The Voice Finale Part 2: It Was Just Like A Movie

Curly Sue for the win! After 10 seasons of blind auditions, battles, knockouts, steals, saves, stupid saves and so many other twists and turns, Xtina is the first female coach to finally take home a victory. Alisan Porter walked away with this season's title on The Voice and I'm beyond thrilled for her and her coach. It was an exciting two hours for sure and here are some of the highlights.

Duets: Hannah was paired with CeeLo Green (I'll let his outfit speak for itself) to collaborate on "Crazy." I would have preferred to hear her version of "Forget You," but this was still pretty fun. Laith was able to take the stage with one of his idols, Joe Walsh, to sing "Rocky Mountain Way." These two could have played their guitars for the duration of the episode and I would not have cared one bit. Adam's duet partner was Alison Krauss and they teamed up for "Willin.'" The performance wasn't eventful but I always enjoy watching her play the violin and sing. And finally, Alisan took the stage with Jennifer Nettles (yay!!!) to completely slay "Unlove You." Gorgeous. Just gorgeous.

Bring Backs: Ah, the "bring backs." Such a nice way of saying "potential winners, go ahead and give the forgotten contestants one last chance in the spotlight." Alisan brought back Kata, Paxton, and Ryan to sing "Straight On" by Heart. Man Kata's voice was crazy on this song. Hannah brought back Bryan, Caity, and Brian to sing Adele's "When We Were Young," which was SO much better than I thought it would be. Laith chose to bring back Katie, Owen and Shalyah for a very soulful rendition of "Georgia On My Mind," and Adam teamed up with Nick, Justin and Mary Sarah to sing "Gimme Some Lovin." Nick seemed a little out of place with this group of country singers...but he still looks damn good.

Awesomeness: Little Big Town was in the house to perform their Pharrell produced song, "One of Those Days." He even got up on stage half way through the tune and awkwardly sang along. Sia took the stage as well to sing "Cheap Thrills," a song that will stay in my head for the rest of the week now. Love her. Blake performed "She's Got a Way With Words" sans Gwen Stefani...because this song is oddly enough not about Gwen Stefani. Rounding out the performances and stealing the show were Xtina and Ariana Grande with an "Into You" and "Dangerous Woman" combo.

Shrieks of joy... 

Results! The fourth place finisher was Laith, with Hannah coming in third. Adam and Alisan stood shaking while Carson stalled on the big announcement, and Xtina FLIPPED out when Alisan's name was finally read. Okay...I did too. As the confetti rained down, Alisan tearfully sang her original song "Down That Road," and just when the moment couldn't get any better - her husband and little ones joined her on stage.

And with that the season is over. I can honestly say I loved almost every bit of season 10 and I'm bummed that I won't have The Voice to look forward to next week. Hats off to Alisan though for an amazing ride and congrats to Xtina because she too deserved this win. With that in mind, two female coaches will join the show in a few short months to compete against Blake and Adam, and while I will miss Xtina (always do), I'm interested to see what Miley and Alicia Keys bring to the table...or chairs. Will they start a trend of female coach victories? Will Alicia carry on Pharrell's thoughtful and philosophical critiques? Will Miley come in like a wrecking ball? We'll find out when the show returns in the fall. Til then!

The Voice Finale Part 1: We're Half Way There

This is it! We've reached (the first) 2016 finale of The Voice. All four coaches still have a contestant vying for the title and the competition has really picked up these past few weeks...especially since we saw half of the biggest contenders get the ax last week. Tonight the Final Four will perform three times - a cover song, an original song, and a duet with their coaches. It's a jam packed two hours so let's get to it!

Team: Adam

Artist: Laith Al-Saadi 

Song: "White Room" by Cream

Man I wish the band was closer to Laith on stage tonight. Dude is rocking out and it would be awesome to see that same energy surrounding him with the band. Instead the cameras have to take some strange angles to try to remotely zoom in on anyone besides Laith...and they do so a lot. This is really my only complaint about the performance. Laith, his vocals, his attitude, and his guitar kicked off the finale with a bang!

Coaches Say: Blake tells Laith that he made it to the finale (yup) and mentions the guitar playing to singing ratio again. I agree, but clearly America appreciates musicianship. Xtina is sporting a black widow look tonight and she says it's always a pleasure to see Laith tear that guitar up. Pharrell loves Laith's vibe and Adam says people like Laith have been missing from this show. 

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Team: Xtina

Artist: Alisan Porter

Song: "Down That Road"

Alisan penned this tune hoping the lyrics will help any fans who may be having a tough time following their dreams. The performance is of course full of power vocals, and there's even a lantern carrying choir to compliment the inspirational lyrics. Compared to the many other would be coronation songs we've heard throughout these 10 seasons, "Down That Road" is the most bearable of the motivational tunes. 

Coaches Say: Adam says Alisan has "the voice" that deserves to win, and he stops short of saying other factors should also play into America's choice. Blake tells Alisan it's cool to see her connect with a song that she wrote and Xtina loved seeing her contestant record her own material. She says Alisan is the epitome of The Voice. 

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Team: Pharrell

Artist: Hannah Huston

Song: "Every Breath You Take" by The Police

What I looooove about Hannah's rendition of this song is how creepy it is. The message of the song itself is an obsessive, stalker-ish profession of love, but the original is so upbeat that the creepiness is hard to remember at times. Hannah's performance is haunting and raw, and I give her a standing ovation from my living room. I could not be more happy that she made it to the finale. 

Coaches Say: Adam thinks Hannah's version of the song is cool and calls her a badass. Blake tells Hannah her take on the song was risky but he believes she will see a reward from it. Pharrell thanks the band for the arrangement (yes indeed!) and says Hannah came out tonight with grace and humility and lit the stage up. 

