The Voice Of The Philippines: Top16 Part2

Disclaimer: While writing this article, I've been raping the repeat button on Myk Perez's performance last night. :)

I was blessed enough to got tickets to finally watch The Voice Of The Philippines live. The energy of the crowd was decent although far from the likes of the audiences from Ellen and Oprah but we'll get there! The stage was amazing!

This review will probably one of my best works since I've personally heard them all sing and it gave me a better view of what's happening live and how it differs from watching at home. I must say that the contestants really sound much better live although there is not much of a big deal but I really give respect to those who can really sing live smoothly.:)

Who completed the Final 8? Let's start.

#TeamApl was the first one to perform. Janice Javier will be up against the young and very talented Jessica Reynoso. This one was the hardest battle for me last night since they are really different from each other. Janice having this Rocker Chiq style and Jessica who's more likely to follow the footsteps of Whitney Houston and Beyonce.

Janice Javier was the first to perform and she sang Chain Of Fools. Her version of the song was great, her big voice was really commanding the stage. I enjoyed her performance and it seemed like she did too. This was one of her better performance since I thought her version of I Believe I Can Fly was her best performance to date. 

The biggest surprise of the night: We all thought Coach Apl will really give a close score for this two but I was also surprised when Coach Apl gave Janice 65% and 35% to Jessica. No disrespect to Janice but they are both good, I just did not expect that blowout score from Coach Apl.

Public's decision: 30.88%

Paolo's decision:  50% 

In my opinion, last night was Jessica's best performance in this show. It was heartfelt, and very well controlled performance. I honestly don't know why Coach gave her a low score, I was expecting more like 49-51 score for both of them. Just imagine, at 16 she's already like this? By 18 she's ready to conquer the world! I know she will go places. I just know it.

Coach Apl's decision: 35%

Public's decision: 60.02% (blowout score from the public! This was really interesting!)

Paolo's decision: 50%

 

And that's it for Team Apl! It will be the Soulful singer Thor Dulay up against Powerhouse vocalist Janice Javier for the final slot on Team Apl.

Team Sarah was the next to perform and before this show, Mommy Eva will be up against Klarisse De Guzman. I wanted Mommy Eva to really win this round but I was almost sure that Sarah will really give Klarisse a higher score(no disrespect, Klarisse is a good singer too) and the public will also vote for Klarisse. This is a big challenge for Mommy Eva as her back is up against the wall.

Mommy Eva did a very emotional performance last night, and I thought that somehow affected her performance. She was really feeling the song very well and that's good, I just thought she should have held back a bit and that would be a better performance. 

Coach Sarah's decision: 45%

Public's decision: 31.09%

Paolo's decision: 45%

Klarisse De Guzman was up next to perform. By now, everyone's kind of expecting that she'd be winning this battle because of her talent and her extra deep connection with Coach Sarah and I think she delivered last night. She actually did nothing special on that song but she provided the right amount of emotion the song really asked for. She was spot on and gave a very good rendition of the song I Can't Make You Love Me.

Coach Sarah's decision: 55%

Public's decision: 68.91%

Paolo's decision: 55%

Sarah will have an all female battle to know who will represent Team Sarah on the finale. Morissette Amon who's voice is just limitless and Klarisse who's experience might give her an edge against her opponent.

Team Bamboo is the next to perform and I will really say this, I've been really hard on Team Bamboo the past weeks, but THIS IS DEFINITELY THE BEST SINGERS COACH BAMBOO HAD IN HIS TEAM! Myk Perez and Isa Fabregas were both amazing last night!!

Isa was the first to perform and I was expecting this to be a blowout win for Myk, but she changed my mind after she started to sing! I instantly became a fan of her! Forgot what to call her style but I sense a bossa and jazz genre all combined on her voice. :) I look forward on her covers soon!

Coach Bamboo's decision: 45%

Public's decision: 33.87%

Paolo's decision: 48%

 

MYK PEREZ. BEST PERFORMANCE OF THE NIGHT. He's ready to do an album! I almost forgot that he was a contestant because everyone on the Newport Theater was singing and jamming with him. Easily the best performance :) I will definitely buy this on iTunes!

His voice might sound-like Coach Bamboo but what differs is he has a more pop feel and the audience seems to also like it!

Coach Bamboo's decision: 55%

Public's decision: 66.13%

Paolo's decision: 52%

This will be very interesting for Team Bamboo. All male final two! Myk Perez will be up against Paolo Onesa. 

