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
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.
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!
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