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‘I can’t believe you’re still in a box’

November 30, 2022

Bottom three Rowan Grace and Kim Cruse await their fates, while Kique waits in the COVID lockdown, in the top 10 results for season 22 of “The Voice”. (Photo: BNC)

tuesday brought The voice The top 10 results of the Season 22 show, which determined the eight competitors to advance to the semifinals. But unfortunately, one of the candidates who did not move, a former favorite, could not even say goodbye.

Early in the evening, host Carson Daly explained that seven singers would be voted by America, based on Monday’s top 10 performances. And of course, the first artist to advance was the most excellent of them all, Bodie, a true quirky and consummate risk-taker. Bodie’s lightning-fast cover of TikTok star JVKE’s ‘Golden Hour’ on Monday had her proud and amazed coach Blake Shelton not only declaring it might be “the hardest song I’ve ever heard anyone try to do on this show.” but possibly “the greatest performance I’ve ever seen on this show”. Fortunately, America agreed with this assessment. And I can’t wait to see what Bodie does next week – and two weeks from now for the final, because I can’t imagine him not going all the way at this point.

This week’s other rock star, Team Camila’s guitar goddess, Morgan Michaels, also qualified for the semi-finals immediately, ahead of Tuesday’s first commercial break. This meant that rookie coach Camila Cabello would still be represented in the future. Poor Camila started out with a team so strong I predicted she would win all season, but she soon lost three of her four artists in the Live Playoffs, leaving her alone with Morgan, her ‘last woman standing’. . But Camilla could always win it all with Morgan…and honestly a top two of Bodie and Morgan would make for one of the most exciting Voice finals in years.

Two contestants I had hoped to make the top four in this finale along with Bodie and Morgan were indie-soul maverick Kique of Team Gwen and “Velvet Powerhouse” Kim Cruse of Team Legend – but frustratingly, both singers landed in down Tuesday, despite giving dynamite performances the night before. Kim’s result was shocking, given that her cover of Rihanna’s “Love on the Brain” had been so electrifying that Carson actually believed Rihanna herself would approve. Gwen Stefani had even noted that Kim had been “underappreciated this season”, but “now everyone is going to wake up and say, ‘Why didn’t we make a bigger deal about Kim? “”But apparently Gwen’s statement was only half-correct.

As for Gwen’s at-risk competitor Kique, I thought he got back on track admirably this week after landing at the bottom last week. But maybe the fact that NBC was forced to air a pre-recorded performance from studio Kique on Monday — because he tested positive for COVID-19 and couldn’t appear on the live show — thwarted his chances. As Kique listened to Carson read the last three results while he waited in isolation, my heart went out to the kid…and my brain wondered how he was going to remotely sing for the Instant Save from his bedroom. quarantined hotel.

Instead, the show aired another one pre-recorded performance, this time by Kique covering “River” by Leon Bridges. The footage was quietly compelling, but I think Kique is the type of artist who runs on adrenaline – that’s how he won Save last week – and I think if he had been in the moment, on live television, the end result would have been much fiercer, more of a fight song. This footage appears to have been filmed at the same time last Friday that Kique performed “for robotic cameras” (as he explained on social media) while filming his locked top 10 – as in the performance that had finally landed him on the block. So he seemed doomed tonight.

Team Blake’s Rowan Grace was the third singer in danger on Tuesday, which wasn’t a shock – although she gave Billie Eilish a solid performance on Monday and honestly, I would have traded her place in the bottom three against handsome but boring teammate Brayden Lape, who I think peaked weeks ago. Rowan was the first of the final three contestants to compete for that final top-eight spot, and while her cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide” was nice and pretty, she didn’t have the guts, gravity, or blood. /sweat/tears. to be a complete performance that saves me. Rowan was unlikely to win this showdown, by landslide or otherwise.

And then there was Kim, doing a gospel-tinged version of Brooks & Dunn’s “Believe” (perhaps a clever strategy to appeal to The voicethe country’s main audience?). And while she sounded under-amplified, especially at first, she had the lung power to overcome any faulty microphone issues. She received a standing ovation from all four coaches and her own coach, John Legend, told her, “I really think you’re one of the best singers I’ve ever worked with.”

Five minutes and a commercial break later, the instant votes had been counted and America had saved… Kim Cruse. I certainly couldn’t argue with that verdict, and I hope viewers finally realize how special she is and no longer take her immense talent for granted. But I felt bad for Kique, whose remote connection was interrupted for the final minutes of the episode, so he only had 20 seconds to say goodbye to his coach and probably didn’t hear the kind ones. words of praise from Gwen at the time.

Hopefully Kique can rewatch this episode and see Gwen spring from him. “I can’t believe you’re still in a box,” she lamented, disappointed that she couldn’t address him in person. “I’ve been on this show for six seasons, and [Kiqué is] probably the first artist I’ve ever worked with who I was truly blown away by their own artistry. I learned to trust him straight away. Whatever he wants to do, he’s going to come up with a vision, and it’s just super exciting to work with someone who is a pure artist like that.

So now Blake has three artists in the top eight (Bodie, Brayden and Bryce Leatherwood), John also has three (Parijita Bastola, Omar José Cardona and Kim), and Camila and Gwen only have one contestant each. Hopefully all eight singers will stay healthy and be able to finish live next week. But by the way, I have to say that I enjoyed Gwen’s offbeat and chaotic rendition of Talking Heads’ “Burning Down the House” with her last man standing, Justin Aaron, much more than I expected ( even though I kept wishing Kique could have been there for what was supposed to be a group number). At this point in the game, Justin probably shouldn’t take any major risks and stray too far from his classic R&B lane on competitive episodes, but it was great to see it rock like that. And I dare say he nearly eclipsed rocker Gwen with his upbeat performance.

Come back next Monday, to see who’s swinging the vote and doing The voice Season 22 finale.