Idol Chatter & Voice Views

The Voice Top 5 of Bodie, Omar Cardona, Morgan Myles, Bryce Leatherwood and Brayden Lape (NBC Photo)

The Top 5 will compete for The Voice title Monday night.

Each singer will perform a pair of solos during Monday’s show, one ballad and one up-tempo song.

That Top 5 includes Team Camila’s Morgan Myles, Team Legend’s Omar Cardona and three members of Team Blake, Bodie, Bryce Leatherwood and Brayden Lape.

That’s after the elimination of three of the show’s best singers — Kim Cruse, Parijita and Justin Aaron at the end of Tuesday’s elimination show.

Justin was the last remaining member of Team Gwen. Kim deserved a spot in the finals after a string of stellar performances, but fell short.

The result: This week’s rankings are probably the easiest I’ve ever done heading into a Voice finale.

There’s not an iota of doubt in my mind that I have the singers in the correct order, if talent carries the day.

See also …
Song by song grades for the Top 8
Song by song grades for the Top 10
Song by song grades for the Top 13
Song by song grades for the Top 16

1. Morgan Myles (Team Camila): She’s been in this spot since the voting shows began and I started ranking the contestants. And she’s turned in the top performance, week after week. The last two weeks, she’s been simply superb. In the course of a three-minute cover, she piles vocal highlight upon vocal highlight. There’s no reason to think she’ll falter now.

2. Bodie (Team Blake): There is reason to suspect she might not win. Because Bodie’s been solid from day one two and offers more of a change of pace for Voice viewers. He stumbled a bit in the semis, but he deserves to finish in the top two. Factors in his favor: He sings for Team Blake. And Voice viewers seem to favor males. The last female soloist to win the show was Maelyn Jarmon in Season 16.

3. Omar Cardona (Team Legend): I wasn’t a fan of his semifinals cover of “My Heart Will Go On.” But there’s no questioning this guy’s vocal talent. And his instant save performance of Lady Gaga’s “You and I” was world’s better than any single Voice performance from the two guys who follow him on this list.

4. Bryce Leatherwood (Team Blake): He’s dialed up more intensity and emotion in the past two performances, a major step in the right direction. And count on him delivering two more solid country performances Monday night. But he hasn’t connected the way past Voice winners like Todd Tilghman, Jake Hoot and Sundance Head did.

5. Brayden Lape (Team Blake): A likeable guy. A decent voice. But he simply hasn’t performed well enough to merit a spot in the finals. And if he finishes ahead of Morgan Myles, I’m very likely to fling something in the direction of my TV.