OK, guys, you read what I had to say to Cee-Lo and Blake's teams, as to who could be winding up heading towards the Finals, when the Live Shows begin Monday, April 2. Now that those two teams are out of the way, let's focus on the other two (stronger, in my opinion) squads. Ready? Here we go....
TEAM ADAM LEVINE ("Team Zenmaster")
Well, he took the title last year with R&B/pop crooner Javier Colon, but there were other parts of Adam's team that people sat up and took notice on, including young sensation Jeff Jenkins (one of my other faves) and country singer Casey Weston (who improved nicely enough to make the Top 8). Adam still has the goods to make sure he makes the top again this year, they just need to be fine-tuned into what could be, again, a solid team. All he has to do is play on their strengths to get them focused in the right direction, a trick he does very masterfully. But how well they're gonna do, well, that's up more or less up to them....
6) Karla Davis--this young artist managed to find her own "voice" (no pun intended) in a solid duel against Orlando Napier. Now it's just a matter of building on the strength of her power, and hopefully, the choice of song will make all the difference.
5) Katrina Parker--this lady from Los Angeles, by way of North Carolina (and I gotta say I'm glad of that <G>), proved she can be a "dark horse" of her own, with a vocal ability that jsut needs its own fine tuning to make her truly incredible. Don't be surprised if she also finds the right tune to make her a force to reckon with, all she needs is focus and a bit of confidence.
4) Kim Yarbrough--she proved that experience has its own rewards, being able to hold her own against a young lady many thought had a legit shot at the title, Whitney Myer (including Adam himself). She's become the "Frenchie Davis" of this season, and now it's just a matter of drawing on that experience, especially with the young talent involved.
3) Mathai--she decided on a career in music, and got three of the four coaches very interested in guiding her in the auditions. But it was her ability to adapt and find a "comfort zone" on stage that proved her talent, and that zone is going to be critical in her next performance. Her ability to connect with the audience has been great, she just needs to take that one step further.
2) Pip--this young man from Georgia has proven he's got what it takes, even for looking like a mesh of a young Donny Osmond and Steve Urkel. (NO offense intended, my young friend. <G>) His vocal talent and his ability to adapt to just about ANY song makes him a force to be reckoned with. Now it's just a matter of being comfortable on stage (something he's used to) and NOT taking anything for granted. He's got a VERY legit shot at the title, from what's been said, now it's just making it happen is what it's gonna take.
1) Tony Lucca--this old colleague of Christina from her "Mickey Mouse Club" days has proven he's got the experience and talent to make it to the top. Now it's just a matter of drawing on both, especially with the up and comers (and even a couple of the "old timers") involved this year. But right now, he's looking to be the one to beat for Adam's team, but can he master enough to take the overall title is anyone's question.
TEAM CHRISTINA AGULIERA ("Team Xtina"/"Team Diva")
Well, she's become the focal point of a lot of gossip nowadays, and not all of it necessarily good. But let's face the facts, folks, Christina HAS the power in her vocal ability and the passion to bring it out in her teammates, as she did with semi-finalists Frenchie Davis and Beverly McClellan last season. Christina, anybody can ask me, when I call you "larger than life," I call you that because of your talent and raw vocal power, NOT your dress size (and a couple of reality folk need to BACK OFF, obviously). And right now, even WITH the notable absence of one of your best acts (the country duo The Line, another of my new faves this season), I believe your team IS the one that could manage to get the title. You've still got work to do to bring out that power, but this team could be the one that grabs the gold, hands down....
6) Ashley De La Rosa--she's become yet another artist that came out of nowhere and found her vocal strength quickly, taking out fan favorite Johnathas. But she'll need everything she's got, much less the right song, to take her further into the Live Shows. But with her determination, she just might have what it takes.
5) Moses Stone--the first hip-hop artist to make the show, he's proven in just that short a time that hip-hop has its own strong "voice," as he proved, knocking out The Line in one of the most unique Battle Rounds of the tournament. Can he prove himself with more of a mainstream tune? That remains to be seen if he can once again gain "satisfaction," but I think he's got more than a few heads now looking to see what else he can do, including me.