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Team: Blake

Artist: Adam Wakefield

Song: "Lonesome, Broken, and Blue"

Adam wrote this song solo and it's a tearjerker. He does not have to do anything crazy with his vocals in order to sell this song - the lyrics sell themselves and the tune is beautifully written. The performance is subtle, genuine, and lovely. I can't wait to see what Adam does with his cover later on this evening. 

Coaches Say: Pharrell congratulates Adam on the song and loves that Adam has so many different palettes to pull from. Coach Adam rambles about the audience being bad clappers and wastes a lot of time, and Blake is blown away by his contestant. 

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Team: Adam

Artist: Laith Al-Saadi

Song: "Morning Light"

Laith calls himself the "brie cheese" of the competition and I love it. He wrote "Morning Light" and is so excited to sing it for everyone tonight. I'll be honest and say I'm not a huge fan of the song, but I do appreciate Laith and have really enjoyed watching his journey this season.  

Coaches Say: Xtina loved the bluesy vibe of the song and Pharrell compliments the chord changes throughout the performance. Adam says Laith is his favorite of the Final Four because he plays music for all of the right reasons. Says it has nothing to do with Laith being on his team. Eye roll. 

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Team: Blake

Artist: Adam Wakefield

Song: "When I Call Your Name" by Vince Gill

So...I'm glad I know the lyrics to this song because at times I feel like Adam is mumbling. Thank goodness for the second half of the song where the crazy Adam vocals emerge and remind us why he is a contender. I probably prefer Adam's original tune to this cover, but this guy definitely had a good night. 

Coaches Say: Xtina loves what Adam does and she is never disappointed when he takes the stage. Coach Adam compliments Adam's great taste in putting together each of his performances. Blake thinks Adam just blew the roof off the place. Calm down cowboy. 

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Team: Pharrell

Artist: Hannah Huston

Song: "I Call the Shots"

Hannah and Pharrell wrote this song together and it's hands down the most catchy, fun, and radio ready original song of the night. Hannah owns each "I call the woo!" and her sass knows no bounds. This woman has gone from looking very unsure of herself to commanding a stage and I'm thrilled for her. 

Coaches Say: Pharrell runs up on stage and gives Hannah a hug and it's a great moment. Adam loves watching Pharrell work and loves what they did with the song. Pharrell is beaming and tells Hannah it's been a pleasure to see her realize her talent this season. 

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Team: Xtina

Artist: Alisan Porter

Song: "Somewhere" from West Side Story

Alisan receives the honor of closing out the show this evening and she picked a doozy of a song to tackle. Aside from being a plot turning point in West Side Story, "Somewhere" has been covered by artists like The Supremes, Celine Dion, and Barbara Streisand. I know I've been a little over the top at times with my Alisan praise but with this performance...I just can't say enough so I'm just going to post the video. Feels. Chills. Goosies. Tears. 

Coaches Say: Xtina is on her feet well before the song ends. So am I. She's crying and thanks Alisan for trusting her. Alisan starts to cry as well and Xtina pleads with America to give this girl "a second chance."

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As for the duets, they were all pretty fantastic which is never the case on this show. Pharrell and Hannah took on his song, "Brand New" and sounded silky smooth together, while Adam and Laith were super gritty with a Beatles medley. Xtina and Alisan kept it mellow with Carole King's "You've Got a Friend," and I thoroughly enjoyed Blake and Adam's take on Hank Williams Jr's "The Conversation." Really all of the contestants had a great night. I can't say any of the performances were weak and I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a The Voice finale this much. Obviously I want Alisan to win. Obviously I think she deserves to win. But obviously...the other three contestants may make that tough for her. Can she become Xtina's first winner? Will Hannah pull off an upset? Will Adam's heartbreaking original song give him the boost he needs to win? Will Laith's guitar playing musicianship ultimately win over America? We'll find out when part 2 of the finale airs tomorrow. Til then! 

The Voice Semi-Finals Elimination: Give It All That I Have

Tonight's elimination format saw two artists sent home with no second chances, three artists automatically making it through to the finale, and a fight between the remaining three artists for the Stupid Twitter Save. The fact that a finale spot is ultimately determined by Tweeters and not the votes and iTunes downloads is beyond me. Anyway, this was a pretty intense hour. Here are the highlights.

Next season's newest coach Alicia Keys performed tonight, treating the audience to her new song "In Common." That's right - she and Miley Cyrus will be filling Xtina and Pharrell's chairs next season, which is interesting considering Gwen had been taking Xtina's spot pretty consistently. OneRepublic took the stage as well to perform "Wherever I Go," but the whole time I was just thinking about who would be sent home this evening.  

Results! The first person to breath a sigh of relief was Adam as he took a spot in the finale in the first 6 minutes of the show. He was joined by Alisan not too long after and I was sooo happy. The final person to automatically make it through to the finale was Hannah. Yes! My happiness became an immediate happy dance. At the 33 minute mark Carson announced the three contestants who would be singing for the Stupid Twitter Save. In no particular order, Mary Sarah, Bryan and Laith were called to prepare for their performances. We then said goodbye to Paxton and Shalyah and that's totally fine. 

Mary Sarah kicked things off with "Something in the Water" by (you guessed it) Carrie Underwood. I could barely hear her at times and she seemed very nervous and shaky. Not her best performance, which is a shame since it was most likely her last one. Bryan chose "Adorn" for his "save me" song, and he went straight for the sexy and sounded great. Looooved his falsetto. Laith rounded out the performances with "All Along the Watchtower" by Jimi Hendrix and it was SO badass. Sheer badassery. This performance was badasstic. You get the picture. While I still had my fingers crossed for Bryan, Laith ended up winning the Stupid Twitter Save and landed a spot in next week's finale. Laith couldn't have sang/played for his life any better than he did tonight so congrats to him. 

For the first time in a while each coach will be represented in the finale. While I have long thought Alisan had it in the bag, I believe it's really anyone's game at this point. Adam has been a tough competitor all season and Hannah and Laith have both had a slow but consistent build leading up to now. Will Xtina finally get a victory? Will Pharrell's dark horse win it all? Will voters be confused by all the hair Adam and Laith have between them? As the season draws to a close I will say this is probably the best Final Four The Voice has had in a long time and I can't wait to see what they do next week. Til then!

