Tonight the remaining five contestants compete for three spots going into next week's finale. The coveted fourth spot will go to an eliminated contestant and I'm 100% unsure of how that process is going to work. For now though, Team Gwen and Team Blake are hanging by a thread trying to knock out any of the three contestants on Adam's team. These hopefuls will each take on two songs this evening - one chosen by their coaches, and one the contestants themselves have chosen as a tribute to their hometown. Let's see how they do.
Artist: Damien
Team: Adam
Song: "She's Out of My Life" by Michael Jackson
Hmmm. I tend to be particular about Michael Jackson songs...unless it's Judith Hill...who should have made it much, much further in the competition during her season. Much. Further. Anyway, Damien sings the song beautifully. I'm not sure if he missed a lyric or if he wasn't allowed to sing "damned in decision." Yes NBC - please don't let him say "damned." Oh but "when I get that feeling, I want sexual healing" is okay.
Coaches Say: Blake says this was one of the most perfect performances he's seen on The Voice's stage. Pharrell loves the way Damien tells a story and Gwen compliments the emotions he brings to his performances. Adam, as always, pats himself on the back for the song choice but says Damien did an unbelievable job.
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Artist: Craig Wayne Boyd
Team: Blake
Song: "Working Man Blues" by Merle Haggard
Craig is guitar-less for this performance and he's definitely working the stage. He hangs out with the dudes on the horns, the dudes on guitar, and the dudes (and ladies) in the audience. There are times where I honestly can't understand a word he's singing, but then there are other times when he's rocking out so much that I don't care. This wasn't Craig's best performance, but I can see why Blake chose the song for him.
Coaches Say: Pharrell says that this is the type of performance you see from someone who knows who they are and knows how to have a great time. Gwen thinks Craig is a natural and calls the performance perfect. Okay, I wouldn't go that far. Blake says "Craig, you're one of the best singers I ever heard in my life." He also compliments the way Craig maintains his vocals as he moves about the stage.
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Artist: Taylor John Williams
Team: Gwen
Song: "Falling Slowly" from Once
I love this song. It's really one of the best soundtrack tunes ever and there have been some great covers of it over the past 5ish years. Taylor's rendition is just okay for me though. He struggles to catch his breath on the verses, but he does a nice job on the choruses. Taylor definitely loses his quirkiness in this performance which was the only thing really keeping him from being...well...boring.
Coaches Say: Adam thinks the song choice was perfect for Taylor and Blake thinks Taylor showed more strength and range in this performance than he has previously. I can maybe understand the range comment. He did have to push himself to stay with the melody. Pharrell says Taylor takes songs and makes them his own...which is true sometimes...but not in this case. Taylor did absolutely nothing new with "Falling Slowly." Gwen says she always knew that Taylor was a pure artist who is using The Voice as a platform, and she thinks he will make a record regardless of the outcome of the show. So, is she pretty much admitting that he has no chance at taking home the title? Are they not BFFs? Because if they aren't, he has made a horrible, horrible mistake.
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Artist: Matt McAndrew
Team: Adam
Song: "Make It Rain" by Ed Sheeran
Yessssss. This performance is so strange and wonderful and mesmerizing that I actually didn't type a word until it was over. Even if you know the song, Matt has a way of keeping you wondering what he's going to do next all throughout the performance. His vocals were crazy but he still somehow managed to deliver a controlled performance. He just raised the bar in my opinion.
Coaches Say: Standing ovation from everyone and very well deserved. Blake thinks Matt gave a Grammy worthy performance and Gwen loves that Matt is one big contradiction....he's a sweet looking guy in glasses with a whole bunch of tattoos and a voice that gives her goose bumps. Adam says Matt challenges him all the time (good) and he tells Matt he could do anything, and he is the only contestant left in the competition with that ability.
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Artist: Chris Jamison
Team: Adam
Song: "Sugar" by Maroon 5
Oh weird. Chris is going to sing Maroon 5's next single. That's a move right out of the Xtina playbook right there. Regardless, Chris' falsetto is just about flawless all throughout the performance. The song is fun but Chris doesn't seem to really let loose. Could be because his pants and jacket are incredibly tight. Could be because he needs to see a chiropractor. Either way, this was a great song choice for him.
Coaches Say: Blake likes the song and says Chris can fill the room with his falsetto. Pharrell kind of says the same thing Blake did, and Gwen thinks the song choice was clever. She makes a joke about having Taylor perform her next single and Adam keeps jumping in to say the song choice was Chris' idea. But wasn't this round the coaches choice?
