The Voice - Top 16

The Voice – Top 16

Yes, I have been watching “The Voice” on NBC and it’s a pretty good show. It’s a bit like American Idol, but instead of judges there are “coaches”, each a successful recording artist. The four coaches are country singer Blake Shelton, Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, and Maroon 5’s Adam Levine. Their job is to hone these singer’s skills and make them the best vocalist they can be.

Right now, each coach has reduced their team down to four. I will go over each contestant, what I think of them, and how far they can go. I am unfamiliar with how the show proceeds from here, but I will predict who will get the farthest and who will be eliminated early.

Team Adam:

Casey Weston
Young girl, reminds me of Haley Reinhart from American Idol, but her voice is definitely not as good as Haley’s. She really doesn’t stand out and I can’t see her going far.
Predicted finish: 11^th-16^th

Javier Colon
One of my favorites and a frontrunner. He’s got a unique style, a great voice, and he is extremely likeable. He better get really far. This father and family man might just win it all.
Predicted finish: 1^st-5^th

Devon Barley
He’s likeable and young, reminds me of a less geeky Kevin Covais. He’s a pre-med student, so he can always fall back on that if singing doesn’t work out for him. Not the best voice in the competition, but he is well-liked, and we know votes aren’t solely based on voice alone.
Predicted finish: 6^th-12^th

Jeff Jenkins
Another likeable member on Adam’s team is Jeff Jenkins. Doesn’t look like a singer but he certainly can sing. I’d say he’s the 2^nd best on Adam’s team. He’s somewhere between country and pop. Maybe a bit more country.
Predicted finish: 4^th-9^th

Team Blake:

Patrick Thomas
Country singer on a country singer’s team. Interesting. He really doesn’t impress me THAT much. But then again, neither did Scotty McCreery at first. He’s too shy and not assertive or aggressive enough to really get far.
Predicted finish: 7^th-13^th

Jared Blake
How in the world did this guy need a 2^nd chance to get paired up with a coach? He is pretty much the token rocker and is the best singer on Blake’s team. He reminds me of a bald Bo Bice, or a tattooed Chris Daughtry. People will like him (he’s the father of 6) and he will get far and might even win.
Predicted finish: 1^st-6^th

Dia Frampton
The most bubbly girl I’ve ever seen. Her voice is bubbly, her appearance is bubbly, etc. Not a great singing voice, though, but she’s cute and shouldn’t go too soon.
Predicted finish: 9^th-14^th

Xenia Martinez
Sorry, but Xenia really can’t sing. She’s only given credit for her tone, which is equivalent to the female version of Paul McDonald. Her voice is raspy, has no range, and is not impressive. Her shyness and inability to handle the spotlight will give her an early exit. She was the winner of pretty much the only battle that the coaches didn’t like.
Predicted finish: 12^th-16^th

Team Christina:

Frenchie Davis
Yes, THE Frenchie Davis from American Idol. She is still trying to get a career in singing. Her recognition will only get her so far. But she will survive the early eliminations. I can’t see her winning, I just can’t.
Predicted finish: 5^th-11^th

Beverly McLellan
I am not a fan of hers. I hate her voice. The bravado or whatever it’s called in her voice sends shivers down my spine—but not good ones. The kind of shivers you get from hearing nails on a chalkboard. I’m not saying her voice is that bad—I just personally can’t stand it. I hope she is eliminated quickly.
Predicted finish: 7^th-12^th

Raquel Castro
This petite (4’11”) 16-year old has a big voice for such a small package. Plus, she’s as cute as a button. Very likeable and I wish her the best. She was in the movie Jersey Girl, so she has experience in front of the camera.
Predicted finish: 6^th-11^th

Lily Elise
She is one of the most average female singers I’ve ever seen. She’s good, but not extraordinary. I don’t think she is too memorable or someone people can start to really like. She will probably be an early elimination.
Predicted finish: 10^th-16^th

Team Cee Lo:

Vicci Martinez
A fellow Washingtonian, I find it hard NOT to root for Vicci. She has so much energy on the stage, and she has a lot of experience having opened up for some pretty famous acts. She is a frontrunner, I think, so long as she puts it all out there every time.
Predicted finish: 3^rd-8^th

Nakia
Who is this guy, Rupert from Survivor? He has a lot of… grit and determination. He’s unique, but his voice isn’t all that impressive, at least to me. He’s a bit of a question mark and a dark horse. He could finish towards the top or get eliminated early.
Predicted finish: 5^th-12^th

Tori and Taylor Thompson
The only duo left in the show, the Thompson sisters are also a bit of a question mark. I think their voices are limited and could get outshone by more powerful vocalists. The sky is the limit for them, however, because if they sing well enough, they could get close to winning it.
Predicted finish: 4^th-10^th

Curtis Grimes
I really hear nothing too outstanding in his voice. He’s the 3rd male country singer in this competition, counting Jeff Jenkins and Patrick Thomas. It’s hard to say how far he’ll get, but I will say farther than Patrick.
Predicted Finish: 6^th-11^th


Well, that is the Top 16 on The Voice. Let’s now order them by their average predicted finish:
16. Xenia Martinez (14)
15. Casey Weston (13.5)
14. Lily Elise (13)
13. Dia Frampton (11.5)
12. Patrick Thomas (10)
11. Beverly McLellan (9.5)
10. Devon Barley (9)
9. Nakia (8.5)
8. Curtis Grimes (8.5)
7. Raquel Castro (8.5)
6. Frenchie Davis (8)
5. Tori and Taylor Thompson (7)
4. Jeff Jenkins (6.5)
3. Vicci Martinez (5.5)
2. Jared Blake (3.5)
1. Javier Colon (3)

So there you have it. A final three of Vicci, Jared, and Javier. Winner being Javier. Just for fun, let’s see what position each coach averaged with their vocalists:

Team Adam: 7.5
Team Blake: 10.75
Team Christina: 9.5
Team Cee Lo: 6.25

So there we have it. Cee Lo has the best team overall, but I predict someone from Adam’s will win it all. We’ll find out later this month.