The Voice 10 Recap – Top 8 Performances – Live Blog and VIDEO

Pop star Pink will be on hand to mentor each of the contestants AND the singer pair up to sing duets.

*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

The show begins with a video package introducing tonight’s superstar mentor, Pink. She says the contestants are already better than entire award season of singers.

Shalyah Fearing – Team Adam – And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going from Dreamgirls –  “I’m going to punch you I love you so much!” Pink says to Shalyah. Ha ha. A little afraid to sing such a big song, Shalyah is will to take the chance because she is sure it will show off her range.  Pink advises the singer to use her rasp as a weapon, but not to overdo it. Shalyah is singing the song as a declaration–she’s not ready to go home. Well, she got the death spot, which doesn’t bode well for the struggling singer.  And I Am Telling You is almost designed to be oversung. If you’ve ever watched Jennifer Holliday perform this song, you know what I mean. Shalyah is shrieky on the bridge and the last note is flat. But she does pour her whole heart into the performance. I’m not sure if it’s enough to stave off her elimination at this point. Christina calls her gutsy and fearless. “You brought it,” she says. Pharrell thinks it’s a lot for a 16 year old to communicate, but he thinks she delivered. Adam is overjoyed to have THIS moment. “This girl deserves to be in that finale!” he says. “I’m going to beg you guys to vote for her.” –  Download from iTunes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUG1WEJkfew

Adam Wakefield & Alisan Porter – Angel From Montgomery by Bonnie Raitt (John Prine) – PERFECT song choice for these two! The duo sit on stools as Adam strums a guitar. Simple and beautiful. They both sound terrific. Alisan doesn’t need the big power notes to impress. It’s too bad there are no studio recordings of the duets. I love this! No remarks from the coaches. These duets appear to be designed as little musical interludes between solo performances.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cr5yWfKpsvk

Paxton Ingram – Team Blake – I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That) by Meatloaf – Paxton is looking for a challenging song. “Holy vibrato!” says Pink after he sings. “You have the most beautiful voice in the whole world!” She’s impressed that he’s tackling a Meatloaf song. “I want to see you get angry!” says Pink. Paxton’s reaction is to grin and giggle. I am totally distracted by the white stretch pants he’s wearing. Having said that…the song is really too big for the singer. He starts off fine, but once the band kicks in, his vocals get lost in the mix. He just does not have the power to cut through, but he’s working that stage and singing his little heart out.   Christina can’t believe he’s performing Meatloaf. Uhm. “It’s All Coming Back to Me,” which Paxton sang a few weeks ago, is originally by Meatloaf. “You pack such a punch in every performance…you left me entertained,” she says.  Pharrell thinks Paxton took it to the next step. He wonders if Broadway is the right fit for him. “You harness the rock tunes well.” Blake has never been more proud of an artist he’s worked with on the show. “I don’t know anybody who works harder than Paxton.” Shalyah and Paxton performed first and second–the two contestants expected to go home this week are given the death spots. Will either buck expectations? – Download from iTunes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvEnKwq4u_U

Laith Al-Saadi – Team Adam – One and Only by Adele – Bob Seger posted about last week’s performance on Facebook! Laith chose an Adele tune to prove he can make any song his own. Adam calls his voice the most distinct in the competition. Pink advises him to clench his butt cheeks to hit a high note. OMG. She’s hilarious. We’ll see if Laith hits that note on stage. “I don’t think I’ll need to clench for this,” quips Carson during his introduction. Laith transforms the song into something completely different. He really has the ability to make a song truly his own, without any pretensions or crazy re-arrangements, and he makes cutting through to the heart of a lyric seem so easy. Nice work interpreting a risky song choice. Tasty guitar licks too.  It’s hard to imagine he won’t breeze into next week’s final. Blake asks Laith if he clenched his butt cheeks. Nope, he confirms. Blake is full of compliments, “That was amazing. Beautiful singing. That guitar solo…” Pharrell calls Laith a success story and instructs America to “Keep supporting him.” If Laith made it through, Adam would be so proud because he stayed true to himself. –  Download from iTunes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRW3JistcGo

Mary Sarah & Bryan Bautista – Break Free by Ariana Grande – Uh. OK? What an odd song choice for  these two. No attempt to meet in the middle of their respective genres.  The song really doesn’t suit either of them. It’s not a terrible performance….OK taking that back. That offkey glory note was excruciating.  That performance–so awkward. A pop country song would have been a better pick. Taylor Swift maybe? That did neither any favors at a critical point.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9tvnnnU22g

Alisan Porter – Team Christina – Desperado by The Eagles – Pink was fangirling over Curly Sue. Heh.  Xtina points out the song has never been sung on The Voice before. Christina cautions–Alisan does not need to add all the embellishments. Yeah, because that didn’t work out so well last week. “It’s the emotion that’s important.”  It would mean everything to advance to the final four, Alisan says.  The singer has a bit of the flappy hands going tonight. Setting aside that distraction, Alisan turns in a beautiful rendition of a 70s classic. Maybe she could have dialed it back a little at the end–there was a touch of desperation in that performance. I sense that she knows she could miss the cut-off this week.  “You really can do everything, in a way that connects you to the audience, ” says Adam. It’s one of his favorite songs, “You did it, you made it your own.” Christina is speechless, but she is bursting with pride and admiration. “It’s such a special song….beautiful and epic,” she says.  –  Download from iTunes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wb7HqVNuKg

