The Voice Top 10 Perform: I Won't Cry For Yesterday

Tonight the remaining contestants face off again on The Voice and Team Blake and Team Jennifer both go into the evening with all three of their artists still in the running for the season 2856235738 title. These past couple weeks of eliminations still have me a little bitter, but let's get to the performances and find out who shines tonight and who should start packing their bags. 

Artist: Davon Fleming

Team: Jennifer

Song: "Hurt" by Christina Aguilera

Davon goes from last week's "The Four Faces of Davon Fleming" and cuts it down to a more controlled performance that still shows his range. He's incredibly passionate while delivering this song, and I believe that he believes every lyric he is singing. Great start to the night, but my biggest takeaway from this performance is...I miss Xtina. 

Coaches Say: Adam compliments Davon's jacket and says what Davon does is nothing short of miraculous. Blake says it's ridiculous if Davon doesn't make it to the finale. J-Hud had been waving a shoe around throughout the entire performance, and she apparently threw it and lost it at one point. She tells Davon that he represents everything that The Voice is about and then asks for her backup shoes to be brought out to her.  

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Artist: Adam Cunningham

Team: Adam

Song: "Maybe It Was Memphis" by Pam Tillis

Adam definitely has something to prove tonight as he has spent the last two weeks singing for the Stupid Twitter Save, and he makes a smart choice here with "Maybe It Was Memphis." I know that he's trying to blend worlds and music styles in his performances, but this country tune is really in his wheelhouse. I think he also really sets the bar high for Red with this performance. That guy has been flying under the radar so far and he should consider this a challenge.

Coaches Say: Pretty sure all articles of clothing are accounted for this go round. Blake says he never would have thought of this song for Adam but thinks it was a great idea. Miley congratulates Adam on a great performance and Coach Adam acknowledges that when Adam C. chooses the song, it works out great. Accurate.  

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Artist: Noah Mac

Team: Jennifer

Song: "Ordinary World" by Duran Duran

Finally Noah picks a song that I know really well (not that I'm complaining - dude has been doing great), and he goes with more of a stripped down version of "Ordinary World" tonight. Noah plays the piano through the first chorus and when he stands for the remainder of the performance, I can't tell if the breathy thing happening is for dramatic effect or if he's really running out of air in the verses. I don't think this was one of his best performances, but I do like the arrangement and the opening behind the piano. I was kind of hoping for a bit more after he left the bench, but I don't feel like the song ever actually peaked.

Coaches Say: Miley loved the performance and hopes everyone at home got to feel what the in house audience felt tonight. J-Hud says "you did that, honey" and makes me smile. She's very proud of Noah, but I'm too distracted by his smile to hear most of her comments. 

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Artist: Shi'Ann Jones

Team: Jennifer

Song: "Diamonds" by Rihanna

Okay J-Hud. We have to find a song that lets this kid be a kid and also show off her voice. While Shi'Ann is not overpowered here like we've seen recently, that lower register really has its struggles in this performance...and that lower register is dominant throughout the performance. We're only nearing the half way point of the show, but I'm thinking this kid should be worried going into tomorrow. 

Coaches Say: Adam tells Shi'Ann she looks beautiful and says she is the most improved player in the competition. Kinda sounds like a "you're going home tomorrow, but nice job kid." J-Hud thinks she heard a bit of Beyonce, Mariah and Rihanna in the performance tonight, so we were clearly not watching the same thing. 

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Artist: Chloe Kohanski

Team: Blake

Song: "Call Me" by Blondie

Yes, yes, and yes! While several of the remaining contestants are still trying to find their inner entertainer, Chloe throws herself into a concert performance, complete with pyrotechnics and her own personal headbangers. She OWNS this song and the performance and the bar has been set for the second half of the show.

Coaches Say: J-Hud and Blake are immediately on their feet and the cowboy can't stop smiling. Miley says there is no such thing as "too much" and tells Chloe that performance made her so happy. Blake says "that...just happened" and calls Chloe a star. Can't argue with any of that. 

