Coldplay’s ‘Viva La Vida’ Covered by Chris Mann on ‘The Voice’

Chris Mann is the resident opera singer on this season’s ‘The Voice,’ and for the most part he’s stuck to his guns so far, singing classic tunes when his fellow contestants were busting out versions of the latest contemporary pop hits. Not this week. Instead, Mann tried his hand at the Coldplay mega-hit ‘Viva La Vida.’

Sticking to his guns made sense earlier in the year, when he was being judged by his own coach, Christina Aguilera, who probably has a better grasp of music history than your average American. But now the voting is up to American viewers at home, and that means current hits probably are more familiar — and thus more bankable than older tunes.

Which is probably what led to his decision to try out ‘Viva’ for size — and the tune was a nice fit. Staying away from opera flourishes, he played it straight, using his powerful voice in a higher register that matched Coldplay singer Chris Martin’s but injected some of his own personality into the equation.

His coach Christina Aguilera was the one who originally suggested Coldplay, and coach Adam Levine made it known he felt opera was the way to go. But it’s not up to the coaches anymore, they can only pitch in their two cents. Wich way will the American voters at home lean? Will Mann “viva” to sing another week? Tune it tomorrow to find out.