The Voice 18 Recap and Results: Top 17 Performs For Your Votes (Video)

THE VOICE -- "Top 17 Performances" -- Pictured in this screen grab: Thunderstorm Artis -- (Photo by: NBC)
Pictured in this screen grab: Thunderstorm Artis — (Photo by: NBC)

The Voice season 18 Playoffs air tonight. But due to coronavirus concerns, the artists and coaches, Blake Shelton, Kelly ClarksonJohn Legend and Nick Jonas will do their thing from home, while Carson Daly hosts from The Voice Universal studios in Los Angeles. The winner of the 4 way knockout will be revealed before the Top 17 artists perform from home.

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Tonight, Mega Mentor James Taylor opens the show with a rendition of “Shower The People You Love with Love” while the artists join in from home. 

Carson introduces the show and new format while standing in front of the now empty red chairs at The Voice studio in Los Angeles. He’s working safely along with a skeleton crew. The coaches remote in from various places. Kelly is in Montana with her family, Nick and John are at their homes in Los Angeles, and Blake beams in from Oklahoma. He mentions that gal pal Gwen Stefani did his hair and makeup.

Todd Michael Hall from Team Blake, Nelson Cade III from Team Legend, Samantha Howell from Team Kelly and Michael Williams from Team Nick competed in a 4-way knockout for a spot in the playoffs. AND THE WINNER IS Michael Williams from Team Nick.

Tomorrow, on the Tuesday results show, the Top 17 will be cut to a Top 9. The Voice uploaded tonight’s artist intros to Youtube this morning. Check that out HERE.  The performers sing against fakish looking backdrops. I much prefer the elaborate and creative stages American Idol contestants created for their performances.  Performance order is grouped by teams.

Team Nick Jonas

Thunderstorm Artis  – Summertime from Porgy & Bess – Thunderstorm DOES IT AGAIN. He takes a familiar classic, and totally makes it his own. He never fails to deliver a surprising performance. It’s so weird to me that John gave him up. OK. Thunderstorm is whistling. Which I hate. I FREAKING HATE WHISTLING. But maybe that’s just me. John calls the performance “magical.” He marvels over the whistling. “This was a perfect way to kick off this playoff.” Nick shows off his “notes” as he gushes over his new team member. 

Allegra Miles –  New York State of Mind by Billy Joel –  I prefer the gritty version of this song American Idol contestant Julia Gargano delivered on Sunday. But this is also very good. Allegra delivers the song with beautiful phrasing and impressive range. Blake thinks everyone so far sounds incredible at home “Great job, sis,” he says. Nick calls her a force in this competition and compliments her growth. “You owned it. Your best performance,” he says.

Arie Moon – Finesse by Bruno Mars – Singing show contestants usually blow it covering Bruno. But this high energy performance is terrific. Arie’s runs are so effortless. She sings with an infectious confidence. If Bruno had set this song aside, Arie could have nailed it as a single. Kelly loved her 90’s vibe. Nick is sweating, “I was dancing too much…you killed it.”

Roderick Chambers – I’m Lost Without You by Robin Thicke – This is an interesting song choice. Roderick probably picked it to show off his beautiful falsetto, which he certainly does. John loved the song choice. “You’re voice is such a cool mix.”  Nick says, “You absolutely nailed it.” He thinks the performance will “blow up twitter.”  Really Nick? You think that performance is gonna go viral? But maybe it will if he says so. 

Michael Williams – Sign of the Times by Harry Styles – Michael’s knockout performance was impressive. But this week, his karaoke rendition of Harry Style’s hit song is is leaving me a little cold. His voice can be rangy, but his tone is thin and flat. Kelly calls him “so rock n roll.” She thinks he made it his own. She calls him the “rock n roll vibe of the show.” Eh. He lacks the energy and charisma of a rock star. Nick thinks he set the bar high. 

Team John Legend

Zan Fiskum – Blowing in the Wind by Bob Dylan – Zan’s background is fancy. She performs sitting in her tiny home in the woods. Maybe I’m a purist, but I don’t like this song jazzed up with production. It’s meant to be performed with a guitar. But her vocal is beautiful. A few too many bells and whistles, but her phrasing overall is lovely. John compliments her artistry. “You showed us every part of your voice. Everything felt so intentional.” Kelly calls it “the best version of that song I ever heard.” Oh hell no, Kelly. 

Mike Jerrell – With All My Life by K-Ci & JoJo – I’m not crazy about this song choice, but it does allow Mike to show off his range and soulful chops, and his take on the song is original. It’s not my favorite performance of his, however. John loves his creativity and that he made it his own. “It was really cool.” 

