If I were back in Catholic grade school, I suspect Sister Mary Rita would’ve kept me after class and sentenced me to a half hour at the chalkboard this afternoon, writing: “It does not matter who wins Season 4 of The Voice. It does not matter who wins Season 4 of The Voice. It does not matter who wins Season 4 of The Voice.”
And Sister Rita, smart cookie that she was, would’ve had a point. After Monday night’s Live Finals, the Top 3 acts — Michelle Chamuel, Danielle Bradbery and The Swon Brothers — all managed to land two songs apiece in the iTunes Top 10 Singles chart. And that’s all the proof that’s needed to know that with a little hard work (and some top-notch material) (and the enthusiastic fiscal support of a major label against the shark-eyed stare of corporate radio) any or all of ‘em has a legit chance to be the first breakout success from NBC’s (still very young) reality singing competition.
[Side note: It's worth noting, as we discuss The Voice's hitmaking potential, that Season 1's relentlessly hard-working Vicci Martine has managed a fairly si eable hit with her kickin' single, "Come Along." So booyah to that! And yes, I said "booyah," even if I'm not entirely sure why.]
But of course, from a different perspective — the perspective of those of us who’ve invested every Monday and Tuesday (and the occasional Wednesday) night since mid-March obsessing over every last song choice, glory note and lyrical interpretation by the members of Teams Blake, Adam, Usher ans Shakira — it actually did matter who won Season 4 of The Voice.
The good news, though, was that no matter your allegiance, the two-hour spectacle that helped pad what was essentially a 20-second announcement from Carson Daly proved undeniably, joyously entertaining.
A do en mostly top-notch performances led into the final results announcement of the season. (I’ll be back overnight to add full performance reviews to this URL, but in the interim, I’ve taken the liberty of offering my letter grades below.)
Pitbull and Christina Aguilera (featuring a boatload of confetti): “Feel This Moment” | Grade: B+ (half-step upgrade for choice use of an A-HA sample)
The Swon Brothers (joined by Amber Carrington, Holly Tucker and Justin Rivers): Lady Antebellum’s “Stars Tonight” | Grade: A-
OneRepublic and Michelle Chamuel: “Counting Stars” | Grade: A
Florida Georgia Line (featuring Nelly): “Cruise” | Grade:C+
Vedo, Garrett Gardner, Josiah Hawley and Kris Thomas: The Temptations’ “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg” | Grade: B-
Danielle Bradbery (joined by Amber Carrington, Sarah Simmons and Caroline Glaser): Carrie Underwood’s “All-American Girl” | Grade: A
Bruno Mars: “Treasure” | Grade: A
Bob Seger & The Swon Brothers: “Night Moves” | Grade: A-
Cathia, Judith Hill, Sasha Allen & Karina Iglesias: En Vogue’s “My Lovin’ (You’re Never Gonna Get It)” | Grade: A+ (or as Mariah Carey would call it, “A-plus-ma ing.” Ugh.)
Hunter Hayes and Danielle Bradbery: “I Want Cra y” | Grade: B+
Michelle Chamuel (joined by Cathia, Vedo and Josiah Hawley): Stevie Wonder’s rendition of The Beatles’ “We Can Work It Out” | Grade: A-
CHER: “Woman’s World” | Grade: N/A (alas, Cher speaks to every gay fiber of my being, and I have no objectivity when it comes to her oeuvre)
And finally, the results:
Third Place
The Swon Brothers (not a surprise)
Second Place
Michelle Chamuel
Season 4 Winner
Danielle Bradbery, giving Blake his third victory in four Voice seasons
And with that, I’ll be back overnight to update this post with further observations on tonight’s episode — bookmark, refresh, and enjoy! — but until then, let me turn things over to you. What did you think of The Voice’s Season 4 outcome? Did the right act win? Who gave your favorite performance? Sound off in the comments, and for all my reality-related news, recaps, interviews and videos, follow me on Twitter @MichaelSle akTV!
The Voice Season 4 Finale Recap: They're All Stars Tonight
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