The Voice Semi-Finals: Knock On Wood

Believe it or not, we have already reached the semi-finals on this season of The Voice. Yup, going into tonight we have eight contestants remaining...but when the elimination hour ends tomorrow only four will move on to next week's finale. Why are they continuing in this format you ask? Why not do one or two double eliminations in the Top 12/Top 11 weeks rather than a massive cut just before the winner is announced? Beats me. Maybe that's something for the show runners to think about before next season begins, you know, in a few months. Anyway, the stakes are high for the Top 8 tonight as well as their coaches, so let's get to the performances. 

Team: Adam

Artist: Shalyah Fearing

Song: "And I am Telling You I'm Not Going" from Dreamgirls 

This week's guest mentor is Pink and I looooove her. Aside from being funny, she also gives the contestants great advice. She tells Shalyah, for instance, to cut back on the rasp and "use it as a weapon." Makes total sense. Shalyah of course kicks the rasp into high gear instead. Like, ridiculously high gear. Like, I'm terrified for her throat high gear. It's so distracting that I'm having a tough time appreciating how hard she is trying to kick this song's ass. I'll hand it to Shalyah though - she's not leaving this competition without a fight. Rasp or no rasp, this was an explosive way to open the show. 

Coaches Say: All four coaches are on their feet. Xtina, by the way, has moved on from The Addams Family and is channeling a Men In Black/Anchorman combo tonight instead. She says Shalyah was singing for her life and it took guts to take on a song like that. Pharrell drops the "16 year old" fact twice and thinks Shalyah displayed amazing endurance during the song. Adam is so overjoyed that Shalyah got to have this moment. "This is the first moment of the night." Yup. It's the first performance of the night. 

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Team: Blake

Artist: Paxton Ingram 

Song: "I Would Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)" by Meatloaf

Remember how Paxton redeemed himself in his quest for the Stupid Twitter Save last week? Consider that redemption revoked. He starts off with a super slow intro that's actually kind of working, then attempts to tackle the angry, angsty rock song that Meatloaf put his signature on. Everything stops working then. Shout out to whoever did the pyrotechnics though. That was neat. 

Coaches Say: Xtina never expected this song choice from Paxton but says he pulled it off. Pharrell agrees, complimenting the theatrics. Blake doesn't think he's ever been more proud of an artist as he is of Paxton. Really? Out of everyone? Even the Team Blake contestants that have won?

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Team: Adam

Artist: Laith Al-Saadi 

Song: "One and Only" by Adele

Adele huh? Adam's other remaining contestant knows he has to put his own spin on this song, and he (dare I say it) makes me hear this song in a whole new way. His version isn't an improvement on the original because that would be impossible, but I seriously love his take on "One and Only." Laith's guitar playing was an added wonderful bonus. 

Coaches Say: Blake tells Laith the performance was amazing and he loved the guitar solo. Pharrell wants everyone to pay attention to Laith's success story and support him. Adam would be the most proud if Laith made it through to the finale. Ha! Sorry Shalyah. I guess you'll be living without him after all.  

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Team: Xtina

Artist: Alisan Porter

Song: "Desperado" by The Eagles

Yes! This song is in my top 5 songs ever (yes, I do keep those kinds of lists High Fidelity style) and I go into Alisan's performance praying that she nails it without screeching. This is the first time anyone has performed a tune by The Eagles on this show and Xtina was able to get special permission to use "Desperado." The good news? This is amazing. The bad news? There isn't any. This version is powerful, emotional and best of all...not over the top. If Alisan is not in the finale I will be inconsolable. 

Coaches Say: Adam says Alisan can do everything and Blake tells Alisan she's awesome. Xtina is bursting with pride and admiration of Alisan's talent and calls the performance beautiful and "epic."

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Team: Blake

Artist: Adam Wakefield

Song: "I'm Sorry" by Blake Shelton

Blake loves Adam so much he passed along his own song to him this evening. This is a great move. During rehearsals Adam goes back and forth between wanting to do the song with a guitar or piano and ultimately he chooses to go solo on the piano. Pink says his voice is "heaven" and tonight Adam sounds as close to perfect as he's ever sounded. Love this. 

Coaches Say: Pharrell doesn't even feel like Adam is competing - he's just sharing these couple of minutes with America. Coach Adam agrees, saying the audience was so moved by the performance, you could hear a pin drop. Blake tells his contestant that while he has had several "breakout moments" on the show, he's never had a moment like that. 

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Team: Xtina

Artist: Bryan Bautista

Song: "Hurt" by Xtina

Speaking of coaches saying "use my song," Xtina bestows her power ballad on Bryan and this too was a smart choice. I know I've been saying the guy keeps getting better and better each week, but I think this is his best performance. The vocals are there, the emotions are there, and the audience is captivated. Bryan may very well be a contender when the votes are tallied tomorrow. 

We be places that you need not be. 

Coaches Say: Xtina, Blake and Pharrell are all on their feet and rightly so. Not sure what Adam's deal is. The audience stays super loud as he starts his critique and he says he is impressed by Bryan's courage to put his feelings into this performance. Bryan had related this song to not hearing from his dad this entire team he's been on The Voice. Xtina agrees with Adam, saying Bryan's version of her song was beautiful. She knows how hard it is to deliver that song live (citing her performance on the VMAs in 2006) and she's very proud of him. Xtina wants to hear it again and again and will be downloading it. I should hope so! It's time your team got a damn win!

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Team: Blake

Artist: Mary Sarah

Song: "I Told You So" by Randy Travis and Carrie Underwood

Okay, we get it. There have been Carrie comparisons all season and I don't think we needed another Carrie song thrown in here. Mary Sarah also doesn't do anything different with the tune, though her voice really does soar with each chorus. She struggles a bit with her lower register (still) but overall the performance is lovely. Finale worthy? No. But she's had a good run. 

