Welcome to the semi-finals! Doesn't it feel like this season has been on for a thousand years? Or maybe I'm thinking of the presidential primaries. They'll both be determined by Twitter once President Trump takes office. But I digress.
Pink mentors the performers this week, which could be the reason so many of the ladies have such badass performances, but definitely is probably the reason Christina chooses to show up dressed like Scott Disick dressed as Patrick Bateman. Mary Sarah and Bryan take a stylized approach to their duet too, but the rest are disappointing, save for Pharrell's plant hat, which remains amusing due to its mystery. Despite the fact that only four will advance to the Finals, the night is pretty lackluster; here's the worst-to-maybe first Rankling:
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Adam Wakefield
Adam's been playing catch-up the entire season, so it's unsurprising to find that he's obviously the lesser of the two talents on his duet with Alisan. Yet, his solo performance of "I'm Sorry" simultaneously feels like the rawest and most polished he's been so far; the rasp in his voice is understandable for the first time (the simple lyrics help) and there's a certain pain to his intonation and piano style. It's a good showing for him, but that still means it's one of the night's weakest outings.
Team: Blake
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Paxton Ingram
On the one hand, Paxton's vocals are great. On the other…covering Meat Loaf, especially without acid-wash jeans or Columbia singing backup, is just never a good idea. You have to be in on the joke for it to work, but Paxton most definitely isn't.
Team: Blake
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Bryan Bautista
Bryan delivers his best performance to date with "Hurt," as his surprisingly simple vocal arrangement allows for actual emotion to come through; it's not perfect -- in fact, it's downright ugly in some parts -- but it's real and relatable. It's a good thing too, since his part on "Break Free" with Mary Sarah really doesn't do him any favors.
Team: Christina
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Alisan Porter
Surprise! Alisan's practically perfect as always, commanding her duet with Adam, and landing every beat of her solo performance of "Desperado." The latter is typically over-rehearsed and over-embellished (thanks, Christina), but beautiful nonetheless. Eventually there's going to be a song, moment, or preceding event that causes Alisan to break down and express herself when performing, and it's going to be really special when it happens.
Team: Christina
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Mary Sarah
After the flop of her duet with Bryan (and how weird is it that a performance that likens her to Ellie Goulding can be considered a flop?), Mary Sarah is smart to keep "I Told You So" as simple as possible. Her lyrical interpretation is great, and her twang even sounds mature. The staging is smart too; where everyone else seeks to be seen, Mary Sarah places the focus on her voice, inverting the whole idea of the Blinds. It's effective enough to make you want more, and solid enough to mean that she'll probably survive to the finals too.
Team: Blake
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Hannah Huston
I've been trying not to like Hannah (it's not personal, I just don't want to like anyone who spends that much time with that many toddlers. They're too sticky), but then she goes and performs "When A Man Loves A Woman" as though she wrote it in her bedroom after marathoning
The Golden Girls and Ghost because no one asked her to the middle-school dance. It's a major wow, and Pharrell was totally right to plant (hee) all his hopes on her. Team: Pharrell
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Shalyah Fearing
There's no denying that Shalyah has blossomed into a polite little diva, but while her duet with Paxton shows off her ability to work the stage, it does little to highlight her vocal prowess. Her take on "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" overcorrects, with a frantic pace and noticeable disconnect between the Shalyah and the actual lyrics. For anyone else, it would be a solid outing, but for her it's just meh.
Team: Adam
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Laith Al-Saadi
Oh my Laith. The guy who has spent the entire season defying the odds and winning his spot on pure talent takes on Adele's "One And Only" in a way that is so masterful, he should get a side job teaching Adele For Musical Competition. The new arrangement makes the song completely his own, in a way that feels completely organic and true to his grungy blues style. His vibrato is a highlight on his duet with Hannah too, and all in all it's an outstanding night for him.
Team: Adam
What do you think of the duets? Would you rather have the space filled with those getting-to-know-the-performer bits like they used to have way back in Season 7? And who are your Top 4?