Posted by Andrew Unterberger on 05/07/2012 at 9:45 PM Reviews

The Popdust Files: Blake Shelton, instant reviews, jermaine paul, soul man, the voice

Who needs you anyway, Adam? Blake has his own partner in finalist Jermaine Paul, about whom he’s gotten more effusive every week, till this week they were doing everything but holding hands and looking deeply into each others’ eyes at rehearsals. (“God gave me you, Blake,” testified Jermaine, after covering Blake’s song of the same title.) And now, after all Blake’s “Sometimes it feels like he’s coaching me” gobbledigook, and Jermaine doing the whole “he’s a little bit country, I’m a little bit R&B” thing, we actually got to see “the odd couple” perform together on Sam & Dave’s “Soul Man.”

And you know what? It was pretty great. The backstage chemistry certainly translated on stage—the two were like the Blues Brothers up there, if both of the Blues Brothers could actually sing. Trading off verses and ad-libs, commanding the horn section to perform at their bidding (“Two times! Three times!”), shuffling like their names were RedFoo and SkyBlu…it was a damn fun performance for two guys who really do seem to have a good deal of affection and personal respect for one another.

As with “I Believe I Can Fly,” not the most adventurous of choices, but if Jermaine hasn’t proved his leading man bonafides with this one—though holding his own, Blake was more than happy to play the Oates to Jermaine’s Hall here—he never will.

POPDUST SAYS:
[starreview tpl=16]