Laith Al-Saadi & Hannah Huston – Knock on Wood by Eddie Floyd (and many others) –  This is a pretty good matchup of styles and a solid song choice. It gives them both a chance to get real bluesy. Considering how different their vocal tones are–this pairing works out pretty well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNFD5IMTqYA

Adam Wakefield – Team Blake – I’m Sorry by Blake Shelton – Adam used to teach Pink songs back when he taught vocal lessons. The song was Blake’s idea–mostly because it was written by Chris Stapleton. Blake suggests Adam take the tune up a half step and move from guitar to piano. Both Blake and Pink think it’s a big improvement.  I wasn’t impressed with the studio snippet I heard earlier, but this live performance is giving me life. The band is scaled back to allow his vocal to be front and center. His tone is terrific and should always be highlighted. This man needs no bells and whistles. It’s the right song at the right time. It also gives the audience at home (AND SCOTT BORCHETTA AHEM) an idea of the type of artist he’ll be after the competition is over. The song arrangement and Adam’s vocal delivery comes together in a beautifully constructed dynamic arc. A moving performance. Maybe his best yet.  Pharrell was impressed by his accuracy and runs, and that he brings something different to country music. Adam noted how rapt the audience was as they listened to his performance. “I’m embarrassed that I ever sang that song,” says Blake. “LIKE YOURS BUT BETTER,” jokes Adam. –  Download from iTunes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSg2xHumQs0

More pimping of that Disney movie, Alice Through the Looking Glass. Isn’t it ABC’s job to pimp Disney movies?

Bryan Bautista – Team Christina – Hurt by Christina Aguilera – Bryan has no relationship with his father. He hasn’t even surfaced during the competition. So, the song has special meaning for him. Pink is impressed: “Bryan can sing his butt off..higher than I can!” Xtina gives him pointers on the ad libs. Do your own thing with it, she urges. Bryan sings sitting at the piano–but not for long. He picks up the mic to take the stage. In this case, I was more impressed with the studio rendition. Bryan is singing a little out of his range and not hitting the notes as cleanly as he could. And then…bandzilla is drowning him out. Maybe the key should have been taken down a half step to allow him to hit those notes.  That didn’t have the impact it could have, unfortunately.  His mom is in the audience, crying. Adam admires his courage and ability to get in touch with his emotions. “What you did was absolutely incredible,” says Christina. It’s so hard to perform, she doesn’t like to sing the song live. –  Download from iTunes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJzSleqkhQM

Paxton Ingram & Shalyah Fearing – Masterpiece by Jessie J. –  Dead peeps walking! Out of tune moments and oversinging by Shalyah result in a messy performance. And it’s a really odd song choice. That did them no favors–especially coming close to the end of the night.

Hannah has the pimp spot.

Mary Sarah – Team Blake – I Told You So By Randy Travis & Carrie Underwood – Pink loves traditional country, “She’s the kind of artist we need on the radio,” she says after listening to Mary sing. Blake thinks Pink has good ideas when it comes to connecting to a lyric. Blake adds some steel guitar. Pink is impressed. She advises Mary to sing the song as if she couldn’t possibly do anything else. Mary doesn’t have the big vocals of a Carrie Underwood, but it’s not necessary.  Her lovely, lilting tone expresses the heartache in the lyric beautifully. Man, her country loving fans are going TO DIG THIS. I have a feeling Mary is headed straight for the final. On fire the past couple of weeks, Mary has found her stride on stage– really opening herself up to the audience. Christina feels she’s grown a lot “You’re really owning who you are.” Blake calls the performance “100% pure solid country music…your best performance.”    –  Download from iTunes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWPuxPDp00M

Hannah Huston – Team Pharrell – When a Man Loves a Woman by Percy Sledge –  This is a begging song, says Pharrell, “but sung from a woman’s point of view.” Pink talks about vulnerability and that she likes when people “dig.” Hannah confesses that she feels free on stage to really express herself, which is why she loves music so much. After her initial rehearsal, Pink is all goose pimply as she declares, “You just made me love this song!”  Hannah begins a’cappella and the instruments come in slowly.  It’s Hannah’s unusual phrasing that make her a standout. No matter the song, the singer puts her stamp on it and has never been afraid to be herself. She’s had some missteps this season, but everything is coming together for her tonight. She ends up down on one knee on the last verse. I’m waiting for a stagehand to run out and drape a cape around her shoulders. That was her best performance of the season, for sure. Is the pimp spot and a great performance enough to propel her to the final? Or is it too late? Adam calls her the “weird stealth assassin” of the competition. Blake agrees. “You haven’t had anything like that all season.” Pharrell believes Hannah finally understands that she deserves to be here.  –  Download from iTunes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrTCjntO3_s