Coaches Say: Xtina really enjoyed the performance and thinks she's seen Mary Sarah become a woman on the show. Blake wants people to understand that Mary Sarah's performance is "what's good in country music."

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Team: Pharrell

Artist: Hannah Huston

Song: "When a Man Loves a Woman" by Percy Sledge

Wow! Hannah gets the closing spot tonight and man does she bring the house down. Team Pharrell's lone contestant has absolutely proved herself as a finalist in my opinion. Pink encouraged her to "dig" in this performance and Hannah takes that advice to heart. Her vocals are insane and the back bend with the big note at the end? Unbelievable. I just wish she had dropped the mic after. 

Coaches Say: Adam has to wait for the crowd to stop going crazy then tells Hannah we've been taking her for granted. He calls her "the weird, stealth assassin" of the show. Pharrell agrees, saying it's been a slow build, but he proclaims that Hannah definitely deserves to be here. I couldn't agree more. 

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There were also some filler duets this evening as Mary Sarah and Bryan delivered a not so great version of Arianna Grande's "Break Free," and Shalyah and Paxton delivered an absolutely not so great version of Jessie J's "Masterpiece." If people were voting based on those performances alone, the elimination tomorrow would be a no brainer. On the flip side, Hannah and Laith fared much better with their take on Eddie Floyd's "Knock On Wood," but Adam and Alisan completely nailed their rendition of "Angel From Montgomery" by Bonnie Raitt and John Pine. Two out of four ain't bad I guess. 

Going into tomorrow's elimination I am definitely pulling for Alisan, Hannah, Adam and Bryan. A couple of weeks ago I would have put Laith and maybe even Shalyah ahead of Bryan, but he has really won me over at this point. It's going to be close though. Will they be the Final Four? Will all of the coaches keep a horse in the race? Will there be an upset? If so, I hope Xtina brings an MIB neuralyzer to make me forget the details. We'll see what happens during the results show tomorrow. Til then!

The Voice Top 9 Eliminations: Hold On We're Going Home

Tonight we lost another contestants as the season's semi-finalists were announced throughout the elimination hour. That's right - The Voice is inexplicably going back to the eight person semi-finals format that baffled me last year. The evening went as it should have in my opinion, but here is a summary how everything played out. 

James Bay was on hand to sing "Let It Go," and Adam Levine took the stage with Andy Samberg (as Conner 4 Real) to perform "I'm So Humble." Spoiler alert - there was nothing humble about the song. 

Results! The first person to make it through to the Top 8 semi-finals was Hannah, keeping Team Pharrell alive in the competition. She was followed by Bryan, Adam, Laith and Mary Sarah by mid show. Alisan and Shalyah rounded out the contestants definitely moving on to next week, leaving Nick and Paxton to sing for the Stupid Twitter Save. 

Paxton took the stage first, choosing "How Will I Know" by Whitney Houston as his "save me" song. Why the hell didn't he do this last night? If you're going to slow down and emote an upbeat Whitney song...choose one that isn't about dancing. Paxton pretty much redeemed himself with this performance. Nick, on the other hand, went with "Change the World" and again his voice disappeared any time the song tempted his lower register. In the end, Paxton won the Stupid Twitter Save and Nick was sent packing. 

So Team Xtina is down to two contestants and Team Blake is still holding strong at three. Adam managed to hold on to his two artists and Hannah might just be a ringer for Team Pharrell. Next week we have the semi-finals where I assume half of these people will be on the chopping block...because apparently that's what you do when the cream of the crop remains. Can Team Blake be stopped? Is the competition still Alisan's to lose? Can Shalyah get through one performance without a coach or host reminding us of her age? Will Xtina break away from the Elvira look as we approach the finale? We only have a week to find out. Til then!

The Voice Top 9 Perform: The Sun Begins To Fade

We are inching closer to the finale at this point and there are nine artists remaining in the competition. The stakes are high for Team Pharrell tonight as Hannah is the only member of the team remaining. Team Xtina and Team Blake remain untouched and Team Adam is still hanging in there with two contestants. Will the tides take a dramatic turn after tonight? Let's take a look at the performances. 

Team: Blake

Artist: Paxton Ingram

Song: "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" by Whitney Houston

Why? Just why? If you're going to take a big risk and sing a Whitney song...pick one of the songs with a payoff! Paxton sucks the fun out of this song by removing anything dance-y and performing it under lighting reminiscent of a Kenny G concert. There are some questionable notes and dude never leaves his tiny platform. Not sure how he'd ever "feel the heat" that way.

Coaches Say: Xtina is channeling Morticia Adams tonight and I kinda dig it. She says this is another great performance from Paxton and tells him he puts his heart and soul in everything he does. Pharrell says that Paxton's song choice was perfect for him (really?) and Adam comments that Paxton is one of the most infectious performers in the competition. Blake is so proud of this guy. He says he doesn't think there's anyone else in the competition that takes their performance another notch higher every week. Oh buddy...there are several competitors that do that. 

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Team: Blake

Artist: Mary Sarah

Song: "My Church" by Maren Morris

So Mary Sarah is taking on another song I'm not familiar with tonight and I'm not sure how gospel-y it's supposed to be. She's kind of laid back throughout the performance and it seems like Mary Sarah's backup singers are giving the song more power than she is. This is just okay for me - I think Mary Sarah has had far better performances than "My Church."

Coaches Say: Pharrell starts by saying Mary Sarah had more freedom to emote tonight and have fun. Adam agrees, saying this was her best performance so far. I think I'm taking part in opposite day and no one told me. Blake is so happy for his contestant and says tonight is Mary Sarah's "moment." 