Mandi Castillo – ¡Corre! by Jesse & Joy – Instead of singing in two languages, Mandi swings for the fences and sings a Spanish language song. Props to her for going out on a limb. She’s a beautiful singer. Her tone is so pure and easy. She could be a big star in the world of Spanish music. Or maybe in any genre. “You literally had my little square in the palm of your hand!” says Blake. John is so proud, “You do it so flawlessly. You’re so humble and unassuming.” 

CamWess – Ain’t No Sunshine by Bill Withers – Cam is another talented singer who bounced around a bit. He’s very underrated on this show, I think. He’s soulful with a ton of cross influences, including rock and folk. He’s an interesting and skilled singer. He attacks the song’s “I knows” like its a state of emergency. It’s a compelling performance. Kelly promises that she didn’t want to let him go. “You did so many cool tricks with that song.” John shouts out the late great Bill Withers. “You nailed it…you’re tone is so buttery…honey butter!” he says, glad to have stolen him back from Kelly. 

Team Kelly Clarkson

Megan Danielle – Anyone by Demi Lovato – Megan sings another pop song this week. Does she wear braces? She’s got a bit of a “shush” sound on her consonants. But nevertheless, she’s picking big emotional songs, and she’s got the big, big emotional voice to match. Nick calls Megan “gifted.” Kelly has loved her since the Blinds. She obviously identifies so much with Megan. Anybody up against Megan in a battle or knockout had to know they were toast.

Mandi Thomas – I Hope You Dance by Garth Brooks – She auditioned performing opera. But surprise! Her last few performances have been country. Frankly, I’m glad she’s not singing opera anymore. Her voice, though, while big, is rather generic. “It was such a cool vibe,” says Kelly. “You can sing anything.”

Micah Iverson – Your Song by Elton John – His rendition is closer to the Ellie Goulding version than the original. But he’s doing his own thing, here. Micah struggled last time out, although I thought his performance was better than the coaches did. But then, I love Micah’s voice a lot. The second half of the song just SOARS! The beginning was a little odd, but overall, this is a gorgeous rendition of a classic. Blake compliments the way he can “explode” on a song. “You never run out of breath.” Kelly is so excited. “You are so incredibly gifted…I am so happy you are on my team.” Along with Megan, Micah is clearly one of Kelly’s favorites. 

Cedrice – Everything I Wanted by Billie Eilish – And yet another talented singer who bounced among the coaches. She belonged on Team Legend. Absolutely NOT on Team Blake. But Kelly is a good compromise. Cedrice doesn’t need much coaching, anyway.  Cedrice’s jazzy, slinky, seductive style gives off shakes of the 80’s singer Sade. “You’re so crazy cool,” Kelly gushes. She calls her a “stand alone” artist. 

Team Blake Shelton

Toneisha Harris – What Doesn’t Kill You (Stronger) by Kelly Clarkson – Toneisha takes on a huge pop/rock song, one of Kelly’s biggest hits, and nails it. She breezes through her rendition effortlessly, soulfully and has attitude for days. She could wind up in the final. John calls singing a Kelly Clarkson song a “bold move.” He thinks she’ll be in the finale. “If you need a background singer call me,” shouts Kelly. Blake calls it the best vocal performance of the night. Good thing she is the first from Blake’s team to perform.

Joei Fulco – Runaway by Del Shannon (Bonnie Raitt) – I love Bonnie, but not this cover. She recorded this song back when she was trying to fit into the pop world. It’s a dud. Joei has an impressive rock tinged voice, but there are a million better songs she could have chosen. Nick calls her “fun.” Blake loves her rasp and calls her “buzz” sound unique. He’s so glad he blocked Nick from her in the Blinds.

Joanna Seranko – Rich Girl by Hall and Oates – Joanna performs a smooth jazzy rendition of an 80’s pop classic. I’m not sure this is the song to choose at a crucial time of the competition. But her soulful alto cuts through on a thoroughly original take of the Hall and Oates hit. Kelly calls it “fabulous and fun.” and Joanna “a captivating spirit.” Blake notes that although she kept the original groove, it nevertheless became her song. 

Todd Tilghman – Glory of Love by Peter Cetera – Todd tackles another big 80’s power ballad. He handles them aptly, but it’s all a bit corny. But his raspy voice is big and powerful. Years as a church singer taught him how to connect to a crowd. He’ll probably end up in the finale. “You literally ARE the karate kid!” Todd is one of Blake’s favorite artists to work with. 

Voting is open now!

 

About mj santilli 34853 Articles
Founder and editor of mjsbigblog.com, home of the awesomest fan community on the net. I love cheesy singing shows of all kinds, whether reality or scripted. I adore American Idol, but also love The Voice, Glee, X Factor and more!