4) Sera Hill-she's proven she can be a young voice in R&B, and still be powerful enough even for the Live Shows. The only thing that may prove her weakness is her relative newness to performing, but if her talent can make up for that, she's got a good shot. Anyone who can do a vocal in the audition with Christina herself certainly deserves to get a look at and listen to.
3) Chris Mann--he's proven you don't necessarily have to come out of the rock, pop, country, or R&B niches to find your own way of mastering your skill. The "Opera Mann" (as he's now been termed) has been steadily finding his way of becoming more mainstream and still keeping that unique vocal styling he's being respected for. Now, it's a matter of finding a song that can showcase his vocal strength quite nicely. I can't say that Chris COULD be destined for the Finals, but his vocal ability can't be ruled out, either.
2) Lindsey Pavao--she's neck and neck with Blake's artist Charlotte Sometimes for becoming the new "alternative diva" of this season, and she's proven her own quirky style works for her quite well. But whereas Charlotte tends to be a bit brash, Lindsey has proven a calmer, more focused edge works, too. But Lindsey just needs to be aware too calm means possibly too quiet, especially for her audience.
1) Jesse Campbell--right now, if Javier Colon was everyone's "likely" pick for the title last year-and I'll be honest, I grew to like Dia Frampton, enjoyed Beverly McClellan and Vicci Martinez, and went big for Nakia, ALL true, but the moment you heard Javier, you knew "number 1 seed" when you heard it. I STILL say right now I get the same feeling this year from Jesse Campbell-his gospel training and incredible drive make his vocal power all the more impressive. If you heard just a few moments of either his audition or his battle with Anthony Evans, Jr, you KNEW he's gonna be the one to beat. BUT, Jesse, I will warn you, like I have with Charlotte and Cee-Lo's lady Erin Martin, aggressiveness can sometimes lead to problems. It's hard to know when confidence can cross the line to ego, and you need to be able to stop before that, even though I can understand you're fighting to make a better life for you and your daughter. Let the vocal ability speak for itself, and the music, and your performances, will do the rest.
That's it for the pre-Live Show "line-ups," folks. Last year, I had made some predictions as to who would be the Final 8, and even the Final 4. The way the show was set up last year with its talent, it was pretty clear who to pick that I thought would make the cut. And I'm kind of pleased most of my guesses were correct, even though one was backwards (Cee-Lo's, I had thought Nakia would be #1, Vicci #2-as we know, the opposite happened), one only half right (when Adam picked Casey Weston over Jeff Jenkins, my pick, as his #2), and one VERY much wrong (I had thought Patrick Thomas and Jared Blake, not Xenia and Dia, would represent Blake's team). As for the fourth, I had flip-flopped the two several times, but came out right (Beverly #1 and Frenchie #2 for Christina) by the Top 8.
THIS year, other than Jesse Campbell being a SURE lock in my opinion to probably make the Finals, this is a season that has been too full of surprises, twists, and certainly upsets, to even venture a guess. I hate to say it, the fact I'd have better luck with the NCAA basketball finals than The Voice says it ALL. <G> All I can tell you is, tune in Monday night, April 2nd, at 8 pm EST/7 pm CST on NBC for the start of the Live Shows, to determine who moves on towards the Finale, and a chance to become "THE Voice."
And for those of you who STILL haven't been part of the audience until now, keep your eye out soon-I'll be back later this weekend to give you an idea of how the process works. (Or, you can also go to NBC.com, to get the details on how your votes can be cast via phone, email, even iTunes, oddly enough. Just look for The Voice homepage-http://nbc.com/the-voice-and click on the "vote" section to find out about it.) But there's also some tips I'll offer as well, so keep an eye out for my blog here, and on Facebook.
That's it from here, guys. See ya soon, this is the Wolffe! Take care, be good, God bless, I'm gone, bye bye, NUFF SAID!
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