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Artist: Keisha Renee

Team: Blake

Song: "All By Myself" by Celine Dion

Looking back at last week's post, I forgot to add this song to the "please stop" list of tunes that have been overdone. That being said, Keisha does a great job with the second half of "All By Myself." In part 2 of the song she breaks out of her shell and starts doing her own thing, which takes this performance from just another good cover to a "damn girl!" moment. Is it enough to get her to the semi-finals? I honestly hope so.

Coaches Say: All four coaches are on their feet and Keisha is very emotional. J-Hud congratulations Keisha on her performance and earning the right to be her own artist on her own platform. Adam mentions that there have been some awful comments made about Keisha (internet trolls?) and he tells her that she showed those cowards up tonight. Blake stands and claps for Adam and then again for Keisha. He says Keisha has set herself from the rest of the pack with that performance.  

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Artist: Ashland Craft

Team: Miley

Song: "I Hate Myself For Loving You" by Joan Jett

Oh dear. Ashland has won me over in the past with her country song performances, but I think there was a misstep in choosing a very well-known rock song sung by a total badass woman. Where Chloe excelled with this style earlier, Ashland looks out of place trying to pull this off. Her voice actually sounds great...but the energy this song needs is coming from the band (those ladies are killing it) and not the lead singer. Bummer.

Coaches Say: Jennifer says she could not take her eyes off of Ashland tonight and thinks Ashland has found her stride. Miley tells Ashland she loved seeing her bring rock n' roll and country music to the performance tonight. 

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Artist: Brooke Simpson

Team: Miley

Song: "Amazing Grace"

It's always risky to take on hymns on these television shows, especially when Meghan Linsey did such a beautiful rendition of this one a couple of years ago, but Brooke chose this song because it has shown her the power of music over the years. Brooke's goal in this performance is to show her heart in the most raw way possible and she undoubtedly accomplishes that. From the a capella start, through the crazy, crazy notes she hits, all the way to the amazing finish with the chorus on stage backing her, this young lady leaves everything she has on stage tonight. At the midway point I have my hand in the air with her and am sporting Steven Tyler's stank face (you American Idol fans know what I'm talking about). And when Brooke starts to get teary in the last couple of lines...I am right there with her. I need her in the finale.  I just do.

Coaches Say: Another standing ovation! J-Hud says Brooke touched us all from her heart and through her own culture, and she tells Brooke she feels grateful to have been able to sit there and witness it. Blake says Brooke just took the competition to the next level, and Miley (still standing) tells Brooke that she put a band-aid over her heart tonight. Coach Miley was still feeling the sting of losing Janice last week and she has no intention of losing either of her remaining girls this week. I feel that sting too, Miley...and Brooke better not be going anywhere tomorrow. 

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Artist: Red Marlow

Team: Blake

Song: "That's What I Love About Sunday" by Craig Morgan

As mentioned earlier, if Adam Cunningham sticks to song choices like tonight's, Red should feel worried. I think Red is probably a hell of a guy, and his smile is contagious, but this performance is just okay for me. Maybe he'll stick around and have a "wow!" moment in the semi-finals, but I'm already baffled on how he's still here and other folks are not.

Coaches Say: Jennifer says Red is lovable and charming, and Blake thinks Red is going to be around on this show for a long time. Someone should let Mr. Shelton know there's only 2 weeks left. 

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Artist: Addison Agen

Team: Adam

Song: "Lucky" by Britney Spears

I'll admit that I 100% rolled my eyes when I heard this song choice. Out of all the songs...even the Britney songs...this one? What Addison does with this song though, I never would have thought of it - she strips down the tune completely and gives it a whole new meaning. I don't think I ever paid enough attention to the lyrics to really understand how dark the song is. Addison delivers that tonight though and I think the performance is nothing short of brilliant.

Coaches Say: We're running out of time now and Carson goes quickly to Addison's former coach. Miley mentions her Britney Spears obsession and says Addison was so creative in this performance. She tells Addison that what she did with the arrangement made it hard to sing along...but in a good way. Adam appears to be beaming with pride. He says that although there are a lot of great voices on the show right now, Addison is the best artist in the competition. Addison is Adam's best bet at winning the season at this point, so he should be doing everything he can to sell her to the voting audience. I'm sure he appreciates the added bonus of her closing the show this evening, and my guess is his team will be represented in both the semi-finals and the finale. 

