Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Matt McAndrew performs Monday night on The Voice. (NBC Photo)

The Voice dumped its habit of having finalists reprise one of their most successful covers, a fantastic move. They seldom trumped the original; they gave the performance finale a re-run feel.

Instead, we got a new cover and original songs from the show’s Top 4.

And weren’t those originals good? As in way beyond what we usually get from that other singing show.

If you want to watch the videos from those new singles, head here.

Head here for song by song grades from last night, and here for a look at where everyone’s songs from last night landed on iTunes.

Now, the predictions:

1. Matt McAndrew: The guy is already at number one on iTunes with an original. All three of his performances from last night are in the Top 15. Three of his previous songs from the show are in the Top 50. Yep, Matt deserves the win and a check in that tattoo of a box on his wrist. But I’m pretty sure someone will put a check in the box even if he doesn’t come out on top.

2. Craig Wayne Boyd: And I won’t be disappointed if Craig Wayne winds up in the winner’s circle tonight. In fact, he might have had the best night of the four finalists on Monday. Gwen called him “ripe” and “ready to pick.” I’m not sure I would have used those words, but he certainly appears ready for country music stardom.

3. Damien Lawson: My biggest question about Damien was what in the world he was going to sing after the show. He answered that question with his first single, “Soldier,” which certainly sounds catchy enough to be a hit. He’s not likely to win based on where the songs are falling on iTunes. Then again, his fans proved iTunes rankings aren’t everything with last week’s wild card vote.

4. Chris Jamison: Is Chris the most improved of the Top 4? Absolutely. He said he struggled with shyness before the show. He doesn’t seem shy now. His stage presence has improved dramatically. And he already had the voice and that falsetto everyone loves. But I still see Chris as a guy who needs a little more experience before he’s ready to tackle the Bruno Mars of the pop world.