On tonight's episode of The Voice, the remaining 10 contestants vie for a spot in the inexplicable 8 person semi-finals. Adam and Blake have held on to all of their contestants, while Alicia and Gwen are each down to 2. Will their artists be this evening's standouts? Let's get to the performances and find out.
Artist: Jesse Larson
Team: Adam
Song: "Jungle Love" by The Time
Jesse kicks off the show with a song he has played with his band many times and Adam is hoping for a Blues Brothers vibe with this performance (right down to the wardrobe). Jesse has a great time with this tune - all smiles as he shuffles and dances and his guitar solo, though brief, is great. My only critique here, if you even want to call it that, is this seemed like more of an ensemble piece and not a showcase for Jesse which I feel is critical at this point. Regardless though, this was an energetic, fun way to kick off the show and I hope Jesse makes it through to next week.
Coaches Say: The crowd goes crazy for a while before Blake is finally able to talk. He says it's not that often that a vision from rehearsal comes together so perfectly on stage. Alicia thinks it was incredible to see all sides of Jesse. Adam calls his contestant a superstar and says Jesse is the most talented dude in the competition. I think Chris Blue begs to differ...
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Artist: Aliyah Moulden
Team: Blake
Song: "Jealous" by Labrinth
Aliyah is slowing things down tonight and chooses a song about missing someone. She reveals that she was very young when her dad passed away and her siblings have memories of him that she'll never have. No one can argue Aliyah is not connected to this song. Watching an artist so young lose herself in the story and break down at the end was tough, but only because I wanted to give her a hug when she was finished. Aliyah held it together for the majority of the performance and 100% sold the song.
Coaches Say: Gwen says the song choice was smart and Aliyah did a great job. She tells Aliyah she should be proud of herself and Blake says Aliyah did what she needed to do. He mentions that artists should get lost in the moment and adds that "I think we all cried with you."
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Artist: Vanessa Ferguson
Team: Alicia
Song: "Doo Wop (That Thing)" by Lauryn Hill
Alicia put in a call to Lauryn Hill to get permission to use this song and I'm so glad it worked out. I was initially distracted by Vanessa's new do and matching yellow suit, but by the time she started talking about the Benjamins I was on track with her. There are some moments here and there where I can't quite hear the rapping, but the arrangement was much better this week and Vanessa was able to show off and be the center of attention. Nicely done.
Coaches Say: Adam joins Alicia in a standing ovation and says Vanessa needs to start rapping more in her performances. Alicia has really enjoyed learning how much Vanessa has to her as an artist. "You are everything!"
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Artist: Mark Isaiah
Team: Adam
Song: "Sign of the Times" by Harry Styles
Marky Mark is hoping to avoid the bottom 2 and Stupid Twitter Save this week and he is keeping his fingers crossed that this Harry Styles cover will do the trick. He plays piano for the first part of the performance and I'm actually kinda liking it - the lit up red boxes over and around him are a nice touch as well. As the song builds and he makes his way to the front of the stage, he realllllllly has to challenge his vocals to keep up with the tune. His voice mostly disappears in the falsetto areas, but all things considered, this is Marky Mark's best performance in a long time. Is it enough though?
Coaches Say: Gwen is going to download Marky Mark's version of the song now because it sounded so good. Adam still doesn't think his contestant deserves to be at the bottom every week and says no one works harder than Mark.
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Artist: Chris Blue
Team: Alicia
Song: "24K Magic" by Bruno Mars
During the rehearsal package Chris says he is looking to be free this week and choosing a Bruno Mars song is a sure way to have a good time on stage. Chris busts some moves and has an impressive array of backup dancers...and for me he has absolutely solidified his status as an entertainer. There are times where I think he's shouting at me, and I probably prefer some of his previous performances to this one, but come on - this guy NEEDS to be in the semi-finals.
