Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Jonah Mayor and Mikenley Brown listen to the coaches’ feedback following a knockout match on The Voice. (NBC Photo)

The Voice coaches selected their final three semifinalists of Season 29 Monday night when the knockout round concluded.

And those new semifinalists include Jared Shoemaker of Team Adam, Mikenley Brown of Team Kelly and K.J. Willis of Team Legend.

They’ll join the six other semifinalists to perform next Monday night. Singers who were already in the semis prior to Monday include Alexia Jayy and Jeremy Keith of Team Adam, Syd Millevoi and Lucas West of Team Legend, and J.W. Griffin and Liz Ciara of Team Kelly.

The Voice Season 29 finals are set for next Tuesday, with audience voting determining the outcome in a pre-taped show.

That’s right fans at home: You don’t get a single chance to weigh in on the Season 29 outcome.

And that’s right fans: The Voice is handpicking semifinalists in Season 29 based on just two — I repeat, two — solo performances.

Simply put, The Voice is now a sorry, sad and pitifully poor shadow of its once impressive shelf. And the show’s ratings are in the toilet as a result.

As a final reminder of how terrible The Voice had become, the show only aired half of Season 29 contestant Grace Humphries’ knockout round performance before finding time to air six full performances THAT DID NOT involve Season 29 contestant.

Team Adam

The match: Jared Shoemaker vs. Jaali
The songs: “Big Girls Don’t Cry” by Fergie for Jaali; “Modern Day Bonnie and Clyde” by Travis Tritt for Jared
The background: Jared, 32, of Richmond, Kent., earned the very last spot on Season 29, singing “I Never Lie” by Zach Top. He then defeating Drew Russell in the battle round. Jaali, 25, of Baltimore, Md., sang “No Air” by Jordin Sparks in the blinds, turning 2 chairs. She then won her battle with Bijou Belle.
The outcome: Adam wisely named Jared the winner. Jaali was eliminated.
My take: Jaali put a neat spin on this song and delivered an impressive vocal. But when Jared opened his voice, I knew this one was over. This was a great song choice for him and my favorite performance from a Season 29 contestant Monday night.

Team Kelly

The match: Jonah Mayor vs. Mikenley Brown
The songs: “Pink Pony Club” by Chappell Roan for Mikenley; “You’ll Be in My Heart” by Phil Collins for Jonah
The background: Jonah, 31, of Bronx, N.Y., performed “Il Mondo” by Il Mono, turning two chairs in the blinds. He then won his battle with Aaron Lavigne. Mikenley, 19, of New Castle, Indiana, performed “Teenage Dream” by Katy Perry in the blinds and turned three chairs. She then won her battle with Liv Ciara.
The outcome: Kelly named Mikenley the winner. Jonah was eliminated.
My take: Mikenley’s opening, complete with an impressive high note, was really impressive. But the song seemed to go flat when she hit the chorus. And I expected much more energy from this song of self-celebration. Jonah turned in a great vocal from the opening note and show better stage presence, though I was a bit baffled by the song choice. Still, I’d give him a slight edge.

Team Legend

The match: K.J. Willis vs. Grace Humphries
The songs: “I’ll Make Love to You” by Boyz II Men for K.J., “I Don’t Want to Wait” by Paula Cole for Grace
The background: Grace, 18, of Austin, Texas, sang “Both Sides Now” by Joni Mitchell, enticing a chair turn from John. She then won her battle with Adi Arora. K.J., 35, of Memphis, Tenn., turned two chairs in the blinds, singing “Roni” by Bobby Brown. He then won his battle over Mike Steele.
The outcome: John declared K.J. the winner; Grace was eliminated.
My take: K.J. delivered a silky smooth vocal. His range served his well on this song. He delivered an especially impressive ending. Hold it, The Voice only showed up 49 seconds of Grace Humphries performance? She sounded great at the end. But why in the hell did her performance need to be cut short? Correct me if I’m wrong, but she’s a Season 29 contestant. The Voice found time to air every second of six performances from singers who aren’t on Season 29 after this. This show sucks more every season. The sooner The Voice is cancelled, the better. I won’t even wager an opinion on who should have won. You know who lost and continues to lose and who deserves very much to lose? The Voice