The Voice Of The Philippines: Live Shows 2

It's that time of the week again! Sunday is The Voice Of The Philippines day! After the success of the first live show, we are all thrilled to see what the contestants prepared for us tonight. I must say that the first live show will be very hard act to follow since "MAJORITY" of the title contenders were on the first one. Did the second half performed better than the first one? Who completed the Top 16? Let's all find out. :)

I would like to thank everyone who have been supporting my blog! My twitter mentions have been crazy so far and a lot of requests have been asked too. I will try my best to really give some of your requests. Thanks everyone :) My blog views just reached 12000 views with my last blog posting a 1,200+ views. Awesome!

Again, I will be doing my review through a ranking category just to spice things up. This are all from my own opinion. For the worst performance of the night..

12th: Angelique Alcantara - Nobela (Team Bamboo)

BORING. Wrong song choice. Everything in that performance was wrong. There was nothing spectacular on her performance at all. Why didn't Coach Bamboo changed the song of Angelique? No offense to the Join The Club but that song was not for contest-type performance. Her voice can be compared to KZ Tandingan but what's missing is her lack of emotion and style. Everyone knows that from this point it would just be Isa and Paolo for the night on Team Bamboo.

11th: Diday Garcellano - Rumor Has It (Team Lea)

BIG. BIG. BIG SONG. If you will cover an ADELE song be sure to really do it well since people will really compare you to the original one.  She was eaten alive by that song. We were wondering if there was a technical malfunction because we can't hear her that well while she was performing. She struggled last night. She knows it that's why she started to cry when Coach Lea was about to make her decision on who to save between her and Kim.

No offense to Diday and Kim, but with their performances last night it kept me thinking that RJ deserved a slot if he performed tonight!

 

10th: Tristhan Perfecto - When I Was Your Man (Team Apl)

Tristhan started strong with his performance. It was cool until the middle part where he struggled. I was wrooonggggg....... That will haunt him for a couple of days. It was just after his performance where Coach Apl defended Tristhan that he voice wasn't really perfect at that time. I just wished that Tristhan changed that part where he will not suffer since he knows that his voice isn't that well at that time. I must say, that part of the song was the MAKE OR BREAK point of his performance & sad to say, he failed to deliver that part. Overall, he still did well. Rest your voice Stan! I believe that you will  be performing with Bruno Mars soon!! :)

 

9th: Klarisse De Guzman - Beggin' (Team Sarah)

Wrong song choice again. Yes, I know that people want to see the other side of Klarisse but that song did not bring out anything good in her. It was plain and simple. I would have opted to see her perform more upbeat songs like Domino or any song by Jessie J, just to be different. Beggin' was performed by Phillip Phillips on American Idol where he performed it as an acoustic version. 

But, despite of that somehow disappointing number, we all know that Klarisse will be saved last night, no matter what happens. Sarah will definitely save Klarisse, for all obvious reasons. She's great but I think Sarah has a female contender already in Morissette Amon which I think has more chance of winning this competition compared to Klarisse. 

8th: Kimpoy Mainit - Hallelujah (Team Lea)

I did not like his version of this song. It was just too much of everything that the song needed. He over sang it. It was too theatrical. He also struggled on the middle portion of the song. This was not how I expected Kim to deliver come live shows, he did well on his performance with Taw and he also did great last night with his duet with Janice Javier. I really felt that none of Kim and Diday deserved to move forward to the next round. I hope he will be able to give us a better performance come next week.

 

 7th: Isa Fabregas - You Got A Friend (Team Bamboo)

This will all be good comments from now on. Haha. Isa really did great last night! She sounded classy! It was like were were all watching her perform on a bar. It's really good! This is how you pick a song. You pick a song that will bring out the best in you. Where you can shine and stand out among the rest. I was having doubts with Isa before since I for me, her vocal range might limit her to only a number of songs but she made the necessary arrangements and really made it her own!

 

6th: Yuki Ito - A Song For You (Team Sarah)

I did not like the arrangement of the song, but who cares? His voice is really incredible! I can consider his voice one of the best voices for this season! He gave his all! His voice quality is crazy good! The control, depth, texture and all! We lost a great talent!!! What a waste. :( He deserves to be in this competition! SAYANG!!!!!

 

5th: Paolo Onesa - You Give Me Something (Team Bamboo)

He has really something to show! Paolo gave a very good interpretation of the James Morrison song. I thought he will still be that shy and awkward while performing but he definitely improved last night. He just needs more confidence and take the risk of hitting those high notes much longer. He can do it, he should give it a try. I believe we will be seeing Paolo for a long time in this competition! 

