Hello and welcome back to The Voice! We haven't had too long of a break between seasons and yet so much seems to have happened. Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton both broke my hearts when they announced the end of their respective marriages. I spent several hours listening to Miranda's "Mama's Broken Heart" to make me feel better. And is if the divorce news wasn't enough, Blake and Gwen are DATING. I mean, this is such a strange match up but I'm interested to see how this all plays out on live television. This sh*t is bananas!
Tonight the Top 12 take the stage and the coaches are out of saves and steals. Who has the stronger team going in to this last round? Personally, I'm for Team Gwen, but Team Adam might have the ringer this season. Let's see how they do!
Artist: Braiden Sunshine
Team: Gwen
Song: "Renegade" by Styx
The competition's youngest contestant takes on a rock song to kick off the show and he's a totally different kid when the stage lights go up. This little dude with curly hair and glasses in the rehearsal package has straight hair, contact lenses, and a confident attitude for this performance. I'm pleasantly surprised by how well he does with "Renegade." Braiden is not a full blown rock star here, but his vocals and use of the stage are definitely impressive. Great start.
Coaches Say: Adam loves Braiden and loves watching him perform. Blake thinks the kid can do anything and Pharrell was impressed by the "cool runs" Braiden infused in the song. Gwen says she was initially scared by Braiden's song choice but thinks he did a great job.
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Artist: Amy Vachal
Team: Adam
Song: "Hotline Bling" by Drake
Adam's first contestant puts her own spin on a song that I never would have thought would be on her set list. Amy plays with the melodies and certainly gets creative. I think she loses lyrics at times in terms of annunciation, but overall I like her performance. She also gets bonus points for the mic stand matching the color of her dress.
Coaches Say: Blake says there has never been a more elegant and classy version of a song about a booty call on the show. He then flirts with Gwen and Adam starts fanning himself. Pharrell is happy for Amy and says "you put so much of you into that song." Gwen tells Amy she looks pretty and says the performance was gorgeous. Adam thinks the song choice was bold and brave (pats self on back) and says she created an entirely new spin that he wants to download right now.
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Artist: Mark Hood
Team: Pharrell
Song: "Against All Odds" by Phil Collins
Okay, confession: I hate this song. I loved it long before TV singing competitions were a thing...but so many contestants sang this on the various shows over the past decade, and I just can't anymore. I don't want to take a look. I'm sorry. So when I actually do bring myself to watch Mark, I'm relieved to see he's 100% thrown himself into the performance. His vocals are not always on point but his body language and emotions are there. Unfortunately, there's just no way for him to make me like the song.
Coaches Say: Gwen thinks we saw a more sensitive side of Mark tonight and Adam says other artists can learn from Mark's drive. Pharrell stands up a second time and asks the crowd to join him and vote for Mark.
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Artist: Emily Ann Roberts
Team: Blake
Song: "Blame It On Your Heart" by Patty Loveless
I do enjoy some Patty Loveless. Blake is looking to see more attitude from Emily Ann tonight and the 17 year old is eager to perform this song about "stupid boys." Heh. She stays up on a platform with the band all the way through the second verse though which doesn't leave her a lot of time to work the stage and show her personality. I actually didn't get much "attitude" from Emily Ann at all, but she sings the song very well and I'd like to see her stick around.
Coaches Say: Gwen tells Emily Ann that she is adorable and she's a star. Gwen didn't know the song (come on, Blake) but she really liked it. Adam thinks Emily Ann has grown up right before their eyes and Blake says she is starting to treat the stage like it's her stage.
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Artist: Korin Bukowski
Team: Gwen
Song: "Titanium" by David Guetta and Sia
This song helped Korin get through high school (which makes me feel incredibly old) and she wants to put her heart and soul into it tonight. Korin also went platinum blonde this week so there's a lot happening for her right now. I always have a hard time getting past the Pitch Perfect awesomeness when I hear this song, but Korin's version has its own bit of awesomeness as well. There's a slow build to her performance and she definitely nails her notes. The hair, however, is going to take some getting used to...
Coaches Say: Pharrell asks Korin how she feels and tells her that having a great time is what it's all about. Gwen feels blessed to be part of Korin's journey and see says Korin showed everyone her range tonight.
