By: Courtney Vaudreuil
Last night on NBC’s THE VOICE, the top 10 contestants pulled out all of the stops. The voting is now closed and tonight Carson Daly will reveal which contestants America voted through to the next round. For two singers, this will be their last night on stage. theTVaddict.com weighs in on the pros and cons of each contestant below.
Sylvia Yacoub – Performed Girl on Fire by Alicia Keys
Pros: Sylvia showcased her ability to sing and play the piano. She took on a difficult song, but did it justice by hitting all of the notes and giving it an emotional gravitas.
Cons: Sylvia is strongest with songs that have a big, rousing chorus. The audience appreciates and expects that, which may end up pigeon-holing her.
Terry McDermott – Performed Summer of 69 by Bryan Adams
Pros: Terry is a quintessential rock performer. He has more experience than some of the other contestants, which means his performances are more polished.
Cons: The biggest con here was just the song choice. Bryan Adams is the worst.
Melanie Martinez – Performed The White Stripe’s Seven Nation Army
Pros: Melanie has a unique, quirky style. She has an interesting sound not unlike Julee Cruise, Tori Amos, and Natalie Merchant.
Cons: As judge Adam Levine noted that Melanie needs to show more power in her performances. She is only 17 years old, so this may just be a matter of honing her craft and maturing more as an artist. She should consider ditching the bow and two-toned hair. When you are talented, gimmicks just get in the way.
Cody Belew – Performed Beyonce’s Crazy In Love
Pros: Cody proved that he is not just a singer, he is a performer. He owned the stage in his sassy leather costume, and the confidence in his performance was surprising. Cody would be the type of person you would want to see perform a Vegas show – and that’s a compliment.
Cons: Because Cody is more of a performer, THE VOICE doesn’t seem to be the format to best showcase his talents. Cody is meant for bigger, more costumed, and dance focused performances.
Bryan Keith – Performed Billy Joel’s New York State of Mind
Pros: Bryan’s voice has an intriguing raspy quality that is well suited to various genres of music. He also has a laid back, friendly demeanor that is appealing.
Cons: His song choice was kind of meh. He should have picked something with more energy, because it was almost too laid back.
Amanda Brown – Performed Stars by Grace Potter
Pros: Her performance was flawless, as usual.
Cons: The song choice here was also not that great. It isn’t a song a lot of people are familiar with.
Nicholas David – Performed Lean on Me by Bill Withers
Pros: Like Amanda, Nicholas seems incapable of giving a bad performance. His vocals were filled with rich emotion that even brought judge CeeLo Green to tears.
Cons: Nicholas may not end up taking the crown simply because someone like Amanda is more palatable to the masses. Hopefully, that will just mean Nicholas is destined for bigger things.
Trevin Hunte – Performed Scream by David Guetta and Usher
Pros: Trevin is a powerful singer, and it’s obvious how emotionally invested he is in the competition.
Cons: Trevin is still very young – only 18 years old. He lacks some confidence that he may be able to gain with time. This performance was good, but not his strongest.
Cassadee Pope – Performed Over You by Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert
Pros: This was Cassadee’s best performance to date. She carried the emotional song with a strong, commanding voice that gained her the respect of all the judges.
Cons: Cassadee has a lot going for her. Because she seems shyer than some of the other contestants, there is the danger she will get lost in the shuffle. 
THE VOICE airs Mondays and Tuesdays at 8PM on NBC (CTV Two in Canada). Photo Credit of Amanda Brown: Courtney Vaudreuil
