Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Sofronio Vasquez performs in the playoffs for Team Michael Buble on The Voice. (NBC Photo)

Sofronio Vasquez and Shye earned spots in the live shows from Team Michael Buble as the playoffs concluded Tuesday night on The Voice.

All five remaining Team Michael artists performed solos during Tuesday’s show.

This season, coaches can only advance two singers and those artists move directly to the semifinals, set for next Monday.

That will be the first voting show of Season 26. And one of only two times this season fans will get to vote.

The lineup for the semifinals is now set and will also include Jeremy Beloate and Christina Eagle of Team Snoop Dogg, Danny Joseph and Adam Bohanan of Team Reba and Jan Dan and Sydney Sterlace of Team Gwen.

Below are song by song grades for Team Michael:

See also …
Song by song grades for Team Snoop
Song by song grades for Team Reba
Song by song grades for Team Gwen
As rating tumble, The Voice slaps fans with biggest snub in show’s history

Shye, 17, Bethlehem, Pa., “Story of My Life” by One Direction: Oh, my, what a rich vocal Shye deliverss. This was a very good song choice to show off her distinct tone and her vocal power. Equally impressive was Shye’s stage presence and delivery because I don’t think she has a ton of stage experience. But that was finals worthy performance, folks. Reba called it “incredible.” As if he were scoring the Olympics, Snoop gives her a 10. Grade: A

Jaukeem Fortson, 14, Elberton, Ga., “Man in the Mirror” by Michael Jackson: Jaukeem is incredibly talented for his age. Thanks to a knockout round steal, he’s also landed on a supremely talented team of singers. He’s doing an impressive job in this. Check out that growl in his young voice. He’s fearless on stage too. And is belting out big note after big note. He still sounds young. And he might have been better advised to work up to 10 on the dynamics rather than starting and staying there. Still, that was a very strong performance. Reba, his former coach, loves the way he puts his heart and soul into his performances. Michael calls him “the total package.” Grade: B+

Sloane Simon, 20, Pittsburgh, Pa, “Good Luck Babe!” by Chappel Roan: Told you, this team is supremely talented. Check out Sloane’s lovely tone. I could listen to that voice for hours. She delivers a fine performance. That said, it lacked the vocal dramatics of the two we already saw. So while Sloane’s been stolen by Michael in the battles and saved by Michael in the knockouts, I’m not sure it was enough to get her into the lives. While, Sloane’s dad, who had been struggling with health issues, just passed the Sunday before that performance. Brave, brave effort. Grade: B

Cameron Wright, 34, Minneapolis, Minn., “Exhale (Shoop, Shoop)” by Whitney Houston: This guy has a great sound and great range. And he’s delivering a very tasteful performance. He held one high note forever. Carson called it a playoff level performance and he’s right. Another superb vocal from a stacked team of singers. I’m giving Cameron the same grade as Jaukeem, so let me explain. This wasn’t quite as dynamic as Jaukeem’s earlier performance, but Cameron delivered the better vocal. Reba called herself a “huge” fan. Gwen praised his control over the performance. Michael called the performance “genius.” Grade: B+

Sofronio Vasquez, 31, Utica, N.Y., “Crying” by Roy Orbison: Sofronio was the second singer we met on Season 26 and has been exceptional in every round. And he’s delivering again. With superb vocals. With an emotional connection to the song. And a real knack for building to a bigger and bigger finish. That was a professional level performance. No way this guy doesn’t advance. Like Shye, he delivered a finals worthy performance. Snoop declared it “magnifico.” Gwen called it incredible. Michael called it a “flawless” vocal. Grade: A

Wow, I see why The Voice save Team Michael for last. That was the best set of playoff performance we’ve seen.

Shame on The Voice for creating a format that only allows five to advance because we just saw five semifinal worthy performances.

Still, if I’m Michael there’s no way I don’t advance the singers I considered the favorites coming into tonight — Shye and Sofronio.

Michael advances Sofronio, calling him a superstar. He then advanced Shye, calling her voice “stunning.”

Shye performs for Team Michael Buble in the playoffs on The Voice. (NBC Photo)