Juliet Simms and Joshua Ledet both slayed James Brown's "It's A Man's, Man's, Man's World" on "The Voice USA" and "American Idol," respectively, but it was Leann Mitchell, Tom Jones's protégé on "The Voice U.K.," who rode that song all the way to the finish line, winning the inaugural season of the British singing show after performing the fiery soul classic this weekend.
I admit that I haven't been following "The Voice U.K." much this year--there are just waaaay too many singing competitions on this side of the pond for me to keep track of, and it doesn't even seem like many Brits were watching "The Voice U.K.," since the show lost an astounding seven million viewers over the course of its underwhelming season. So who knows if this Leanne woman will sell many records, especially since her coronation song, "Run To You," is unfortunately a bit snoozy and weak. (Sadly, it's not a cover of the Bryan Adams '80s dude-rock classic. That would have been awesome.) However, there's no denying that this dynamite lady can sang.
Still, the one "Voice U.K." contestant who caught my ear and eye earlier this season was Vince Kidd, whose Amy Winehouse-inspired audition of "Like A Virgin" was cooler than almost anything I've ever seen on an American singing competition. Vince made it to finale this weekend as Jessie J's protégé, and while he didn't win (he placed fourth), with his Sam Sparro/male-version-of-Robyn vibe, he certainly would have had my vote if "The Voice U.K.'s" switchboard had accepted international calls.
What do you think of "The Voice U.K.'s" talent, compared to the talent on the American version of the show? Let me know.
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