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Team: Xtina

Artist: Nick Hagelin 

Song: "Hold On We're Going Home" by Drake

Man I hope the performances start getting better soon. Fresh off of the Stupid Twitter Save, Nick is looking to put his own spin on this Drake song and win back the voters he needed after last week's performance show. While I do appreciate the acoustic opening, I can't appreciate the shirt he's wearing or the moments where his voice disappears in the low notes. He better watch himself with that song title...

Coaches Say: Pharrell tells Nick he has a tendency to sing a little bit "thin" but thinks his performance got stronger when he put the guitar down. Adam thought the performance was really cool and Xtina says Nick pulled out all the stops tonight. K. 

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Team: Pharrell 

Artist: Hannah Huston 

Song: "Say You Love Me" by Jessie Ware

Pharrell's last remaining is not going down without a fight. Hannah's challenge tonight is not only to deliver the vocals, but also really deliver the heartbreaking story the song is telling. Consider that challenge met. Hannah's performance is subtle but totally on point. I'm sold on every word she is singing and I think the presumed front runners of this competition have just been put on notice.

Coaches Say: Blake says this was Hannah's best performance of the season and tells her she looks like a superstar. Xtina sees so much growth and confidence in Hannah and thinks the song gave Hannah power when she needed it and vulnerability when it counted most. I couldn't agree more. Pharrell tells Hannah she was amazing and says the dynamics Hannah used tonight made her a great storyteller. 

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Team: Adam

Artist: Shalyah Fearing

Song: "A Change Is Gonna Come" by Sam Cooke

First and foremost, thank you Adam for not having Shalyah sing "No More Drama" this week. I was sooo not looking forward to that. Instead Adam gives her this huge song by Sam Cooke and I'm not sure she's ready for it. You know when the coaches' advice in the pre-performance package consists of "this song is not about you singing perfectly," chances are there are some pitch problems on the way. There are. Lots. However, the kid has some bright moments too and throws herself into the song so much that I think she definitely deserves a spot in the Top 8.

Coaches Say: Blake thinks this performance brings her back to the amazing moments she had during the playoffs and says she did great. Xtina loved how the song started off but thinks Shalyah still needs to work on her lower register. Adam reminds us that Shalyah is 16 (thanks) and says that she feels everything that she sings.

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Team: Adam

Artist: Laith Al-Saadi

Song: "We've Got Tonight" by Bob Seger

Laith brings back his musicianship from last week but goes with a song that has more singing and less focus on any musical instrument. He also chooses a tender ballad that showcases his voice perfectly. I love that Laith ditched the guitar tonight and gave us some serious vulnerability. The tears his girlfriend is shedding in the audience says it all. Love this guy.

Coaches Say: Pharrell says America needs to vote him through every week because he is a contender, and Adam tells Laith that his voice filled the room and the mood was so beautiful throughout the performance. 

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Team: Blake

Artist: Adam Wakefield

Song: "Love Has No Pride" by Bonnie Raitt

Adam answers Laith's lovely piano performance with his own and does so in front of a string of flames. He gives us the passion we are used to at this point and this is another solid performance. I'm not sure that we're seeing anything different from Adam tonight though, so in terms of tickling the ivory, I think Laith had the better performance.

Coaches Say: Pharrell and Blake are on their feet pretty quickly. Xtina calls the performance fiery (see what she did there?) and Blake says this was Adam's best performance so far.  

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Team: Xtina

Artist: Alisan Porter

Song: "Cryin'" by Aerosmith

One of my favorite The Voice contestants ever is performing one of my favorite songs ever. I should be thrilled right? Unfortunately my level of excitement dwindles throughout the performance as my beloved Alisan really just starts screaming at me...and not awesome Steven Tyler type screaming. Just screaming. Sigh. Alisan is definitely still my fave but this was not one of her better performances.

Coaches Say: The place is going crazy! Pharrell thinks Alisan tapped into her inner rock star tonight and Xtina says Alisan is a superstar. 

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Team: Xtina

Artist: Bryan Bautista

Song: "1 + 1" by Beyonce

Bryan gets the pimp slot tonight and closes out the show with a sexy number by Beyonce. Xtina wants him to attack this song "full throttle" and he definitely does. I think Bryan is really coming into his own in this competition. When we reached the Top 12 I really thought his days were limited, but he might be peaking at just the right time.

Coaches Say: Xtina and Pharrell give him a standing ovation and we are running out of time. Adam says Bryan sounds effortless when he reaches his upper register and Xtina reallllllly wants Beyonce to do a duet with Bryan. Your move Queen Bey. 

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Tonight we also witnessed the premiere of Gwen and Blake's new song "Go Ahead and Break My Heart." I'll admit that I've grown tired of their PDA and the way they gush over one another...but I do like the song. Maybe the couple's cuteness will also give Team Blake a boost tonight. Can he hold on to all three of his peeps? Will Paxton's misfire put him in the bottom 2? Will Nick's pitchy performance put him in danger? Will Beyonce actually duet with Bryan? My guess is no, but we'll find out who goes home tomorrow during the elimination hour. Til then!

The Voice Top 10 Eliminations: Keep On Hoping

There were no surprises tonight as The Voice said goodbye to another contestant who was barely hanging on in the competition anyway. Much like last week the hour was fairly uneventful, but here are the highlights. 

Season 8 winner Sawyer Fredericks returned to the show tonight to debut his new single "4 Pockets," and I was happy to see is still wearing the same hat. Also, color me surprised to see Joe Jonas in a new band called DNCE. Clearly I have not been keeping up with the times because apparently their song "Cake By the Ocean" is quite popular.  I wonder if Nick is jealous... (had to). 

Results! The first person America saved was Alisan, and her name was followed by Adam, Shalyah, Hannah, and Mary Sarah. At the 38 minute mark (these elimination shows are sooooo long), Bryan, Laith and Paxton made it through to the Top 9...leaving Nick and Daniel to sing for the Stupid Twitter Save. 

