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The Voice Recap: Ranking the Top 8

The Voice Season 4 Top 8

While most shows have already aired their season finales and are ready to take a break for the summer, The Voice is powering on and still has a few episodes to go. With only eight contestants left, things are really heating up, especially since rookie coaches Usher and Shakira are both left with just one team member each.

The Top 8 performed on Monday night for America’s votes, and with some of the strongest singers not having their best night, the acts that go home tonight (two will be eliminated) could be pretty shocking!

Check out our ranking of the show’s eight finalists after last night’s performances!

8. The Swon Brothers – “Seven Bridges Road”

The Swon Brothers are the only guys left in the competition, and just as four males have been eliminated in the past two weeks, it seems like things will follow suit tonight. The guys are a good country act and could easily be heard on country radio, but as far as winning The Voice goes, they just don’t have it. Just like on American Idol this year, the ladies are far too strong.

7. Michelle Chamuel – “Grenade”

I get what Usher is trying to do by giving Michelle stripped down, slower songs that showcase her voice, rather than the uptempo stuff we saw from her in the pre-taped portion of the show, but again, this week, Michelle was just…boring. She’s got a good voice and the judges seemed to love her performance last night, but as the overall superstar package, I don’t think she’s quite there yet. I, and it seems just about everyone in America, love her quirky-and-nerdy-but-doesn’t-care attitude, but that can only take her so far when there’s so many powerful voices left.

6. Judith Hill – “#thatPOWER

Judith has been probably the strongest and most consistent singer since she turned four chairs in the blind auditions, but personally, I think this performance is really going to hurt her. It was cool to see her finally do a current song, and I get that coach Adam Levine wanted to show her versatility with a Will.i.Am tune, but to me, the song choice was all wrong. If it’s not broke, don’t fix it. Considering Judith was also up first this week, with a fairly unmemorable performance, I think she could be in danger of elimination.

5. Sasha Allen – “Without You”

Sasha has probably been my favorite contestant on this season up until this point, so it’s pretty painful for me to have to put her this low on the rankings. The judges have commented on the fact that Sasha sounds too Broadway when performing, and last night was the first time I finally saw it for myself. While she’s usually so effortless, it seemed like she was forcing it just a bit in her performance, and that’s something some of the singers who rank higher than her didn’t do. Still, I think Sasha has a pretty good chance at surviving this week’s elimination, so it doesn’t look like Shakira’s out of this thing just yet.

4. Danielle Bradbery – “Grandpa (Tell Me ‘Bout the Good Old Days)”

Is she just the cutest, or what?! Danielle proved again that she really does belong to still be in this thing, even though she’s never really performed before in her life until being on this show. I love that she’s always smiling and just having a great time during her performances, and I think that’s something America has really grown attached to. This may not have been the most exciting performance to be done on the show, but she still showcased a great voice that deserves to be heard on country radio.

3. Holly Tucker – “Done”

I’ll admit, I was nervous at first when Holly was singing such an upbeat, fast-paced song, but she totally proved me wrong! I love that she never seemed to get out of breath or lose herself in the song’s energy, while still hitting all the right notes. This was probably the biggest surprise of the night for me, and really brought Holly back to the front of the pack, after I was starting to lose interest in her. Plus, she looked great!

2. Amber Carrington – “Skyfall”

Amber is doing just what everyone else should be — improving every week. Considering coach Adam is super particular about anyone trying to sing Adele, the fact that he gave her an Adele tune is pretty high praise…and she delivered. I love that Amber always seems to do something different, while still sticking true to her roots and putting a little country spin on her performances. And, after this week, I think she’s stepped into the clear lead as my favorite!

1. Sarah Simmons – “Somebody That I Used to Know”

No other contestant has as many elements to their voice as Sarah does, and she showed all of those elements with perfection during her Monday night performance. This song is so incredibly hard to sing, and it’s even harder to sing well. She did both. I love that she doesn’t overdo her amazing, gritty, rasp and brings it out at all the right moments without even trying.

Unfortunately, I’m not sure America is totally in LOVE with Sarah like they might be with Danielle or Sasha, but if she is in any jeopardy of going home this week I will be super surprised (and annoyed).

Based on last night’s performances alone, I think the Swon Brothers, Judith and Michelle were just a step below the rest…any two of those should go. Who do you think it should be? Leave us a comment or send a tweet at @Star_News!

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