Idol Chatter & Voice Views

The Voice Season 14 Top 12 includes (from left) Pryor Baird, Kaleb Lee, Spensha Baker, Kyla Jade, Jackie Verna, Jackie Foster, Brynn Cartelli, Christiana Danielle, D.R. King, Sharane Calister, Rayshun LaMarr and Britton Buchanan. (NBC Photo)

The Voice Season 14 finals are about to begin.

And, hallelujah, the overnight voting window is back.

Hey, West Coast fans: That means you can actually watch the performances before voting this week. Novel idea, huh?

Anyway, the arrival of the finals also means it’s time to rank the contestants for the first time this season.

The rankings below are a combination of where I think contestants should be ranked based on talent and where I think they’re likely to wind up placing based on 13 seasons of watching The Voice.

Disagree? Agree? Feel free to post your comments below.

Below each contestant, I’ve embedded my favorite solo performance from that singer so far.

See also …
Top 12 social media leaders
iTunes results (live playoffs)
iTunes results (knockouts)
iTunes results from the battles
iTunes results from the blinds
Exit interviews

1. Brynn Cartelli (Team Kelly): Brynn was 14 when she auditioned and the confidence she showed while prowling the stage and belting out Sia’s “Unstoppable” in the live playoffs completely won me over. I mean, wow! She also genre hops with an ease that reminds me of Kelly Clarkson when she won Idol. In the knockout round, Brynn scored the biggest country hit of Season 14 so far singing Rascal Flatts’ “Here Comes Goodbye.”

2. Britton Buchanan (Team Alicia): Who’s likely to challenge Brynn for the Season 14 crown? I suspect Britton Buchanan will. The young man from Sanford, N.C., said something about never having been invited to a party pre-Voice. That’s likely to never be a problem again. His cover of “Some Kind of Wonderful” was my flat-out favorite performance from the opening night of the live playoffs. He and Brynn are also the show’s social media leaders.

3. Sharane Calister (Team Adam): Voice fans, please give this young lady a chance. Over four performances, she’s displayed vocal talent worthy of the Season 14 Top 4. And there’s star power in the passion with which she attacks every performance. I was thrilled to see her voted into the Top 12 after that powerful performance of “Never Enough.” I fret because she trails nearly everyone on social media.

4. Jackie Foster (Team Alicia): Whew! Rocker Jackie made it to the Top 12 by fan voting. I let out a sigh of relief because I was afraid Alicia’s save allegiance would lie with longer-term members of her team. I not sure we’ve seen the perfect match of rock song and singer yet with Jackie, and she’s still blown us away with her powerhouse vocals. If the finds that match, the finals are within easy reach.

5. Kaleb Lee (Team Kelly): The votes from The Voice’s large country fan base are going to go somewhere. My guess is most are going to land in Kaleb’s lap. In addition to delivering consistently solid performances, this guy has a great story. During a conference call with the media earlier this season, Kaleb said he hadn’t performed in public at all for six years prior to The Voice, just occasionally picking up his guitar at home or while sitting around a campfire.

6. Kyla Jade (Team Blake): “How Great Thou Art” accomplished its mission, getting Kyla into the Top 12. But it struck me as a sure-to-satisfy, slightly-too-strategic song choice. There’s no doubt Jennifer Hudson’s background singer has impressive vocal chops. Now I want to see her deliver truly unexpected song choices in an unexpected way.

7. Christiana Danielle (Team Alicia): Song choice is half the battle on The Voice, and I’m loving Christiana’s — “Elastic Heart” in the knockouts — “Take Me to Church” in the playoffs. And talk about a fierce performance. Wow. She was also one of only three singers to crack the Top 200 in the blind auditions (with “Hotline Bling”) and has quietly compiled an impressive chart resume ever since.

8. D.R. King (Team Kelly): Given his crazy vocal range and high-energy performances, it’s easy to understand why Kelly used her save on D.R. Given his inability to chart on the first night of the live playoffs, it’s also easy to question that decision. D.R. connected with fans on his “Sign of the Times” battle round duet with Jackie Foster. He needs to do it again, perhaps by slowing it down and using those great vocals on something tender and touching.

9. Pryor Baird (Team Blake): Hold it? What’s the only remaining four-chair turn doing at number nine? Well, it’s a testament to how talented this Season 14 cast is. But it’s also because I’m not sure Pryor has made a last impression on fans yet. That oh-so-fun performance of “9 to 5” should help. And fans might show far more appreciation for Pryor’s consistently solid performance and stage presence after so many of the show’s other veteran performers headed home last week.

10. Rayshun LaMarr (Team Adam): Did you see LaMarr fall to the stage at the end of Wednesday’s performance? He was probably exhausted. I mean, he literally willed his way into the Top 12 with one of the more frenetic covers of “I’m Going Down” you’re likely to see. You can always count on LaMarr for an impassioned performance, but sometimes the vocal frills are a little too over the top for my taste.

11. Jackie Verna (Team Adam): Okay, let’s see if I recall this correctly. Adam heard a song on the radio, imagined Jackie singing it and that’s why he saved her? For Jackie’s sake, I hope it wasn’t a Phil Collins tune (Adam Cunningham fans will know what I mean). Look, Jackie’s got a lilting tone in her voice that sounds oh, so sweet when she picks the right song. But if Adam had peeked at the iTunes charts, he’d know she was one of just two singers who didn’t chart on the first night of the live playoffs. Everyone he cut charted.

12. Spensha Baker (Team Blake): Unlike the entire West Coast, Blake was not asked to make decisions blindly last week. Which leaves me baffled as to why he thought Spensha deserved his save. Those, folks, were not Top 12 worthy performances. Spensha’s capable. She showed it covering “Broken Halos” in the knockouts. That Spensha needs to reappear pronto.

As a bonus, I have to add this video, because it’s actually my favorite performance so far by these two Top 12 artists.