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Artist: Barrett Baber
Team: Blake
Song: "Right Here Waiting" by Richard Marx
Barrett isn't looking to "country the song up" but he is absolutely looking to tell the story. I'll be honest and say that I think this is a little snoozy. I'm a big fan of the song (and Richard Marx for sure) but I think this performance will be forgettable by the time the episode ends.
Coaches Say: Adam loves the way Barrett attacks songs and Blake says what comes out of Barrett during his performances is 100% real.
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Artist: Madi Davis
Team: Pharrell
Song: "Who Will Save Your Soul" by Jewel
Madi makes this Jewel tune more of a reggae song and I love it. She's a neat girl and I enjoy seeing what she does with her performances each week. Here's hoping Madi is in it for the long haul.
Coaches Say: Gwen thinks it was fun to see Madi so free tonight and Blake says Madi has snuck up on the other contestants going into these live shows. Pharrell reminds us that Madi is 16 and encourages the crowd to go crazy...which they do.
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Artist: Jeffrey Austin
Team: Gwen
Song: "Let It Go" by James Bay
I'll admit that I do not know this song but it really doesn't matter. Jeffrey's voice is so powerful and so pure that I'm happily buying every word he's singing. My apologies to Madi, but this is the best performance so far tonight.
Coaches Say: Adam says Jeffrey is growing so much on the show and he thinks Jeffrey is one of the best in the competition. Agreed. Blake tells Jeffrey his voice is strong and his pitch is perfect. Gwen says Jeffrey looks hot and thinks he took the song to a whole other place tonight.
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Artist: Shelby Brown
Team: Adam
Song: "In Color" by Jamey Johnson
Okay. I don't know this song either and I feel like I might be slacking on popular music or something. Anyway, Adam is hoping Shelby will have "a moment" tonight but she's going to have to get out of her own head. I think she does a pretty good job of that. Shelby interacts with the crowd, her vocals are fantastic, and she really seems to love this song. Good for her.
Coaches Say: Blake notes that Shelby got ahead of the band a bit but she hit some power notes that made up for it. I didn't even notice. Adam agrees, saying Shelby recovered with one of the most powerful notes of her life.
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Artist: Evan McKeel
Team: Pharrell
Song: "This Is It" by Kenny Loggins
Evan is working on making his stage presence a little more natural. For me, this performance still comes across as 100% choreographed. He comes down a flight of stairs and skips back and forth on the stage for bit, stomps his feet a few times, skips some more, stomps his feet in the middle of the stage, etc. It's a shame too because I love Evan's voice. I actually went back through the performance again, just listening, and and I liked it so much better.
Coaches Say: Gwen thinks Evan was much more free tonight and he wowed her. Pharrell says that "when you share who you are with the world, it uplifts people."
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Artist: Jordan Smith
Team: Adam
Song: "Great Is Thy Faithfulness"
This gospel song is right in Jordan's wheelhouse. His college choir actually sang in the Vatican which is pretty amazing. Jordan begins the song a capella then accompanies himself on the piano. The band sits this one out and Jordan just blows me away. I've got tears, chills, goose bumps - you name it. Best of the night.
Coaches Say: All of the coaches stand and rightfully so. Adam runs up and gives Jordan a hug and I'm a mess. Blake mentions the tragedy in Paris and how he has had a heavy heart the past few days. He looks at Jordan and says "Thank you for that." Pharrell says he stood up in the middle of the song and everyone should buy it. Adam thinks Jordan gives people a lot of hope and joy. He thanks Jordan as well.
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Artist: Zach Seabaugh
Team: Blake
Song: "My Love" by Little Texas
We can go ahead and add this to the list of tunes I have never heard before tonight. What's the deal? In my defense though, Blake does say "My Love" is an old song. It's also kind of a boring and repetitive song. Zach does the best he can with it, but I think Blake did the teen heartthrob a disservice with this song choice. Given the number of fans Zach already has (most likely kissing his picture this evening), I'm sure he'll sail through to next week. Here's hoping he'll have a song that suits him more when we see him perform again.
Coaches Say: Pharrell compliments Zach's range and calls him a professional. Gwen thinks Zach is a natural on stage and believes Zach is going to be a huge star. Blake says Zach could walk off the stage right now and go headline a tour.
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Tomorrow we will lose one contestant and we will also see the return of the Stupid Twitter Save. Based on tonight's performances, Jordan and Jeffrey have set the bar super high, and Madi and Amy held their own as well with their creativity. Which coach will be down to two contestants first? We'll find out during the elimination hour. Til then!
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