Coach Bamboo proved to us that he was right when he chose Paolo over the Cordovales duo. Cheers Coach Bamboo!

PS: Paolo's are really great singers. Paolo Valenciano, Paolo Onesa and Paolo Valencia. Kidding.=) haha!

 

4th: Penelope Matanguihan - Ordinary People (Team Apl)

I am disappointed with her performance but I still ranked her 4th. Why am I disappointed? This song was too easy for her! In other words, no challenge, no thrill for her. She needs to test her limit, take risks, she has wide range so she can definitely play with her voice. I ranked her 4th because of her voice, it's probably one of the smoothest voices in the competition. Coach Apl can make her sing anything! Penelope, we know you're a good singer, we want more! We know you have the talent! Don't hold back!

3rd: Maki Ricafort - Without You (Team Sarah)

I'm up for a Maki-Thor-Mitoy and Myk finale! Woohoo! Maki murdered the song! He sounded like Brian Mcknight! I applaud his effort to really not sound as much as Brian Mcknight and it showed somehow. His runs and riffs are crazy good! We were all shouting at home! Coach Sarah was also on point where she said that Maki needs to show emotions while singing. Coach Lea gave a very good criticism too, sometimes when singers tend to style it too much, the lyrics of the song were suffering. I'm sure come next week, he will improve on those things. Maki all the way!

2nd: Janice Javier - I Believe I Can Fly (Team Apl)

Standing Ovation from the judges. No words needed! Janice soared high last night! Shame on me for underestimating her. She's here to win this competition! I felt that she really meant every lyric of that song! Big Momma J brought the house down! She owned the stage and really made the tv viewers and the live audience feel her fire!! Coach Apl is very lucky to have a very diverse and strong team with Thor, Janice, Jessica and Penelope!!

1st: Mitoy Yonting - Don't Stop Me Now (Team Lea)

Mitoy saved Team Lea last night! It felt like he was not a contestant but a guest performer! He totally rocked the stage and fired up the crowd! That's how you make someone understand on how you should define stage presence! He is a PRO! He made it look easy! Hitting those crazy high notes from time to time! I'm speechless as I am under his spell too! Mitoy is a total performer! Definitely the best performance of the night! Mitoy also got the highest vote percentage of 82%! Talk about total domination!

It's like he just sang and told everyone that THE SEARCH IS OVER!! I will win this competition! :)

 

 And there we have it! Klarisse and Maki completed Team Sarah. Mitoy and Kim for Team Lea. Janice and Penelope for Team Apl & Isa and Paolo for Team Bamboo! I would also like to congratulate the voters for doing a job well done! We are making the right decisions! Let's continue to vote for the best until the 2016 National Elections! Haha!

We now have our The Voice Of The Philippines Top 16!!! Who's the strongest team? Here's my take on each team.

#1. Coach Apl de Ap's #TeamApl

How can you go wrong with: Thor Dulay, Janice Javier, Penelope Matanguihan & Jessica Reynoso? This will be really challenging for the four of them to do better than the other! Another headache for Coach Apl! :)

#2. Coach Lea Salonga's #TeamLea

Headed by the two musician veterans on Radha Tinsay and Mitoy Yonting, plus the originality of Darryl Shy and Kim Mainit, Team Lea is also one of the teams to watch out. I can see Mitoy and Radha fighting for the finale spot on Team Lea but I hope Darryl and Kim will do something to surprise us!

#3. Coach Sarah Geronimo's #TeamSarah

It's Maki Ricafort versus the ladies for Team Sarah! Morissette Amon, Klarisse de Guzman & Eva Delos Santos will surely fight hard to win Coach Sarah's vote. I'm prediciting a Maki vs Morissette for the number 1 slot on Team Sarah.

#4. Coach Bamboo's #TeamBamboo #KampKawayan

I can see Myk Perez leading this team all the way but we should also watch out for Paolo Onesa, Isa Fabregas and definitely Lee Grane. This team needs to do a lot of work to somehow keep up with the intensity and talent of the other three teams!

There you have it everyone! Please tell me about who you're picks are! I have a comment section and we can discuss anything! Put your ranking too and let's see if the other readers agree on your ranking!:) Let us all interact and really discuss things out!

Credits to: The Voice Of The Philippines for the photos. ABSCBNBestProgram and ALiWAN for the videos!

