Five More Go Home on "Sunday Best"

The theme of this week's edition of Sunday Best was Sowing Seeds of Faith and Overcoming Doubt, and Kirk Franklin's performance of his Grammy Award winning song, Help Me Believe from The Fight of My Life album fit in nicely.

The ten finalists were competing for five spots. Here's how it went down...

Dontavies Boatwright kicked off the competition with Glory to Glory to Glory. His rich baritone was well complemented by the Fred Hammond tune. Judges Bebe Winans, Erica Campbell, and Tina Campbell all agreed that his rendition was the bomb. Erica even went so far as to say that there wasn't a voice in Gospel like his at this moment.

Jessica Reedy was next with a jazzy rendition of Kirk Franklin's Brighter Day. This Saginaw vocalist has a smooth tone that really made it work. Kirk was outdone -- and it showed. The judges loved it.

Clifton Ross III sang Total Praise. His take on the song was beautiful and smooth. He took it all the way up and brought it back down on the chorus, which was nice. Even though Bebe mentioned his nervousness, he said that Clifton brought it home. Erica said that while the restraint and low-register singing he used in the beginning was nice, she thought he could've distributed the power of his voice more. Meanwhile, Tina was of the opinion that he could've used his middle range more. Overall, though, they liked it.

Long Island, New York's finest, John McClure Jr., gave his testimony in song, and it was pretty good. Bebe wanted less growling and movement and more singing. Both Tina and Erica liked the way he took them to church.

Y'Anna Crawley wore out Grandma's Hands. And when I say wore out, that's exactly what I mean. Kirk said it just don't make no sense. She rendered Erica and Tina practically speechless. Bebe called her sassy and said it was great to be her because she has "it." Kirk asked her to do that last line and she hit it on the money. Incredible.

Zebulon Ellis' take on He's Able was a little different. The arrangement was familiar, but just barely. He did a good job, but I wasn't impressed. Bebe wasn't, either. He thought it wasn't the greatest performance, but he enjoyed it. Erica enjoyed it, and Tina said that he brought the experience to the people.

Jeff Spain's performance was, by far, the weakest one this week. His take on Mary Mary's version of Yesterday was dry at best, and his expression was very bland. Erica wanted more intensity, more energy, and more audience connection. Tina wasn't impressed at all. Bebe said he lost the connection but remained smooth.

Carolyn Johnson White sang Karen Clark Sheard's A Secret Place. The elder stateswoman of the competition wasn't as impressive this week as she was last week, but it wasn't the worst thing I've ever heard. The judges liked her restraint and professionalism.

Kalind Hayes' Balm in Gilead really did bring a healing to the competition. His smooth yet intense delivery made the song work. Bebe didn't like the song selection, but he liked how he sang it. Erica said that his smooth voice would be a welcomed addition to the Gospel industry. Tina didn't think it was his best performance, but appreciated his skill.

Latice Crawford finished it off with another Karen Clark Sheard tune, A Praying Spirit. This New Yorker sang the song well, but the last note wasn't that great. Tina called her amazing. Bebe went into tongues, and Erica said she was blessed have experienced her voice.

The five singers that advanced to the next round are:

Jessica Reedy
Dontavies Boatwright
Y'Anna Crawley
Latice Crawford
John McClure

Kirk said that one of the singers was a wildcard. He said we'd have to tune in next week to find out who that person was and what that would mean. And that's just what we'll do.