Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Well, I got my wish.

Somehow The Voice managed to squeeze two performances from each of the four finalists into Tuesday night’s show and still find time for a group number from the judges and guest performances by Ne-Yo, Pitbull and Brad Paisley.

Well done, guys.

And well done, finalists. Those are four fine voices.

Of course, The Voice cheated a little. Compared to the the teens put in the pressure cooker that is American Idol, The Voice turned to four seasoned professionals.

The least experienced of the four is probably Dia Frampton, and she and her sister have released three full-length independent CDs as Meg and Dia. Just check them out on iTunes.

Anyway, each of the finalists performed an original song during Tuesday’s performance finale (albeit not one they wrote), then performed a cover song with their coach.

And after hearing two hours of music, the winner of The Voice should be …

Dia Frampton.

I find it a little surprising to type that, because back when everyone was going gaga over her cover of “Heartless,” I was pretty much unimpressed.

Besides, in the early shows she seemed incredibly bashful at the same time Vicci Martinez and Beverly McClellan looked like they owned the stage.

But that’s one reason why I was so impressed with Dia on Tuesday night. The bashful gal who writes children’s books has come a long way. She wasn’t the least bit affected by the pressure of the live finals, looking perfectly at home while performing alone and alongside Blake Shelton.

Her solo song was among the best of the night. Her duet on Tom Petty’s “Won’t Back Down” with Blake Shelton was even better. Loved her tone on the opening lines. And loved the way she whipped off her sunglasses after the first verse to face the audience. Like I said, shy girl gone.

But most of all, there’s that tone. If The Voice is looking for a distinctive voice, Dia’s the contestant to provide it.

Beverly can rock. Javier Colon can hit all the notes. Vicci can somehow keep a straight face performing alongside Cee Lo Green while he’s wearing a costume that looks like a leftover from Road Warrior, painted bright red.

But none of the three sound as distinctive as Dia Frampton.

If you missed the interview leading up to her solo song, Dia said she recorded one of her albums in the kitchen of her mom’s home, and you can hear the dishwasher in the background on one of the songs.

Here’s guessing that won’t be a problem the next time she records music.

Editor’s Note: For the song by song grades from Tuesday’s show, go here. I’ll be blogging live again Wednesday night during the season finale of The Voice, which airs at 8 p.m. on NBC.