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Tomorrow we will say goodbye to two contestants as we approach the inexplicable 8 person semi-finals. Will Shi'Ann's "almost, but not quite" string of performances land her at the bottom this week? Will Red no longer be under the radar? Will Ashland's misstep cost her a spot in the semi-finals? Or will Adam somehow retain his status in Stupid Twitter Save territory? We'll find out during the elimination hour. Til then!

The Voice Top 11 Eliminations: Go Your Own Way

Again I sit here amazed...  After the Top 11 elimination was announced on The Voice this evening, I almost threw shoes for very different reasons. Let's just get to it, shall we? 

The coaches were the guest performers tonight as Blake and Jennifer teamed up for his song "I'll name the dogs, which was definitely an interesting pairing for that tune. Additionally, Miley and her team did a sassy and wonderful rendition of "Man! I Feel Like a Woman," and Team Adam rocked out to "Go Your Own Way." This was pretty good to, but Team Miley's outfits were the best thing that happened tonight. 

Results! The first person sent to safety was Chloe, and she was quickly(ish) followed by Addison, Brooke, Davon. Red (!) and Noah were the next names announced, and joining them in the Top 10 were Ashland, Keisha and Shi'Ann (!)...leaving Adam and JANICE in the bottom 2. No problem. I figured Adam was toast. I almost didn't even pay attention to the "save me" songs. 

Adam was up first with "Amazed" and he stayed true to the original. He sounded great and that last chorus was very strong, but still I figured he was toast. Next up was Janice and she went with "Chandelier," which was gutsy...and there were some questionable notes...but there were far more soaring moments. Personally, I thought she gave it everything she had in order to stay. I think J-Hud agreed by the way she stood and riased her hand to the sky. Janice is just unique and I love her. Adam is a cool dude and all, but I don't see him as much different that many, many contestants we've had on this show over the years. In the end? Adam won the freaking, ridiculous, inexcusable Stupid Twitter Save and I'm done for the night. We'll see if we can get it right next week when the Top 10 take the stage again. Til then!  

The Voice Top 11 Perform: Let Your Light Shine Down

The Top 11 artists remaining in this season of The Voice take the stage again tonight, hoping to wow America once more for a spot in the Top 10. Team Adam is down one contestant already, while the other three teams survived the first elimination unscathed. Will Adam's two remaining contenders steal the show tonight? Let's get to the performances and find out. 

Artist: Janice Freeman

Team: Miley

Song: "Shine" by Collective Soul

After last week's powerful showstopper/show ender, Janice kicks off the Top 11 performances with a song that has not been done on the show before. I'm already happy. Janice looks and acts like a rock star in this performance (did I mention that there is a silver streak in her hair that matches her jacket?) and I just love her. The performance got super screamy and loud at the end, but I think she was going for sheer badassery tonight...and got it. 

Coaches Say:  I *think* Janice gets a standing ovation from all four coaches but the camera can't seem to stay away from Miley - she is freaking out right now. Adam tells Janice he was never really a fan of the song until he heard her version of it tonight. He then looks at Janice and says, "you are just not normal" and he means it as a huge compliment. Miley is still standing and still excited and she tells Janice that there is a light shining down on her tonight. See what she did there?  With the song lyrics? Miley says Janice is everything she could ever imagine from someone on her team and ends with "I just love you so much."

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Artist: Red Marlow

Team: Blake

Song: "The Dance" by Garth Brooks

Remember how a mere 6 months ago Lauren Duski slayed this song? That was just last season. I don't think we needed to bring the iconic tune back so quickly, but here we are. The first verse and first chorus are lovely... a near(ish) copy of Garth Brooks' version. As we move into the second verse and rest of the performance, Red tries to take some liberties to make the song his own and the notes are shaky in some places. Overall he does a good job, but I've seen Garth perform this song in concert a couple of times over the past few years and I'm just partial to what he emotes when he delivers "The Dance." Red's got a ways to go on the "I totally believe everything you are singing" front. 