Team Lea will have Radha Tinsay and Kimpoy Mainit battle it out for the last slot for the Final 2. In my opinion, everyone else knew that Radha will win this one. I think even Kimpoy knows it to himself. That's why I think it brought out the best in Kimpoy. Why? No pressure. He can do whatever he wants on that song. He can adlib and give it some style and he successfully did it. He gave a good performance!

Coach Lea's decision: 40%

Public's decision: 34.50%

Paolo's decision: 35%

I salute Ms. Radha for giving us a laid back and much more simpler performance last night. She have showed everyone how powerful her voice can be and last night she gave us something new. Might not be the way others wanted it, but I respected her decision to somehow hold back last night. Nevertheless, her performance was still one of the best! Talk about PRO PRO PRO. She's way too ready for this show! I cannot wait to see her concerts!

Coach Lea's decision: 60%

Public's decision: 65.50%

Paolo's decision: 65%

Coach Lea will parade two of the best singers in the whole competition! Radha Tinsay will be up against Mitoy Yonting.

Another great decision from the public!Can't wait for next week! I hope I can watch live again. Haha. :) I will do another blog featuring our Top 8 soon!:) 

Credits: TheVoiceABSCBN for the videos!

Keep the Faith.

Paolo

The Voice Of The Philippines: Live Shows 1

This is how you do it! I gotta give it to The Voice Of The Philippines team for giving us a world-class set, music and performance! I was surprised to see the set! They did it!! From all the constructive criticisms they received from the blind auditions to the battle rounds, I'm pretty sure everyone's all contented with what they saw! Credits to the team!

I would like to congratulate the whole team for their collective efforts! I wish I could watch live! :) Great opening number too! I must say, the coaches really did their job as mentors! Who made it and who got booted out? Let's find out! 

I will do my review a little different, I will rank the 12 performances and explain whether they deserve what happened to them last night. I will start with the worst performance of the night:

(This is just my own opinion. Chill :) )

12: Corazon Dela Cruz - Nosi Balasi (Team Apl)

No doubt the worst performance of the night. She was struggling vocally and I can personally feel her nervousness. I get that Cora is really a rocker type of a singer but I would have liked to see her other side. She was always doing her signature kick then head bang move but that's it. Nothing new about her performance. She really performed bad last night. If ever she performed better, she was also unfortunate enough to be matched-up against Thor and Jessica who are two of the strongest members of #TeamApl. 

11. Talia Reyes - You Oughta Know (Team Bamboo)

This is hard since after Cora, I really thought all of them did quite good last night. :| I chose Talia because in that performance, I did not felt the desire to last in the competition. I know you need to perform but I felt that she lacked something; in my opinion her song doesn't have a big moment where she will really shine. But, in the good point, she really has a good tone. Original. Unique. 

10. Junji Arias - I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing (Team Sarah)

Surprised? So am I. I was 70% sure that the other slot would be a battle for Morissette and Mommy Eva since Junji kind of made his mark early in the competition. We expected that he will be the last man standing for Sarah. I don't know what happened, it maybe the nerves or too much excitement but that was definitely his worst performance we've ever seen. Too bad that it came at this point and even made it to the expense of his elimination. I have very high respect for Mr. Junji and I hope that we see more of him in the future.

9. Lee Grane - Make You Feel My Love (Team Bamboo)

We all expected a lot from Lee Grane. Coming from that very controversial Battle Round with Dan Billano we all thought that Lee Grane will really put on a good show come Live Shows. But....... She did not.. I did not understand the majority of the words she's singing and I kind of expected she will sing another slow song. I hoped she thought of doing something different. Her popularity on the show is slowly sinking and I don't know if it's just me or Coach Bamboo's the only one believing in Lee Grane. I really hope Lee Grane does something new next time, an upbeat song or any number without her guitar?

This is very hard from this point. The remaining 8 singers did their best last night.  

8. Jessica Reynoso - I Believe (Team Apl)

She did great, it's just that I've heard the song I Believe a lot of times and it's hard not to compare her version with them. We don't have to be negative at this point, Jessica's really great. I am very impressed with Jessica, at 16? Her voice and looks will take her to places! Only comment on her is to really pick her song choice from now on, every performance is very crucial so she has to really think and pick the right song for the right time. :)

7. Darryl Shy - Danny Song (Team Lea)

I was right when I predicted that he might be the dark horse on Team Lea and even on this competition. During one of the seasons of The Voice US, Nicholas David(who I think is Darryl's counterpart there; same genre and get-up) even reached finale and made it as the runner up on that season. A lot of people really love this kind of laid back songs and I think Mr. Darryl is here to stay. He really sounds authentic and heartfelt. This was his breakthrough performance so far. People will start to know him more.

