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.
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!
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!
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