Nick was up first and he went with Ed Sheeran's "Thinking Out Loud." Without that glass closet and strange chair choreography, his performance seemed much more genuine. Vocally it wasn't spectacular but when Carson went to Coach Adam for comements, Adam told Nick he hopes America saves him. Oh my. We hadn't even heard Daniel's performance yet. I will hand it to Daniel though - when I heard he chose "Uptown Funk" as his "save me" song, I thought he had lost his damn mind. While this performance was not great, no can say he didn't leave it all on the stage tonight. Ultimately though, Nick did win the Stupid Twitter Save and Daniel was sent packing. 

Next week the Top 9 will compete again, and this time Pharrell will enter the performance show with one team member remaining. Will Hannah hang in there while the other teams face elimination? Will Nick find himself in the bottom 2 again next week? Will Adam reallllly make Shalyah sing "No More Drama?" I'm hoping no, but we'll find out when these hopefuls take the stage again. Til then!

The Voice Top 10 Perform: There Were Moments Of Gold

Tonight the Top 10 are squaring off again, each hoping to hear their name tomorrow when Carson excruciatingly delays the "America saved...." announcements. With Team Pharrell and Team Adam both down one member, Xtina and Blake have to be feeling pretty good tonight. Will their contestants win America over again? Let's see how they do.  

Artist: Daniel Passino 

Team: Pharrell 

Song: "Don't Want To Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith

If you were wondering how Daniel reacted after winning the Stupid Twitter Save last week, he decided to take some time and read all of the negative things that have been said about him online. Nothing gets you back up on that horse again like looking through any and all internet comments about how much you might suck. Sigh. Daniel opens the show with a song that just isn't right for him and he spends the duration of the performance just kind of walking around and singing with his eyes closed. I closed my eyes too....but each time I opened them he was still on my TV ruining the Armageddon anthem. Watch out for the asteroid dude. 

Coaches Say: Adam says that it takes a lot of time to get to where you want to be in the music business and Daniel should consider all of his "ups and downs" on the show as "ups." Translation: that wasn't very good, man. Xtina tells Daniel he put his heart and soul in the performance but does point out that he had some pitch problems. Pharrell heard pitch issues as well but thought Daniel was able to live in the moment tonight. We'll go with that. 

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Artist: Shalyah Fearing

Team: Adam

Song: "My Kind of Love" by Emeli Sande

Young Shalyah is looking to solidify herself as an R&B artist tonight and she has some for real pitch problems too. She attacks this song with reckless abandon and puts a ton of passion into her performance, and because Shalyah is a much more dynamic performer than Daniel, I am probably not as annoyed by this mess as I should be. My guess is the kid will still be here next week and she's going to have another chance to get those notes in check. 

Coaches Say: Blake thinks that Shalyah thrives with wild performances like that one and Pharrell says it was very cool to witness Shalyah's passion. Adam says Shalyah has that thing that everyone wants and he plans to have her do "No More Drama" next week. Oh Adam. Please don't.

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Artist: Nick Hagelin

Team: Xtina

Song: "I Can't Help Myself" by Michael Jackson

I want to like Nick. I do. His vocals this week are worlds better than they've been since we hit the live shows...but the box he spends half of the song in? And the chair holding him inside? Just. Why? Oh to hide the fact that dude is singing his best Michael Jackson impersonation but doesn't have a fraction of the dance moves to go with it? Okay. Well played then. 

Coaches Say: Pharrell thinks Nick represents something other people need to see because he's been told "no" then received a second chance. Blake says Nick sounded like Michael Jackson at times and Xtina loves what Nick did with the song. 

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Artist: Hannah Huston

Team: Pharrell 

Song: "Rolling in the Deep" by Adele

Following Nick's lead of taking on a song by an artist who no one can touch, Hannah approaches "Rolling in the Deep" not by doing an Adele impression, but by singing her own version of the tune. It's sassy and a little crazy and I like it.  Hannah isn't just a woman scorned here - she's someone who is about to kick this guy's ass for doing her wrong. 

Coaches Say: Adam does a lot of "woo!"ing and Pharrell stands up and says the performance was 1000% percent amazing. Unfortunately the severe thunderstorm watch alerts dub out the majority of the coaches comments. 

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Artist: Laith Al-Saadi

Team: Pharrell 

Song: "The Thrill Is Gone" by B.B. King

Total side note: if you ever find yourself in Memphis, please order the shrimp and grits at B.B. King's restaurant on Beale Street. I know the man was a music legend and all, but this was one of the best meals I've had in my life. True story. Anyway, Laith is in his element again here, though I am far more interested in his guitar playing than I am in his singing tonight. If this show wasn't called The Voice, I'd gladly listen Laith play a lengthy guitar solo every week with no complaints. But last time I checked, this is a singing competition. 

Coaches Say: Blake says Laith's guitar playing is incredible but cautions him against picking songs with too much guitar. Adam tells Laith this performance was the best show of "musicianship" he's seen on The Voice. He then uses the word "musicianship" again while talking about how awesome his contestant is. 

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Artist: Paxton Ingram

Team: Blake

Song: "It's All Coming Back To Me Now" by Celine Dion

So when I heard the song choice, my first thought was "no." Overall though this performance is not as bad as I thought it would be. I'm not buying for a second that Paxton is connected to this song about obsessive love, but he hits the majority of the notes and I'm happy for him. 

Coaches Say: Xtina really enjoyed the performance and says she was pleasantly surprised by how Paxton made the song his own. Blake tells Paxton that he's in the zone and says Paxton is becoming an artist before our eyes. 

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Artist: Mary Sarah

Team: Blake

Song: "Stand By Your Man" by Tammy Wynette 

Mary Sarah has been riding high on the country charts and her fan base has to be thrilled with her song choice tonight. This Tammy Wynette classic is right in her wheelhouse and it's actually never been performed on The Voice before, so I appreciate the performance even more. The low notes are a little too low at times but the choruses are just wonderful. Well done. 

Coaches Say: Adam notes that this is a very difficult song to sing and says the performance was amazing. Blake tells Mary Sarah that she just engaged the entire country audience with that performance. He also gives her a "yee-haw!"

