Tonight the Top 10 contestants square off again and the stakes are high for Pharrell who only has one team member remaining in the competition. Carson tells us that next week is the Semi-Finals, which makes me scratch my head a little bit. We have 10 contestants left....but going into the semis...oh well. Math is hard and I majored in government for a reason. Let's get to the performances.
Artist: Jeffery Austin
Team: Gwen
Song: "Jealous" by Labrinth
I can safely say that I do not know this song. Gwen encourages Jeffery to "lose control" tonight and just be free. I'm not sure that he does that...but he does tell the story and his vocals give me the chills. This is a beautiful, albeit sad song, and Jeffery delivers a performance with a ton of power and emotion.
Coaches Say: Adam says this was a moment where we were transported from the competition and just into whatever Jeffery was doing. Blake thought the song was amazing and says he was completely wrapped up in Jeffrey's performance. Gwen tells Jeffery he's awesome and says she didn't want the performance to end.
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Artist: Emily Ann Roberts
Team: Blake
Song: "She's Got You" by Patsy Cline
This is such a great song. I'm always going to be more in love with Patsy's version than anyone else's, but I really like what Emily Ann does with this performance. She transitions from a bouncy teenager to a woman who can sell a ballad, and I'm buying. I think this was a breakout moment for her and Emily Ann absolutely deserves to move on to the Top 9...or Semi-Finals...or whatever.
Coaches Say: Pharrell says the performance was fantastic and calls Emily Ann "an old soul." Adam mentions how much she has progressed and says the performance was amazing. Blake's heart is pounding right now because the performance was so good. He calls it Emily Ann's best of the season.
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Artist: Braiden Sunshine
Team: Gwen
Song: "Radioactive" by Imagine Dragons
Braiden decides to go with a more modern song this week (thank you) but he chose a doozy. Sporting a new haircut and the glasses that he had ditched previously, Braiden ends up ditching his power in the process. He has a couple of big notes but the energy is realllllly lacking. The song should be completely "in your face." This version is just meh.
Coaches Say: Adam respects Braiden's courage for taking on the song and says "I love you man." Sooo, he didn't like it? Blake tells Braiden that his favorite thing about him is Braiden is a throwback to the 80s. Gwen reminds us that Braiden is only 15 and thinks he improves every week.
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Team: Adam
Song: "Go Rest High On That Mountain" by Vince Gill
Adam bought Shelby a stuffed giraffe and that makes me smile. The mood takes a quick turn with this song choice though, as Shelby chooses this song because it was played at her grandpa's memorial service and she misses him. I'm already a mess. Shelby sounds fantastic and really connects to the song (for the obvious reason) and this is my favorite performance of hers. She's got me doing the Steven Tyler eyes closed/head swaying thing and I'm keeping my fingers crossed for her going into tomorrow.
Coaches Say: Pharrell thinks this was Shelby's best performance because everyone could feel what she was singing. Adam says Shelby has a ton of potential and gets better every single week. He is very proud of her tonight.
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Artist: Korin Bukowski
Team: Gwen
Song: "Same Old Love" by Selena Gomez
Okay, so Korin has my attention. I wasn't expecting a sassy up tempo song from her this week...or any week, but she's desperate to avoid the Stupid Twitter Save tomorrow so I'm glad to see her taking a risk. Korin takes the stage in a reddish body suit and actually gives us some attitude and a little bit of drama with this performance. Not sure if it will be enough to push her through to next week, but I definitely liked it.
Coaches Say: Pharrell gives a shout out to the band and compliments Korin on her confidence. Gwen thinks Korin took her performance to the next level and she's super proud.
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Artist: Amy Vacahal
Team: Adam
Song: "Bye Bye Bye" by *NSYNC
Whaaaaat? NSYNC? Hell yeah! Amy's tempo makes it hard for me to get up and do the "Bye Bye Bye" dance...which I still remember...and look ridiculous doing...but I seriously love the arrangement. Her haunting approach loses some of the angst that I always liked about the song, but I'm definitely an Amy fan.
Coaches Say: Gwen says Amy could do a theater tour just taking songs and flipping them. Adam talks about how great Amy is at maximizing her creativity and says her artistry should be rewarded with America's votes.
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Artist: Jordan Smith
Team: Adam
Song: "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen
Nooooooooo! No more "Hallelujah!" Retire it! Outlaw it! Seriously, this song is amazing. It's on my list of top 10 songs ever. But it needs to go on a reality show "do not sing" list. Granted, Jordan hits every note and the choir is a great addition, but I don't get the same kind of emotional investment from him this week that we've gotten in recent weeks (I know, booooooo). Carson also annoyed me by saying "get out the tissues" before the performance and then "it feels like the Finals tonight" after. Chill out dude.
Coaches Say: Blake says Jordan topped previous versions of that song that have been performed on the show. Pharrell thinks the way Jordan sings seems effortless. Adam tells Jordan that what he does is so important because of the way he lifts people.
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Artist: Zach Seabaugh
Team: Blake
Song: "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" by Queen
Zach gets back to his Elvis style with this song and I've certainly missed that. He looks like he's enjoying himself, the song suits him vocally, and the dancing is a definite crowd-pleaser. Welcome back kid!
Coaches Say: Adam waits for the audience to settle down for a while and is only able to say "good job." Blake tells Zach "I'll see you in the finale." Whoa cowboy. We have to get through the oddly placed Semi-Finals first.
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Artist: Madi Davis
Team: Pharrell
Song: "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" by Cyndi Lauper
So I'm initially concerned when I hear the song choice because again, she's the last artist standing on Team Pharrell. This was Madi's first cover song though and it holds sentimental value, and she strips the song completely down. Madi sings it from a sad, kind of pleading place and I'm mesmerized from start to finish. Love. Her.
Coaches Say: Standing ovation from everyone! Adam says this was a really cool, awesome version of the song. Gwen thinks Madi is so full of instinct when it comes to music and can't wait to hear what kind of songs she would write. Pharrell would love for everyone to go on iTunes and download it right now.
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Artist: Barrett Baber
Team: Blake
Song: "I'd Love To Lay You Down" by Conway Twitty
Barrett switches it up a bit tonight with this country classic ballad, going with a subtle guitar, stool, and fireplace setting to round out the Top 10 performances. He also relies on his vocals and storytelling rather than his showmanship to get him through the performance. I'm not sure this is really a show closer (I know, boooooo round 2), but I do like his approach tonight and he sounds pretty great. Bonus points for directing most of the song at his wife in the audience. Adorable.
Coaches Say: Adam feels like Barrett got back to his roots tonight and Blake tells Barrett he will make it into the top 10 on the iTunes charts.
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Also worth noting tonight - Gwen mopped the stage with everyone with her performance of "Used To Love You." If Gavin didn't feel like crap before, he should now. Anyway, I think several people stepped it up tonight like Madi, Zach, Shelby and Emily Ann. I also think the supposed front runners (Jordan, Jeffery and Amy) were solid as well. I feel that Braiden, Barrett, and Korin were behind the rest of the pack though, despite Korin's new found sass and Barrett's brush with sexiness, and one of them should be singing their swan song tomorrow. Could I be completely off track? Maybe. But we'll find out for sure during the elimination hour. Til then!
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