Idol Chatter & Voice Views

DaNica Shirey and Luke Wade perform with Nick Jonas on The Voice. DaNica and Luke will be going for the wild card spot on tonight’s show. (NBC Photo)

Hey, and advancing your favorite isn’t going to be as easy as getting their song into the Top 10 on iTunes.

There are no bonus points for this wild card round. So download the tune if you like it, but also be prepared to vote, vote, vote.

The Voice has never had an all-male finale. Or an all-female finale, for that matter.

So I’m sorta hoping one of the ladies sneaks into that fourth spot. York’s DaNica Shirey has the voice to do it. Song choice will be key.

Then there’s charismatic Anita Antoinette and young and ready-for-prime-time Reagan James, who I really expected to do better in Season 7.

They’ll all get a second chance tonight. And I’ll be live blogging and grading each performance as it occurs. Check back for that at 8 p.m.

Meanwhile, here’s a refresher on how the wild card candidates fared during Season 7. Of course, two of the Top 5 will be joining this group tonight.

Reagan James

Blind audition: Turned two chairs singing Ed Sheeran’s “Give Me Love.”
Battle round: Defeated fellow teen Kensington Moore; they sang Lorde’s “Team.”
Knockout round: Defeated Grant Ganzer with a performance of “Hit Em Up Style.”
Live playoffs: She sang “Try” by Colbie Caillat. The song hit number 53 on the iTunes singles chart and number 27 on the site’s pop chart. Reagan was voted into the finals.
Top 12: She sang Lenny Kravitz’s “It Ain’t Over Til It’s Over.” The song hit number 112 on the iTunes singles chart and number 53 on the site’s pop chart. Reagan was voted into the Top 10.
Top 10: She sang Iggy Azalea’s “Fancy,” but landed in the bottom three and was eliminated. The song hit number 52 on the iTunes pop chart and number 126 on the site’s overall singles chart. She sang “I’m Like a Bird” for her save-me song.

She’s singing “Put Your Records On.” Reagan actually sounded a little rough on that opening chorus. This is an often done tune on singing shows. She got stronger as the number went on. Nice tone, not her best performance. Pharrell calls it “magical.” Blake praises Reagan for her maturity at such a young age. Grade: C

Jessie Pitts

Blind audition: Turned a pair of chairs singing Brandi Carlile’s “The Story.”
Battle round: Lost to Team Gwen’s Ryan Sill; they performed “I Need Your Love” by Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding. But Jessie got a reprieve when she was stolen by Blake Shelton.
Knockout round: Defeated Tanner Linford with a performance of “Your Song” by Elton John.
Live playoffs: Sang Bonnie Tyler’s “Holding Out for a Hero.” The song landed at number 60 on the iTunes singles chart and number 29 on the site’s pop chart. Jessie was Blake Shelton’s choice to advance to the finals.
Top 12: She sang Swedish House Mafia’s “Don’t You Worry Child.” The song hit number 90 on the overall iTunes chart and number 46 on the pop chart. Jessie landed in the bottom three on results night. She sang “Gravity” for her save-me song, but was eliminated.

She’ll sing “Zombie.” Love Jessie’s voice. Not sure this song is the best match for it, at least not on that opening verse. She seemed more like she was shouting than singing at a couple of points. She sounded much better once she hit the chorus and could belt that out. Gwen calls the song “right up her lane.” Blake reminds us how “different” Jessie is from the other artists on the show. Grade: C+

Ryan Sill

Blind audition: He performed OneRepublic’s “Secrets” and enticed two judges to turn their chairs.
Battle round: He defeated Jessie Pitts; they sang “I Need Your Love” by Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding. Jessie was stolen by Blake Shelton.
Knockout round: He defeated Beth Spangler with a performance of Ne-Yo’s “Miss Independent.”
Live playoffs: He sang OneRepublic’s “I Lived.” The song hit number 181 on the iTunes pop chart and number 70 on the site’s pop chart. Ryan was Gwen Stefani’s choice to advance to the finals.
Top 12: He sang Duran Duran’s “Ordinary World.” The song landed at number 120 on the iTunes singles chart and number 56 on the pop chart. Ryan found himself in the bottom three on results night. He sang “More Than Words” for his save-me song and received the instant save to advance to the Top 10.
Top 10: He sang “Starlight” by Muse. The song landed at number 174 on the overall iTunes chart and number 17 on the alternative chart. Ryan landed in the bottom three in voting, but received the instant save for the second straight week after singing “Collide.”
Top 8: He sang “Open Arms” by Journey. The song hit number one on the iTunes rock chart and number 52 on the site’s singles chart. But Ryan still found himself in the bottom four on elimination night. He sang “Heaven” for the instant save, but it went to Chris Jamison instead.

