Craig Wayne Boyd was like a one-man army in "The Voice" U.S. Season 7 Finale, as he was the lone contestant from Team Blake to take on Team Adam's trio - Chris Jamison, Matt McAndrew, and Damien – in the battle for the coveted title and many might have thought one of Adam Levine's men would win but it was not to be. Blake Shelton's lone contestant, Craig Wayne Boyd, was declared "The Voice" 2014 winner.
Yes, country singer Craig Wayne Boyd of Team Blake defied all odds to beat versatile Matt McAndrew, falsetto pro Chris Jamison and wildcard entrant Damien in the finals to win "The Voice USA" 2014 title. Matt was the first runners up, while Chris was placed in the third position and Damien in the fourth.
The battle was very close with all the four finalists saving their best for the last by giving wonderful live performances in the final. It looked like the pendulum could swing to either Chris Jamison, Matt McAndrew or Craig Wayne Boyd with Damien lagging behind by a few steps and it happened just that way.
Damien of Team Adam entered the finals through a wildcard after being eliminated in the semi-finals. He rendered Donny Hathaway's "A Song for You" (solo cover), Elton John's "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" (duet with coach Adam Levine), and "Soldier" (original single) in the finals. He returned to the show with a bang though it looked like he was not a very serious contender for the title. His original, "Soldier" hit number eight on the iTunes singles charts and two other songs figured on the top 100 chart. He showed lots of improvement in his performance after audience gave him another chance but it seemed to be not enough to win the title.
Chris Jamison of Team Adam was one of the favourites to win "The Voice" title. He performed "Velvet" (original single), Robin Thicke's "Lost Without U" (duet with coach Adam Levine), and Justin Timberlake's "Cry Me a River" (solo cover) in the finals. His original "Velvet" stood at number four in the iTunes singles chart and his duet with coach Adam Levine, "Lost Without U," at number seven, while three more songs made it to the top 100. He put up a great performance in the finals and no one in the competition could beat him in falsetto but he landed up in the third position.
Matt McAndrew of Team Adam performed "Wasted Love" (original single), "Lost Stars" (duet with coach Adam Levine) and "Over the Rainbow" (solo cover). He was one of the most-consistent performers in the competition and his rendition in the finals was superb. His original "Wasted Love" hit number one on the iTunes singles charts and seven of his other performances featured in the top 100 chart. He was no doubt one of the favourites to win the title but the winner could be anybody with the competition being so close, and he was pushed to the second position.
Craig Wayne Boyd of Team Blake was one of the favourites to win the title having given consistent performances in the competition. He performed "My Baby's Got a Smile on Her Face" (original single), Randy Houser's "Boots On" (duet with coach Blake Shelton), and Alabama's "In Pictures" (solo cover) in the finals, which was spectacular. His country original, "My Baby's Got a Smile on Her Face" hit number two on the iTunes singles charts and four other songs made it to top 100. It was his good performance in the finals that won the hearts of the audience.
Craig's victory is Blake Shelton's fourth win on "The Voice" as a coach, compared to two wins for Adam Levine and one for Usher in seven competitions.