The stage is almost set for the Season 28 finale of “The Voice.” Monday’s episode marked the end of the playoffs, sending two more singers through to next week’s live shows — while leaving several deserving artists at the mercy of the viewers at home.
With Jazz McKenzie (Team Bublé) and Aubrey Nicole (Team Reba) already confirmed for the finals, it was time for Snoop Dogg and Niall Horan to make some difficult choices of their own. The eight acts who performed on Monday included: Yoshihanaa, Mindy Miller, Toni Lorene, and Ralph Edwards for Team Snoop; and Kirbi, Aiden Ross, Ava Nat, and Dek of Hearts for Team Niall.
Like last week, each of the coaches had to select one contestant to keep on their team for the finals, leaving one slot on each team open for the viewers at home to decide with their votes.
It was a pressure cooker of a night, hence Snoop breaking down in tears on multiple occasions, and we have to admit… we don’t necessarily agree with one of the coaches’ big decisions. Read on for a complete breakdown of Monday’s results, including our picks for the artists we think you should save, then vote for your own favorites and drop a comment with your thoughts on all things “The Voice.”
Snoop’s Pick: Ralph Edwards
Of the two finalists announced this week, Ralph was definitely the bigger surprise, though we can’t say he didn’t earn his spot in next week’s live episodes. With everything on the line, Ralph set out to show the viewers a different side of himself this week, selecting Leon Russell’s “A Song for You” (made more popular by Donny Hathaway) as the vessel with which to do that. It’s a song we’ve heard a million times, but when it’s performed this beautifully, we’ll let it slide.
From Ralph’s low opening notes to those heartbreaking growls of apology, this one gave us chills. With every scream and run, it really felt like Ralph was fighting his way back into someone’s life — or more specifically, fighting for a spot in the finals. It wasn’t our absolute favorite performance of the night, but how can you deny its effect when Snoop Dogg was literally brought to tears?
TVLine Grade: A
TVLine’s Pick (Team Snoop): Yoshihanaa
Now this was our favorite performance of the night, and we have to wonder if Snoop Dogg knew the viewers would probably Yoshihanaa into the finals, leaving him to save Ralph. Either way, she is hands down our pick for the singer who should fill the second Team Snoop slot in the finals.
Right off the bat, no contestant has made a capital-E entrance like Yoshihanaa did tonight. The fur coat draped over her arm for both fashion and dramatic effect? Astounding. Seeing her appear on stage, standing confidently in her strength, we knew we were in for a treat. Sure enough, Yoshihanaa did justice (and then some) to the classic “Dreamgirls” ballad “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going,” blowing the roof off the “Voice” studio with an entire horn section’s worth of vocals.
To her credit, it wasn’t all explosions from start to finish; we got to enjoy every color of the Yoshihanna rainbow in this roller coaster of a number. When she threw that coat on the ground, it was O-V-E-R. This was a defining moment for Yoshihanaa, who just solidified her place as a true contender for the win. Niall Horan put it best: “And the Grammy goes to…”
TVLine Grade: A+
Vote: Who Should Stay On Team Snoop?
Of course, Yoshihanaa isn’t the only member of Team Snoop worthy of being sent through to next week’s finale. Mindy Miller and Toni Lorene both delivered solid performances in Monday’s conclusion to the Season 28 Playoffs.
If you want to come out swinging, The Chicks’ “Not Ready to Make Nice” is the perfect choice. And while we wouldn’t call it “swinging,” Mindy certainly handled the angry anthem nicely, consistently navigating the vocal highs and lows while maintaining the song’s emotional core. (TVLine Grade: A-)
As for Toni, dressed like she just stepped out of the Moulin Rouge, this slinky songstress put the entire audience under spell with a sexy, smooth delivery of Jazmine Sullivan’s “Bust Your Windows,” a timeless ode to people getting what they deserve. Speaking of which, Toni reminded us why she deserves a spot in the finals, absolutely feeding us with a delightfully intense performance that kept us nodding our heads (and fearing for our windows) the entire time. (TVLine Grade: A)
Niall’s Pick: Aiden Ross
In Aiden Ross’ pre-performance package, Niall Horan referred to him as a “pure pop vocalist,” and that’s exactly what we saw on Monday with his stunning performance of Damien Rice’s “The Blower’s Daughter.” We wouldn’t even blame you for blushing right now, because it really felt like Aiden was singing this beautiful song directly to each and every viewer at home. It was that authentic.
His performance started out soft and simple, then quickly grew into something magical, with Aiden doing some really interesting things with his voice. Every belted note felt like an early Christmas present, one perfectly wrapped with the smoothest gosh darn paper you’ve ever seen. We’ll give him additional kudos for leaning into the building emotion of the song, pouring his entire heart out on that stage. It almost felt like a fully acted number from a Broadway musical — a really, really good one.
Before he even finished, we knew we wanted Niall to choose him, and we’re so glad he did.
TVLine Grade: A+
TVLine’s Pick (Team Niall): Ava Nat
When it came to picking someone to save on Team Snoop, we didn’t have to think twice about Yoshihanaa. When it comes to Team Niall, however, we’re a little more conflicted, though we feel pretty confident throwing our support behind Ava Nat.
Niall was nervous about Ava’s ability to handle the abundance of falsetto in Lizzy McAlpine’s “Ceilings,” but his team’s resident “emotional storyteller” was more than up to the task. There was an ethereal quality to the high notes in her performance that fully transported us to another place. And that was merely the cherry on top of the overall performance, which was instantly stirring. And is it weird to say that we’re proud of her for stepping away from the mic stand and owning the stage? She really has grown so much in the past few weeks.
Much like Aiden, Ava feels very of-the-moment, fitting in nicely among the Gracie Abrams of the world.
TVLine Grade: A
Vote: Who Should Stay On Team Niall?
Like we said, it wasn’t easy deciding which of Team Niall’s remaining acts deserves a spot in the finals, because they’re all really good.
First of all, we have to give Dek of Hearts their due credit for handling the lyrical tongue twister that is Crosby, Stills & Nash’s “Helplessly Hoping,” let alone doing so while remaining in tight three-part harmony. This performance demonstrated everything that works about Dek of Hearts: gorgeous vocals, effortless chemistry, and more heart than you’d find in a deck of… oh, we totally get their name now! Reba pretty much took the words right out of our mouths with her reaction: “Can y’all just do that 30 more times?” (TVLine Grade: A)
Then there’s Kirbi. Singing in full cursive, this emotional songstress delivered a solid take on “Bruises,” one of the many sad entries in the Lewis Capaldi songbook. Kirbi’s vocals were strong, and she certainly employed everything in her bag of tricks, from smooth runs to moments of pure belty goodness. The judges seemed slightly more moved by the performance than we were, but that probably says more about us. (TVLine Grade: A-)
