The Voice 21 Recap: Top 10 Sing “Outside of Their Genre” (Videos)

Coaches Blake Shelton, Kelly Clarkson and John Legend and Ariana Grande sit on the panel.  Carson Daly serves as host.  We’ll be live blogging all the performances here.

The Voice 21 Top 10 Song Spoilers: Genre Week Song Choices! (Audio)
The Voice 21 Power List/Rankings – Live Finals Top 10
The Voice 21 Live Final Rounds FULL SCHEDULE – When is the Finale?

VOTING Instructions: Download The Voice Official App (Available on the APP Store and Google Play). And/or vote on NBC.com/VoiceVote. Limit 10 votes per artist per method. Must be 13+ AND IN THE US OR PUERTO RICO. More at NBC.com/VoiceVoteRules. VOTING IS OPEN UNTIL 7 AM ET TOMORROW (Nov 16).

Tonight, the Top 10 artists choose songs “outside of their genre” for “challenge week.”  European Song Contest winner, Måneskin, perform their viral hit, a cover of The Four Seasons’ “Beggin’.”

The Voice Top 10: Carter Rubin, Måneskin and More to Perform

Holly Forbes – Team Ariana 

Last Dance by Donna Summer – Holly confesses that she has never sung Disco before. Ariana is “obsessed” with this song (DRINK!). Her entire life has been a challenge, says Holly, so she is up for it. The two do extra work on the key change. Holly’s dress is so pretty! And so is her voice. She understood the assignment, and followed it. Disco is not her style at all, but she dives head first into an unfamiliar style of music. She pulls off her poofy skirt, to reveal a sparkly number underneath! And she’s moving around the stage! This performance is both fierce and fearless. Hopefully, performing first won’t hurt her. John notes her “soul” and “composure.” Kelly loved the “skirt rip” calling it “amazing.” Ariana calls it “absolutely incredible…insane.”

Wendy Moten – Team Blake

Jolene by Dolly Parton –  OH BOY. She actually did hurt herself when she fell last week. She ended up in the hospital with a broken elbow and she fractured her left wrist. OUCH. Repeating myself: Wendy singing country IS NOT A CHALLENGE. She has collaborated with a ton of country singers. Blake waves it away saying she’s been BACKUP for country singers. And it’s not the same thing. Welp. She’s duetted with country singers, but OK.Wendy promises she won’t break anything else, but if she does, they’ll just have to wheel her on and off the stage.

She sings the song in a lower key than Dolly. It’ really shows off her beautiful lower range. She has such a gorgeous and unique tone. This rendition of the classic is soulful, but still retains country elements. She hasn’t changed the arrangement much at all. She didn’t follow the assignment. But I’m over it. John calls Wendy “perfect” and performance “religious.”  He says, “I was transfixed.” Kelly congratulates her for being professional while suffering an injury. Blake talks about Wendy’s restraint, and how she honored the original.  He compliments her strength, ability to persevere and fearlessness.

Jeremy Rosado – Team Kelly

Freedom was a Highway by Jimmie Allen & Brad Paisley – “Jeremy likes a ballad y’all,” Kelly says. She’s trying to push him out of his comfort zone by giving him an upbeat song. He calls it a challenge. He’ll be moving around the stage. A new thing for him. “Never feel comfortable in a competition,” Kelly advises. The thing is, Jeremy knows how to connect when singing a ballad. Fans respond to his earnest passion. This performance is fine, but it’s not special. There are some pitchy moments. With two singers leaving the competition this week, he could be in danger. Ariana doesn’t know the song. “You could sing the phone book and I’d be in.” Kelly says “You are really great at uptempos!” She loves his smile and calls his performance “magical.” She begs America to vote. 

Jershika Maple – Team Legend

Ain’t it Fun by Paramore  – Jershika ALSO FOLLOWED THE ASSIGNMENT. I love this song choice for her. In the video package, John mentions collaborating with Carrie Underwood, and how that exposed him to other audiences. John wants her to be “sassier,” like a comedic actress. Jershika makes it look TOO EASY sometimes! She effortlessly makes her way through this pop/rock song, clapping her hands and working the stage, adding some WHOOS for good measure. The singer loses breath control near the end, but it’s such a fun performance. “You are so powerful,” says Kelly. “It was really cool.” John notes her versatility. “You knocked it out of the park,” he says. “You stayed true to who you are….tremendous.” 

