Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Yes, we all know Christina Aguilera is trying to become the first female coach to lead an artist to victory on The Voice this week.

But I’ll be more interested to see what happens post-Voice.

Can the winner overcome the show’s post-30 jinx?

What am I talking about?

Well, The Voice has had five winners in who were 30 or older at the time: Javier Colon, Jermaine Paul, Tessanne Chin, Josh Kaufman and Craig Wayne Boyd.

Of the five, only Tessanne and Javier have released post-show albums. Both disappeared from the music charts in a heartbeat.

Can the Season 10 winner enjoy more post-show success with their original music?

Only time will tell, of course, but we’ll get a taste of original music tonight when all four finalists sing original songs they helped write.

This is the most mature final four The Voice has featured in 10 seasons: Laith Al-Saadi was 38 when he auditioned, Alisan Porter was 34, Adam Wakefield was 33. Pre-school teacher Hannah Huston is the baby of the bunch; she auditioned at age 24.

You have to figure Alisan and Adam enter tonight as favorites. Both earned bonus points for cracking the iTunes Top 10 three times this season, and those past bonus points will be a factor in deciding the Season 10 winner. Laith, who made the finals with last week’s instant save, cracked the Top 10 twice; Hannah just once — last week.

And here we go. It’s time for some music.

Laith Al Saadi

Cover song: He’ll sing “White Room” by Cream. A nice choice for him. The Voice band often drowns out singes. I doubt they’ll drown out Laith. And, of course, Laith style, he finds room in the performance for an extended guitar solo. In fact, that’s the way he ends the song. Bet that’s the first time a Voice finalist hasn’t uttered a note for the last 15 seconds or so of a song on the performance finale. Pharrell says the vibe was amazing and says Laith makes everyone want to play air guitar. Adam calls it a fun performance. Grade: B

Duet: Laith and Adam will be doing a Beatles medley that will include “Golden Slumbers,” “Carry that Weight” and “The End.” Well, that was very interesting and very good, actually. Adam kicked it off vocally, but then let Laith do the singing until the final bit. During the process, Adam worked in a drum solo, then did an extended guitar solo with Laith. To heck with the vocals, right? Grade: B

Original: Laith’s self-penned tune is called “Morning Light.” For whatever reason, it’s the only song from tonight’s show that I couldn’t listen to a preview of on iTunes early this afternoon. Laith describes this as a song in the “Georgia on My Mind” vein. Another nice original, though I didn’t like it quite as much as the original songs from Adam and Alisan. And again, Laith gives up a substantial part of the performance for a guitar solo. Pharrell calls it a great original. Pharrell is encouraging everyone to buy that song now. Actually, if you want it to count as a vote, wait until the end of the show. Adam says Laith does a better job of making everyone happy with his music than anyone else on The Voice. Grade: B

Alisan Porter:

Original: It’s a song called “Down That Road” that she wrote with two others. Alisan describes it as a song about hope and second chances, based on her own story. The song wounds really good. I’m not so sure about that dress Alisan is wearing, though. There’s also this odd assortment of people behind Alisan holding up lanterns. It’s all an unnecessary distraction from a very, very solid vocal on a very good original song. Well done, Alisan. Adam says based solely on her voice, Alisan deserves to win. Blake says the performance shows Alisan “is the real deal.” Christina calls her the epitome of the voice. Grade: A–

Duet: Alisan and Christina will sing “You’ve Got a Friend” by Carole King. Congrats to them on this song choice. I was really fearing Christina wouldn’t be able to turn down the opportunity for an big belty, over-the-top scream fest opposite Alisan. That said, I would have preferred an even more subdued version of this song. Alisan, however, sounded great once again. Grade: B–

Cover: Her cover song is “Somewhere” from West Side Story. You’ll note she’s shying away from the big, belty songs tonight, perhaps because her more emotional performances have been the ones best received on iTunes. Not thrilled that The Voice juggled the performance order to make sure Alisan gets the pimp spot. Well, Alisan certainly showed off her vocal ability with that performance. It wasn’t my favorite Alisan vocal or song selection, but it is a reminder that she’s the best singer on the show. Adam congratules her on another great performance. Christina says she deserves to be The Voice. Grade: B

Adam Wakefield:

Duet: His performance with Blake Shelton will be “The Conversation” by Hank Williams Jr. The song, obviously, is about Hank Williams Sr. I’d really prefer they ditch the duets on this finale show, but know they never will. Anyway, that was far from Adam’s best performance. I had trouble making out much of what he was singing, and had no such problem on Blake’s parts. The good news for Adam is that with the duet out of the way first, folks will most remember his solo efforts. Grade: C

Original: His original is called “Lonesome, Broken and Blue,” a song he wrote all by himself. Adam says it’s a sad song, but one he wrote while sitting on a beach. Okay, Adam redeemed himself with that song. I won’t be surprised to see that at the top of the country singles chart tomorrow. A very nice song, and Adam sounded great. There was still one line in the chorus where I had trouble making out the words, but I won’t be surprised if that’s my favorite original of the night. Adam calls it a great song. Pharrell says he likes all the aspects of Adam’s talent. Blake says Adam’s sad song makes him “so happy.” Grade: A

Cover: He’ll perform “When I Call Your Name,” by Vince Gill. Adam calls it a perfect mix of country, traditional and bluegrass music. He’s back behind a piano for this performance. Another solid performance with Adam though I don’t think it was the show-stopper like he performed last week on Blake’s “I’m Sorry” that could have closed deal. Christina calls it a great job. Adam Levine likes the way he puts together a performance. Blake said he loved that performance and predicts it will do well on iTunes. Grade: B

Hannah Huston

Cover: She’s singing “Every Breath You Take” by The Police and is promising a flipped, darker version of the song. The opening is certainly different. Hannah sounds great on the chorus, and she’s got Pharrell on his feet already. Okay, I’m not sure I’m crazy over that version of the song, but it’s tough to argue with the vocal Hannah just delivered. Adam calls it a “really cool” version of the song. Blake calls the performance “risky” but thinks it might deliver a huge reward. Pharrell credits the band with the new arrangement and is urging everyone to vote for Hannah. Grade: B+

Duet: Hannah will sing one of Pharrell’s own songs, “Brand New,” with her coach. Pharrell originally did this song with Justin Timberlake. Could someone please tell me what pre-school teacher Hannah is doing singing this song? She looked pretty lost when it opened and it’s coming off as an absolute mess. Not sure that’s going to win Hannah any votes. Grade: D+

Original: Her original is “I Call the Shots,” written with Pharrell. It’s a song based on her journey on The Voice. OK, I did not like the 30-second version of that I heard on iTunes. Hearing the full song, I swear, I could see it becoming a hit. It’s different, for sure, but it’s also loaded with energy and a really nice beat. Adam says that was one of “the coolest things we’ve seen on the show.” Pharrell calls it awesome. Grade: A