The Voice Top 6: I Am The Thing That You Need

We're back to that point in the competition where we have 12 performances to (hopefully) look forward to as our Top 6 each take on two songs tonight. One song is the artists' choice and the other will be dedicated to the artists' mothers in honor of Mother's Day. I'm guessing we are in for an extremely emotional night so let's get those tear-jerkers going!

Artist: India Carney

Team: Xtina

Song: "Glory" by John Legend and Common

Whoa. Just whoa. India's balls grow even bigger every week and she's kicking off the show with a song that had the majority of stars at this year's Academy Awards crying in the audience. India chose this song for her mom because it embodies hope and strength, which are qualities she has learned from her mom. Overall, India does an amazing job. The parts that Common usually raps are a little strange when sung, but I wouldn't have wanted to hear her try to bust those rhymes. This performance doesn't pack as much emotional punch as John Legend and Common's version, but I would argue that this is India's best performance of the season, and she's had some pretty great performances leading up to tonight. Good for her. 

Coaches Say: Pharrell congratulates India on having an incredible comeback just now. Adam thinks India really stepped it up tonight and Blake didn't know the song at all. Where the hell has he been?!?! He says she did some great melodies and called it a great song. Yes Blake. It is a great song. Xtina says what India did was pretty remarkable and tells India she rose to the challenge tonight. 

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Artist: Joshua Davis

Team: Adam

Song: "Desire" by U2

Adam's last man standing decides to go up-tempo for his first performance of the night, complete with a few back up singers and a some trumpets and trombones behind him. I'm not a fan. This song is supposed to be uber sexy and the performance is anything but. Maybe I will enjoy performance #2 more, but I'm happy when this one ends. 

Coaches Say: Pharrell says this was Joshua's best performance because he was doing something different, with a production, and having a good time. Adam is impressed by Joshua because he's so focused on making great music and having the time of his life. K. 

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Artist: Koryn Hawthorne

Team: Pharrell

Song: "Everybody Hurts" by R.E.M.

This song is going out to Koryn's mom because she's been through so much and has taught Koryn that she can handle anything. Koryn is emotional when the song starts and uses those emotions to deliver one hell of a performance. Sometimes her vibrato is a little much for me but I don't care tonight. Her last belt of "Everybody hurts" moving into the "hold on" chants gives me the chills. Amazing.  

Coaches Say: Blake says either Koryn is the world's greatest actress or she is so invested in the songs that even her body starts to lose control (in a good way). Pharrell is humbled to be her coach and thinks the Spirit moves through Koryn. 

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Artist: Kimberly Nichole

Team: Xtina

Song: "Free Fallin'" by Tom Petty

Kimberly says her mother is her idol and chooses "Free Fallin'" because her mom had left a small town when she was younger to follow her dreams. I'm not going to knock a song choice that reminds Kimberly of how amazing her mother is, but I don't think this is one of Kimberly's better performances. For me, she sings the song way too high and doesn't leave a lot of room for her usual range and awesomeness. Just me. 

Coaches Say: Adam says Kimberly can sing any song and do it in an amazing way. Xtina gives a shout out for Kimberly's mom and says the performance allowed Kimberly to be free and express her joy. 

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Artist: Meghan Lindsey

Team: Blake

Song: "Steamroller Blues" by James Taylor

Oh my... I'm loving Meghan's strange, sparkly shirt but she's SCREAMING at me right now. Like, scary screaming. This happens through the entire performance and as she walks toward the front of the stage, I almost scoot over further away from her on my couch because I'm terrified. However, no one can say Meghan doesn't have an unbelievable voice. I love her so very much....I'm just worried she will no longer have that unbelievable voice after this performance is over. 

Coaches Say: Xtina says Meghan left her heart and soul out on the stage tonight and Pharrell enjoyed the performance because Meghan pushes through every week. Blake is excited and says Meghan sang the crap out of the song and doesn't know what else to say. Pharrell jumps in and says everyone in Nashville should vote for this girl right now. 

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Artist: Sawyer Fredericks

Team: Pharrell

Song: "Shine On" by Daisy May Erlewine

I've never heard this song before, but Sawyer dedicates it to his mom because it's about pulling through during tough times. His mom is crying in the audience throughout the performance, I'm crying, and this is my favorite Sawyer song. He is completely vulnerable and his voice is even more beautiful than it usually is. 