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Artist: Damien
Team: Adam
Song: "I Don't Want To Wait" by Paula Cole
I'm not going to knock a song choice inspired by a contestant's home town, but I do think Damien faced more of challenge with this tune...not so much because it was out of his comfort zone, but because his story telling suffered in the "hey, this is a party!" arrangement. I think his first performance was far superior, but Dawson and Pacey might disagree. Oh how I miss that show.
I'm not going to knock a song choice inspired by a contestant's home town, but I do think Damien faced more of challenge with this tune...not so much because it was out of his comfort zone, but because his story telling suffered in the "hey, this is a party!" arrangement. I think his first performance was far superior, but Dawson and Pacey might disagree. Oh how I miss that show.
Coaches Say: Blake is carrying his lucky pocket knife (?) and says it was great to see Damien do something fun. Pharrell says Damien's voice is phenomenal and he was touched by the performance. Gwen called the arrangement a "Peter Gabriel meets tribal" version of the song and enjoyed that he went with something upbeat. Adam pats himself on the back and I'm over it.
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Artist: Matt McAndrew
Team: Adam
Song: "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" by U2
As expected, this is a great performance. The staging is straight out of an arena tour and that's also how Matt tackles the song. He greets a number of audience members and tries to keep the crowd as involved as possible. Matt really comes across in this performance as a humble, talented guy who is grateful for the fans supporting him. I probably prefer "Make It Rain" to this song, but he's had a really great night.
Coaches Say: Blake says Matt made performing that song look effortless and Pharrell thinks Bono would be proud. Gwen gives a shout out to Bono (I'm sure he appreciates that) and says she loves listening to Matt's voice because it's so rich and dramatic. Adam talks a lot about how he doesn't need to talk at all, then goes with "wow."
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Artist: Craig Wayne Boyd
Team: Blake
Song: "The Old Rugged Cross" by
Here's a "wow" moment, complete with emotion, story telling, and brilliant vocals. I'm a little emotional myself watching Craig give everything he's got to this hymn. This song means so much to him, and I'm so glad he shared his rendition of it tonight. This could have (and probably should have) easily been the closing number of the semi-finals. Best of the night.
Coaches Say: Standing ovations all around and he deserves every bit of the cheering and jumping going on in the audience right now. Pharrell says "to God be the glory" and asks Craig what it feels like to be at the top of his game and to surrender it to God in front of the entire world. Oh man. That's quite a question to ask someone on live TV, especially when emotions are so high already. Craig tearfully says how blessed he feels, and darn it if I don't have some tears too. Gwen is crying (she's done that a lot this episode) and says the performance was beautiful. Adam tells Craig the song was a brilliant idea and says it was the perfect thing at the perfect moment. Blake tells Craig he gave one of the most passionate, epic vocal performances he's ever heard. Amen.
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Artist: Taylor John Williams
Team: Gwen
Song: "Blank Space" by Taylor Swift
I am so incredibly entertained by this...not because it's amazing, but because it's just so out there that it makes me smile. That being said, the lyrics to the song and the animated way T-Swift sings it makes this mellow rendition quickly forgettable. Could I look away from the performance? No. But would I download this version? No way. I'm sad for Team Gwen. I wish she'd been able to hold onto Anita through the semi-finals.
Coaches Say: Adam calls the performance awesome and the crowd is screaming like crazy for Taylor. I guess I'm missing something here. Gwen calls Taylor a true artist (again) and says she can't wait to see what kind of record he makes in the future. She pleads with America to vote for him because "he's amazing!" Oh Gwen, I want to. I really do. But I have to throw my support Matt and Craig's way tonight.
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Artist: Chris Jamison
Team: Adam
Song: "When I Was Your Man" by Bruno Mars
Didn't Chris already do Bruno Mars this season? Recently, right? I guess it doesn't matter. He chooses the dark stage, mic stand and piano route for this song and he gives probably his best vocal performance of the season. His falsetto is just crazy in terms of consistency and he's definitely connected to the song. Well done.
Didn't Chris already do Bruno Mars this season? Recently, right? I guess it doesn't matter. He chooses the dark stage, mic stand and piano route for this song and he gives probably his best vocal performance of the season. His falsetto is just crazy in terms of consistency and he's definitely connected to the song. Well done.
Coaches Say: Gwen says this was her favorite Chris performance. Adam talks about the progress Chris has made....and we're out of time..
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So tomorrow two of these guys will be eliminated, but maybe not given the TBD fourth spot in the finale. It's all very confusing to me. Will it be a Team Adam plus 1 week next week? Does anyone from Team Pharrell (cough, DaNica) have a chance at coming back? If Taylor makes it through...and that is a big if....can he cover Nicki Minaj or Metallica in the finale? I'd tune in just for that. We'll see how this all shakes out during the results show. Til then!
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