His wild card song is “Marry Me.” From the opening note, he sounds better than the first two wild card contestants. But he hits the chorus and falters slightly vocally. Hmm, so far, these wild card performances haven’t exactly been spot on. Ryan is showing off his range, but not quite nailing this the way I’m sure he hoped to. Adam says Ryan has “such a beautiful voice.” Gwen pleads with voters to save him because of his “gorgeous voice.” Grade: C

Anita Antoinette

Blind audition: Sang Bob Marley’s “Turn Your Lights Down Low” and got all four coaches to turn their chairs.
Battle round: Defeated Mayra Alvarez; they sang Johnny Nash’s “I Can See Clearly Now.”
Knockout round: Defeated Craig Wayne Boyd with a performance of “Rude” by Magic! Her foe was stolen by Blake Shelton.
Live playoffs: Sang Meghan Trainor’s “All About That Bass.” The song hit number 56 on iTunes singles chart, best from night two of the live playoffs, and 28 on the pop chart. Anita was voted into the finals.
Top 12: She sang “Redemption Song” by Bob Marley. The song hit number one on the iTunes reggae chart and number 42 on the overall singles chart. She was voted into the Top 10.
Top 10: She performed Passenger’s “Let Her Go.” The song hit number one on the iTunes reggae chart and number 141 on the overall singles chart. On results night, Anita landed in the bottom three. She did not get the instant save after a performance of “The Remedy.”

Anita will perform “Waiting for the World to Change.” Maybe the problem is that these wild card performances are so brief. The singers are trying to do too much in too short a period of time. Anita gave us some rap, some scatting and some reggae, all in the matter of about a minute. The best performance yet. Adam loved her jazz run. He calls it her best performance. Gwen likes the song choice because Anita had an uplifting message she wanted to share. Grade: B

Taylor John Williams

Blind audition: His stripped-down version of “Heartless” prompted two coaches to turn their chairs.
Battle round: He defeated Amanda Lee Peers; they performed Dolly Parton’s “Jolene.”
Knockout round: He defeated Troy Ritchie with a performance of “Mad World” by Tears for Fears.
Live playoffs: Sang “Stuck in the Middle with You” by Stealers Wheel. The song landed at 63 on the iTunes singles chart and number one on the site’s rock chart. He was voted into the finals.
Top 12: He sang Bread’s “If.” The song hit number 34 on the iTunes singles chart and number 19 on the site’s pop chart. He was voted into the Top 10.
Top 10: He sang the Beatles “Come Together,” and it turned out to be the second most popular performance of the night on iTunes, hitting number 25 on the overall singles chart and number one on the site’s rock chart. He was voted into the Top 8.
Top 8: He sang Lorde’s “Royals” and scored bonus points toward staying on the show when it landed at number six on the iTunes overall singles chart. It also finished at number two on the site’s alternative chart. Taylor John was voted into the Top 5.
Top 5: He sang “Falling Slowly” by The Swell Season and “Blank Space” by Taylor Swift. Those songs landed at #18 and #26, respectively, on iTunes. “Falling Slowly” also hit #3 on the iTunes alternative chart.

Taylor will sing “Wicked Games.” Smart song choice by Taylor John, who isn’t changing this song up as much as he tried on his two numbers last night. And he sounds much better than he did last night, too. He just demonstrated that Chris Jamison isn’t the only singer on the show who can go falsetto. And a very nice ending. Blake noted that he did change the melody a bit. Pharrell calls him “an artist.” Grade: B+

Damien Lawson

Blind audition: All four coaches turned their chairs when he sang Boyz II Men’s “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday.”
Battle round: Defeated Kelli Douglas; they sang Otis Redding’s “Knock on Wood.”
Knockout round: Defeated Toia Jones with his performance of “How Do I Live” by LeAnn Rimes.
Live playoffs: He sang “I’m Not the Only One” by Sam Smith. The song landed at number 40 on the iTunes overall singles chart and number one on the R&B/Soul chart. He was voted into the finals.
Top 12: He sang “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother” and the song was one of the top performers on iTunes, hitting number 12 on the overall singles chart and number one on the R&B/Soul chart. He was voted into the Top 10.
Top 10: He sang Stevie Wonder’s “You and I.” He was voted into the Top 8 after the song landed at number 59 on the overall iTunes chart and at number three on the site’s R&B/soul chart.
Top 8: He sang Adele’s “Someone Like You.” Damien earned bonus points when the song hit number seven on iTunes; it was also number one on the site’s R&B/Soul chart. He was voted into the Top 5.
Top 5: He performed Michael Jackson’s “She’s Out of My Life” and Paula Cole’s “I Don’t Want to Wait.” The former gave Damien yet another #1 song on the iTunes R&B/Soul chart, but the songs landed at #26 and #58 on iTunes overall chart, the eighth and 10th best from Top 5 night.

