Idol Chatter & Voice Views

So, are you liking the new format for the finals on The Voice?

I am. For one thing, it’s every singer for himself or herself, regardless of what team they belong to.

In the first two seasons, a singer from each team had to make the final four.

If a team had two of the top four contestants … oh, well, too bad. One was going to be eliminated before the finals.

Round two of those finals kicks off tonight at 8 p.m. Check back. I’ll be live blogging with song-by-song grades.

In the meantime, here are this week’s rankings for the final 10.

1. Trevin Hunte: His brilliant finish on “When a Man Loves a Woman” was what we’ve come to expect. We’ve also come to expect a power ballad. Every week. I wouldn’t suggest Juliet Simms’ black wings, but how about something a little different, coach Cee Lo?

2. Cassadee Pope: She hit — and seemed to hold forever — a sublime glory note during last week’s “Behind Those Hazel Eyes,” perhaps her best performance yet. What’s more, we haven’t heard how special she can be. All those Hey Monday fans know though.

3. Amanda Brown: After “Spectrum” fizzled, she looked like the most worried contestant on the stage during last Tuesday’s results show. But that brilliant voice hasn’t gone anywhere, and I’ll be shocked if she puts herself in that situation again.

4. Bryan Keith: I don’t know if he had quite the moment coach Adam Levine proclaimed he did last week. But he’s establishing himself as one of the most consistently solid singers and smoothest performers on the show.

5. Cody Belew: Christina wanted more bam-bam from Cody. Cody told Christina Milian he wanted more sequins than The Voice crew would allow him to wear. I like Cody best when he slows things down to feature his pitch-perfect voice. But his version of “Best” ranked among last week’s best.

6. Dez Duron: He’s going to have trouble going note for note with the guys above him on this list and some of those below him. But those looks and his charisma will probably pull in lots of votes anyway. I suspect he’ll be around for at least one more week.

7. Sylvia Yacoub: Since the live shows began, she might have surprised me more than anyone. “My Heart Will Go On” was a tough song choice. She pulled it off. And it followed that passion-filled performance behind a piano the week before. Can she maintain the momentum?

8. Melanie Martinez: She had one of my favorite song choices last week — “Cough Syrup” — and sounded oh, so special until she hit the much louder chorus. On a show filled with belters, she needs to pick songs that show the distinctive softer side of her voice.

9. Nicholas David: The smartest thing Nicholas did on The Voice was exorcising his last name (Mrozinski). The silliest was agreeing to participate in that bizarre version of “Stayin’ Alive” during the elimination show. He’s not exactly a threat to make anyone forget John Travolta.

10. Terry McDermott: Just because it closes a show doesn’t mean a performance has to be special. The judges seemed to forget that last week and neglected to point out that this veteran rocker was off key throughout “More Than a Feeling,” which made a second straight subpar performance.