Coaches Say: Adam tells Sawyer he is a really special kid and says this is one of his favorite performances of the night. Blake thinks it's hard to put into words what Sawyer does when he's on stage other than "real" and "powerful." Pharrell says no one can deny the power Sawyer had with his performance. He calls this boy wonder inspirational and I totally agree. 

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Artist: Kimberly Nichole

Team: Xtina

Song: "Dirty Diana" by Michael Jackson

Yesssssssssssssssssss. Oh man. Any issues I had with Kimberly's performance earlier tonight have gone quickly down the drain. There's no better song for that awesome stank face than this one.  So angry. So wonderful. Kimberly sings her freaking face off and she has the staging and special effects of a superstar. Best of the night so far. I have to watch it back a few times before I can even think about moving on to the next performance. 

Coaches Say: Pharrell congratulates Kimberly on having her first official rock n' roll moment on the show. Xtina says she always knows Kimberly will be electrifying when she takes the stage each time and believes Kimberly is the contestant that could be really successful coming out of this show. I sure hope so - The Voice realllllly needs to boast a success story at some point soon. 

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Artist: Joshua Davis

Team: Adam

Song: "In My Life" by The Beatles

Great song. One of my favorites from The Beatles. Joshua gets back to his smooth voice and storytelling vibe with his second performance.  His vocals are lovely and his performance makes me sway back and forth on my couch as he sings. It's a little boring at times, but I think it's way better than what I had to sit through earlier. 

Coaches Say: Blake says that song means something to everyone and compliments Joshua's control during his performance. Adam calls Joshua a class act and says the performance was mesmerizing. 

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Artist: Koryn Hawthorne

Team: Pharrell

Song: "Dream On," by Aerosmith

No. No more singing this song. How can we get Steven Tyler involved to make covering "Dream On" illegal? Koryn does her best with it. I'll give her that. But she doesn't enunciate and the way she is stretching her voice is stressing me out. It's okay kid - the verses aren't meant for nervous breakdowns. Save that for the chorus. 

Coaches Say: Xtina thinks Koryn did a great job and Pharrell says Koryn's performance should inspire people to dream harder. 

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Artist: India Carney

Team: Xtina

Song: "Lay Me Down" by Sam Smith

Thank goodness India's first performance was so strong. The first verse of this song is rough - she's out of breath and barely audible. The chorus is a bit better but once she starts really throwing herself into the song, her pitch is all over the place. I still love her though. I just hope voters remember how she opened the show tonight. 

Coaches Say: Adam thinks this was India's best performance on the show. What? Really? Has he seen all of her other performances? Xtina says India stepped out of her comfort zone and killed it.

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Artist: Sawyer Fredericks

Team: Pharrell

Song: "Take Me To the River" by Al Green

Woohoo! Sawyer can nail an upbeat song! He even has the backup dancers from "Shake a Tail Feather!" Okay, not really. Those girls are super distracting, but I'm loving the vocals and how comfortable Sawyer looks without the guitar tonight. He has a huge smile on his face as he walks the stage and I'm starting to understand why TV critics have been betting Sawyer will win this thing.

Coaches Say: Blake never realized how perfectly still Sawyer stands until someone put 100 dancers around him. Pharrell says Sawyer worked the stage and tells America they need to vote for this guy. 

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Artist: Meghan Lindsey

Team: Blake

Song: "Amazing Grace"

Meghan chooses this song to dedicate to her mom, who grew up in a house with a dirt floor and not a lot of food. She's a fighter and Meghan's inspiration to sing. Let me start off by saying this performance is fantastic. Meghan sings the first verse a capella and it gives me the chills. An organ joins her as she moves into the rest of the song but the organ player may as well not be there -- all I'm focused on is Meghan. I'm incredibly moved by her performance and will be downloading her version of "Amazing Grace" immediately.

Coaches Say: Xtina says she can tell how much the song means to Meghan and calls the performance gorgeous. Blake feels like the whole world stopped to listen to Meghan's performance. I would hope that anyone watching at home was completely stopped in their tracks when she opened the song. I thought it was the best of the night (with Kimberly's "Dirty Diana" very, very close behind). 

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Tomorrow we will find out which artists will make it to the Semi-Finals. We only lose one contestant this week, adding to the drama for sure, and the coaches have to be nervous now about whether or not they will be represented in the finale. For me, it's Joshua's time to go. Love those eyes. Love that soothing voice. But Sawyer runs circles around him and I'm partial to the women. Will Adam's last team member make it through? Will Koryn's super ambitious "Dream On" cover turn off any of her voters? Will the fans of the powerhouse voices split the votes and doom the ladies? We'll find out during the elimination hour. Til then!