Coaches Say: Jennifer says Red silenced the crowd and commanded the room tonight, owning the moment and drawing the audience in. Blake tells Red he is a great storyteller because he sings with pure, simple honesty.  

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Artist: Shi'Ann Jones

Team: Jennifer

Song:  "Listen," by Beyonce

Okay J-Hud...we know you're friends with Beyonce. Doesn't mean we need your contestants to try to take on her songs every week. Kidding. Kinda. This tune comes from Dreamgirls, which is the movie that brought Jennifer an Academy Award. I recommend the movie on the whole, but if you haven't seen J-Hud's "And I Am Telling You" portion, I suggest you watch the video before progressing any further in life. It's unbelievable. Okay, back to Shi'Ann. The song is a little too big for this kid, but man would I love to hear her version a couple of years from now, assuming she stayed under J-Hud's wing. Shi'Ann struggles with the low notes...which is a good portion of the song...but she SOARS in that last chorus though. So much potential in this young lady. 

Coaches Say: All four coaches are on their feet. Miley says Shi'Ann's performance was beautiful and then she almost blows my mind. "I cannot get enough of your low tones. Those low tones are so magic." I guess it depends upon your definition of magic. Jennifer tells Shi'Ann that although she's young, she is an old soul who can tell a story. She then says "little girl, you almost had me running through this whole entire room hollerin' with your daddy over there, okay?" Love it.

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Artist: Adam Cunningham

Team: Adam

Song:  "American Girl" by Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers

Adam is very fortunate to have another chance at America's votes this week after the questionable "Against All Odds" during the Top 12 performances. Taking on Tom Petty tonight (RIP...sad face), Adam thinks this will be the right blend of his classic rock vibe and his southern country vibe, and I agree that this was a much, much, much better choice. He loses some of the vocals (and a lot of annunciation) during the "I'm going to stop playing the guitar and touch hands with the audience members, but still have the guitar awkwardly in the same place and not behind my back" part of the performance, but Adam was definitely at his best at the mic stand with the band and his guitar. I wish the whole performance had been that way. 

Coaches Say: Blake was surprised last week to see Adam in the bottom 2, and he says he would be shocked this week if it happened again because Adam performed with so much energy. Coach Adam tells his contestant this was a big moment and thinks he gave the voters more than they needed tonight. Careful dude. 

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Artist: Brooke Simpson

Team: Miley

Song: "What About Us" by P!nk

Yesssssssssssssss. Not only is this tune perfect for Brooke, Miley takes it to another level by adding Native American drum beats to the arrangement. Brooke sounds amazing, looks incredibly confident, and she has a ton of energy and passion in this song from start to finish. Brooke seems like a natural and I love every single thing about this performance. Best of the night so far for me (sorry Janice - love you boo).

Coaches Say:  Adam loves Brooke and enjoys watching Brooke connect with the songs each week. Miley is already looking forward to Brooke's first album and she is very proud of her contestant for taking a song currently on the radio and relating it back to herself. 

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Artist: Davon Fleming

Team: Jennifer

Song: "I Have Nothing" by Whitney Houston. 

Okay. Just because someone has a big voice doesn't mean they should be tackling The Bodyguard soundtrack. Davon had such a great week last week but he is all over the place tonight. I feel like there are four or five different Davons taking turns with the song because there's just so. many. transitions. Maybe I'm all by myself in this, but the performance was definitely not my cup of tea. 

Coaches Say: Blake tells Davon no one else in the competition sings with so much dynamics and he thinks Davon will be in the competition for many weeks ahead. J-Hud gives Blake a high five and says the level Davon sings on can't get any higher.   

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Artist: Ashland Craft

Team: Miley

Song: "Chicken Fried" by Zac Brown Band

Last week Ashland and Miley were torn between this song and "Delta Dawn," so it makes sense to give this one a go in week 2. I do wish she would have used her guitar in this song like she did in her rehearsal package last week, but I do really like Ashland's rendition of "Chicken Fried." While she seems a little uncomfortable in her movements back and forth between the hay barrel band, once Ashland makes her way to the audience and the front of the stage, she's good to go.   

