Craig Wayne Boyd is DFW’s last man standing on top 5 of ‘The Voice’
By BRENNA RUSHING
Special Contributor
Warning: Spoilers ahead!
After competing for almost two months to become “The Voice” on the NBC reality singing competition, Luke Wade was sent packing on Tuesday night when the remaining eight singers were narrowed down to five. That leaves country singer Craig Wayne Boyd as the only local artist to represent the Lone Star State.
Boyd is headed to the semi-finals next week, where he will compete against the four remaining artists to win the top spot.
The problem for Wade was song choice. Celebrity coach Pharrell Williams chose “Holding Back The Years” by Simply Red, a sleepy track that doesn’t offer a lot of vocal opportunities or energy to make Wade stand out. It was clear Wade wasn’t familiar with the ’80s single, and his signature charisma was missing onstage.
During Tuesday night’s results show, Wade and three other artists were given one last chance to perform for votes. Wade chose “Stand By Me” by Ben E. King, which he dedicated to his fans. (And there are many; he was an early favorite in the competition.) Still, the song just wasn’t enough to beat out fellow soul singer Chris Jamison for that last spot.
Boyd secured his position with a down-home version of The Eagles’ “Take It Easy.” And he did just that, grinning and doing his laid-back thing that makes it seem as though he’s been performing on national TV for years. The coaches praised Boyd, saying it seemed like a performance from the Country Music Awards.
Now that it’s down to five contestants, will coach Blake Shelton finally force Boyd out of his comfortable cowboy boots and into another genre? We’ll know next week.
Remaining contestants are:
• Craig Wayne Boyd (from Dallas and Nashville, Tenn.)
• Chris Jamison (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
• Taylor John Williams (Portland, Ore.)
• Damien (Monroe, La.)
• Matt McAndrew (Barnegat Light, N.J.)
UPDATE: Wade and the rest of the top 12 contestants are not technically gone for good. Tuesday, Dec. 9, is “the wild card episode,” and Wade and fellow top 12 contestant from North Texas Reagan James will return to the show to compete for an opportunity to get back on The Voice.
Details are still unfolding, but follow Wade and follow James to hear when to vote.
Wade will also be honored by Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price at 5 p.m. Thursday. She will declare Dec. 4 “Luke Wade Day.”