The Voice South Africa Recap: We Were Not Entertained
Wait, last night basically served as the performance finale, right? It was the last time viewers could vote for their favourites, and the singers hardly tried to show up, and the production failed dramatically.
What a disappointing episode.
From the paid marketing failure to the production mishap to the weak performances, this was not a crowning moment for the show. It was filled with so much filler, but hey, there were also a few below par performances thrown in. Last night’s performances shouldn’t crown a winner, because no one performed like one.
And the whole thing about keeping PJ and Luke’s returns as a surprise was a large piece of turd, honestly. They were eliminated, they didn’t have enough supports, so please don’t keep their reveals like some gift to the viewers. It was cringeworthy.
Let’s get onto the show, right?
Josh – “Hold The Line” by Toto:
R: And we’re back to the old classic Josh, belting 80’s rock classics like only he, and many, many others can. He started off a bit unsure, the lower register not quite hitting the mark, but predictably he delivered when the higher register kicked in. He delivered his trademark vocal, but it wasn’t his best, or as good as I thought it would be. I expected more. It was solid, but didn’t quite get there. B
J: Well Josh has gone right back to being his very predictable self and of course his fans lapped this performance up like it was a hearty Sunday Lunch. The vocals were solid enough but his lower register let him down yet again. I have a feeling we are in for a long night. B
Sam – “Girl on Fire” by Alicia Keys:
R: Similar to Josh, she started off slowly, but once the chorus came, it was beautiful. She has such a natural, effortless quality to her vocal and once the chorus hit, it shined through. That voice just cuts through so effortlessly, but I would have just liked a little bit more soul, a little more cutting loose, just for the performance to go into that other level. Still, I liked it a lot. B+
J: Sam changed her song at the last minute and I can’t help but wonder whether she was pushed in this direction. She started off slightly hesitant but once she got going it was effortless. I maintain she is the best female vocalist we have seen on Talent Show TV yet. B+
Caroline Grace – “Holding on For A Hero” by Bonnie Tyler:
R: Woah, Caroline goes two consecutive weeks without a bad performance. It wasn’t as strong as last week since the song does come off very karaoke, and safe, and unimaginative, but forgetting that, it was a really solid vocal. You can’t really fault that vocal, but it’s not dynamic enough. It’s still all power, all the time. It doesn’t do it for me. B
J: What a terrible song choice! It’s all big blonde hair and sequenced shirts and screams karaoke. That said, Caroline did a pretty decent job with it. She still tries to sing with a very affected accent though which is not doing her any favours. I think she should try the Afrikaans treffers, it could be where her strength lies. B-
Craig – “Every Breath You Take” by The Police:
R: I was wishing they would alter the arrangement of the song, make it more intimate and soulful and end it off with his soaring vocals. That’s what I would have done. Instead he struggled with the tempo, faltered with the pronunciation, and just generally struggled to stay on key. He saved the performance during the last 20 seconds when his voice got the chance to soar. Sadly, it was his weakest performance on a night where he should have been at his best. B-
J: Craig asked his fans to choose between two songs this week. ‘Respect’ and this one. I think we might have chosen wrong. I missed the usual intimacy I get from Craig’s performances. It was still pretty damn good but it wasn’t ‘Craig good’. B
Fatman – “Footloose” by Kenny Loggins:
R: You cannot for the love of all things music tell me that this deserves to be crowned the winner of a show called ‘The Voice’. No, you cannot, and I won’t ever agree. This was a fun performance, and that’s it. The vocal was not great, but at least he’s a good entertainer? The crowd’s reaction also sickened me. But then Bobby calling him out on his vocals was a sign that Bobby fears what this could mean for his team. He knows it. The Afrikaners will vote for this. And Bobby doesn’t want to be runner-up again. C+
J: This was yet another epic song choice fail! In what world does one of the biggest karaoke hits in the world belong in the semi-finals of an esteemed show like ‘The Voice’. Fatman is entertaining and likable and deserving of a song better than this hogwash we were forced to watch. This was his weakest performance to date, seems like most contestants chose tonight to deflate. C+
PJ – “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” by Greenday:
R: PJ gets an amazing opportunity to return to the show that eliminated him last week, and picks the wrong song. Yeah, sounds about right. He’s not a punk rocker, he doesn’t have that great anti-establishment attitude and fight that Billie Joe Armstrong has, it’s not a type of song that he should be singing on what is basically the finale. It’s a headscratcher. Okay, so it was by no means terrible, it was lukewarm. Another lukewarm performance on a lukewarm night. Vocally not too bad, but mismatched. B
J: So PJ chooses to return to the show – and chooses a terrible song! Greenday is punk rock, Greenday is edgy, PJ is just not Billie Joe! Is PJ even a fan of the band or was this the only option he was given? This kid is so talented and he has so much potential but he is never going to be a successful punk rocker! It wasn’t terrible but it just didn’t gel. PJ is so much better than this. B
Luke – “Best of You” by Foo Fighters:
R: Hey, that wasn’t bad, hey? It feels like he made the most of the opportunity he received and he just rocked it out. Picked a great song and did a pretty solid version of it. This might have been the best performance of the night? It showed off his great growl of a voice and it really was the best of him. What would have pushed the song further was Luke cutting loose and completely rocking it out. Solid job. B+
J: Vocally Luke has never been bad but he I still don’t ‘get him’. He always sounds so robotic too me. I sometimes get the feeling he is trying to channel Shaun Welgemoed but it’s not quite working out for him. Fair enough, this was his best performance of the season. B
Who will be the Top 4?
R: Josh, Fatman, Craig, Caroline
J: At the rate we are going they might as well do an Ellen and make everyone a winner!
