The Voice SA: The Knockouts Part 1

This year The Voice South Africa is following the American format more closely with the inclusion of the Knockout Rounds. Team Kahn takes to the stage first as 8 are soon to become 4.

Team Kahn:

Kirby Jo vs Zee

Kirby Jo – “If I Were a Boy” by Beyonce:

R: There were some good patches, and some not so good patches. She has a solid voice, but she doesn’t have the natural fluidity in her voice to take on a Beyonce song. She was nervous, but that wasn’t the reason it wasn’t as good as it should have been. Her range is limited. C+

J: Kirby Jo is cute and has a sweet voice but she is definitely no Beyonce. Her limited range and uneasy stage presence made for a somewhat wonky performance. The poor girl was completely out of her depth. C

Zee: "Jik'Izinto" by Zonke

R: That lower register is so good, and her tone is soulful and powerful, and the chorus was very strong. She looked and sounded like a star. I didn’t know she had that in her to be honest. Zee may have just arrived. She should win this knockout. B+

J: This song fitted Zee like a glove! She has blossomed into a star and sounded really really good throughout her performance. This is really a no-brainer – Zee should win the knockout hands-down. B+

Winner: Zee

Freddy vs Al

Freddy – “Heathens” by Twenty-One Pilots:

R: I love Twenty-One Pilots, so naturally Freddy would choose this song. A band that I love and a voice that I don’t. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, but some notes were still pretty grating. The chorus was stronger, but no, I can’t get behind Freddy. The way he pronounces the words are off putting as well. C+

J: This was just all sorts of wrong for me! I love the song but Freddy definitely fell short in his deliverance of it. I have never been a fan of vocal gymnastics and Freddy is an Olympic Gold Medal Winner when it comes to that. C

Al – “Hot in Here” by Nelly:

R: It took a lot of balls to take on a song like this at this stage of the competition. It’s a big risk, and I don’t think it paid off unfortunately. The ‘rapping’ sometimes came off mumbled. The tempo was too fast for Al. She needed to put an Al spin on it. Slow it down, make it more soulful, cooler. This wasn’t that. C+

J: I have loved Al since her Blind Audition but sadly this performance did not blow me away. Sometimes taking risks don’t pay off and this proved to be one such instance. Al has plenty of soul but the songs’ arrangement did not allow her to showcase any of it. Still, she was better than Freddy! C+

Winner: Freddy - WHAAAAAAAT???

Craig vs Mia

Craig – “We Are Young” by Fun.:

R: Craig! Holy damn, he saved the night. His higher register is fire, he gave me goosebumps. He started off a bit unsure, but when the chorus kicked in he blew the roof off. Craig is a star. Soulful, fluid, a complete package. A-

J: Craig is all kinds of beautiful and delivered with a soulful performance. This guy has all the makings of a star. His upper register is insane! If he continues his momentum we could very well see him in the final. A

Mia – “Not Ready to Make Nice” by Dixie Chicks:

R: She chose a song that fit her country twang very nicely. She has a beautiful airy tone and she nailed the song. It was very solid. I can see her doing well in the Afrikaans market. This was Kahn’s best knockout. But there is no beating Craig. B+

J: I am not a fan of Mia’s country twang but it suited the song just fine. Her range is solid and she seems at ease on stage. I don’t think this is necessarily the right platform for her. I think she is more suited to a less commercial Afrikaans market. B

Winner: Craig

Aston vs Fatman

Fatman – “Liefling” by Ge Korsten:

R: What. Seriously? I did not see this coming in a million years. A guy called Fatman singing a Ge Korsten treffer on The Voice. He did a solid job. He actually really has the voice for it. He hit all the notes, but the last big note did go a bit awry, but really good job. He’ll be sticking around for a while. B+

J: Fatman is actually really talented but all his performances come across as a bit of a novelty. Even his song choice seemed a bit contrived. All in all a good job, I’m just not sure I’m buying what the producers are trying to sell here. B-

Aston – “Another Universe” by Arno Carstens:

R: He has a solid voice. He hits the notes, goes through all the paces, but again, it doesn’t move me. It’s all very mechanical. He’s missing that something. He’s a good singer, but forgettable. Fatman, I think, has this wrapped up. B

J: Ahhhh Aston. The now newly-wed made a smart song choice. I still maintain he is one of the best male vocalists in the competition. He seems a bit nervous and misses a few notes but manages to deliver a fairly-solid performance. No Reinhardt, he is definitely not forgettable! B

Winner: Fatman

Team Karen:

Amanda vs Richard:

Amanda: - “Nomvula” by Unathi

R: Strong, soulful, heartfelt – so much stronger than her battles performance. It was a really solid vocal. I still don’t know whether she will survive for long, however. Her stage presence isn’t up there, so it’s hard to see the voting numbers supporting her. B+

J: Amanda is a difficult one to rate. Vocally there is very little to fault her on but I just don’t ‘feel’ her performances. This was much stronger than her Battle but it was still missing that something special that will make voters take note. B

Richard – “Love Runs Out” by OneRepublic:

R: With Richard it’s the opposite, his battles performance was stronger. His vocal was solid enough, but his performance lacked. He didn’t fill out the song, or command the stage. It had its moments, but ultimately wasn’t as strong as it should have been. B-

J: What happened to the sexy, confident Richard we saw during the Blinds and Battles? I wouldn’t call this performance bad because it wasn’t but it was not as good as it should have been. I’m heart-sore because I really wanted Rick to make it all the way to the voting stages C

Winner: Amanda

J: I honestly don't know what to make of tonight's show as some of the results were nothing short of bizarre! I'm going to blame my vivid imagination for the slight hint of paranoia setting in and will continue to believe in fairness and transparency (along with leprechauns and unicorns.

Tune into Mnet channel 101 next Sunday as the Knockouts continue on The Voice South Africa!