Lana Scott – Team Blake

The One That Got Away by Katy Perry  – Blake loves American Idol judge Katy Perry! Lana wants to “countrify” the song. So, she doesn’t QUITE get the assignment. Apparently, Lana is used to flipping pop songs to country. So, the song choice is not out of her comfort zone at all. What’s up with the giant fans behind her? The arrangement showcases her rangy retro-country voice nicely. Her fans should like this performance just fine. The fiddle adds a beautiful touch. Ariana calls her rendition “beautiful” and says she sang it “beautifully.” Kelly compares the arrangement to something Faith Hill would do. “You really delivered the message,” says Blake. He could imagine her version on country radio.

Joshua Vacanti – Team Legend –

If I Ain’t Got You by Alicia Keys  – Here, John mentions starring as Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar as an example of stretching his boundaries. When he heard John’s song choice for him, Joshua was terrified. But he trusts his coach. He and his wife celebrated their two year anniversary. He’ll sing the song as a gift for her. The arrangement will be more orchestral than the original, Joshua reveals.

Missing the soulfulness of the original. His upper register is lovely. However, Joshua is certainly doing his thing with the song. The dude can riff like crazy. In the end, he tackles the song and makes it his own adding drama and passion. Blake calls him “an important artist for the show.” And despite being the reddest of rednecks, he can’t wait for his performances every week. John compliments the creative risks Joshua takes. “You pull it off every single time.” 

Next, Italian European Song Contest winners, Måneskin, perform their viral hit, a cover of The Four Seasons’ “Beggin’,” in addition to the new single “Mama Mia.” And no, it’s not a cover of the Abba classic. The group is pretty hard core rock in an age where it’s no longer fashionable. Carson takes the opportunity to pimp the upcoming American Song Contest which will take The Voice’s time slot this winter. It’s the stateside version of the long running competition.

Jim & Sasha Allen – Team Ariana

Stay by Rihanna – America saved Jim & Sasha last week, despite a terrible Instant Save performance. Go Arianators? OR NOT PLEASE. Ariana feels the duo need to perform a contemporary song, rather than falling on retro songs. Oh. Ariana is “crying” again. What’s crazy: She obviously prefers them to her other team member, Holly Forbes. Kudos to them, managing to stay mostly on key this week. Sasha is taking many solo leads, which is good. Because his and his father’s vocal blend isn’t great. Having said that, the two may have done enough to stay in it this week. John is happy that America saved them. He loved hearing the vulnerability. Kelly compliments both of their voices. Ariana calls it their best performance to date. 

Paris Winningham – Team Blake

Amazed by Lonestar  – Paris is familiar with the song, but has never performed it. When he first heard the song on the radio, he fell in love with it. He speaks more on being angry when he was young about being adopted. This song helped him. ‘The challenge comes in performing it from my point of view,” says Paris. Paris sings the song soulfully, but it’s still a country song in his hands. The last chorus is urgent. He’s completely inhabited the song. He’s certainly met the challenge he set for himself. John’s family are not happy that he let Paris go. Blake cackles. Aw. Paris is crying, he felt that so much. “You’re going to the semifinals. I have no doubt about that,” says Blake.

Hailey Mia – Team Kelly

Peter Pan by Kelsea Ballerini  – Sure “Peter Pan” is a “country song.” But it’s also really pop. Not a stretch for Hailey, exactly. She talks about navigating a television show and being a freshman in high school at the same time. Hailey’s performance last week is hard to top. And nope, she doesn’t top it this week. However, her tone is  pretty and she shows off some rangy stuff. But I don’t think she’s moved the needle this week. Fun fact: She got a 100 percent on a math test today. Ariana compliments her new found confidence. Kelly admires how she is handling everything on her plate. “You’re unafraid to conquer anything,” she says.

Girl Named Tom – Team Kelly

Viva La Vida by Coldplay – They rose to No.2 on the iTunes country charts last week. They have been charting in the Top 20 at least overall every week. They love Coldplay, so are happy with the song choice.  Oh. The trio was heading to medical careers before forming a trio. Kelly is aiming for a “spiritual experience.”

This song is hard to sing. But right off, they nail the a’cappella choir intro. The song is a good choice for them, challenge are not. The song lends itself to creating beautiful harmonies. The guys are playing drams. and it’s  very dramatic. However, I’m hearing pitch problems in the solos. Splitting off and grabbing drumsticks seems to have thrown off the group dynamics. Even the harmonies are off in spots, although at other times, simply gorgeous. Nevertheless, it’s another A+ arrangement. Blake loves that they switch off leads. He calls it their best performance so far. John namechecks Arcade Fire. Cool reference. Kelly loved their energy. “You have such a great bond.”