Reality TV vs. reality. Watching TV shows deal with the recent tragedy in Connecticut has been awkward. What is the right thing to do? Canceling shows doesn’t make sense, but neither does pretending that it didn’t happen. I think The Voice did a nice memorial, with the coaches singing a shortened version of “Hallelujah” with all the contestants as a choir, and everyone holding a sign with names and ages of victims. It was a touching tribute, and appropriate for the show – even if the transition into regular performances was still a tad uncomfortable. This week the three finalists each sang three songs – a new solo, a reprise of a previous performance, and a duet. Reprises Team Blake – Cassadee Pope singing “Over You” This was nice – we’ve heard it before, so I don’t have a lot to say. I think it was better the first time she did it. Team Cee Lo – Nicholas David singing “Lean On Me” This performance was just as delightful as the first time Nicholas did it – a great choice for his reprise. I loved the set. I know it was likely a coincidence, but the song choice was very timely. Team Blake – Terry McDermott singing “I Want to Know What Love Is” This was very good, but, yawn. Terry just isn’t for me, I find him so predictable and boring. I know why he would choose this song to reprise – he’s very good at it. But it’s not my jam. Duets Blake Shelton and Terry McDermott singing “Dude (Looks Like a Lady)” This was a fun duet, but Adam Levine in a wig playing guitar stole the show. Was he supposed to look like a lady? If so, he needed a shirt to pull it off. This was a song that catered to Terry’s voice more than Blake’s, which is how one of these duets should be. Blake Shelton and Cassadee Pope singing “Steve McQueen” I think I’ve said before that Cassadee should do a Sheryl Crow song. Maybe not on the blog, but it’s definitely crossed my mind. So I knew this duet would be fun. Cee Lo Green and Nicholas David singing “Play That Funky Music” There was no possible way that this could be bad. I was in love with the performance BEFORE the mini-Cee Lo came out, and when that kid showed up I just lost my mind. The hilarious thing is that a mini version of Cee Lo is not that much smaller than actual Cee Lo. Anyway, it Solos Team Cee Lo – Nicholas David singing “Great Balls of Fire”/”Fire” A mash up! I’m not super familiar with the Jimi Hendrix song, but I loved this performance. It was energizing and fun and a departure from other things Nicholas has done. I stand by my opinion that he should do some more contemporary music, but this was great. Team Blake – Terry McDermott singing “Broken Wings” This performance started off a bit weak, with some pitch problems, and the chorus sounded kind of strained to me. I don’t love this song, and Terry sounded uncomfortable on it. He sounded flat a lot, and I was tempted to fast forward. I like Terry, but this was one of his worst performances. If it was a technical issue, that’s too bad. But I didn’t like the song. Team Blake – Cassadee Pope singing “Cry” I’d forgotten about this Faith Hill song, but it’s quite pretty and it ended up being a great fit for Cassadee. Cassadee isn’t always great at the softer stuff, but when she belts out those higher notes she really kills it. Cassadee sings with so much emotion, and I really like that about her. Rankings I don’t think that Cassadee is the best singer to appear on The Voice this season. She’s not even the best singer left in the finals. But I want her to win, and I think that she will. She has grown a lot since she came on the show, while Terry and Nicholas have remained very much the same. Cassadee has challenged herself with song choices, she has great stage presence, and she’s marketable. She can do the country-crossover thing that seems to be pretty popular, and she’s a charismatic personality. Nicholas puts a smile on my face, but I don’t think he’s got a big career in modern music ahead of him. Terry is an excellent singer, but he’s bored me on this show. What did you guys think of the performances? Who are you rooting for? ...