6. RJ Dela Fuente - I'll Stand By You (Team Lea)

Coach Lea said what I want to say for RJ, the biggest improvement of them all. He is still shy and not that comfortable at the stage but his voice got more confident and became more controlled. I was really impressed with his version of I'll Stand By You since we've known this song as the song of Carrie Underwood. He definitely did all he can do with this song. He did really really really well. It's sad to see him go but that's how life really is. We win some and we lose some. I did my part as a supporter and voted for him like crazy, I am sure this is not the last time we will be hearing from him. I just wished he stayed much longer. 

5. Radha Tinsay - River Deep Mountain High (Team Lea)

What more can I say? PRO. PRO. PRO. Over qualified. :) She is more than ASAP ready than anybody else. She's really great. I don't know what to say really, she will be as great as she is from this point so all other singers must really watch out for her. The only thing I think that might actually cause her to lose is that the people might think that she is too good for this show, that she already had her time, she should give chance to others and etc. But as what Radha said on her blind audition, Kanya Kanyang Trip yan! :)

4. Thor Dulay - Narito (Team Apl)

PARTIDA. PARTIDA. PARTIDA. Hahahaha! He looked sick but he did not sound one! True professional! I was really shouting at home when he was performing. Call me bias but he is really amazing! He is my idol way way before he entered The Voice and this is the only time that I can really support him this much! His song choice is perfect and his vocal range is just limitlesss! Sky is the limit for Thor! I cannot wait t o see him in the finale! This is his time!!!

You might ask why I did not put Thor on the top spot, it's just the others really stepped up and surprised me. Thor will still be my #1 bet for this season!

3. Myk Perez - Isn't She Lovely (Team Bamboo)

Maybe I was too harsh for Team Bamboo on my other blogs but Myk clearly changed my mind. He was amazing. Great song choice, great performance, greatness at its finest. He was on point, he knows what kind of artist he wants to be. He deserves to be with Bamboo until the end. In my opinion, Myk Perez >>> Lee Grane. I am excited for his next performance, will we see him with the guitar again? I am rooting for you buddy!

2. Eva Delos Santos - So Far Away (Team Sarah)

Biggest surprise of the night! I personally did not expect that at all! She looked like a pro! She sounded like one too! That version of So Far Away was one of the best! From the piano to her vocals, it's perfect. She might be one of the more un-appreciated talents but I really believe in her talent. Imagine how she would have sound like when she was younger! This is pure talent that we are seeing. Mommy Eva still proving to us that she still has it like everybody else! Respect :)

1. Morissette Amon - Jar of Hearts (Team Sarah)

This is how you close a show! After this performance, people are now talking about her more. She isn't just a Sarah look-a-like but she is making a name for herself. Sarah really did her part on this one, I can see that they have a connection and Sarah's styles are being learned by Morissette! Hands down, best performance of the night!

Conclusion:

This night belonged to TEAM SARAH! Other teams must really double their efforts in keeping up with her team. She still has Maki for next week! Another advantage of the members of Team Sarah is their coach has the biggest fanbase among the four of them. No doubt. This just keeps the show more exciting! Props to the music band too for playing great music!

If you will rank the performers last night, what's the arrangement of your top12? Tell me!

Credits: ITHEVOICEPH for the videos.

Keep the Faith.

Paolo

The Voice Of The Philippines: The Battles Round 5

Two more battle rounds before we head to the live shows, I am addicted to this show! Surprised that I am this passionate as I am with the US version of the show. Filipinos are really the greatest singers in the whole world!

This episode proved to us why Sarah Geronimo, the youngest judge in the competition. Her battles are by far the most consistent in terms of vocals and performance itself. She maybe the underdog but she is surprising everybody that despite of her youth, she can still help them and mold them into better performers!

THIS IS MY FAVORITE BATTLE. Up to now, I am still singing this song. Haha. Team Sarah's Maki Ricafort and Hans Dimayuga performed K. Lamar. I never knew this song until the time they performed it. I am really sad that someone has to go because they really performed this song like they're having a guest performance on The Voice! The vocals, adlibs were all great! Maki Ricafort really took this competition to a higher level. He might not be as talked about as Thor, Lee Grane or Junji but he is clearly making noise at the right time. I hope to see him in the finale! 

