‘The Voice’ Power Ranking: Dia Frampton Gives Blake Shelton’s Team the Edge
In last week’s rankings of the four teams on NBC’s The Voice, we slotted Blake Shelton’s and Christina Aguilera‘s teams in the last two spots, behind Adam Levine’s and Cee Lo’s. Last night, our two bottom feeders happened to be the teams chosen to fight for their positions. A week will tell if the other eight fulfill our high expectations, but until then, here’s our analysis of how things shook out.
‘The Voice’ Recap: Dia Dominates
Judge: Blake Shelton
Rank: 1
Team (in ranked order): Dia Frampton, Jared Blake, Xenia, Patrick Thomas
Why: Dia was the evening’s clear winner, with an acoustic take on Kanye‘s “Heartless” that Cee Lo called “probably the greatest rendition of a song I’ve ever heard.” Is Cee Lo perhaps exaggerating a tad? Sure, but Dia was no slouch, and she deserves the top spot amidst the likes of our number two, Jared Blake, who sang well but indulged in weird anterior activities like throwing his guitar offstage and nearly kissing a stranger after going on about his enormous family. Xenia hits at number three, a shy talent made shyer by awkward dance moves, and Patrick Thomas ranks dead last for owning the terrible decision to sing, “I Hope You Dance.”
Choose Rolling Stone’s Cover: The Sheepdogs vs. Lelia Broussard. Vote Now!
Judge: Christina Aguilera
Rank: 2
Team (in ranked order): Beverly McClellan, Frenchie Davis, Lily Elise, Raquel Castro
Why: In a poetic twist, Beverly suffered from a cold that led her away from her usual fits to a clean version of Melissa Etheridge’s “I’m The Only One,” that shamed her fellow teammates. Frenchie’s “When Love Takes Over” could have competed but for the fact that she was flat throughout. Lily Elise benefited from Christina identifying the “coldness” that’s holding her back, but lost it with the four cheesy dancers who distracted from anything and everything but their moves. But by far the biggest disappointment of the night was Raquel, who kicked the show off with a song by Ke$ha, an artist who’s known for barely singing at all. Raquel’s version of “Blow” was like the showstopper on a cruise-ship, all mediocre dance moves and shout-singing. Good thing she’s the youngest – there’s always Season 2.
LAST WEEK: Is Adam Levine’s Team Unbeatable?