Tonight the Top 11 take the stage again as each coach keeps their fingers crossed that they will hold on to their teams. Alicia lost one artist last week and Team Miley's Aaron just escaped elimination with the Stupid Twitter Save. Will he bounce back tonight? Will Alicia's two remaining contestants keep her team safe? Let's get to the performances.
Artist: Ali Caldwell
Team: Miley
Song: "9 to 5" by Dolly Parton
Oh how I love Dolly Parton. I already have my Tivo set to record Christmas of Many Colors next week. Anyway, Ali kicks off the show tonight with another song that never would have been on my radar for her. I do like that Miley isn't just throwing repetitive Whitney or Celine songs at this girl, and I appreciate that Ali continues to take on tunes outside of her comfort zone...but then she loses the lyrics to "9 to 5" and therefore loses me for the rest of the performance. Last week's rendition of "Did I Ever Love You" alone has made me a life long Ali fan though, so we're just going to have to vote for her tonight and look forward seeing what she does next week.
Coaches Say: Adam says Ali can do anything and Blake is really impressed by Ali's rendition of the song. Miley calls Ali a star and says she is someone who was born to be on stage.
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Artist: Sundance Head
Team: Blake
Song: "No One" by Alicia Keys
It's always a gutsy move to cover the song of one of the coaches while said coach is sitting right in front of you as you perform. Sundance is up for the challenge and does a really good job making the song his own without losing what makes the song great to begin with. He adds a little country flare to the tune along with his soulful, powerful voice, and I'm loving the result...but what does Alicia think?
Coaches Say: All four coaches stand so that's already a good sign for Sundance. Alicia says she wishes Sundance was on her team and tells him "you just made me listen to my song in a whole new way." Blake thinks his constant should feel really proud of himself and says this performance was a breakout moment for Sundance.
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Artist: Aaron Gibson
Team: Miley
Song: "Hurt" by Nine Inch Nails
No dude. Just. No. I'm all for Aaron "growing" in the competition, but there has to be another way. Other songs. Alternate facial expressions. We need to explore other avenues to keep him around because this was just two minutes of me wincing. Also, it's hard for me to get beyond the best "Hurt" cover ever, which was done by Johnny Cash. If you've never seen the music video, you truly must.
Coaches Say: Adam loves Aaron's cover of that song and I feel a sharp pain in my head. Miley thinks the performance was perfect and calls it the strongest performance of the night. There is zero chance that is a true statement.
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Artist: Courtney Harrell
Team: Blake
Song: "What I Did For Love" from A Chorus Line
Well I can safely say that this is sooooo much better than the Aerosmith Song That Shall Not Be Named from last week. Apparently Courtney sang this song in high school and hasn't touched it since, and my first thought was "that's because A Chorus Line is very 1970s." However, Courtney comes at this song tonight with some tweaks that bring it out of the 70s and away from being a show tune only. There are some questionable notes in Courtney's performance for sure, but considering this woman just about killed me last week, I'm totally rooting for her to make the Top 10 based on the progress she made tonight.
Coaches Say: All but Adam stand which is interesting. Alicia tells Courtney she took that song to a place that was so personal, and Alicia felt like she was on a journey with Courtney the whole time. Blake says this was Courtney's best performance so far and thinks she'll definitely make it through to next week.
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Artist: Josh Gallagher
Team: Adam
Song: "Drunk On Your Love" by Brett Eldredge
Josh is looking to have fun tonight and "work the crowd" like he does when he's playing at the Nashville honky tonks. He also wants to switch up the end of the song a little bit to make it his own...and in doing so he goes off on a series of riffs that are not pleasant to the ear. His "working the crowd" tactics are also really awkward at times, which is a shame because I do like this guy and want him to stick around for a little while.
Coaches Say: Miley felt like she was sitting at a Josh concert or tour and Adam calls Josh 'refreshing.'
