‘The Voice’ UK review: Ash Morgan, Leah McFall, and Mitchel Emms top live show #1

We’ve waited for “The Voice” UK live shows for longer than we would like, mostly because this is the first real opportunity to see who these contestants really are and what they sound like. There are no packages designed to edit criticism, or effects that can make any one voice sound better than it really is. Not only do these people have to impress the coaches, they also have to make the public pick up their phones and vote for them.

Did they do so? Most of them did! There were no real disasters in here as we have seen on “The X Factor,” though the rule change generally keeps that sort of thing from happening. Be sure to check out our full critiques for all of the singers below, and there will also be a poll below for you to share some of your picks of the night.

Team Jessie J

Matt Henry, “Wonder” – Will.i.am’s “brother” kicked off the show rocking a pair of unfortunate red pants, and this was probably not the right song to perform in that many people are not that familiar with it. The song was breathy, and while he has a great stage presence, we can’t quite say that this was an “I must get through” performance.

Ash Morgan, “Lego House” – Super-smart performance here by Ash. He’s got a killer vocal range, but doing an Ed Sheeran song also makes him current. If Jessie does not put him through, Britain will. One of the best performances we’ve ever seen on this show, or any version of “The Voice.”

Sarah Cassidy – For someone who said that she wanted to differentiate herself from being a model, she sure decided to really emphasize the fashion, didn’t she? We’ve never really liked the nasally tone that she has, and the concern we have with her is just that she’s not the sort of person that the average viewer in Britain will connect with.

Decision – Jessie takes Ash forward.

Team Tom Jones

Alys Williams, “Is This Love?” – Love the spin on the Bob Marley classic, since the slower pace gave her a chance to show off the range. What we love (ironic word choice of course) about the song is how it says so much with such simple lyrics, and she made the message very clear surrounded by what seemed to be a mystical bog.

Joseph Apostol, “Higher and Higher” – The biggest problem that Joseph really has right now is knowing how to use his face in his performances. The guy needs to smile more! Have fun with what he’s doing! This is a song that is meant for people to party to, but we felt more that this was lukewarm rather than something we’d dance down the street to.

Mike Ward, “When I Was Your Man” – Let this make your brain explode for a second: A country singer from Britain performing a song from soul-pop superstar Bruno Mars. While the low notes had a few tuning issues, we like the utter strangeness of this whole ordeal.

Decision – Tom picks Joseph to advance.

Team Danny O’Donoghue

Andrea Begley, “Ho Hey” – There was something about this arrangement that really just felt off, almost like it was not as chipper or uptempo as it otherwise could have been. We love the song and applaud Andrea for doing something a little bit different, but we cannot sit here and say with a straight face that it will guarantee her a spot in the next round.

Mitchel Emms, “Radioactive” – Another great song choice: There’s not a tune out there more current than this one, and it suited his rock style perfectly. Also, we learned through this performance that “Jesus Christ” is apparently something that you cannot say on British TV without someone apologizing for it.

Karl Michael – A great performance with a great setting behind it, but will it be enough? The biggest problem that Karl has is that he is extremely hard on himself, and when he is not happy with his performance, it shows. This could very much hurt him when it comes to the voting.

Decision – Danny picks Andrea, and we’re somewhat surprised by it given that Mitchel was pretty incredible.

Team will.i.am

Leanne Jarvis, “Where Have You Been” – “The Voice’s” new Leanne came on this show with a challenge: Delivering an amazing performance, and making everyone in the process forget about what a certain other Leanne did on the show last year. This certainly was a good way to do so, though it probably should have been as fantastic as it was at the end all of the way throughout.

Cleo Higgins, “Imagine” – We knew that Cleo was a very good singer, and this was a good performance. However, we have to say that we have heard so many covers of “Imagine” over the years that we have started to actually become somewhat numb to the actual meaning at this point.

Leah McFall, “I Will Survive” – Wow. Right? What a stellar way to end this, with Leah hitting just about every note that has ever been recorded in human history. Just based on applause alone, we knew that she was going to be going through.

Decision – Will, of course, selects Leah.

If you want to check out where we ranked all of these contestants moving into this episode, our advice is that you check out the story over at the link here.

Photo: BBC One