Idol Chatter & Voice Views

The Top 12 on The Voice take the stage tonight on the opening night of the finals.

They’ll be getting a special assist from Shania Twain, the first key adviser for Season 12.

And, in a first-time twist, The Voice is promising to add a fifth coaches’ chair, which I presume means Shania will be commenting on each performance along with coaches Alicia Keys, Gwen Stefani, Blake Shelton and Adam Levine.

I’ll be blogging live and providing grades at the end of each performance. Oh, I also reserve the right to adjust those grades slightly based on what follows.

Didn’t know Shania was the best-selling country female star ever. Or owner of five Grammy awards. Impressive.

Jesse Larson (Team Adam): Adam has Jesse singing “Make You Feel My Love” by Bob Dylan. For the first time, Jesse will put down his guitar. Shania wants him to get “desperate” vocally. Adam predicts this performance will put Jesse “on the map.” For a guy used to being in a band and not in a spotlight, Jesse has looked perfectly at home in that spotlight. He turns in another solid vocal. He was a little playful at spots, not to mention smiling throughout. Not sure that’s the desperation Shania was looking for. Still, very solid opening for the show. Grade: B

Mark Isaiah (Team Adam): He’ll perform “One Dance” by Drake and he needs to impress. Mark’s been a bit shaky vocally the last two rounds. This song, he says, will allow him to introduce voters to his R&B side. Okay, Mark’s in trouble. I know what the other singers in the finals are capable of, and this isn’t up to par. Midway through, he seemed to find his stride and delivered a nice ending. Not sure it will be enough to keep him out of the bottom two. Grade: C–

Stephanie Rice (Team Alicia): Sounds like Stephanie isn’t familiar with the song she’s singing, “White Flag” by Dido. Stephanie says she wants to make it the most haunting, eerie version of the song ever. Another powerfully emotional performance from Stephanie. Her vocal got away from her a couple of times and I had trouble making out some of the vocals early in the performance, but she brought it together with a brilliant ending. Grade: B+

Troy Ramey (Team Gwen): He’s been given “Free Fallin'” by Tom Petty. Not sure about this song choice, but Gwen says it matches Troy’s “free falling vocals.” Troy’s performance pretty much sums up my concern with the song choice. “Free Fallin'” is a great sing-along song, but not a great song for showing off vocal dynamics. Troy tried to inject dynamics into it. Who wouldn’t in this setting? I wasn’t blown away, but I’m hoping Troy survives. Grade: B–

Aliyah Moulden (Team Blake): The 15-year-old is going to sing a classic song, “Heatwave” by Martha and the Vandellas. Like the match of singer and song. Aliyah has a big voice and is at her best with upbeat tunes. Well, Aliyah’s getting to show off that big voice, but I’m not liking this as much as I expected to. For one thing, Aliyah sounds sharp throughout. The best thing about that performance was the huge glory note at the end. And Aliyah’s undeniable star power at age 15. Grade: C–

Chris Blue (Team Alicia): The last guy to earn a spot on The Voice Season 12 is also a singer worth watching because he just could win. Tonight, he’ll sing “Love and Happiness” by Al Green. Chris says he wants to convey the message in the song. I’m not sure I caught the intimate moment in that performance. But Chris delivered great dance moves, navigated that dang Voice staircase with ease and delivered a fabulous vocal full of frills. Best of the night so far. Grade: A– (only because something better could be coming)

Lauren Duski (Team Blake): Lauren is a huge Shania fan. Lauren will sing “Lord, I Hope This Day is Good” by Don Williams. She says it’s one of her brother’s favorite songs. Excellent opening and ending by Lauren. What was in between was pretty darn great too. Stamp a spot in the Top 11 for Lauren. A spot in the iTunes Top 200 too. And maybe a spot in the Season 12 Voice finale. Blake calls Lauren “the artist we’ve been waiting for on this show.” Grade: B+

Lilli Passero (Team Adam): Lilli was sick and had to do her rehearsal by video. You knew someone would have to sing a Shania tune. Turns out Lilli is the one, singing “Man! I Feel Like a Woman” This isn’t exactly in Lilli’s wheelhouse. Lilli turns in a pretty fun performance, but that needed a little more “crazy” — beyond the plunging neckline and short dress. Chalk that up as one of the oddest song choices of the night, especially considering Lilli hadn’t been feeling well. So let’s make her belt and strut all over the stage. Hmm. Grade: C+

Brennley Brown (Team Gwen): The youngest of the Top 12, Brennley has been on a roll. Tonight, she’ll tackle “Long Long Time” by Linda Ronstadt. I’m telling you, Brennley is going to sing and charm her way into the hearts of The Voice’s many country fans. That was very, very good. And even more impressive because of the emotion conveyed by a 15-year-old who would have been too young to audition on any other season of The Voice. That only thing that would make me feel better about her chances was if she was still on Team Blake. Grade: A–

TSoul (Team Blake): So this is interesting. Blake saves soulful TSoul over country singer Casi Joy, then gives TSoul a country song — “Always on My Mind” by Willie Nelson — on Top 12 night. OK, I’m not gonna love this. This is an absolutely beautiful, emotional song that doesn’t need a lot of vocal embellishments, and TSoul is piling them on fast and heavy. No, no, no. You have to admire TSoul’s passion. But that was an overdone mess. Grade: D

Hunter Plake (Team Gwen): The guy who specializes in rearranging hit songs will sing “Somebody That I Used to Know” by Gotye. Two lines in, I’ll predict Hunter has another iTunes hit on his hands. There were a couple of pitch issues early in the performance, but I have a feeling it won’t matter in the voting. Gwen praises his creativity, and that’s what Voice voters are going to reward as Hunter sails into the Top 11. Grade: B

Vanessa Ferguson (Team Alicia): Thrilled to see Vanessa get the pimp spot tonight. If there’s an under-appreciated member of the Top 12, I think it’s Vanessa. She’ll sing “A Song for You” by Leon Russell. Remember what Adam said earlier about Jesse delivering a performance that would put him “on the map.” Don’t know that it happened for Jesse. But that’s exactly what happened for Vanessa with that fabulous performance. Grade: A–