The Voice 23 Recap: The Playoffs 2, Top 8 Revealed Live Blog

The Voice 23
Pictured: (l-r) Gina Miles, Michael B., Ross Clayton, Tasha Jessen — (Photo by: Tyler Golden/NBC)

Last week kicked off The Playoffs on The Voice, which dwindled Team Blake and Team Chance down to only two contestants each. Tonight, members from Team Niall and Team Kelly will compete for the remaining two spots on each team.

As a reminder, Season 23’s Playoffs will not be live, which means no fan voting just yet.

The Voice 23 Spoilers: Top 8 Semifinal Artists Playoffs Results (Keep spoiler talk under the spoiler post!)
The Voice 2023: Full Season 23 Schedule (Updated 5/8)

Team Kelly – D. Smooth – “Location”

D. Smooth has been smooth from the start, and seemingly turned this song into an R&B bop. I wouldn’t say it was his best, but it was a different side of the singer, showing his ability to bounce between genres. He also kills the ending with a bunch of runs.

Chance says he made it his own song and compliments the improvised runs. Blake says no one could live up to their name quite like him. Niall says it was a performance he could never do the same twice. Kelly says it was her favorite thing he’s done in the show.

Team Niall – Ross Clayton – “With Or Without You”

Ross feels like an underrated contestant to me, but every week he proves why he’s still here. There’s something so enjoyable about his voice when he sings, and this song showed his range. Dropping to his knees at the end with some final, flawless notes was the cherry on top.

Kelly compliments his range and says it was so good. Blake says it went from great to incredible. Chance says it was his best performance. Niall says he’s proud of him and he nailed it as usual.

Team Kelly – Cait Martin – “Alone”

I already can’t wait to hear this and it hasn’t even begun yet. Cait’s voice is so pretty, and she manages the flawless notes this song requires. She also puts her own twist on the famous notes, making the song unique to her.

Niall says her big notes are pure and clean and song choice was phenomenal. Chance says she killed it. Blake says she hit all the big stuff perfectly but the pitch was off during some runs. Kelly says she has a huge voice and she’s not sure if there’s anyone else in the competition who can nail a song like her.

Team Niall – Gina Miles – “Wicked Game”

Gina has a beautiful way of going from her deeper, lower register to her falsetto. She hits some good notes but the song itself isn’t as memorable compared to her competitors.

Chance calls it insane and says he does know what else to say. Kelly compliments the control she has in her lower register and calls her rad. Blake says if Niall doesn’t put her through he’s not only fired, but he’s not his son anymore. Niall calls it her best performance and says she has a distinct tone to her voice.

Team Kelly – Neil Salsich – “Have A Little Faith In Me”

Neil showcases a great tone with this one, but again, it doesn’t feel memorable enough to get him to the lives, in my opinion. He sounds like he’d make a great faith-based singer though.

Blake says he’s the most consistent person on the show this season. Niall compliments his passion. Chance says he rocks with him and he thinks he could win the whole thing. Kelly says she feels like she knows him more when he’s performing compared to talking to him.

Team Niall – Tasha Jessen – “Here”

This performance feels more like an audition than a playoff to me. It does not showcase the best of Tasha’s voice. She doesn’t sound bad, and she hits some great notes at the end.

Blake says he loves the challenges she takes on for herself. Chance says it started at rocky but she killed it at the end. Kelly says it wasn’t her best performance because the song got away from her. Niall says she picked it up when it got away from her.

Team Kelly – Ali – “Never Alone”

Ali’s always got such a cool vibe. She showcases her gift with every performance and blows everyone away every time. She lends her unique voice to different genres, and this one let her shine with different runs, some beautiful falsetto, and a clear connection to the lyrics.

Niall says she’s a great storyteller and he’d send her through if it was up to him. Chance says every time she does even better than he thought. Blake says she always accomplishes what her vision is despite there being a few times it got away from her. Kelly calls her runs cool and fresh and says she moves her.

Team Niall – Michael B. – “The Joke”

Michael has had such a powerhouse voice from the start. He showcases his natural Broadway-esque tone in every performance. I always get Ben Platt vibes from him, especially during this performance.

Kelly just wants to hug him after the performance and says she’s trying not to cry. Blake says he doesn’t know how Michael wouldn’t go through. Chance says he’s always Team Miley B. Niall says he has an ability to show his connection to lyrics unlike anyone else.

Team Kelly – Holly Brand – “Bring On The Rain”

Holly Brand could honestly win the whole thing. Her voice is the definition of flawless, and she does her absolute best with country songs like this one. I personally am not a huge fan of country, but Holly’s voice is one I would undoubtedly listen to.

Blake says she did a killer job. Niall advises Kelly to choose Holly. Chance says she’s got great control. Kelly says her voice is ridiculous.

Team Niall – Ryley Tate Wilson – “When The Party’s Over”

I believe Ryley was the first contestant to air this season, and he’s seemingly been a fan favorite ever since. Gorgeous voice that always does the unexpected, especially for his age. He manages unbelievable control throughout this ballad, and even the slight cracks here and there were perfectly fitting for the song.

Chance says he surprises him every time and showed the greatest control of all the performances. Kelly admits she’s afraid of Ryley. Blake calls the different parts of his voice unbelievable and tells Niall he needs to put him through. Niall tells everyone to remember that he’s 15 years old and says he smashed it.

The two contestants remaining on Team Kelly are… D. Smooth and Holly Brand.

The two contestants remaining on Team Niall are… Ryley Tate Wilson and Gina Miles.

About Ashley Amber 84 Articles
Ashley Amber is a 29-year-old writer, author and dancer. When Ashley isn't live-blogging shows like The Voice and Dancing With The Stars for MJ's Big Blog, she works as a writer for Happy Productions and a contributor at The DIS, and previously published over 300 articles for Collider. Ashley has also authored a self-published fantasy/romance series of novelettes, and made her poetry debut in 2021's LGBTQIA+ anthology Deviant: Chronicles of Pride by InkFeathers Publishing. As a former pro ballroom dancer, when she's not writing, you can find Ashley on Youtube and TikTok where she posts dance videos featuring her own choreography and tutorials.