The Voice SA Recap: Final Battles Deliver, Mostly
Now that’s more like it!
The final battles delivered a much stronger episode than last week’s mess, and a few contestants emerged as possible contenders.
We also said goodbye to a possible contender in Tracey-Lee, but tough eliminations were bound to happen. The episode also featured the return of everyone’s favourite visually impaired, and Kahn used the only steal left.
Let’s get to the strong episode, shall we?
Karen:
Nadine vs Tracey-Lee: “Hell Fire” by Mango Groove
A good match up to start the night, which ended up being an even better battle. Tracey-Lee has the bigger voice, but Nadine’s depth and edge in her voice made it pretty even. Performance wise, Tracey-Lee delivered more, and all things considered, I’d probably go for Tracey-Lee. She has tons to work with and she might be someone to watch, but Nadine is really good too. It was pretty great, Team Karen delivered several very strong battles.
Winner: Nadine
I don’t think she’s the person who could go farther in the competition, but not bad.
Team Bobby:
Jessica vs Xanilee: “Let it be” by The Beatles
They don’t know the song, send both home. Just kidding. Or not. Honestly, Tracey-Lee is better than both. Joining Lara from last week, Jessica now had tonsillitis. The battle makes sense, they’re just not very exciting talents. Jessica tended to go all over the place vocally, the pitch very inconsistent. It wasn’t her day. Xanilee, however, was much stronger, and at this stage, you gotta take the more consistent vocalist, and Xanilee did a pretty good job. Not a great battle, but better than I expected, largely due to Xanilee. The winner was obvious, but maybe it could have been a much tighter battle if Jessica was healthy.
Winner: Xanilee
No brainer.
Team Lira:
Robin vs El Clay: “Drag me down” by One Direction
This was a very tough match up. I would have opted to keep both. The song choice wasn’t working during rehearsals, especially for El Clay, who is obviously the biggest potential star between the two. Here is when Kahn’s steal comes in very handy. My clear preference was El Clay, even though Robin probably delivered the stronger vocal, but generally El Clay has much more potential, especially post-Voice. His voice is beautiful, and I would buy his music. Robin’s vocal styling and performance style do not match my taste.
Winner: Robin
And there it was – Kahn utilized his steal on El Clay. Great steal
Team Kahn:
Chloë vs Eden: “Rocket Man” by Elton John
Chloë isn’t commercial enough for a singing competition show, I believe, whereas Eden seems to be a very versatile singer, her falsetto was fantastic. It wasn’t a favourite battle of mine, but the winner seemed obvious enough. Eden is a smarter choice, and her voice is beautiful, it has a certain effortlessness to it. Chloë is a good vocalist too, but she veers towards jazz more.
Winner: Eden
As expected.
Team Lira:
Busisiwe vs Kimberleigh: “Chasing Pavements” by Adele
In theory, it’s a good pairing. There definitely couldn’t be a spot for both. Busisiwe has great control over her voice, and her lower register was really good. Those high notes were on point too, she was actually pretty great. Kimberleigh has a solid voice but it’s limited. She doesn’t have the strong higher register and her performance quality doesn’t seem as natural. It’s another easy choice for me. Also, I love Busi’s grandma.
Winner: Busisiwe
Yup.
Team Bobby:
Vernon vs Abel: “Counting Stars” by OneRepublic
The battle I’ve been dreading. If needed, how will Bobby let go of the person he cried over, the dude who stirred his soul? Saying no to a visually impaired – or plainly blind – contestant is up there with one of the hardest decisions to make on a show like this. Hopefully, Vernon was fantastic and Bobby was let off the hook, otherwise I see a flood of tears. When the battle came, both left me unimpressed. The lower register was a problem for both, but it was Abel who had the stronger chorus, and upper register. Understandably, the performance was very low energy, which didn’t help at all. Based on talent, I don’t see a long future in the competition for either, but it’s easy to see who the bigger vote getter will be.
Winner: Vernon
And, Vernon was the one who got emotional, not Bobby. I’m just not sure about this whole thing. That wasn’t a great vocal at all, but we shall see.
The last battle of the first season belonged to...
Team Kahn:
Richard vs James: “Hold Back the River” by James Bay
Full disclosure – Richard had one of my favourite auditions. He blew me away. So I say give James his Freedom. Oh, bad joke. The battle makes a lot of sense, and it should be good. It was a much closer battle than I expected, Richard’s voice has more depth and potential. He’s fantastic, and he’s clearly versatile. James has a more familiar voice, maybe too familiar. Richard is more unique, so he’s my obvious choice. With the right songs, Richard should be a contender.
Winner: Richard
Yay.
There you have it. Next week, it’s live shows!
What did you think of the final Battles episode? Do you have a favourite? Weigh in!
