Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Courtesy of videos The Voice posted, here’s a sneak peak at what we can expect on tonight’s Top 10 show.

Christina Milian interviewed each of the remaining contestants on who served as their inspiration, what music they listen to and, most importantly, fished for hints about what would happen when they take the stage tonight.

Keep checking back. I’ll be live blogging thoughout the show and providing song by song grades for the singers.

Before the real competition starts, we’re treated to Christina Aguilera going country on a tune from her new album, assisted by none other than Blake Shelton. The song: “Just a Fool.” Nice job, coaches.

Sylvia Yacoub: She’s planning something “big and inspirational tonight,” not surprising since her biggest musical influences are Celine and Christina. More interesting is what she has to say about one of the most played songs in her iTunes library — Beyonce’s “Halo.” “I fel like when, if I ever fall in love, that’s what it’s going to feel like. That song right there.”

Tonight: She’s going to sing “Girl on Fire.” Look, she’s back behind the piano, where she delivered her best performance to date. This is a tough spot for Sylvia, performing first. We all saw what happened to Adriana Louise last week. Wow. The girl on fire is Sylvia. That was solid from beginning to end. She squeezed in a couple very nice glory notes. She went a cappella at one point and sounded great. She pranced around the stage like she owned it. Blake says the performance was “so spot on” viewers will have trouble forgetting it by the time voting begins. Well, part of that will depend on what follows. But that was a heck of a start to the show. Grade: B+

Terry McDermott: Expect more classic rock from Terry tonight. There are some people clamoring for him to do something different. “But there are more people saying, ‘Look, you’re bringing back classic rock and we want to see more of it. I love it.” As for his inspiration, you won’t be surprised: The Rolling Stones.

Tonight: Terry hasn’t been at his best the last two weeks. In fact, last week I thought he had the weakest performance. But he had the luxury of performing last and some generous feedback from the judges. He’ll sing “Summer of ’69.” Tonight, he’s starting off much stronger. He promised us more classic rock and he’s delivering tonight. He might have strained a little on that bridge, but he followed it up with a big note that overshadowed any shortcomings. Another really nice performance on The Voice. Grade: B

Melanie Martinez: She’ll be singing another “guy song” tonight. “It’s cooler from a female’s standpoint to sing a guy song,” she told Christina Milian. “It’s a little bit of a different side of me.” Oh, and Melanie says her original music inspiration came from her grandmother, who used to sing when she watched over Melanie growing up.

Tonight: With Michaela Paige gone, she’s now the youngest singer on the show at age 17. She’ll sing “Seven Nation Army.” She’s playing guitar again. Melanie sounds so good when she sings softly. I just wish her voice were a little stronger, because she keeps getting lost in the background music. It’s almost as though she’d be better off going acoustic every week. On the other hand, I really like her song choices. Wow, and listen to that — all those images in the background are her photography. I’d like to see Melanie advance; I fear that might be forgotten by the end of the night. Grade: B-

Cody Belew: Like the way Cody Belew sings? Credit Dolly Parton. His very first possession was a Dolly Parton Greatest Hits cassette. “Why I had that thing, I’ll never know. I played it backwards and forwards, and she really taught me how to sing,” Cody tells Christina Milian. As for tonight, “this performance is going to be like the Grammys threw up everywhere,” promising Christina Aguilera all the “bang-bang” she can stand.

Tonight: After Cody’s promise, I can’t help but wonder what this is going to be like. He’ll sing “Crazy in Love” by Beyonce. OMG. Sporting a beard, dressed in a black leather jacket. With shoulder pads. With chains. Here’s the problem though, on a show that’s supposed to be all about the voice, this is far more about the spectacle. And Cody, while hitting a few big notes, is not delivering the great vocal I’ve come to expect from him. Though that was a gutsy and great little dance move at the end. I’d give the spectacle an A-. Unfortunately, I wouldn’t rate the vocal quite that high. It was more fun to watch than listen to. That will be remembered, though. Grade: C+

Bryan Keith: He promises “another classic” tonight, “something that really hits home,” which is more vague than most of the singers were when quizzed by Christina Milian. He points to his Grammy-winning dad as his inspiration. After all, he remembers realizing thinking “that’s really cool” when learning his dad performed music for a living.

