海角大神

鈥淭丑别 Voice鈥� kicked off an exciting final performance show with the four coaches performing, 鈥淧ressure,鈥� as a tribute to their contestants.

Adam Levine鈥檚 Javier Colon was the first contestant to perform his original song, 鈥淪titch by Stitch.鈥� Unless someone was already a Javier supporter, it鈥檚 unlikely that the song will inspire the casual observer to vote. It was decent but a little sleepy and ultimately forgettable.

Dia Frampton and Blake Shelton tackled the first mentor/apprentice duet of the night with Tom Petty鈥檚, 鈥淚 Won鈥檛 Back Down.鈥� Blake, more than any of the other coaches, has embodied the role of a mentor and the emotional investment he鈥檚 made in his contestants is remarkable. That emotion was visible in the performance and if viewers were voting on the best mentor, Blake Shelton would win by a landslide.

Vicci Martinez, from Cee Lo Green鈥檚 team, then took to the stage to premier her original song, 鈥淎fraid to Sleep.鈥� It was an impressive song that could have been more poignant if Vicci toned down her trademark joyful dancing, which was at odds with the heartbreak of the lyrics.

After Pitbull and Neo joined forces with a slew of gyrating female dancers in their performance of 鈥淕ive Me Everything,鈥� Christina Aguilera and Beverly McClellan restored integrity to the broadcast with a duet of Linda Perry鈥檚 song 鈥淏eautiful.鈥� The performance was so intimate and inspiring that the singers themselves were almost moved to tears while the eight musicians who provided the acoustics, seemed proud to be a part of the moment.

Team Blake鈥檚 finalist Dia Frampton then performed the original song, 鈥淚nventing Shadows.鈥� The chorus had a great hook but more importantly, it was obvious that the lyrics were not written as a vehicle for the music, instead, the song was a story set to music. It brought to mind Jewel鈥檚 1997 hit, "Foolish Games,鈥� that touched on similar feelings of frustration toward a lover.

Adam Levine and Javier Colon performed a duet of Michael Jackson鈥檚, 鈥淭丑别 Man in the Mirror.鈥� Though Adam needs little support when taking to the stage 鈥� hearing and watching him perform are equally delightful 鈥� Javier Colon did more than hold his own; he may have outdone his mentor. Vocally, anyway.

Perhaps because Blake Shelton was going through country withdrawals, Brad Paisley was invited to perform his song, 鈥淒on鈥檛 Drink the Water,鈥� not to be confused with the superior and far deeper song of the same name by Dave Matthews Band.

Beverly McClellan performed the final original song, 鈥淟ovesick.鈥� While Beverly is not the kind of woman one expects to find on top of a piano, she threw herself into the performance wholeheartedly. Beverly鈥檚 original song, though not as thought provoking as Dia鈥檚, or as pained as Vicci鈥檚, did manage to outshine Javier鈥檚 and that, combined with her memorable duet of 鈥淏eautiful鈥� with Christina, rounded out an impressive evening for rocker Beverly McClellan.

The final duet was Cee Lo and Vicci Martinez performing Pat Benatar鈥檚 鈥淟ove is a Battlefield.鈥� A great song choice by Cee Lo; who was not far off base when suggesting that Vicci Martinez could be this generation鈥檚 Pat Benatar. In addition to the wise song choice, Cee Lo鈥檚 performance concept proved why he is so successful in the business. Sure, he was teetering on ridiculous with his Mad Max-esque get up 鈥� complete with red Mohawk and shoulder spikes 鈥� but nevertheless it was a riveting performance. Vicci鈥檚 vocals were as brilliant as the choreographed child dancers who accompanied them on stage.

While 鈥淭丑别 Voice鈥� is technically a competition for the contestants (and even the coaches), there is no denying that it was also a storied face-off between two shows. The new kid on the block, 鈥淭丑别 Voice,鈥� takes a stand against the reigning champion, 鈥淎merican Idol.鈥� The Voice captured viewers鈥� attention early on with their unique 鈥渟pin鈥� on the audition rounds but seemed to lose steam during the performance rounds. The talent was there, but there was less connection to the contestants than Idol provides.

In the performance finale, however, the new kid delivered quite a blow to the aging institution. The producers of 鈥淭丑别 Voice鈥� honed in on two of the biggest weaknesses of 鈥淎merican Idol": the rejection of original music in favor of outdated and irrelevant song selections, and Idol鈥檚 struggle to put on captivating productions, especially group numbers. 鈥淭丑别 Voice鈥檚鈥� performance finale was filled with energy, original music, and productions of the highest quality. And unlike the Idol finales, viewers never felt like the acts were an excuse to fill the time (or promote products).

As for who viewers cast the most votes for, that's a difficult call. Despite the buzz over Javier Colon and his finesse, the female contestants each proved that they are as worthy (if not more so) of America鈥檚 attentions. Vicci鈥檚 power, Beverly鈥檚 passion, and Dia鈥檚 creativity make each of them a pleasure to watch. In the end, it will likely be Javier Colon who takes home the title of, 鈥淭丑别 Voice,鈥� but Dia, Beverly, and Vicci may have the last laugh with greater post-show careers.

The winner will be named on tonight's (Wednesday, June 29) 8 p.m. broadcast.