Coaches Say: Everyone stands but Adam and Alicia is going out of her mind. I love it. Blake thinks Chris will be in the finale and tells Chris he is incredibly talented. Alicia is super excited because this performance was Chris' vision. "You just showed me and all of America that you are unstoppable!"
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Artist: Lilli Passero
Team: Adam
Song: "Unforgettable" by Nat King Cole
Let me start off by saying I love Lilli. I do. Her rehearsals were kind of rough with timing issues and I don't think she quite nails the timing in her live performance either. Her vocals have also sounded much better in previous performances and it's a shame an "off" performance would happen now with a double elimination pending. Maybe her voting fan base will pull through for her tonight.
Coaches Say: Alicia loves how Lilli interprets songs and says it's beautiful to see Lilli sing such a classic song. Adam feels like he was listening to "Unforgettable" on a whole different level and hopes everyone voting at home will appreciate what Lilli did with the performance.
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Artist: Lauren Duski
Team: Blake
Song: "Tell Me Why" by Wynonna Judd
Lauren is stepping away from the ballads tonight and is taking on an up tempo Wynonna tune. Wynonna herself even called Lauren to give her a pep talk before the show. Man, I wish I could sing. Anyway, Lauren is wearing some sassy leather pants and is leading the band behind her tonight like a superstar. It's one thing to say "I'm going to show a different side of me tonight." It's another to go that route and have it completely pay off. Lauren sounds
fantastic and I'm going to go download this song immediately.
Coaches Say: Gwen says Lauren is a living country barbie doll with a guitar and compliments Blake on his coaching once more. Adam starts to interrupt her and wisely stops. Blake thinks Lauren is the missing piece in country music right now and he is excited to be a part of Lauren's journey.
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Artist: Hunter Plake
Team: Gwen
Song: "Higher Love" by Steve Winwood
This isn't a song I was expecting from Hunter but he does seem to surprise me this week. Hunter delivers this performance surrounded by green laser lights and a fogged stage and he definitely brings this tune into the modern day with a pretty cool arrangement. Hunter doesn't have a "moment" with this performance or anything, but he is certainly staying consistent with solid appearances each week.
Coaches Say: Adam says Hunter is really connected to music and liked what he did with the song. Gwen is very proud to see Hunter do his art on stage in front of America. She says he did an amazing job tonight.
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Artist: TSoul
Team: Blake
Song: "At This Moment" by Billy Vera
I LOVE this song. Love it. I also love, love, love TSoul's rendition of it. Blake had encouraged him to "dress it up" a little and the changes TSoul makes to the song are definitely dramatic. There's a lot of vocal flair...which I don't always think is necessary for a song that is already great...but TSoul has thrown himself into the song completely and his passion makes me enjoy the arrangement for sure.
Coaches Say: Alicia tells TSoul he is genuine with a very unique voice and Blake thinks TSoul just bought himself a ticket to the Top 8.
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Artist: Brennley Brown
Team: Gwen
Song: "Anyway" by Martina McBride
So,
Billy Gilman juuust did this song last season and did a beautiful job, so I'm initially thinking "why not close the show with something else?" However, Billy's emotional connection to the song made him reflect on his career from a kid with a recording contract to his present day status, and Brennley is trying desperately to become that kid with a recording contract. Brennley's source of inspiration really comes through here and I think she does a great job ending the show tonight. Those last "anywaaaays" gave me the chills.
Coaches Say: Alicia joins Gwen in a standing ovation. Blake is glad Brennley chose that song at this moment and says her voice shone brightly tonight. Gwen tells Brennley she is so gifted and the performance was beautiful.
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Tomorrow night we will bid adieu to two of these hopefuls and I will be interested to see how this shakes out. Will voters be on board with Vanessa's rap skills? Will Marky Mark's fans pull through for him this week and keep him out of the bottom? Will the voters respond to Jesse's Blues Brothers themed performance? We'll find out when the semi-finalists are revealed tomorrow. Til then!