Coaches Say: Adam gives Ashland an A+ on the performance and says she definitely belongs in the competition. Miley spends some time talking about Ashland's pretty awesome fringe outfit, and then she compliments Ashland on her confidence and getting the audience involved. 

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Artist: Addison Agen

Team: Adam

Song: "A Case of You" by Joni Mitchell

This makes me so happy. The performance is a perfect pairing of song and singer and man does Addison sell it. The whole thing seems effortless from start to finish. I'm not sure how well the younger viewing generation knows Joni Mitchell's brilliance, but I bet there will be a number of people who check out some of Joni's classics after Addison's performance tonight. Well done.

Coaches Say: All four coaches stand and even Carson can't contain his (still very dull) excitement! Jennifer says Addison she has a gift and tells the audience they better vote for her. That's awesome - she's not even on Jennifer's team.  Adam thinks the audience was moved by Addison and says the performance was the full recognition of how talented she is. 

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Artist: Keisha Renee

Team: Blake

Song: "It Matters To Me" by Faith Hill

During the rehearsal package Keisha and Blake talked a little bit about changing up the song, which I was very excited about, but Keisha sticks very close to the original for this performance and I'm a little bummed. Don't get me wrong - her rendition is still beautiful and I have some goosebumps when the performance is over. I think I was just hoping for something a little more based on the way she and Blake changed up "Midnight Train To Georgia" last week. I'm spoiled?

Coaches Say: Blake and Jennifer stand but I'm not sure if the other two do. Miley thinks Keisha is going to find herself at the top of the iTunes country chart this week and Blake completely agrees. He says she delivered a solid country performance and Keisha is alllll smiles. 

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Artist: Noah Mac

Team: Jennifer

Song: "Electric Love" by BORNS

So, I don't know this song at all...but after hearing Noah perform it, I love it. I am going to download his version immediately and then go back and give the original a listen. Noah has such a stage presence. He is high energy tonight and sounds awesome. The ladies playing cello and violin are the icing on the cake, and I think Chloe has a challenge ahead of her now closing the show.

Coaches Say: Adam calls Noah "dreamy" and says he did everything right in his performance tonight. J-Hud tells Noah he owned the stage and took every opportunity to show America what kind of star he is. She thinks he'll be at the top of the charts tomorrow morning. 

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Artist: Chloe Kohanski

Team: Blake

Song: "Total Eclipse of the Heart" by Bonnie Tyler

Oh man. How many times have we heard this one over the years? Probably not as many times as "Against All Odds" and "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" and (god help me) "I Believe I Can Fly." Did I say Chloe would have a challenge closing the show tonight? Clearly I was kidding. Apparently people have been Tweeting her since the blind auditions about singing this song, and it makes perfect sense. Chloe ends the Top 11 performances with something you'd expect from an artist on tour or at an awards show. I didn't see any shoes thrown, but she definitely should have dropped the mic.

Coaches Say: Standing ovation from everyone! And my Tivo is about to cut off! Miley says Chloe represents all of the original, free spirited, freaky, "do what you want" artists out there and she loves seeing Chloe shine. She also mentions that when Chloe was on her team, she had totally intended for Chloe to sing Bonnie Tyler at some point. I believe it. Blake thinks Chloe just set the bar and pretty much says she is the front-runner in the competition. Well, there are some pretty good contestants this season, so it might be too soon for front-runner status...but she's not going anywhere tomorrow. 

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Tomorrow night the Top 10 will be revealed and we will say goodbye to another hopeful. Did Adam do enough to keep himself out of the bottom 2? Was Red's rendition of "The Dance" memorable enough for voters to choose after 2 hours of performances? Are voters going to be turned off by Shi'Ann's low tones that Miley can't get enough of? And am I really the only one that couldn't wrap my head around what Davon was doing on stage tonight? We'll find out which of these folks are competing for the Stupid Twitter Save in the elimination hour. Til then!