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Artist: Billy Gillman
Team: Adam
Song: "All I Ask" by Adele
You know, I'm not going into this performance at all thinking "he shouldn't attempt an Adele song." Billy has the voice for this song, but does he have the emotional connection? Yup, he sure does. He embraces the lyrics to this song effortlessly and Adam's idea to have Billy paired with a piano only was perfect. Love. It.
Coaches Say: Blake asks Billy if he ever hits any bad notes because he feels like Billy is always perfect. Adam says the performance felt pure and real and honest and tells Billy that he is everything The Voice stands for.
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Artist: Christian Cuevas
Team: Alicia
Song: "Rosanna" by Toto
Christian proposed to his girlfriend after last week's show so he's on top of the world at the moment. He chose this 80s tune to show off his fun side and there's no doubt that Christian enjoys himself during this performance. Is this a showstopper? Not in the slightest. But Christian put a smile on my face with this song and I'm happy he's happy.
Coaches Say: Miley thinks this is just what Christian needed to move forward in the competition, and Alicia stands in excitement throughout her entire critique. She says when Christian goes for notes, there are shivers and chills. Alicia then spreads her arms wide and asks America to vote him through to the Top 10.
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Artist: Austin Allsup
Team: Blake
Song: "Turn the Page" by Bob Seger
Last week I thought Austin was in over his head, but tonight he's doing a complete 180 with this performance. He owns the song and the lyrics he's also 100% engaged with the audience which is wonderful to see. I know people overuse the "you look like a star tonight" compliment, but really...dude looks like a star tonight.
Coaches Say: Adam says this was by far the best performance Austin has ever had on the show and I absolutely agree. Blake is just beaming and tells Austin there is no one out there doing what he's doing right now. He calls Austin an "avenger."
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Artist: Darby Walker
Team: Miley
Song: "You Don't Own Me" by Leslie Gore
Darby is going for drama with this performance and I can say with certainty that I don't get it. I love that Darby is different. I really do. But her vocals are all over the place with this song and the dramatic aspect leaves me scratching my head well after the performance is over. Please excuse me while I go watch the end of The First Wives Club to find a redeeming version of this tune.
Coaches Say: Miley and Alicia are both standing when the song ends and I'm back to scratching my head. Alicia compliments Darby's ability to go into her falsetto so effortlessly and says Darby owned the song. Miley thinks Darby radiates freedom and thanks her for the performance.
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Artist: Brendan Fletcher
Team: Adam
Song: "The River" by Bruce Springsteen
This is the perfect song choice of Brendan. He is in full story teller mode and though he sounds out of breath at times, I think this tune is right in his wheelhouse. The good news is, Darby was an easy act to follow. The bad news is, Wé is closing the show in a couple of minutes and will probably make me forget Brendan was here tonight.
Coaches Say: Blake says Brendan has a warm voice and would love to hear him sing country music. Adam tells Brendan he conquered a lot this week and says Brendan is one in a million.
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Artist: Wé McDonald
Team: Alicia
Song: "Love On the Brain" by Rihanna
And this, my friends, is how you close a show. HOW is this kid only 17?!?! Alicia struck gold with the pairing of this young lady with this ridiculously awesome song choice. I'm posting the video and calling it a night. Get it, girl.
Coaches Say: I'm not sure why all 4 coaches were not on their feet when the song ended but they seriously should have been. Alicia is SO excited (still on her feet) and says Wé sings as if she has "a thousand, trillion years of experience." She tells Wé that she deserves to be there and she deserves to soar. Yes and yes!
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Tomorrow we will say goodbye to another hopeful as the Top 10 will be revealed and we'll be one step closer to seeing who wins it all. Will Aaron's grumbling performance land him in the bottom 2 once again? Will Darby's drama be her undoing? Will Josh's efforts to "work the crowd" expand his fan base? Was anyone else hoping that Dolly was going to pop out from behind Ali in a matching outfit? Is there a chance something like that could still happen? Man that would rock my world. Anywho, there were some definite missteps in the performances tonight and I think Team Miley might be in for a rough night tomorrow. Will her team make it through unscathed? We'll find out during this week's elimination hour. Til then!
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