Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Between the mentors and the voters, there are some tough decisions to make after Monday’s semifinals on The Voice.

But naming the finalist from Team Cee Lo should not be one of those tough decisions.

The Voice gave Juliet Simms the honor of closing the show Monday night, and she did it with an incredible rendition of “It’s a Man World.”

Forget a spot in the finals.

I’m pretty much convinced right now that Juliet Simms should be the Season 2 winner of The Voice.

Anyway, I’m getting ahead of myself.  The team by team recap.

Team Christina:   At first blush, I considered Chris Mann’s decision to sing “Ave Maria” pure folly.  Surely, The Voice is looking for commercial success from its Season 2 winner after striking out in Season 1.  What relevance does that song have to what Chris would be asked to record post-Voice?   But … on the other hand, this is supposed to be about the voice.  Signing opera is Chris Mann’s forte.  And his mentor, who helped make the decision to sing “Ave Maria,” has a 50 percent say in what happens tomorrow night.  Bottom line: Christina won’t think it was folly.  And Lindsey Pavao failed to capitalize by turning in a lukewarm, coffee-shop performance of “Skinny Love” that just failed to ignite.  For the finals: Chris Mann.

Team Blake:   Jermaine Paul went too over the top with Journey’s “Open Arms.”  But, hey, it’s tough to hold back when you’ve got such a short song snippet to impress and when you’re determined to prove you should be more than a background singer.  I’m still not sure he and Blake have created a performance that merits frontrunner status, but Jermaine should have the edge over Erin Willett.  A sentimental favorite, she sang “Without You,” a song fitting for someone who lost her father during the course of the competition.. Unfortunately, she spent much of the performance drowned out or trying to shout over a too-loud arrangement. of the song  For the finals: Jermaine Paul.

Team Adam:   Probably the closest call because both singers did so well Monday.  Singer-songwriter Tony Lucca continued to show he can do more than stand behind a mike and perform like a singer-songwriter.  He kicked off the show with a blistering performance of  “How Do You Like Me Now.”  Superb.  But Katrina continues to be the show’s biggest surprise, turning in another fine vocal on “Killing Me Softly.”  Unfortunately, her performance tailed off a little toward the end.  For the finals:  Tony Lucca, by the narrowest of margins.

Team Cee Lo:   It’s a shame Juliet and Jamar Rogers are on the same team, because both delivered performances worthy of the finals.  I’d score Jamar’s rendition of “If You Don’t Know Me By Now” as the third- or fourth-best of the night.  And it was great to see him just stand behind the mike and belt out a song that showed what a strong singer he is.  But Juliet used the same strategy.  And sang “It’s a Man’s World” with a passion unmatched by anyone who took the stage before her.  I was a big fan of her rendition of “Roxanne.”  I was a big fan of her performance of “Cryin’.”  Tonight topped both.  For the finals: Juliet Simms.

Check back tomorrow night.  I’ll be live blogging through The Voice results show.