The Voice Semi-Finals: Wheels Go Round And Round

Welcome to yet another 8 person semi-finals on The Voice! Tonight the remaining contestants fight for a spot in the 4 person finale and with half of them being eliminated tomorrow, the stakes are very high this evening. Each coach still has representation in the competition but that could all change in the next 24 hours. Which contestants make the most of their time on stage tonight? Let's get to the performances and find out...

Artist: Adam Cunningham

Team: Adam

Song: "I'm Already There" by Lonestar

Now that Coach Adam has pretty much said he is no longer in charge of choosing Mr. Cunningham's songs, contestant Adam makes what really should have been a strong song choice here. He wants to make sure we get a "punch in the feels" with this tune, which makes sense given the story of the song, but Adam's vocals just aren't there for me tonight. There are several questionable notes and he's very shouty in this performance. I'm bummed because I feel like this should have been a home run for the dude.  

Coaches Say: All four coaches stand, so maybe this sounded better in the venue? Blake thinks Adam chose a great song and says he sang the hell out of it. Coach Adam believes his contestant is one of the top contenders in the competition and urges voters to put him in the finale. 

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Artist: Davon Fleming

Team: Jennifer

Song: "Gravity" by John Mayer

I am so excited to hear Davon take on a song that isn't some sort of diva masterpiece. His performance isn't too over the top and I love that he's just staying cool and relaxed at the mic stand. I love Davon's passion and even when he is screaming at me tonight (and he is screaming at me tonight), I'm so captivated by the performance that I don't care...as much. I think Davon definitely showed up with something to prove this evening after singing for the Stupid Twitter Save last week, and this was a really great performance. 

Coaches Say: Another standing ovation from all four coaches. Carson steps on stage and says the performance was something special, noting that it's not often that all four coaches are on their feet...which is a total lie, Carson. A total lie. All four coaches actually stand way more often than they should. Anyways, Adam says Davon has an ability unlike any other ability he's ever heard. I'm not exactly sure what that means. J-Hud thinks everyone felt Davon tonight and tells him that she couldn't take off her shoes because she couldn't even move. 

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Artist: Red Marlow

Team: Blake

Song: "Go Rest High on That Mountain" by Vince Gill

Blake calls this song a tall order, which is an understatement, and this song means a lot to both Blake and Red given some of the people they've lost in their lives. It's always hard to critique a performance when you know the contestant's inspiration is someone who has passed away, so I'll say Red gives it his all tonight and probably stretches himself more than he has all season. His backup singers really strengthen the performance, and if Red gets eliminated tomorrow (I think we all know that I think his time on the show was up a while ago), he should be incredibly proud of himself in this performance. 

Coaches Say: Miley reminds Red how she groveled (unsuccessfully) to get him on her team and says his performance tonight is just another reason why she loves him. Blake believes every country music fan that loves that song appreciates what Red did tonight. 

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Artist: Keisha Renee

Team: Blake 

Song: "What Hurts the Most" by Rascal Flatts

I love this song. So much. I love what Keisha does with this song. So much. Her voice just soars in this performance and she sells the story 100%. I can feel the anguish and the sadness in her voice and Keisha picks and chooses the power notes brilliantly. I have the chills/goosies/feels when it's all over. She gets a standing ovation from me for sure.

Coaches Say: Jennifer and Blake stand and "woo!" quite a bit. Miley says this is a song she's heard a million times but thinks Keisha made the song her own and it worked. Blake doesn't know what else Keisha could have done to get into the final 4 and I'm inclined to agree. 

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Artist: Chloe Kohanski

Team: Blake

Song: "I Want To Know What Love Is" by Foreigner

Chloe says this song represents her entire musical journey and she wants to tap into her emotion this week and show her vulnerability. Mission accomplished, young lady. I don't know that I'm totally on board with some of the low notes in the verses, but the way this song builds from the subtle start is fantastic. I think Chloe has had better performances than this over the past few weeks, but this is solid and I'm pretty sure she can just hang on to that front-runner status.

Coaches Say: Blake wants to go on record and say this is the biggest night Chloe has had on this show. He wants the viewers at home to rewind the performance and watch it again... "and tell me that's not the most iconic voice we have ever had on this show." Whoa cowboy. I wholeheartedly believe that Chloe is going to win this competition next week, and rightly so, but let's hold off on the iconic praises, mmkay? 

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Artist: Noah Mac

Team: Jennifer

Song: "River" by Bishop Briggs

Yes! Noah wants to show power tonight and all I can say is DAYUM. The beginning of the song is a little rough - I can't really hear what Noah is singing, but then he gets out of that very low register and he nails the rest of this performance. Major bonus points for his stint with the drum.

Coaches Say: Miley thinks at the end of The Voice journey, Noah is going to look at every one of his performances and be proud. She tells Noah that he brings something very youthful and modern to the show this season. J-Hud says Noah lost his mind right there on stage (in a good way) and she loves the way Noah commanded the stage and believed in himself. 

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Artist: Addison Agen

Team: Adam

Song: "Both Sides Now" by Joni Mitchell

Addison takes on Joni Mitchell again tonight and Adam really wants his contestant to swing for the fence with this performance. Addison delivers a beautiful, haunting rendition of this song and there's just something about her that commands all of my attention during her performances. I always find that I can't even jot down a few notes or thoughts until after Addison is finished singing each week. I don't think this was Addison's biggest standout moment (what she did with "Lucky" last week is still blowing my mind) but she haaaas to be in the finale next week. 

Coaches Say: Blake says he appreciates that Addison is the flagship person on the show for teenagers, young women, and singer/songwriters. He tells Addison she's beyond her years. Adam says Addison has changed the way he views the competition and he believes "this girl is The Voice and she's even beyond that." 

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Artist: Brooke Simpson

Team: Miley

Song: "Faithfully" by Journey

Brooke closes the show tonight with one of Journey's best songs and she's Miley's last hope at having her team represented in the finale. This tune resonates with Brooke because of the support she gets from her husband...so much so that she changes "loving a music man ain't always what it's supposed to be" to "music woman." We've seen Brooke dominate many genres on this show at this point, and we can go ahead and add classic rock ballad to the list. The last 30 seconds alone could have been a stadium performance. She brought the house down tonight. Hot damn! 

Coaches Say: Everyone stands but Adam...come on, buddy. Brooke's performance was better than Addison's. Adam looks annoyed as Miley continues to stand and says if Brooke isn't in the finale, she doesn't know what this show is. Jennifer is still giving Brooke that classic J-Hud look of disbelief and Miley remains all sorts of animated. "If this show is about the voice...if it's about finding that kind of vocal talent...your winner is standing right here."

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We had some duets this evening as well, with Noah and Chloe doing an eerie version of "Wicked Game" and Adam and Red complimenting each other perfectly on "Can't You See." I feel like "Earned It" was not the right choice for the Brooke/Davon pairing, but the best duet of the night for me was Addison and Keisha's take on "Strong Enough." This song suited both of them so well and they sounded beautiful. Tomorrow night we will experience the semi-finals slaughter where these hopefuls will be cut in half to determine the final 4. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Chloe, Brooke, Addison and.... Keisha, though I would not be upset if Noah snagged that last spot. Will any of the teams be completely obliterated before the finale? We'll find out during the elimination hour. Til then!