Keep the Faith.

Paolo

The Voice Of The Philippines: The Battles Round 1

Now we are on the stage which I can consider the best part of the competition. The Battle Rounds! This will be the biggest test for them. They will either win or beaten alive by their opponent. Having a 4 chair turn on your blind audition is not a guarantee that you will be the instant favorite of your coach. This is also the chance for those who only got 1 chair turn to prove that the other judges made a mistake by letting them go. This is the survival of the fittest. This is the battle rounds! Anything can happen!

First up for battle are #TeamApl's Tristhan Perfecto and the Lorenzana Duo. Coach Apl tapped the help of Journey's frontman, our very own Arnel Pineda to help the team prepare for this battle. Coach Apl picked Stevie Wonder's Sign, Sealed, Delivered to be their song. Being the first to perform is really nerve-wracking that's why I did not expect that much of a battle from this one. Tristhan clearly ate the Lorenzana duo alive. Tristhan's advantage is really his high and clear range while on the other hand, I think Lorenzana duo lacked harmony together. They could have done really well with this song since this is an upbeat one, but they didn't maximize their skills. Coach Apl was right on this one. 

Note: I can see Tristhan spoiling this thing from Thor and Janice. The two clearly are the front runners for Team Apl but I have this feeling we might see Tristhan giving them a run for their money!

    Tristhan winning against the Lorenzana duo

Kamp Kawayan's frontrunner Lee Grane will be paired up against Dan Billano. If we will just base our assumptions on who will win this one, your guess will be as good as mine. Lee Grane. NO DOUBT. NO QUESTIONS ASKED. But after Bamboo chose the song One by U2, I already had a doubt for Lee Grane since this is a man's song and this is not her genre. Bamboo was accompanied by the respected musician Mr. Joey Ayala.

Lee Grane winning against Dan Billano

True enough, Lee Grane was clearly out performed and out sang by Dan. Dan knew he has the advantage on this one so he made the best out of all the chances he have. Dan performed really well that surprised the judges as well. Lee Grane knew this was not her best performance. But to everyone's surprise, Coach Bamboo still picked Lee Grane. 

I know,  you guys will say it's quite unfair for Dan since he did his best and all, but I think Bamboo still made the right decision. Why? I think Bamboo knows that Lee Grane is more mold-able than Dan. Bamboo has a vision for Lee Grane. He knows what he can do with Lee Grane. Bamboo also has that special emotional connection with Lee Grance because of her blind audition. I must say, this is not the first time that this happened. Since I've been watching the US version of The Voice, I've seen this happened too. It's really with the coaches vision and strategy on how he will complete his team. It just sucks that we still don't have the benefit of Steal since this is just the first season. 

I did not agree with this decision since Dan clearly won that battle, I hope Lee Grane picks herself up come Live Shows and prove us all wrong.

Team Sarah's Morissette Amon and Lecelle Trinidad are up next to perform for Sarah's vote. As what I have said on my blog regarding Team Sarah, it is just now that I realized that Sarah clearly has a very strong and well rounded team! It is because of experience, that Sarah picked Mr. Gary Valenciano as her co-mentor. The two ladies will be performing Donna Summer's "No More Tears(Enough is Enough)". I was really impressed with this performance. Props to Coach Sarah on this one! This is what you call a battleround! This is war! They are making us feel like this is really a war! 

One of the best performances of the night: Morissette vs Lecelle

This is Morissette's battle to lose for me. She clearly has the advantage on this one. Her voice is just big and well composed. Lecelle was good, but this was a no-brainer for me. Morissette clearly won that battle.

Thought we got what we want? Team Lea's Mitoy Yonting and Chien Berbana ends the show for us. After I found out that their song will be Alone, I had to worry for Chien! This is Mitoy's song! He can sing this song anytime, anywhere! Ms. Lea tapped the help of her brother Mr. Gerard Salonga to help Mitoy and Chien prepare for this battle.

Mitoy vs Chien

To my surprise, Chien actually did quite good. He did not let Mitoy beat him that bad. She stayed focus and did her parts well. It's just a case of too much to handle for Chien. I am sure Ms. Lea didn't even break a sweat on choosing who will advance to the next round. 

I am very happy that The Voice welcomed past and seasoned artists who believe they still have it, they just need to have that chance, and their chance is now. 

So far, I got it all right, do you agree with the judges decision? :)

Credits to the Youtube Channel: ITHEVOICEPH for the videos! :) Thanks!

Keep the Faith.

Paolo