The Voice 10 Recap Top 10 Performances
Tonight the LIVE FINALS continue! Ten contestants from Team Adam Levine, Team Blake Shelton, Team Christina Aguilera and Team Pharrell Williams will perform for YOUR VOTES. First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden will be on hand tonight for a special presentationOne singer will be eliminated Tuesday night during The Voice LIVE results show. Sawyer Fredericks and DNCE are set to perform tomorrow night.
*Vote for your favs at NBC.com, the official The Voice App and by downloading the contestant’s song on iTunes. Any singer that enters the Top 10 will have their votes multiplied by 10.
Click for Tonight’s Song Spoilers
First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden are up first. The studio audience is full of active duty and veteran military personnel AND their families. Joining Forces initiative is celebrating 5 years. The pair talk about meeting military across the country and generally deliver a plug for the organization.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVVfm0FPuss
Michelle introduces the Top 10 who take the stage to sing”Home” by Dierks Bentley. There haven’t been many cohesive group numbers from this crew. But it’s the thought that counts! It’s patriotic and stirring. There’s a brass band playing behind them, the Patriotic Brass Ensemble, decked out in red and white.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rvs63FQvxrM
FIRST UP KILLER ASTEROIDS.
Daniel Passino – Team Pharrell – I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing by Aerosmith – Daniel is on an emotional roller coaster since being in the bottom 2, he says. Pharrell gives him a pep talk. He’s proud of him! The comments he’s reading online are getting to him. OOOOPPPS Sawry. Pharrell lectures him about avoiding the comments. “You are a buzzer beater!” he says. Hm. So that was the big lecture he delivered? Oy. Still blowing smoke. This song is literally the worst. Daniel’s version? DO NOT WANT. It’s a straightforward vocal, until he drops to his knees–I KID YOU NOT–to deliver a screechy high note. You were doing fine dude, until you tried too hard. If Daniel could just FEEL SOMETHING rather than layering his performance with gobs of Velveeta, he might develop into an artist. Adam reminds Daniel that success doesn’t’ happen overnight. Everything should be considered an up, he says. Christina admires his passion, it even overcame his pitch problems. Oh yeah, Xtina laying on the shade at a crucial time. Oh. Pharrell mentions the pitch stuff too. He felt he saved that big screechy note by the time it (mercifully) ended, and congratulates him on living in the moment. Daniel performed first and not particularly well. It’s not looking good for him. – Download from iTunes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwJr3Uu5X0U
Shalyah Fearing – Team Adam – My Kind of Love by Emeli Sande – It’s Mother’s day and the moms who are available visit their kids in rehearsal. Adam marvels at how close mom and daughter are. This song represents the kind of R&B artist she wants to be, says Shalyah. Adam is convinced the singer is one performance away from having a breakthrough. I say she’s two or three years away, but that’s me. “You just bought yourself a ticket to the finale,” Adam says after rehearsal. Actually, this is one of her better performances. Blake talked about admiring her “ragged” performance, but she’s got some pitch and control problems–not pleasant to the ears– that aren’t going to improve in the next few weeks. Still, Adam should continue to hand her contemporary pop and R&B songs as long as she’s still competing. Adam is on his feet! Mom Crystal and family in the front row. Blake likes her ragged edgy style. That’s where she thrives, he says. “You bought yourself more time.” Pharrell says blah blah blah…and more about performing in the present. Adam once told Shalyah to dial it back, but he was wrong. He wants to see her performances dialed up t0 11 from now on. he threatens promises to have her scream sing “No More Drama” by Mary J Blige next week, if she makes it through. Oy. – Download from iTunes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VusgtXwEXOI
Nick Hagelin – Team Christina – I Can’t Help It by Michael Jackson – Nick is going to be pushing himself out of a box this week, he says. During rehearsal, Christina says it’s like having Michael singing in front of her. Oh. He’s been performing this song for years, but tonight will feature a changed up arrangement. He’s literally singing in a box. Ha ha. A big improvement over last week. He seems pretty comfortable in his skin tonight. Still, those falsettos Xtina is in love with are pretty weak. His voice really thins out up there. He’s flirting with the audience and he’s thrown in a few dance moves. His wife is wearing a flower crown. The child is in the audience too. Pharrell delivers another pep talk about not giving up and how Nick stands for second chances. He glides over the performance pretty much. Blake says there were times when he even sounded like MJ. Uh. Christina thinks he executes his Michael influence really well. “You killed it.’ She thanks America for voting him through every week and giving him confidence. “America is your A&R right now!” Xtina gushes. – Download from iTunes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eU6WeRlbeGE
Hannah Houston – Team Pharrell – Rolling in the Deep by Adele – Hannah’s mom used to sing. She lives vicariously through her daughter. Hannah admits it’s crazy to cover Adele. YES. Especially this song. Pharrell calls Hannah “sunshine” and says she gives fans a reason to love her every week. FLAPPY HANDS. Check. Honestly, instead of the incomprehensible goblety gook Pharrell calls “advice” he should be doling out practical tips like what to do with her damn hands. Having said that, Hannah sounds terrific as always. She’s so unique, she manages to make whatever she sings her own. But still. I don’t want to hear this song no mo’ on singing shows. But seriously, that tone is so cool and her pitch is always on point. It’s effortless for her. I’d love for her to make the finals, but refuse to hope. Adam says her sliding up into the note of the chorus drove him a little crazy, but it was 99% amazing. Pharrell gets on his feet to say it was 1000 percent amazing! “This show is about healing and growth.” He’s reading off cards now. He seriously is. “That was so sick! AMERICA VOTE THIS AMAZING GIRL THROUGH.” Download from iTunes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qKzswV-Ftk
Laith Al-Saadi – Team Adam – The Thrill is Gone by BB King – Laith’s pre-Voice albums shot up the charts after Pharrell pimped them last week. Ah. His dad emigrated to America from Iraq and was really unhappy when his son pursued music. It’s another strong performance from the musician. It seems Adam is taking a pretty hands off approach with Laith, who has really benefitted the past few weeks from staying firmly in his wheelhouse. He is an incredible guitar player and a strong singer–but not really bringing anything to this classic that hasn’t been done before. I’m a little underwhelmed. Blake compliments his guitar playing, but advises that he puts more emphasis on his incredible voice. Adam says it was by far the best show of musicianship on The Voice ever. That Laith can do both of those things–he should not separate his talents, Adam adds. Download from iTunes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6lLtftluds
The coaches are breaking out some criticisms this week. Are they following producer instructions to spice things up, or are they subtly throwing singers under the bus as the competition heats up?