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Artist: Bryan Bautista 

Team: Xtina

Song: "Promise" by Romeo Santos and Usher

Bryan has some Dominican and Puerto Rican roots and he's excited to do some Latino music tonight. Since most of the song is in Spanish, this is quite an experiment for The Voice...but "Promise" is actually my favorite Bryan performance to date. I haven't had much of an appreciation for his vocal ability until tonight. Maybe Xtina's team will stay in tact longer than I thought?

Coaches Say: Pharrell says "Come on, bro - that was awesome. Like, congratulations." Adam thinks the second half of the song really clicked and that Bryan continues to get better and better each week. Xtina says Bryan showcases something different every time he takes the stage, and she points out that Bryan is the only person left in the competition who is representing the Latino community. 

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Artist: Alisan Porter

Team: Xtina

Song: "Let Him Fly" by Patti Griffin 

Alisan says this song reminds her of the hardest part of her life - the moment she knew she had to change everything. Aside from some of her own issues she was going through at the time, Alisan walked out of a relationship that was not working and the boyfriend died shortly thereafter. She dedicates the performance to him and definitely scales her normal power vocals back a bit. The performance is totally stripped down and I love every second of it. 

Coaches Say: Adam thinks the mark of a true artist is someone who uses the things in their life to tap into songs and lyrics. He applauds Alisan for what she did tonight. Blake really, really, really loves Alisan and says the performance got to him. Xtina is so proud of her contestant being brave enough to share her story and thanks her for the performance. 

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Artist: Adam Wakefield 

Team: Blake

Song: "I Got a Woman" by Ray Charles

Adam definitely has a woman and he is dedicating this song to her. He closes the show with a big performance filled with a horns section, a ridiculous piano solo, and a drummer who almost stole the show. Oh and his vocals are crazy good. Crazy. Good.  Though Adam might not have looked like he was having as much fun as he should have been, I do think this was a great way to end the night.

Coaches Say: Pharrell says Adam has so much soul and calls the piano solo "masterful." Blake tells Adam this was his favorite performance of the night. 

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Tomorrow the Top 9 will be revealed and the teams will either start to even out again, or one coach will be left with one man/woman standing. Is Daniel done for? Will Nick's time in that glass box of emotion be a turn off for his fans? Will Shalyah's passionate yet pitchy performance put her in the bottom 2? All will be revealed during the elimination hour. Til then!

The Voice Top 11 Eliminations: Give In And Cry

Tonight another hopeful on The Voice was sent packing and fortunately this elimination did not have me yelling at my TV this week. This elimination hour was not super eventful, but here are the highlights.... 

Thomas Rhett took the stage to perform his hit "T-Shirt" and he is just a beautiful man. Team Pharrell collaborated for a group rendition of Lenny Kravitz's "Let Love Rule," and Team Xtina entertained us with their performance of "Live and Let Die." I can't remember the last team performance I enjoyed this much. Totally bad ass. 

Results! Carson sent Mary Sarah to safety first, and she was soon followed by Nick(!), Laith, and Alisan. At the 25 minute mark, Hannah's name was announced and Paxton joined her before we went to the next commercial break.  The final contestants to make it through to the Top 10 without the Stupid Twitter Save were Shalyah, Adam and Brian...which left Owen and Daniel duking it out in the bottom 2.  

Daniel chose Nick Jonas' "Jealous" for his "save me" song and while he had some great vocals, he also had zero swag which you totally need in order to sell this song. Owen went with "Burning House" in his effort to win the Stupid Twitter Save, and though I generally love that song, it did not do Owen any favors vocally. Poor guy tried a little too hard and definitely had some 'whoops' moments with those notes and lyrics.  In the end, Daniel won the Stupid Twitter Save and rightfully so. I'm not losing any sleep over this one. 

Next week Team Xtina and Team Blake will take the stage completely in tact and Team Adam and Team Pharrell both go into the Top 10 with two members each. Can they hang on to their two artists? Will one team start to clearly dominate? We'll see what happens when the contestants face off again. Til then!

The Voice Top 11 Perform: Help Me Make A Stand

After last week's very unfortunate elimination via the Stupid Twitter Save, the Top 11 are taking the stage again tonight hoping to get one step closer to victory. The show opens with our coaches paying tribute to Prince, a man who was so unique and so unbelievably talented, there will never be another like him. It's really great to hear how he inspired each of the coaches. His music has definitely been a big part of my life and he's gone too soon for sure. 

Getting back to the competition, Team Pharrell is down to two members while the other coaches are going into the evening with all three artists. Will Team Pharrell bounce back tonight? Let's find out. 

Artist: Shalyah Fearing

Team: Adam

Song: "The Climb" by Miley Cyrus

As I sit here staring at my Prince cassette tapes, Shalyah is telling us about how she used to listen to "The Climb" on her laptop...on YouTube. My how things have changed. This season's youngest competitor closed the show with power vocals last week and she opens the show with just as much power tonight. The song, while we've heard it covered a lot, is perfect for her. Great start, kid.

  

Coaches Say: Blake says it's exciting to see Shalyah growing up on stage. Xtina tells Shalyah that Miley would be proud and compliments her song choice. Pharrell thinks that a ton of girls her age will be inspired by Shalyah's performance. Adam says Pharrell took the words right out of his mouth. 

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Artist: Daniel Passino

Team: Pharrell 

Song: "Time After Time" by Cyndi Lauper

Daniel was inspired by P!nk's cover of this song and he's hoping to do her and Cyndi proud tonight with his acoustic rendition. Daniel sounds great but I'm still waiting for him to get that "wow" moment. I think he has it in him...but we didn't see it tonight. 

Coaches Say: Blake says Daniel's voice is smooth and strong, and Xtina gives kudos to Pharrell for being such a good coach. Pharrell thanks her and says Daniel made the performance his own. 

