The Voice SA Recap: Everybody be Hurting
It’s fair to say that this episode was disappointing.
It started off with a big bang courtesy of Team Karen’s Thembeka, who surprised and stunned with a huge voice that came from nowhere.
Everything after that, though, was underwhelming. Team Lira finished the night strongly, but the episode fell flat.
Lira and Bobby also used their steals, which now leaves only Kahn with a card in his pocket.
So...
Team Karen:
Thembeka vs Blaque Harmony: “With or Without you” by U2
The battle match-up makes a lot of sense in theory, but the song will sure push both. The rehearsal footage was pretty rough. Er, the harmonies weren’t sounding too promising. She was easily outshining them vocally, but the end product is usually different. But it wasn’t much different. Vocally, she killed them. I don’t know if it’s the song, but the boys weren’t sounding as good. Their vocals sounded off-key. Thembeka was fantastic, another Team Karen member who is surprisingly stronger than what their audition led viewers to believe. Like Almur last week, just wow. I think Blaque Harmony would be better off sticking to R&B or Gospel. Karen was pretty emotional, and when Karen mentioned Thembeka’s little boy, the tears were flowing. It made for a beautiful moment.
Winner: Thembeka
And Lira uses her steal for Blaque Harmony. Hmm, I could see her helping them.
Team Bobby:
Chris vs Kim: “Stay with me” by Sam Smith
This was a very strange, ill-matched pairing. Kim’s voice is much stronger, so the chord had to be lowered to be easier for Chris, who had a relatively average audition. In theory, Kim should easily win this match-up. Yet, it wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be. Neither delivered a knockout blow, or made me pay extra attention. Kim was, of course, stronger on the big notes, even though Chris nailed it more on an emotional level. It was a serviceable battle.
Winner: Kim
Yeah, I don’t think viewers cared much for this one.
Team Kahn:
Lara vs Zé: “Hero” by Family of the Year
Now this is what I’d call a good pairing. Both girls would fit into the same genre, so taking one makes sense. Lara was diagnosed with Tonsillitis which made rehearsing the song a little tough, so who knows what to expect. The battle made me want to make a space for both girls. Zé’s unique voice was a wonderful fit, but Lara’s voice has more depth, her deeper, more velvety tone giving me more. It was a hard battle to judge. I’d pick Lara, but it’s easy to make a case for Zé.
Winner: Lara
Probably the best choice.
Team Lira:
William vs Zoë: “Heaven” by Bryan Adams
Not a bad pairing, but what a weird song. Obviously, this song was made for William, and Zoë would be forced to work harder to make the song work for her. I love Zoë, her audition was a surprise, whereas William is much too cookie cutter. William also had doubts about performing without his guitar, until he rocked up at the stage rehearsal without it. It could be good. And it wasn’t bad at all. You couldn’t look past the obvious fact that Wiliam was more in his element, but the two went for it, Zoë maybe pushing her voice a little too much, sometimes verging on screaming the lyrics. My personal preference is Zoë, but William definitely won the battle. He was better than during his audition, Zoë was not. The judges thought Zoë won, though.
Winner: Zoë
Lira’s reasoning was shaky, saying that William’s love for songwriting would be swallowed up during the competition. It’s not fair to make a decision based on something not related to the performance, or the talent before a coach.
Team Karen:
Jono Grayson vs Sibongile: “Crazy in Love” by Jay-Z and Beyoncé
It’s not a pairing I would have made, but the song could work for both of them. Sibongile didn’t connect with the song at all, her lower register not working, and just looking and sounding misplaced. Jono stepped up, giving a very cool, smooth performance, looking like a star. He definitely won that battle, easily. He made it his own, but I probably won’t rate him as a contender.
Winner: Jono
Right.
Team Kahn:
Prime Zulu vs Shen: “Everybody Hurts” by REM
This had possible battle of the night written all over it, a good pairing and a great song, but the guy who connects to the song the most will likely end up winning the battle. We all know Prime is a very overwrought performer, so he might need to tone it down, whereas Shen needs to open up. Anything could happen. Prime’s lower register was pretty bad; fuck knows why he ends all his notes that way. His upper register is much stronger, and that’s when the emotion comes in, but vocally he’s all over the place pitch-wise. Shen has a more consistent vocal, but Prime’s highs are higher, and his lows lower. Tough one. On a show called The Voice, Prime shouldn’t make it very far, but he seems like someone who could attract votes.
Winner: Prime
Kahn has a huge load of work to do. Calm that man, down. Please. He’s bordering on unwatchable.
Team Lira:
Jeremy vs Austin: “Just the Way You Are” by Bruno Mars
Lira’s old acquaintance, Jeremy, probably feels like a lock already, but I was hoping for an upset. The song definitely suits Austin better. Jeremy struggled to look comfortable during the battle, don’t know if it’s the guitar or the song, but he seemed disconnected, but he got better as the song went on. Austin did well, and he looks the part. He’s good, but I feel like he doesn’t stand out enough. Another tough decision that probably comes down to taste. Different strokes for different folks. For the competition, Jeremy is likely the smart choice.
Winner: Jeremy
And Bobby pressed his button and goes for the steal, and saved Austin from elimination. I could see that working.
What did you think of the penultimate Battle episode? Were you also disappointed? Sound off in the comments!