Paxton Ingram – Team Blake – It’s All Coming Back to Me Now by Celine Dion (Meatloaf) – Blake is bragging big time about how Paxton won the iTunes race last week. And he did it with vocals, so the dancing appears to be history. This is a pretty big song, so good luck with that. And this is actually…pretty good. Paxton can deliver a theatrical vocal convincingly. Really, gospel is all about passion. This is how Paxton will move forward in the competition–big emotional songs, whether gospel or secular. The song is a little too big for him. When he hits those crescendos the melody gets away from him and he goes flat. Blake was working with him on those issues in rehearsal. Paxton is so dang cute and earnest. Voters might go for that. Christina didn’t know what to expect, but she’s pleasantly surprised that he made it his own. Blake says, “You’re in the zone, man…it’s the reason I do this job. You’re becoming this artist.” – Download from iTunes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xl04CvLoHs
Mary Sarah – Team Blake – Stand By Your Man by Tammy Wynette – She had the #1 song on the country chart on iTunes. She was crying! Blake is proud that Mary is willing to sing this classic to HONOR traditional country music. Not said: “TOTALLY REGRESSIVE BUT.” She’s performed this number since high school. Blake confesses that the first song he ever sang on stage was “Cat Scratch Fever.” The melody requires a performer with a pretty wide range. The singer needs to switch pretty quickly from low notes in the verse to big belty notes in the chorus. A lesser talent could get tripped up, but Mary is only a tiny bit wonky in her lower register. She soars on the high notes in the chorus, though. Country fans will love that. Adam calls the performance “amazing” and very much in the zone of who she is. Blake is sure she just engaged the entire country audience. He’s sure the soldiers in the studio loved it too. Hm. Love the old school stuff on Mary, but maybe something a little less sexist next time? – Download from iTunes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZT_P7ZEcQw
Adam Wakefield has the pimp spot!
Bryan Bautista – Team Christina – Promise by Romeo Santos ft Usher – Bryan will honor his Puerto Rican roots this week. ‘We have our sound and our culture,” This song is for his mom. Bryan shows off some of his Latin moves for Xtina. “You’re going to kill the ladies,” she coos. I thought the recording was pretty cheesy, but this is better. His voice, front and center, traverses to his falsetto beautifully. Bryan is sounding real smooth and centered this week. He’s engaging the band and the audience easily. There are a few wonky spots, but overall a solid performance. He tried to do TOO much last week. This is just right. “BRO THAT WAS AWESOME,” says Pharrell. He’s sure the Latin community is losing their minds. Adam confesses that he has no Latin blood, but his Jewish blood loves him. One of the most gifted singers in the competition, he says. But STILL not his best. Xtina the Latina stands up to say that he’s the only singer in this competition to rep for the Latinos. – Download from iTunes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZT_P7ZEcQw
Alisan Porter – Team Christina – Let Him Fly by Patty Griffin – This song represents the lowest point in her life. She was in the throes of her addiction, and her boyfriend DIED. She and Xtina both cry during rehearsal. The song healed her, Alisan says. This is real stripped down. Just Alisan and an acoustic guitar. There’s no band to compete with or need to browbeat a song. The song is gorgeously phrased, and deeply heartfelt. It’s night and day from last week’s bombastic performance of “Stay With Me Baby.” It’s like the anti–she’s gonna let the thing go that’s hurting her instead of clinging desperately to it. I co-sign that message. Adam commends her for drawing from the pain in her life into her performance tonight. Blake already loved her. Now that she’s sung a “country” song he REALLY loves her “Show them what to do Curly Sue!…Good job sis.” Xtina is so proud of her courage to share her vulnerability. – Download from iTunes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VV2dpl565kg
Adam Wakefield – Team Blake – I Got a Woman by Ray Charles – Blake felt Adam let up on the gas just a little last week. His girlfriend is the reason he moved to Nashville. He’s dedicating the song to her. He’s spent years studying all kinds of music, and knows that country and soul music is where he belongs. Blake is gonna pull out all the tricks for this performance. “It’s not time to play it safe,” declares Blake, “You can win this thing.” Coach had to be bummed when Laith stole Adam’s thunder last week. Maybe too many bells and whistles–the performance is overproduced. I wish it were grittier. But talk about chops, Adam shows off his piano skillz. Wow. “I’ve got a woman back home in Nashville that’s good to me,” he points at the camera. CUTE. That was quite a vocal and musical showcase. I just wish it was a little dirtier. “So much soul! I can’t wait for the album you make with Big Machine,” says Pharrell. Still beating that drum. “You literally just blowed my brains out,” says Blake. Not touching that one. – Download from iTunes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_6lFH72HDs