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Artist: Paxton Ingram

Team: Blake

Song: "Break Every Chain" by Tasha Cobbs

I can't say that I know this one, but Paxton is taking a suggestion from Pharrell and giving us some Gospel tonight. I cringed throughout most of his "Hands To Myself" performance last week, but tonight Paxton has me in his corner. His energy, his happiness, and the way he attacked this song had me standing and clapping in my living room. 

Coaches Say: Standing ovation from the coaches. Pharrell says "Bro, that was like unleashing the power." Adam thinks this was the perfect song and says he is blown away. Blake thanks Pharrell for the song suggestion and tells Paxton he really opened his heart tonight. 

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Artist: Owen Danoff

Team: Adam

Song: "Fire and Rain" by James Taylor

Owen's miraculous save last week has motivated him to really stand out tonight. He chooses a great song and he is absolutely connected to it, but Owen still seems to be lacking confidence. The song is lovely....but probably not lovely enough to push him ahead of the other contestants.  

Coaches Say: Xtina tells Owen he is a great storyteller and Adam just loves him. He thinks Owen represents something different from everyone else and he's happy to "carry that torch" with him. 

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Artist: Mary Sarah

Team: Blake

Song: "Johnny & June" by Heidi Newfield

I have a mild obsession with Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash but I'm ashamed to say that I had not heard this song before tonight. Should I have? Was I just under a rock in 2008 when it was released? Anyway, Mary Sarah is selling me on this one and I think her performance is much more memorable than last week's. We'll see if her fans feel the same way. 

Coaches Say: Xtina and Pharrell were living under the same rock I was when the song came out but they both give Mary Sarah positive reviews. Blake thinks this is her "moment" and says she should learn to yodel. Interesting. 

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Artist: Alisan Porter

Team: Xtina

Song: "Stay With Me" by Lorraine Ellison

I seriously love this girl. To be fair, I loved her way back when I was jealous of her hair in Curly Sue. She gives me goosebumps 10 seconds into the song and I find myself mimicking all of Alisan's hand movements while she's signing. And the note she hits when she drops to her knees? WOW. Sorry Paxton - Alisan is winning the night so far. 

Coaches Say: The coaches are on their feet well before the song ends. Adam pretty much says Alisan is going to win the whole thing and Blake is having a hard time coming up with anything new to say to her. Xtina loves that Alisan is showing her kids what it's like to follow a dream and she calls the performance phenomenal. 

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Artist: Brian Bautista

Team: Xtina

Song: "Just the Way You Are" by Bruno Mars

Brian is dedicating this song to his sister, though he is also really trying to work the sexy tonight. The girls in front of the stage are screaming and I wait for a bra or two to fly up onstage, but it never happens. Brian's sister, by the way, is crying in the audience....so I'm not sure if I should give the performance an "awwww" or an "awwww yeah."

Coaches Say: Pharrell calls the performance effortless and Adam thinks Brian has the greatest range out of anyone in the competition. Xtina says Brian made all of the right choices with his version of the song and then she gives a shout out to Brian's sister. 

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Artist: Adam Wakefield

Team: Blake

Song: "Lights" by Journey

Adam has never done this song before but he's looking to challenge himself tonight. He definitely puts his own spin on this classic Journey tune and the whole performance is infused with soul and passion. I personally think Adam's performance last week was better, but in the constant words of Blake Shelton "he's going to be around a long time."

Coaches Say: Pharrell loved Adam's falsetto throughout the song and says Adam is ready for the big time. Coach Adam thinks he can do it all and covers so much ground in each performance. Blake tells Adam that the audience is always on the edge of their seats waiting for Adam's "moment" in his performances, and tonight the notes Adam hit were "notes I can't even think." 

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Artist: Nick Hagelin 

Team: Xtina

Song: "Your Body Is a Wonderland" by John Mayer

Oh my. First let's talk about how adorable Nick's little boy is. That kid would get away with anything in my house. Now that we've got the positive vibes out of the way...let's get to the performance. While I appreciate what Nick is trying to do with his falsetto and making the song his own, it just doesn't work. He does a combo of Nick's regular voice, Nick's falsetto, and Nick's impression of John Mayer and for me the whole thing was just kind of all over the place. But again, cute kid.

Coaches Say: Blake thinks this was one of Nick's better performances (huh?) and Xtina is a huge fan of Nick. She loves his energy and she's just happy she has Alisan on her team. 

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Artist: Hannah Huston 

Team: Pharrell 

Song: "I Can't Make You Love Me" by Bonnie Raitt

Man I love this song. There have been so many great covers of it (see here and here) and Hannah does a great job with her own version tonight. The arrangement is lovely and Hannah really puts her whole heart into the performance. There were a few times I thought she might cry but she held it together. Nicely done. 

Coaches Say: Adam thinks that not only does Hannah sing well, she also has great character in her voice. Pharrell says the performance was eloquent and she was generous with her range and patient with the song. Wow. I love the critiques for Hannah. Sooo much better than "man that was good," or "I really love you," or "you know I'm a big fan of yours." Why can't we have more like this?

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Artist: Laith Al-Saadi

Team: Adam

Song: "Make It Rain" by Ed Sheeran

This is another song I feel like we hear a lot, but they must have given Laith the closing slot tonight for a reason, right? They sure did. While many versions of this song are pleading "make it rain," Laith is commanding it to. His vocals here are killer and I'm loving every second of his performance. He probably wins the night, though Alisan is not far behind. 

Coaches Say: Pharell and Adam give Laith a standing ovation, and Blake tells him he can't wait to see what Laith does every week. Pharrell tells America to vote for Laith and Adam tells Laith he is amazing. 

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So tomorrow we say goodbye to another contestant and we'll find out who has made it into this season's Top 10. Will Owen's fans come through for him this week? Will Daniel's underwhelming "Time After Time" come back to bite him? Will Mary Sarah's somewhat unknown song choice be her undoing? We'll find out during the elimination hour. Til then!