Kelly Clarkson with her team members on The Voice, Jeremy Rosado, Hailey Mia and Girl Named Tom. (NBC Photo)
I have mixed feelings about tonight’s genre challenge on The Voice, a theme designed for force singers to tackle a song outside their genre.
On one hand, you’d like to see singing show contestants take an occasional risk. And one could argue any singer aspiring to win The Voice should be able to find one non-genre song they can bend to their vocal will.
On the other hand, should you force them to do that with a spot in the semifinals on the line? Don’t you ensure a better chance for a stronger show if you let the Top 10 sing the type of music they sing best?
I’ve always preferred weeks like The Voice knockout round, where contestants are free to perform whatever song they want to sing (as long as it can be cleared, of course). They can take a risk if they want. They can play it safe if they want. But the decisions are in their hands, not the hands of producers.
And then I’m forced to remember one of my all-time favorite American Idol performances occurred way back in Season 5 when Kellie Pickler was forced to sing Queen and decided to perform “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
Regardless of your view on the genre challenge, I’m pretty sure everyone can agree on this: All singers should play by the rules.
Tonight, that’s not the case. Specifically, Wendy Moten of Team Blake is not stepping outside her genre by singing Dolly Parton’s “Jolene.”
Let’s see, Wendy’s last major release was a 2020 album of covers produced by Vince Gill. It’s classified as Americana on Apple Music, but includes songs by George Jones, Tammy Wynette, Ernest Tubbs (!), Bobby Gentry and, yep, Dolly Parton.
Wendy’s been Nashville-based for the past 23 years and toured with Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Martina McBride and Vince Gill during that time. And she made her debut on the Grand Ole Opry stage in April 2019 and has since returned to that stage on multiple occasions.
Given that background, how is singing a country song stepping outside her genre?
Here’s a rundown of the songs we’ll hear tonight on The Voice. The links take you to the studio versions on Apple Music.
Girl Named Tom (Team Kelly), “Viva La Vida” by Coldplay
Hailey Mia (Team Kelly), “Peter Pan” by Kelsea Ballerini
Holly Forbes (Team Ariana), “Last Dance” by Donna Summer
Jeremy Rosado (Team Kelly), “Freedom Was A Highway” by Jimmie Allen & Brad Paisley
Jershika Maple (Team Legend), “Ain’t It Fun” by Paramore
Jim and Sasha Allen (Team Ariana), “Stay” by Rihanna
Joshua Vacanti (Team Legend), “If I Ain’t Got You” by Alicia Keys
Lana Scott (Team Blake), “The One That Got Away” by Katy Perry
Paris Winningham (Team Blake), “Amazed” by Lonestar.
Wendy Moten (Team Blake), “Jolene” by Dolly Parton
Girl Named Tom Hailey Mia Holly Forbes Jeremy Rosado Jerrshika Maple Jim and Sasha Allen Joshua Vacanti Lana Scott Paris Winningham The Voice The Voice Season 21 Wendy Moten
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Paulette Cohn at Parade provided an update on Wendy’s injuries.
https://parade.com/1298889/paulettecohn/what-happened-to-wendy-moten-on-the-voice
Parade: Wendy showed up tonight for her performance with casts on both her right arm for a broken elbow and her left arm for a fractured hand at the wrist. She had been rushed to the hospital after last week’s elimination show, and X-rays showed the damage that was the result of her fall on the stage after performing with her team.
Wendy told Parade tonight: “I fell hard and I broke my right elbow, and it dislocated two times. My left hand is fractured, and a little piece is broken, so my sister Mona is out here helping me. She really got me through. She flew out on Thanksgiving Day. It took her away from the family and she’s been a real trooper.”
Parade: Both of Wendy’s casts were bedazzled with pearls, not rhinestones, by the costume department for her performance but she says that one of her casts is so heavy she can’t lift it without some help.
Wendy: “I have to go to the doctor this week and they want the swelling to go down and they’ll figure out what’s what. But I’m ready to address it and be smart about it and take it day by day.”
Considering what Wendy has been through this past week, I think it’s fitting to cut her some slack on the genre switch.
Wendy has done R&B, soul, pop, jazz, rock, country, and more during her career but has been singing R&B/Soul on the show. Tonight, she changed to classic country.