As for Hans Dimayuga, best things in life are yet to come. You are too talented to not be in this industry. :) You deserve another chance.

That was a hard act to follow as the next contestants have to match or even exceed the performance of Maki and Hans. It was the turn of Team Apl's two Bebots namely Emmanuelle Vera and Jessica Reynoso. If the last one was the best performance in the competition, this one by Emmanuelle and Jessica has got to be one of the worst. No chemistry and harmony was done in this performance. Pure battle. It should be good since this is really a battle round but they did not sound good at all. Too much trying to overpower and overshadow one another. I don't know if Coach Apl made the right decision.

Not a good interpretation of the song Just Give Me A Reason

Team Bamboo's Talia Reyes and Denise Sagun are the next to perform. I honestly got bored with this performance so I think I'd also go with Talia. They sounded great and all, but I did not feel anything. They just performed it. 

Denise looked overconfident on this performance and I think it didn't do her any good. Talia just performed with more composure. I am really finding it hard to understand on what will be the game plan of Coach Bamboo come live shows, did he do this so that Lee Grane will have much easier opponents and it would be easier for him to put him until the finale?

Team Lea's trio of RJ, Juvi and Ranier were the last performers of the night. I thought that Juvi would win this one but after watching the performance, RJ clearly deserved to win. Ranier and Juvi sounded mad which is not what the song tries to say. RJ kept his cool and performed with ease. Ranier and Juvi tried so hard for this one and even Coach Lea and guest judge Mr. Gerald Salonga noticed it too. There were just too much trying going on. This was a clean win for RJ.

I did not know that RJ have a relation to the Valenciano's and all. But I think this is unfair for him to be labeled that his entry to this competition was "luto" or fixed so that he can be in the industry too. It's unfair. He sounded great. He sings well. He has the talent. He is in the competition and I believe he is here to stay. He doesn't deserve the hate that he's been getting! Heads up bro!

Credits: VoicePH for the photos and TheVoiceABSCBN for the videos.

Still rooting for Team Apl, but my second team is now Team Sarah. :] How about you?

Keep the Faith.

Paolo

The Voice Of The Philippines: Team Apl

Last but definitely not the least, my team. Team Apl. If I would have joined The Voice, I would probably choose between Sarah(fanbase purposes) and Apl(international connections). Haha. Wise thinker! Apl De Ap clearly knows what it takes to succeed and if you don't end up winning the competition, I am pretty sure he will still be there to support and help you reach your dreams.

I will be very bias. I am telling you this early. Haha.

Team Apl's strongest contender? My idol. My voice. Thor Dulay! I've been supporting him way way before he auditioned here that's why I am really happy that he decided to join this competition. He deserves to be really famous. I almost got emotional after seeing him take the center stage again. Haha. I am really happy and proud that he made it! He will win this season! 

Need I say more?

Just in awe every time I hear him sing!

Tristhan Perfecto will be the next one. He is not that much talked about but he can really deliver. His version of It will rain is really good! I am excited to see him come battle rounds. His high range will be one of his advantages.

The last to complete the Team Apl's big three would be the very entertaining Janice Javier. She can sing anything! Big voice and quite a wide range too, she can definitely give anyone a hard time! I hope they will be all give the right and equal amount of time to really shine and show what they're capable of.

Here are the rest of Team Apl:

1. Thor Dulay **

2. Corazon dela Cruz

3. Lorenzana Siblings (Guji and Grace)

4. Sir Lord Lumibao

5. Moira dela Torre

6. Cara Manglapus

7. Lance Fabros

8. Tristhan Perfecto **

9. Janice Javier **

10. Penelope Matanguihan

11. Jessica Corpuz

12. Jessica Reynoso

13. Emmanuelle Vera

** Paolo's picks

I can still say that Team Apl is the strongest team but Team Lea really comes close too. This will be a very good competition! I hope to see some surprises and even upsets! I also hope to see new names to really make a scene and surprise us! 

Catch the Voice Of The Philippines on ABS-CBN. Saturdays around 930pm and on Sundays 815pm. :)

Credits to Google for all the photos. 

Do you agree with my picks? Tell me why/why not. :)

Keep the Faith.

Paolo