by Jessica Blackwell

 

The semifinals began tonight, and the competition felt really empty without Matthew. The remaining contestants worked their butts off to solidify their spot in next week's finals. Here's how they did:

 

James - U2 "With or Without You"

Christina had nothing good to say about his performance, only that she suggested it as a coach performance song. Perhaps she's still a little salty that he stayed in the competition over Matthew, and hell, I am too. His performance was mediocre to me, as everything he does for the remainder of the competition will be compared to Matthew. 

 

Will - fun. "Carry On" 

Adam always says that Will is super hard on himself and never really thinks he did a good job. Well, at the end of this performance he had a huge smile on his face, because he knew he nailed it! Again, I don't think he can beat the like of Tessanne and Jacquie, but he always works really hard. 

 

Jacquie - Sarah McLaughlin "Arms of the Angel"

Probably noticing that Jacquie was picking up a few of her bad vocal habits, Christina wanted her to do a soft and heartfelt rendition of this song. She wowed everyone with her performance, once again proving why she deserves to win this competition. 

 

Cole - Garth Brooks "Shameless"

Carson said that this song choice played right into Cole's strengths and while that wa true, his performance just seemed a bit predictable. I feel that he should follow someone like Will's lead, who takes chances every week and they pay off. 

 

Tessanne - "Bridge Over Troubled Waters"

This song choice seemed very fitting for Tessanne. Although it was edited out, she nearly broke down during her rehearsals. Something is going on in her personal life, but she got on stage and delivered one of the most exquisite performances ever given on the show. 

 

Tomorrow night, the finalists are revealed as two artists go home and some artists from past seasons come home to perform! Stay tuned! 

 

The Voice airs Mondays and Tuesdays at 8pm EST on NBC. 

 

(Image Courtesy of NBC)