Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Bryan Olesen sings the the save Tuesday night on The Voice. (NBC Photo)

Voters on The Voice did a very nice job of selecting a Top 4 of Asher HaVon, Josh Sanders, Karen Waldrup and Nathan Chester Tuesday night.

But they still had one more job to do: Selecting the fifth and final finalists after a save performance by each of the remaining singers.

Bryan Olesen, Madison Curbelo, Maddie Jane, Serenity Arce and Tae Lewis took the stage for those performances.

And voters again rose to the occasion, rewarding Bryan with the victory after he turned in the best of those instant save performances.

Tae had earned last week’s instant save to make the Top 9. Bryan’s win also meant the end of The Voice journey for Madison and Serenity. Both young singers returned to The Voice this season after failing to turn a chair the first time they auditioned for the Show. And both made it all the way to the Top 9.

Here are Voice Views’ song by song grades for the save performances.

Serenity Arce (Team Chance), 17, of Jupiter, Fla., “Because of You” by Kelly Clarkson: Wow, Serenity’s picked a challenging song for her save performance, channeling the original American Idol. She didn’t quite reach the belting power I expected given the song choice. But considering her age and the high-pressure situation, she did a commendable job. I doubt, however, that that will be enough to secure the save. Grade: C+

Tae Lewis (Team Dan + Shay), 31, Goldsboro, N.C., “Wanted” by Hunter Hayes: Tae opened this with a great tone. He also nailed a really nice glory note inn the middle of the performance and followed it up by showing off his impressive range. There were a couple moments at the end that came off a little shouty. But all in all, I liked this vocal more than Monday’s. Grade: B

Bryan Olesen, (Team Legend), 49, Lincoln, Neb., “Viva La Vida” by Coldplay: Great, Bryan is back in rock mode. And from the first note, he sounds so much better than last night on the Phil Collins’ ballad. Loved the ab lib in the middle when he asked the crowd to sing along. Not sure it was Bryan’s best performance, but that’s the way you get fans to vote for you in a save situation. Grade: B+

Madison Curbelo, (Team Dan + Shay), 21, Westfield, Mass., “Man in the Mirror” by Michael Jackson: The theme of the song matches Madison’s sunny disposition. And she sounded great when she belted out “change” the first time. But I really didn’t like this as a save song. It was a little ray of sunshine when the occasion called for a heat wave.

Maddi Jane, (Team Chance), 25, Chicago, Ill., “I’ll Never Love Again” by Lady Gaga: This is a much better song choice than Maddi’s Monday night performance of “Greedy.” And her voice was flat-out lovely on that opening. After that, two points. She seemed to be smiling at times. Don’t smile during that song. Second, I would have traded some of the vocal acrobatics for a big dose of emotion. If she wants the save, I want to see Maddi in tears as that song ends. Grade: B