The Voice Season 14 Recap: Live Playoffs 2 Live Blog (VIDEO)

THE VOICE -- "Live Playoffs" Episode 1414B -- Pictured: Jackie Foster -- (Photo by: Trae Patton/NBC)

The Voice season 14 LIVE SHOWS continue tonight with coaches Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, Alicia Keys and American Idol OG winner and newbie Kelly Clarkson.  Carson Daly returns as host.  Join us as we LIVE BLOG  every performance.

After last night’s Top 24 extravaganza sent four singers directly to the Top 13– Real time votes via The Voice app and twitter will determine the four top vote getters–one from each team–advancing to the Top 12. For voting rules and contestant hashtags, CLICK THIS LINK. Viewers on the west coast can also vote.  The Voice official twitter account and the official app will announce voting windows and instructions.

Additionally! NO iTunes studios are available for today and tomorrows performances. That means–no song spoilers…

Team Blake Shelton

Spensha Baker – Smoke Break by Carrie Underwood – I’ve really liked Spensha in the past, but I’m not feeling this. Maybe I’m wedded to Carrie’s version.  The performance feels rushed. Love her tone and she throws in a few cool ad libs at the end. Kelly “loves her girl Carrie.” She adds, “You’re going to be a force in country music.” Blake calls Spensha one of his favorites. “It’s exactly what you need to be doing,” he says of the performance. – #VoicePlayoffsSpensha

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZD1Zo0W7tdk

WILKES – Don’t Speak by No Doubt  – The gravelly voiced singer performs another female cover.  Wilkes performances aren’t perfect. I’m not feeling this arrangement exactly. But he gives everything he’s got to a performance. At one point, the mic stand drops, and without missing a beat he hits his knees and continues singing. Smooth.  Seriously. He’s a drama queen! Adam says, “That was the illist improvisation I’ve ever seen.” Alicia calls him special and powerful. “You deserve to be here.” Blake mentions that the contestants chose the songs. “GREAT SONG CHOICE” he quips. Because, you know. Girlfriend Gwen Stefani.  – #VoicePlayoffsWilkes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1K7IFyFmoO8

Pryor Baird – 9 to 5 by Dolly Parton – Hmmmm. I’m not digging this song choice at all. For those who love super gravelly voices, Pryor is your guy! His voice sounds really shouty against this melody. Totally. Dude may be TOO much of a throwback to make it to the lives. Adam feels he HAS to be on the show, just for song choice. “You deserve to be on the show,” says Blake. Adam calls Blake “dum dum” and Blake replies with “moron moron.” Typical antics. – #VoicePlayoffsPryor

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzGRHvXmHg4

Austin Giorgio – Love Yourself by Justin Bieber  – In an interview, Austin said he was more than just a standards singer and that he planned to surprise people. So here he is covering Bieber. Not as crowd pleasing as those upbeat standards. If he advances, I bet Blake will get him right back to singing standards. Also, this song reveals his vocal flaws. Alicia says he has “a light inside” of him. She loves that he’s keeping the classic style alive. Blake thinks he also has earned a place in the lives. DUDE EVERYONE CANNOT ADVANCE. – #VoicePlayoffsAustin

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

Gary Edwards – America the Beautiful – Really? REALLY? I cannot with this song choice. Has any Voice singer chose a US anthem to perform in competition? It’s another way to pander, I guess. I bet he’s sung this at a bunch of sporting events. The performance is a run-filled extravaganza! And that’s pretty much all I got. “I felt like I was at the Super Bowl,” says Carson. Kelly calls his runs “insane.” Blake says, “You have made your presence known…big move.” He doesn’t say “You deserve to move on!” though. – #VoicePlayoffsGary

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D14q9elhCPs

OK. You can continue to vote through the commercial break.

Team Alicia Keys

Terrence Cunningham – Ain’t Nobody by Chaka Khan – And once again, Terrence completely re-arranges an upbeat soul joint into a jazzy ballad. Oh. But only for the first verse. The song kicks up a notch in the chorus, sounding more like the original. I think he should have performed it one way or another? I like the last half a lot. It’s much jazzier than original and Terrence’s ad libs are awesome. But that performance was too short to be throwing in everything and the kitchen sink. Adam was really impressed with a few of the musical changes. “It was from another planet,” he says, calling him fresh and original. Alicia lovingly begs America to vote for Terrence, for his musicality and ability to arrange. – #VoicePlayoffsTerrence

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

Christiana Danielle – Take Me to Church by Hozier – A very bold song choice from Christiana. She struggles with pitch though, especially on the low notes. I really like her phrasing and energy, but her timing and pitch…maybe she’s nervous or sick? Her voice cracks at one point. Alicia is cheering her head off, though. Kelly thinks she might be the greatest person on the show. “You are ridiculous! I’m in love with you.” Kelly calls her alto “sexy.”  Oh. You’re going to feel differently when you hear that back. Alicia calls her a special soul and pure and one of a kind. Wow. Alicia is pimping her hard.  –   #VoicePlayoffsChristiana

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RK_Qa62Wreg

Jackie Foster – Alone by Heart – Her voice needs support on the verses. But she belts out that chorus impressively, which is what everyone is waiting for, right? She wails on the bridge. Dang, that alone could move her on to the live shows. Pretty impressive. She’s nailing those high notes. Very important is covering Heart! Alicia thinks Jackie has a very clear sense of who she is. She compliments her song choice and calls her vocals “effortless, unique, powerful, genuine.”  – #VoicePlayoffsJackie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyGEWX2cFhc

Kelsea Johnson – Need You Bad by Jazmine – Out of all the female soul singers, Kelsea is one of my favorites. She sings with confidence. And her tone and phrasing are really one of a kind. Also, she can traverse old school and contemporary worlds. Although, this obscure song choice probably won’t earn her votes.  “You are swagging so hard,” gushes Alicia. She compares Kelsea to Lauren Hill. “You are carving out your own space.” Alicia is also asking viewers to vote for EVERYONE.  –  #VoicePlayoffsKelse

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EeMVY7ZNkg

The coaches comments cut super short. We’re running short on time!

Johnny Bliss – One and Only by Adele  – This isn’t a flawless performance, but it’s full of emotion. His growly passion is impressive. He sang the song entirely in English which shows that he’s more than just a Spanish language singer.  Alicia explains why AMERICA MUST VOTE FOR JOHNNY. She calls his energy “beautiful.” She compliments his versatility and calls his voice is one of a kind. “His voice is so powerful,” she says. She’s really really begging ya’ll to vote for him. –  #VoicePlayoffsJohnny

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DU79S0NQP78

Voting open for two more minutes! All results will be announced tomorrow night.

About mj santilli 35160 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!