Tonight: Bryan’s going to sing Billy Joel’s “New York State of Mind.” He’s been one of the show’s most consistent performers. I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t nail this. Solid, steady throughout. Bryan sounds best when that gravel comes out in his voice. But following Cody to the stage, that seemed just a bit boring. At least until the end. At that point, Bryan wound up and knocked it out of the park. The timeliness of the song — coming so close after Hurricane Sandy — will probably help with the popularity of that performance, too. Grade: B-

Amanda Brown: Tonight’s performance will “definitely be a little more on the intimate side, which I’m a little scared about,” she told Christina Milian. As for influences, she listened mostly to gospel artist Jaci Valasquez growing up. Her mom bought her Brandy’s first album, but Amanda says she doesn’t remember getting into that until later.

Tonight: Amanda looked oh, so worried during last week’s results show. Here’s betting she doesn’t put herself in such a worrisome position this week. She will sing “Stars” by Grace Potter. Told you. On a show of incredibly talented vocalists, there are times when Amanda seems to be a notch above the pack. Her voice seemed to strain a couple times early on, but that was just a splendid, splendid vocal. A perfect showcase for her voice. And a really tender ending. I also liked the fact that she didn’t go back to something like “Dream On” for a comeback. Grade: A

Nicholas David: He says his “prayers have been answered and I think I’ll get to tickle the keys tonight. I’m pumped.” Oh, and it looks like Nicholas has trimmed his mustache. As for influences, he points to everything from Beethoven to Disney songs to Prince.

Tonight: I honestly don’t get Nicholas. But making him sing “Stayin’ Alive” on last week’s results show was cruel. Disco king, he’s not. Yep, he trimmed the mustache. He’ll sing “Lean On Me.” Sure enough, Nicholas is behind his piano. And he has an entire choir to accompany him. Decent beginning. And decent performance throughout. You could tell Nicholas was getting into it when he couldn’t keep his foot on the floor as he played piano. All in all, that performance didn’t do a whole lot for me. Especially when the chorus joined him at the end. Grade: C

Trevin Hunte: It looks like it will happen, and I don’t mean another power ballad. Trevin says fans should “expect a different side of me,” meaning a song “more up-tempo and I’ll be moving around the stage a little more.” His inspiration is Whitney Houston, but he says he tries to listen to all sorts of music, including country.

Tonight: It’s about time for a change of pace. And he’s selected “Scream” by Usher. He wants America to see his “funner” side, saying viewers have forgotten he’s only 18. It doesn’t sound like Cee Lo is a huge fan of this song choice. From an energy standpoint, I like the upbeat Trevin. But I’m not sure his voice was nearly so special on that. Except for the huge scream of course. But one big scream does not a performance make. The audience seemed to love it more than I did. Grade: C+

Cassadee Pope: She’s promising a different approach tonight, saying she’s “taking it down a notch. It will be a delicate approach. A little more stripped down,” she tells Christina Milian. As for her musical inspiration, she points to her older sister, whom she watched sing and take voice lessons at age 4. Oh, and Mariah Carey. “I saw her on TV and said, I want to do that.”

Tonight: I’m looking forward to this performance from Cassadee, because she has a really nice tone to her voice when she sings more softly. She’ll sing “Over You.” A ballad made popular by Blake and wife Miranda. Well, I think it’s safe to say Cassadee’s going nowhere but on to the Top 8. I was a little worried when the song began. But the ending of that was really, really special. Not to mention heartfelt. Adam calls it her best performance and suggests she try more country. Not sure about that. Or the light blue nail polish. But, all in all, another solid performance from gone-solo Cassadee. Grade: B+

Dez Duron: He says his song tonight is one “I’ve probably listened to a million times. It’s sung by one of my idols.” As for his Idols, Dez names off Frank Sinatra, Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder in a rehearsal interview with Christina Milian. But if could be like any of the three, he’d pick Frank.

Tonight: Hmm, Dez closing the show? Interesting. He’s going to sing “Feeling Good,” which has been covered by Jennifer Hudson among many others. One line into the song, and the girls are already screaming. I’m impressed by Dez’s vocal early in this. OK, I’m really liking Dez’s vocal on this throughout the song. Given the right material — and Dez has had some misfires along the way — Dez can sing with any guy on this show. This, folks, was the right song. Absolutely, the best performance from a guy tonight and one of the best on the show. Dang. Grade: A-

Favorites of the night: Amanda Brown and Dez Duron

Close behind: Sylvia Yacoub, Cassadee Pope

Least favorite: Trevin Hunte, Nicholas David, Cody Belew