Tonight, The Voice Top 6 take the stage for YOUR votes! Each finalist will sing TWO songs tonight. Click to check out this week’s song spoilers. We have a full night of performances, and we’re live blogging it all right here.
The Top 6 will sing a dedication to their moms, who will sit in on the mentoring session. In Josh’s case, it’s his wife and mother of his child who earns the dedication.
India Carney – Glory from Selma – Team Christina – Dedicated to her mom, who has done everything to support her dreams. India sang the song in her a cappella group at college. Mom feels honored that she’s dedicating the song to her. Christina feels that she is singing from a deeper level of her soul–she’s becoming an artist. She’s singing the rap part, which prompts Christina to call her a “true artist.” This is OK. But it’s missing the emotional sweep of the original. She has that wobbly vibrato going on. She does bring the emotion in the last verse, but without the actual rap bridge, the song loses much of it’s power. She still has a problem really connecting to what she’s singing. . Pharrell calls it an incredible comeback. Babyface should write her a song. Adam felt that she stepped up when it was important. BLAKE DOESN’T KNOW THE SONG HOW. He was at the Grammys! He has nothing to compare it to and he loves it. Christina thinks she pulled off the arrangement. – Download from iTunes
Joshua Davis – Desire – by U2 – Team Adam – Adam wants Josh to show a little flair. Sing the growly parts without strain. Keep the hook recognizable! That last part is REALLY important when changing up a song so much. This New Orleans style version of Desire is really risky. Ya don’t mess with U2 people! It’s a little busy, with guitars and horns and drums and maybe it’s too much? Josh’s gentle voice is getting lost in the mix. It’s an interesting arrangement. Kind of Postmodern Jukebox style. I’m not convinced this is the right song at this time. Too bad Josh is Jewish and can’t play the Jesus card. Heh. Josh brings the rasp, and shows some bite in the chorus. He’s real comfortable up there, playing off of the band. Pharrell thinks it’s his BEST performance. Hm. He loved Joshua doing tempo. “You’re doing what you’re supposed to be doing,” says Adam. “It’s infectious.” – Download from iTunes
Koryn Hawthorne – Everybody Hurts by REM – Team Pharrell – Dedicated to her mom, who has been through so much. She is, of course, there as the 17 year old singer’s guardian (same for Sawyer). Pharrell is moved by their relationship. . Tonight, she has better control and pitch, while pouring on the emotion. SING IT GIRLFRIEND I believe every damn word she’s singing. Her raspy smokey tone just cuts right through you. Koryn is really one of a kind–she sounds like nobody else. She kept it together pretty well until the last chorus, where her sound got a little strained. But her ability to convey emotion trumps everything. Blake is amazed by how invested she is in the songs. India and Kimberly could both take a few lessons from this young singer about being vulnerable and singing without defenses. Koryn lays it all out there, without hesitation. Pharrell loves the way she allows the spirit to come through. “You are truly anointed.” More dog whistles to Christian fans. – Download from iTunes
Kimberly Nichole – Free Fallin by Tom Petty – Team Christina – Kimberly’s mom is a big Christina fan. The singer dedicates “Free Falling” to her mom, because she also took risks when she was young. Momma sings too! This is an odd song choice for Kimberly. She doesn’t flip the gender. Which I love, actually. It’s an odd choice at the outset, but is totally working for Kimberly. She sets her big ole voice to the tune, bringing some gospel to the mid-tempo rock song. Loved that arrangement. She does a great job of pacing herself, bringing up the song to a crescendo. Adam believes she can sing ANYTHING. “You filled my heart with so much joy,” says Christina, who felt Kimberly was able to express the freedom the song embodies, Download from iTunes
Meghan Linsey – Steamroller Blues by James Taylor – Team Blake – This song has been a part of her set list for a long time. He warns her not to sing on auto pilot. One criticism of Meghan is that she tends to sing on 11, without much dynamic. And that’s true here. I wish she’d dial it back and then bring it home. Her phrasing is always incredible, but if she begins at the top, there’s nowhere to go but down. She’s literally screaming her lungs out by song’s end. How is her voice not ruined singing like that? Christina appreciated that she laid her heart and soul on stage. Pharrell says she proved the naysayers wrong. “You sang the crap out of it,” says Blake. Pharrell asks Nashville to vote for her. “That was a ketchup package, you stepped on it, and it splattered all over the place.” That’s an apt description, but is it a good thing? Don’t get me wrong, I dug the passion she brought to the performance, but Meghan, the word is DYNAMICS. Download from iTunes
Sawyer Fredericks – Shine On by Daisy May Erlewine – Team Pharrell – The song is dedicated to Sawyer’s mom. She played it for him when he was a kid. Oh. There were hard times on the farm when they started it. The family were suburban folk before they gave up the “rat race.” I don’t know this song at all, and I suspect viewers don’t either. This might be a hard sell. A pleasant campfire song, is the most I can say for it. Zzzzz. It was one of Adam’s favorite performances of the night. Hm. Blake says what he does is, simple, real and powerful. Pharrell calls what comes through him undeniable. – Download from iTunes
Kimberly Nichole – Dirty Diana by Michael Jackson – Team Christina – What a great song choice for Kimberly! She sings it with her NYC band all of the time. Christina covered it. It’s hard to sing, she says. She’s giving her free reign to be herself and do herself. Kimberly plans to show America why she’s called the “Rock Ballerina.” Holy crap. Everything about this is a tour de force. It’s an incredible performance, amazing vocal. It’s a 2 minute rock opera from Kimberly. AND SHE LOOKS FABULOUS WHILE DOING IT. She finishes on her knees in a back bend. Outstanding. The crowd, the coaches on their feet. Pharrell says she had her first rock n roll moment on The Voice. “This is exactly what this show needs, “says Christina, “You embody how to perform. A true superstar.” – Download from iTunes
Jacquie Lee will perform her new song, “Tears Fall” tomorrow, along with Vicci Martinez, Craig Wayne Boyd and Avery Wilson.
