Season 7 is turning out to be a tad underwhelming season not until out of nowhere Chris Jamison and Matt McAndrew rose to the occasion and deliver great to fantastic performances.
In a nutshell, we saw Pharrell finding it hard to use the current music book and managed to give his artists some of the most outdated song choices to date. Gwen is so sweet and lovely and she turns out to be a pretty interesting coach. Some front runners suddenly fell in the loser bin and end up if not getting eliminated early, they didn’t even reached top 12. And of course the biggest story told in this season is how Blake won his fourth reign and how he absolutely won the competition despite being against a full team of Adam in the finals. Country voters rock!
Nonetheless, here are what I thought were the 20 best performances of Season 7.
Here you go.
20. Toia Jones
Crazy In Love
Knockouts
– The performance is full of energy and fun and her delivery is an entertainment at its best. Not mention, her vocals didn’t suffer that much despite her working the stage. Too bad nobody stole her.
19. Ricky Manning
Lay Me Down
Live Play-Offs
– Sure, he was a little wobbly in the beginning but once he picked up, he never looked back. Ricky’s tone sounded lovely and there is a delicate satisfaction in his delivery that I find endearing. His falsettos – not perfect – but soaring when not affected.
18. Reagan James
Try
Live Play-Offs
– I never really thought this will work but it did. Her performance isn’t perfect but it has qualities that were pleasant and strong. The arrangement highlighted Reagan’s tone and her voice is simply front and center.
17. Team Gwen
Riptide
Results Night
– This has been the best group performance since Team Adam’s “Shake it out”. The individual verses sounded beautiful and once they sang together, it was lovely. The production looked nice and their harmonies sounded really gorgeous.
16. James David Carter
Nobody Knows
Blind Auditions
– The silky quality in his voice is divine. His phrasing is smooth and there is something about his audition that drawn me in so much interest. He is a country singer and it is rarely I enjoy performances of such but JDC made me root for him.
15. Chris Jamison
Uptown Funk
Live Shows – Top 10
– It was a risk for Adam to give this song to Chris because 1) it is not yet that known and 2) it is wordy, which was Chris’ problem during the Play-Offs. But then somehow, Chris worked on his phrasing. His tone sounded significantly gorgeous. His performance is simply a joy to watch. Plus, there is confidence in his delivery that is quite endearing.
14. Anita Antoinette
Redemption Song
Live Shows – Top 12
– Her intonation sounded beautiful. There is so much passion in here that I think really work in translating the message and connecting it with so much emotions. She’s a believable story teller and her pitch was on point.
13. Chris Jamison
Sugar
Live Shows – Top 5
– Beat that Adam! Chris sounded way better than the original. Haha. Although I still love Adam, there’s no denying that Chris pulled this one with flying colors. He grew well on the competition and his stage presence is oozing with so much charisma. His vocals were great as well.
12. Ricky Manning
Wrecking Ball
Knockouts
– Seriously? Pharrell lets go of him? Haha. Such a shame. Ricky surprised me this week. He totally outdone Elyjuh. His vocal dynamics were superb. Her tone sounded gorgeous. And everything just worked pretty much well here. And that glory note? Woooh! Crazy good.
11. Jean Kelley
Chandelier
Knockouts
– There’s enough drama in here that worked pretty well. Her vocals were mostly on point. Her phrasing, a little airy, sounded lovely still. Plus, she connected well with the song and with her audience that she was able to create an inviting presence while singing.
10. Taylor John Williams
Royals
Live Shows – Top 8
– The arrangement, I never thought will work but it smartly did. There is a different vibe created in here and TJW sounded really well. His vocals were front and center and this is the first time I really got why people were so drawn with him.
9. Chris Jamison
Jealous
Live Shows – Top 12
– This is the moment where we were reintroduced on who Chris is. His delivery is simply impeccable. The vocal choices were on point. He sounded really great and he worked his stage pretty well.
8. Matt McAndrew
Make It Rain
Live Shows – Top 5
– The element of dark, core-inviting worked really well in this Ed Sheeran track. Matt absolutely killed it from his well vocal dynamics to his solid delivery.
7. Chris Jamison & Adam Levine
Lost Without U
Finale
– Perfect! Chris and Adam sounded beautifully great in their duet. The individual verses were strong and their harmonies sounded divine. This could be their record and I am for sure it will sell like hotcakes. Plus, they both exudes that sexy yet gentleman quality in their delivery that made me swoon over and over again.
6. Matt McAndrew
Wasted Love
Finale
– It was the best written and produced original song of the season. After performing this, Matt clearly has the best track and could potentially sell records post season. His vocals were front and center. The track has the qualities that define what kind of artist Matt is.
5. Troy Ritchie
Out Of My League
Blind Auditions
– Probably the most underrated performance of the season. This audition speaks volumes of great quality, radio-friendly stylings and a solid cover. Troy is a riveting artist and it shows here. His personality is there. His vocals were fantastic. The vocal choices were superb. Why did only Gwen appreciated this? I am still weirded out by the other coaches lack of judgment.
4. Taylor Phelan
Sweater Weather
Blind Auditions
– BEST. AUDITION. SO. FAR. Taylor provided color in this cool-inspired track. The warmth was put in another level of warmth and I didn’t bother. It was confidently deliver. It was lovely in whole parts. And the vocals were simply outstanding!
3. Matt McAndrew
Take Me To Church
Live Shows – Top 12
– Where did this came from? I thought Matt is just that acoustic crooner but he shed his inner alternative rock artist in this performance. It was riveting, solid and vocally stunning!
2. Chris Jamison
Cry Me A River
Finale
– This was the moment a lot were waiting for since Chris was always compared to JT. At first, I wasn’t sure with the song choice and would prefer “Mirrors” instead but somehow, during the live shows, everything just clicked! His vocals were on point. His phrasing is solid. His delivery is probably his most confident ever. Chris should win this whole thing because his growth is just spectacular!
1. Chris Jamison
When I Was Your Man
Live Shows – Top 5
– Simply. THE. BEST. PERFORMANCE. OF. THE. ENTIRE. SEASON. This is really FANTASTIC!!!
Of random paper notes; 