The Voice Top 8 Eliminations: There's A New Wind Blowin'

My how this season has flown by...or maybe it feels that way because all of the seasons run together. Either way, we have already reached the Top 6 reveal and the finale is only weeks away now. We had some seriously stellar performances last night and I'm going into this elimination a bit nervous for my girls. I just love them so. Are all of those big voices going to make it through to the next round? Let's find out.

Jason Derulo is in the house tonight and he invites India and Kimberly to join him for "Want To Want Me." Neat. Rozzi Crane also performs, representing Adam's label 222 Records with her single "Psycho." I know very little about her but I do enjoy the song. And finally, Corey accompanies Lee Brice for a duet of Lee's single "Drinking Class." Uh, technically Corey isn't old enough to drink but we'll overlook that. 

Results! Carson begins sending contestants to safety and Joshua's name is announced first. Team Adam lives to see another day. Joshua is joined by Sawyer and Meghan, and after some commercials and filler, Kimberly and Koryn make it through to the Top 6. This leaves Hannah, Corey and India in the bottom 3 and vying for the stupid Twitter save. 

Hannah sings "Radioactive" as her "save me" song and it's just okay for me. Corey goes with Keith Urban's "Somebody Like You" and it's the best performance he's given in weeks. I guess song choice is key? India performs "Human" by Christina Perri and brings the house down even though the the opening of the song is rough. The results of the stupid Twitter save are incredibly close, but India wins it in the end. I'm very happy with how this played out.

So Blake loses two of his contestants tonight and the Top 6 consists of artists from each team. Xtina and Pharrell have two people left in the competition and Blake and Adam are down to one each. Next week these hopefuls will perform once more, all of them with their eyes on the prize.  Can India win America over next week? Will Sawyer's fans propel him ahead of the remaining women in the competition? Does Joshua have a hope in hell of winning at this point? All will be revealed in the coming weeks. Til then!

The Voice Top 8: I Can Face The World

We are inching closer and closer to The Voice season finale and eight contestants remain in the competition. Tonight they take the stage again, hoping to make it through to the Top 6 and have yet another chance to win over America. Blake still has all of his contestants, while Xtina and Pharrell have held onto two each. Adam only has one artist left and he's hanging on by a thread.  Several former (and future?) coaches return tonight as mentors which is an awesome and welcome surprise. Will Cee Lo, Gwen and Usher be able to shake up this competition? Let's get to the performances and find out. 

Artist: Hannah Kirby

Team: Blake

Song: "We Don't Need Another Hero" by Tina Turner

Hannah kicks off the Top 8 songs by doing a less shouty performance than last week, so I'm already thankful. It takes a ton of personality to take on a Tina song and Hannah is about 70% there. Her lower register is struggling during the opening verse but she's pretty spot on once she hits the chorus. The main part of the performance that I don't really care for is (don't hate me) the dancing children's choir. I think the performance would have been much stronger without the tiny sparkling jean jackets. Just me. 

Coaches Say: Xtina says Hannah had powerhouse vocals but encourages her to work on her lower register a bit more. Xtina also loved the kids. Pharrell likes that Hannah sings what she wants to sing and does what she wants to do every week. Adam says he was distracted at times by the adorable kids but tells Hannah she is always great. Blake thinks Hannah sang every syllable and note perfectly. Huh? What was he doing during the first 20 seconds of the song? 

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Artist: Joshua Davis

Team: Adam

Song: "Fields of Gold" by Sting

Sting is getting some serious attention this season. I'm a huge fan of this song though and I'm also a huge fan of Joshua's version. This performance could have easily been snoozy, but Joshua sings beautifully and completely sells the story. Those eyes could also probably convince me of just about anything. 

Coaches Say: Blake says it's refreshing to see Joshua get back to what he's best at and tells Joshua that tonight's performance proves why he should still be here. Adam loves that Joshua did something completely different from the powerhouse vocalists and did so with class and elegance. Well, Joshua kind of had to do something different from the powerhouse vocalists since, you know, he's not a powerhouse vocalist. 

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Artist: Kimberly Nichole

Team: Xtina 

Song: "Creep" by Radiohead

Hmmm. See, this song was covered brilliantly by Jena Irene on American Idol last year, so I'm slightly skeptical when the performance starts. However, Kimberly changes the arrangement, turning this into a theatrical performance, and it's freaking awesome. That stank face she gets when she really feels something should make audience members everywhere stop what's they're doing and watch her. Not just listen...but really watch her. This woman is amazing and in a class all of her own. Kimberly's performance tonight is one of the best in the many seasons of The Voice...maybe even THE best one.  