Joshua Davis – In My Life – Team Adam- The Beatles- Josh dedicates the song to his wife, who is there with him. She pushed him to sing “Fields of Gold.” They met each other in college. Give the song some vibe, says Adam. A dramatic pause wouldn’t hurt! Josh misses his family, but the time away is ultimately for them. There’s some very nice guitar work on this song. Joshua is performing a completely acoustic version. It’s, jazzy, lovely and intimate. His gentle, warm voice wraps around each syllable. He scatts a bit in the middle. His wife looks on lovingly from the audience. Such a simple thing, this performance. Josh really shines in these smaller, sweeter settings. Blake mocks the horrible clapping from the audience. They really are the worst. Blake admires his confidence. Adam calls Josh a “class act.” and the performance “mesmerizing, flawless.” – Download from iTunes
Koryn Hawthorne – Dream on by Aerosmith – Team Pharrell – Koryn loves the song! She’s living the dream right now. Pharrell warns her to sing the melody in the verses. Amanda Brown had a huge moment with this a few years ago. Can Koryn? Welp. Not really. She’s struggling with that melody in the verses. Pitch issues. She’s not singing the melody as her coach advised. This song is deceptively tough. And NOT just that huge scream at the end. She’s much better on the chorus. She plays off the guitar players effectively, she’s backed by a strong orchestra. And that last note? She cheats. She flies up into her falsetto for a few seconds, and then adlibs in her chest voice. THAT was anticlimactic. If you’re going to back off the big note, “Dram On” isn’t the right song for you. Christina realizes the song is out of her comfort zone. “Electrifying,” she says. Pharrell thinks the performance inspires people to “dream harder.” – Download from iTunes
India Carney – Lay Me Down by Sam Smith – Team Christina – Her schools have been super supportive of her. It’s time to rediscover India! Says Christina. Don’t be afraid to bring in classical elements, she says. Christina told India not to be afraid to use her vibrato, but it’s really distracting! The performance is a a little too faux dramatic musical theater for me. I want more soul, more emotion. Adam calls it her best performance ever on the show. It made her one of the front runners again. Christina felt that she stepped out of her comfort zone and up to the plate. – Download from iTunes
Sawyer Fredericks – Take Me to the River by Al Green – Team Pharrell – Sawyer is singing The Commitments version. Pharrell helps him “Sawyer it up.” Bring more Black Keys, or CCR. They tweak the arrangement to make it grittier. Oh gosh. He’s flanked by dancers. Is this really necessary? He looks oblivious of everything going on around him, which is kind of hilarious. Nevertheless, Sawyer brings real groove and grit to this performance. He even moves around the stage a bit, without his guitar. LOOK AT OUR SWEET LITTLE SAWYER. Heh. Can we forget the first song happened? I know it was for his mom, but damn that was boring. This is more like it. “All you have to do is stand there and sing!” says Blake. No truer words were ever spoken. He mocks the dancers a little. Pharrell understands why he wanted to do the song! He’s proud of the way he worked the stage. Download from iTunes
Meghan Linsey – Amazing Grace – Team Blake – Meghan dedicates the song to her mom who came from dirt floors in Kentucky. Momma is proud of how her daughter perseveres. Blake had the idea to sing the first verse a cappella. I can already tell Meghan isn’t going anywhere. A big old fashioned pipe organ joined her on the second verse. SWINGING FOR THE FENCES. Pulling the God card, right on time. Having said that. She performs a gospelly version of the song. It’s an effective, personal and powerful performance. “Did Blake just win the whole thing again!” says Christina, “Beautiful job.” Blake says, “There’s a new sheriff in town…so proud of you sis. – Download from iTunes