Damien will sing “Grenade.” Another smart song selection. Though I would have suggested something more emotional for him. Still, he sounded much better than he did in round two last night. Pharrell praises his vocal control. Gwen applauds the sincerity in Damien’s performances. Adam says the fourth spot in the finals should be Damien’s and says anyone who thinks differently is insane. Grade: B

Sugar Joans

Blind audition: Turned two chairs with her performance of “Chain of Fools.”
Battle round: Defeated Jean Kelley; they sang “Survivor” by Destiny’s Child in one of Season 7’s most impressive battle round performances.
Knockout round: She sang Beyonce’s “Love on Top,” but lost her Team Gwen match to Bryana Salaz. She was immediately stolen by Pharrell.
Live playoffs: She sang “I Say a Little Prayer” by Aretha Franklin. Her cover landed at 85 on the iTunes singles chart and 39 on the pop chart. She was Pharrell Williams’ pick to advance to the finals.
Top 12: She sang “Take Me to the River.” The song failed to chart on the iTunes Top 200, but hit number 199 on the pop chart. On results night, Sugar found herself in the bottom three. She sang “I Want to Dance with Somebody” for her save-me song, but was eliminated.

Sugar will sing “Back to Black.” Nice choice for her voice. She quickly shows off the nice growl in her voice. Hey, look, she kept the purple hair. Dang, Sugar. Very powerful. Way to build a song. And a heck of a glory note to close the performance. That was the best performance from a gal so far. She brought Pharrell to his feet. Gwen liked the song choice and says she sang it “perfectly beautiful.” Blake says she made it so much harder for everybody else because she was so good. Pharrell is pleading with folks to vote for Sugar. Grade: A

Luke Wade

Blind audition: Got all four judges to turn their chairs for his performance of Otis Redding’s “That’s How Strong Love Is.”
Battle round: Defeated Griffin; they performed “Maybe I’m Amazed” so well that Griffin was stolen by Blake Shelton.
Knockout round: Sang Hall and Oates “Rich Girl” and defeated Taylor Phelan in a battle of singers who had turned four chairs in the blinds.
Live playoffs: He sang Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On.” The song landed at number 66 on the iTunes singles chart and 32 on the pop chart. Luke was voted into the finals.
Top 12: He sang Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud.” The song hit number 37 on the iTunes singles chart and number 20 on the site’s pop chart. He was voted into the Top 10.
Top 10: He sang Otis Redding’s “Try a Little Tenderness” and was voted into the Top 8 after the song landed at number 51 on the iTunes singles chart and number 25 on the pop chart.
Top 8: He sang “Holding Back the Years” by Simply Red. The song hit number 57 on the overall iTunes singles chart and 23 on the site’s pop chart. Luke found himself in the bottom four on results night. He sang “Stand By Me” for his save-me song, but the instant save went to Chris Jamison.

He’ll perform “Have a Little Faith in Me.” He’s doing a fine job. It’s like the momentum is building during this wild card round. There’s no doubting the commitment Luke makes to whatever he sings. But fair or not, I’m really hoping it’s a female who rounds out the Top 4. That was a fine performance from Luke. Adam calls him “an amazing singer.” Blake likes the way he got lost in the moment. Pharrell says Luke “found himself” with that performance. Grade: B

DaNica Shirey

Blind audition: Turned three chairs with her performance of Jessie J’s “Big White Room.”
Battle round: Defeated Toia Jones in one of Season 7’s most celebrated battle round matches; they sang Beyonce’s “Halo.”
Knockout round: Sang Whitney Houston’s “Saving All My Love for You” and defeated young Katriz Trinidad.
Live playoffs: She sang “Help Me” by Joni Mitchell. The song landed at 120 on the iTunes singles chart and 52 on the pop chart. She was voted into the finals.
Top 12: She sang Radiohead’s “Creep.” The song landed at number 59 on the iTunes singles chart and number 30 on the pop chart. She was voted into the Top 10.
Top 10: She sang Whitney Houston’s “I Have Nothing.” The song landed at number 49 on the iTunes overall singles chart and number 23 on the pop chart.
Top 8: She sang Heart’s “These Dreams.” The song hit 39 on the iTunes singles chart and 18 on the site’s pop chart. But DaNica still found herself in the bottom four on results night. She sang “I’d Rather Be Blind” in her quest for the instant save, but it went to Chris Jamison.

And look at this, they’ve saved York’s DaNica Shirey for last, which means she could be ready to deliver something special. Here’s hoping. So far, I have Sugar Joans with the top grade during this wild card round. DaNica will sing “Without You.” And DaNica is showing off the powerful voice that has drawn her praise throughout the competition. And she’s delivering lots of emotion, too. Not to mention two excellent glory notes to wrap up the performance. That brought Pharrell and Blake to their feet. The audience loved it. Pharrell says the applause is the “sound of American voting you back.” He’s the only coach who got to comment. Grade: A–

OK, folks, there’s a shortened time window to vote in. Voting ends at 3 a.m. EST.

And Carson Daly will announce the winner of the wild card spot on Today sometime tomorrow morning.