Coaches Say: Pharrell was standing in the first 30 seconds of the performance and the other coaches join him when it ends. Pharrell stands throughout his "critique" and tells Kimberly she had masterful control throughout the song. He seems emotional and I love him. Adam says Kimberly's version of "Creep" was dramatically different and it worked. Blake thinks this is the type of performance that should have taken months to perfect, and Xtina says Kimberly is an artist who embodies what the competition is about. 

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Artist: Meghan Lindsay

Team: Blake

Song: "Something" by The Beatles

Meghan is excited to sing this song because it's about true love and she's currently in a happy relationship. The staging of the performance is really cool, but if she hadn't said she was in a happy relationship, I wouldn't have known it. She's got her "Girl Crush" face on and not so much an "I'm overjoyed and in love" disposition. The vocals, however, are crazy good and I want to see this woman in the finale. 

Coaches Say: Adam says the performance was awesome and calls her a badass. Blake thinks Meghan is classy and he also expects to see her in the finale. I'm glad we're on the same page. 

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Artist: India Carney

Team: Xtina 

Song: "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" by Judy Garland

Ballsy. Following up Whitney Houston with one of the most iconic movie songs ever? You've got guts, lady. She starts off a capella and it's lovely. The piano comes in softly, then the strings, and then the big notes. Not all of them are perfect but the message is clear. India is pretty much living this song and I have zero complaints about her choosing it tonight. 

Coaches Say: Blake says the performance had magic in it and Xtina is happy to see India take on that song and embody it. She says the performance was gorgeous. 

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Artist: Sawyer Fredericks

Team: Pharrell

Song: "Simple Man" by Lynyrd Skynyrd 

Sawyer branches out a bit this week and walks around the stage, greeting his fans and looking slightly uncomfortable. The band is overpowering at times as well but Sawyer's vocals and investment in the song never waiver. He's just so unique and so endearing that it's almost impossible not to root for him each week. 

Coaches Say: Adam loves the purity of Sawyer's voice, saying it doesn't need to be anything other than it is. Pharrell wants every Sawyer fan to vote tonight because he's a guy who inspires any teenager out there with big dreams who may be a little different. 

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Artist: Corey Kent White

Team: Blake

Song: "When I See You Smile" by Bad English

I'm reliving my youth now and am ignoring the fact that Corey wasn't even alive when this song came out. Completely ignoring it. And it also doesn't matter exactly how old I was. Not even going to dwell on it. Corey is at a point in the competition where he has to do something pretty great and not rely on that adorable, cute, dreamy face of his to get him through to next week. This isn't it. He struggles vocally here and there and then doesn't actually get into the song at all until just before the last chorus. Bummer. 

Coaches Say: Adam says the performance was great but says the song was low for a little too long. Blake thinks this was Corey's best performance of the season and calls it the breakout moment he's been waiting for. Whaaaa? I love you Blake, but I couldn't disagree with you more. 

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Artist: Koryn Hawthone

Team: Pharrell

Song: "Girl on Fire" by Alicia Keys

Woohoo! Koryn gets the pimp slot to close out the show tonight! In my mind she's totally earned it and this performance proves why. Koryn is a little too tense and shaky at times in the beginning of the song, but the build up to the second half of the performance probably had her so damn excited that she couldn't help herself. By the time she makes her way down those diva stairs and reaches center stage for the big finish, Koryn might as well be on fire herself (see what I did there?). What a great performance. I wouldn't have called it at the beginning of the season, but Koryn is quickly becoming a serious contender for the title.

Coaches Say: Everybody stands for Koryn and we're running out of time. Adam says Koryn has gone from a girl to a grown ass woman on the show. Xtina agrees, noting that at this point in the competition people either make it or break it. She says Koryn is thriving. Pharrell pleads for America to vote for his inspirational artist. 

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And there you have it. The competition is starting to get fierce now and I have no doubt that we are going to start seeing some surprises in the bottom 3 in the next couple of weeks. I still think the women have the upper hand here with the guys trying like hell to keep up. Did Joshua do enough to keep himself out of stupid Twitter save territory? Does America agree with Blake on Corey's performance? Does America feel the same way I do about the kids in Hannah's performance? I guess we'll find out soon enough. Two more artists will go home in tomorrow's elimination hour and the Top 6 will be revealed. Til then!