Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Noah Mac and Chloe Kohanski during their Top 8 night duet on The Voice. (NBC Photo)

Each artist performed twice, once solo and once as part of a duet.

But 9 p.m. Tuesday, only four of those singers will still be part of Season 13.

Picking that Top 4 isn’t going to be easy, especially after another night of standout performances.

But my guess is at this point, the front-runners include Chloe Kohanski, Addison Agen, Noah Mac, Red Marlow and Brooke Simpson.

At least they should after the performances they delivered Monday night.

Here’s a song by song rundown of the performances from semfinal night.

For a look at how the songs are doing on iTunes, head here. And for a photo gallery from Monday’s show, head here.

Adam Cunningham (Team Adam)
Song: “I’m Already There” by Lonestar
My take: Since Adam the singer has done such a good job of selecting save-me songs, Adam the coach is turning over song choices to him. Not a bad decision considering Adam the coach earlier had Adam the singer covering Phil Collins. This turned out to be a really nice song choice and a solid performance from Adam. But I have the feeling the best he can hope for is a chance to perform for a third instant save Tuesday night. The Top 3 is probably out of reach. Grade: B

Chloe Kohanski and Noah Mac
Song: “Wicked Game” by Chris Isaak
My take: The first of tonight’s duets features the show’s social media stars. I was excited when I saw this song choice, and Chloe and Noah didn’t disappoint. Yeah, I would have like a wee bit more intensity in the middle of the heartbreak song, when the two split and went their different ways on stage. But between Chloe’s rasp and Noah’s superb vocals, this is sure to be an iTunes hit. In fact. I think that might be the best vocal we’ve heard from Noah since the finals began. Grade: A–

Davon Fleming (Team Jennifer)
Song: “Gravity” by John Mayer
My take: A week after needing an instant save for the first time, Davon is changing it up by singing a show by a male artist for the first time since the lives began. And he had me cruising with him through the first 90 seconds or so of the song as he showed off a more subdued, controlled vocal. But the song turned into a scream-fest too early for my liking, though there’s no denying the power and range Davon brings to the stage. Grade: B–

Red Marlow (Team Blake)
Song: “Go Rest High on that Mountain” by Vince Gill
My take: Oh, boy, that’s another performance that’s going to be a crowd-pleaser. Perhaps even enough to get Red into the finals. Once again, he delivered a flawless vocal. My only complaint, his eyes were closed through most of an emotional performance. But kudos to everyone involved with that arrangement. I worry when backup singers show up on stage because The Voice sometimes overdoes it with the background vocals. This time it was tasteful, and Red’s vocals still came through loud and clear. Grade: A–

Davon Fleming and Brooke Simpson
Song: “Earned It” by The Weeknd
My take: I was glad to see The Voice team up these two vocal powerhouses. And the reason was evident over the final 30 seconds or so of the performance, when they really cut loose vocally. To that point, Davon had nailed some incredible notes, but delivered a rather inconsistent vocal. The bad news for him, a week after he needed an instant save to hang around, his night was over just five songs into the semifinals. Not a good sign. Grade: C+

Keisha Renee (Team Blake)
Song: “What Hurts the Most” by Rascall Flatts
My take: Loved the restraint Keisha showed early in this performance and the way she built the song over the course of the three and a half minutes. And there was certainly no lack of emotion in that performance, was there? I’m just not sure that song was perfectly suited for her voice. We’ve already heard solos from the show’s three country singers, and my guess is that will be fans’ third most favorite. Grade: B

Adam Cunningham and Red Marlow
Song: “Can’t You See” by the Marshall Tucker Band
My take: A fun performance with time out for a guitar solo from the band. Red and Adam sounded very good together and I really liked the ending. One complaint: Adam’s solo parts, throughout, seemed just a wee bit overbaked. If he had dialed it back a couple of notches the first time he took over the vocals, I think it would have been more effective later. But remember what I said about Davon earlier? We’re just seven songs in, and Red and Adam are done singing for night. Grade: B–

Chloe Kohanski (Team Blake)
Song: “I Want to Know What Love Is” by Foreigner
My take: I was a little worried when I saw this song choice, partly because Chloe did a pretty much straight up cover of Blondie’s “Call Me” last week. But she stripped down the Foreigner classic, dialed up some heartbreak — especially in those final two lines — and delivered a performance that I’m sure will have her in the Top 10 on iTunes once again. Was it “Total Eclipse” special? No. Was it good enough to get Chloe into the finals? Very likely as long as fans remember to vote as well as download. Grade: B

Keisha Renee and Addison Agen
Song: “Strong Enough” by Sheryl Crow
My take: This was the duet that worried me the most, and it was, quite frankly, a mess. I don’t know if Keisha sang a single line without some sort of vocal embellishment. Addison’s vocals were overwhelmed by the music early in the song. And her strength is interpretation, which is a bit difficult to accomplish when you’re surrendering the vocal to another singer every couple of lines. Not a version of the Sheryl Crow hit I care to hear again. Grade: C–

Noah Mac (Team Jennifer)
Song: “River” by Bishop Briggs
My take: Noah said he wanted to come back with a high-energy performance on Top 8 night, and he certainly fulfilled that goal. Brave song choice for a show where singers typically stick to songs that are going to be familiar to most viewers at this stage of the competition. Noah’s vocal here wasn’t quite up to par with what he delivered in his duet with Chloe, but his enthusiasm was contagious, especially when he took to the drums late in the performance. Grade: B+

Addison Agen (Team Adam)
Song: “Both Sides Now” by Joni Mitchell
My take: For the second straight week, Addison doesn’t just cover a song, she recreates it, stripping down the Joni Mitchell tune from the late 1960s. Another fine vocal, but more than that, you have to be impressed with Addison’s artistry. I don’t believe The Voice has ever presented us with two minors as musically advanced as Noah and Addison in the same season before. I’m hoping there’s room for both in this year’s finale. Grade: B+

Brook Simpson (Team Miley)
Song: “Faithfully” by Journey
My take: I honestly didn’t think of Brooke as a potential finalist until last week’s performance of “Amazing Grace.” And though I wasn’t thrilled with this song choice, Brooke made it work. That ending was pretty darn incredible, and more powerful because she wanted until the last 30 seconds of the song to cut loose with her power vocals. Let’s just say Brooke’s made her case for belonging in the finals over the past two weeks. Grade: B+