembroke, N.C., “I Hope You Dance” by Lee Ann Womack: Nice song choice by Rob. It’s overdone on singing shows, but usually by female singers. He added a couple of nice wrinkles to make the song his own, especially near the end. I truly think he has a shot at snagging one of the wild card spots. Remember, this guy didn’t turn a chair the first time he auditioned for The Voice. This season has been one heck of a comeback story for him. Reba said Rob touched her heart. Snoop said he has superstar potential and he’d enjoy making a record with him.Grade: B+

Max Chambers, 14, of Shreveport, La., “A Change is Gonna Come” by Sam Cooke: Did the singers chose these songs or did the show foist them on the singers? I would have suggested Max go young and fun. Look, he’s talented for his age. But this song is too old for him. All I could keep thinking during the performance is what this would sound like performed by Jazz, or Yoshi, or Toni Lorene or Ralph Edwards. That’s what’s gonna happen when you put a 14-year-old on a show packed with very seasoned performers. Snoop called Max the potential winner of The Voice. Michael said he couldn’t have asked for a better performance. Grade: B–