The Voice Top 10 Perform: There Were Moments Of Gold

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

If you were wondering how Daniel reacted after winning the Stupid Twitter Save last week, he decided to take some time and read all of the negative things that have been said about him online. Nothing gets you back up on that horse again like looking through any and all internet comments about how much you might suck. Sigh. Daniel opens the show with a song that just isn't right for him and he spends the duration of the performance just kind of walking around and singing with his eyes closed. I closed my eyes too....but each time I opened them he was still on my TV ruining the Armageddon anthem. Watch out for the asteroid dude. 

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.

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!

The Voice Top 11 Eliminations: Give In And Cry

Tonight another hopeful on The Voice was sent packing and fortunately this elimination did not have me yelling at my TV this week. This elimination hour was not super eventful, but here are the highlights.... 

Thomas Rhett took the stage to perform his hit "T-Shirt" and he is just a beautiful man. Team Pharrell collaborated for a group rendition of Lenny Kravitz's "Let Love Rule," and Team Xtina entertained us with their performance of "Live and Let Die." I can't remember the last team performance I enjoyed this much. Totally bad ass. 

Results! Carson sent Mary Sarah to safety first, and she was soon followed by Nick(!), Laith, and Alisan. At the 25 minute mark, Hannah's name was announced and Paxton joined her before we went to the next commercial break.  The final contestants to make it through to the Top 10 without the Stupid Twitter Save were Shalyah, Adam and Brian...which left Owen and Daniel duking it out in the bottom 2.  

Daniel chose Nick Jonas' "Jealous" for his "save me" song and while he had some great vocals, he also had zero swag which you totally need in order to sell this song. Owen went with "Burning House" in his effort to win the Stupid Twitter Save, and though I generally love that song, it did not do Owen any favors vocally. Poor guy tried a little too hard and definitely had some 'whoops' moments with those notes and lyrics.  In the end, Daniel won the Stupid Twitter Save and rightfully so. I'm not losing any sleep over this one. 

Next week Team Xtina and Team Blake will take the stage completely in tact and Team Adam and Team Pharrell both go into the Top 10 with two members each. Can they hang on to their two artists? Will one team start to clearly dominate? We'll see what happens when the contestants face off again. Til then!

The Voice Top 11 Perform: Help Me Make A Stand

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.

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!