The Voice 6 Top 12 take the stage LIVE for the first time! We’re live blogging the performances here. Watch with us! (Adam will be back next Monday and will take you through the end of the season)
Josh Kaufman won the night with a stirring and soulful performance of “Stay With Me” by Sam Smith. Josh, from Team Usher, is definitely the one to watch right now. Sisaundra of Team Blake lent her powerhouse vocals to Elton John’s “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” but I have to admit I’m already a little bored with her big voiced renditions. Christina Grimmie, of Team Adam is off to a good start with her personal pop take on Katy Perry’s “Dark Horse.” She can hit all the notes and could be in it for the long haul.
I was impressed by both Dani Moz and Tess Boyer when I was not expecting to be. I’m not sure how far they’ll get. They both need to carve out an artistic identity on the show.
I was disappointed by both Bria Kelly (Somebody teach that girl how to sing! I’M LOOKING AT YOU USHER. She’s ruining her voice) and Delvin Choice (Team Adam). Both have had better performances.
Having her mic cut off in the middle of her performance was probably the best thing to happen to Kristen Merlin (Team Shakira), who was in the middle of an unexciting rendition of Sugarland’s “Stay.” Thank you pity votes! And Jake Worthington and Audra McLaughlin were given extremely safe song choices by their coach, Blake Shelton. So safe, neither will be eliminated this week. Yup. Blake ALWAYS playing it safe.
Regardless, The Voice live shows got off to a pretty decent start. Too bad there are only 4 more weeks in the season. Tomorrow, it’s the results show. TWO go home. One will be saved by YOU with the insta-save! After the contestant with the lowest votes is eliminated, the remaining bottom 3 will be put to 5 minutes of twitter voting from fans. The winner gets to stay! See you then…
Your VOTE is the only thing that matters! Vote at NBC.com or via Facebook. If an artist is in the Top 5 of iTunes before noon tomorrow, their iTunes votes will be multiplied by 5.
Bria Kelly – Team Usher – Rolling in the Deep by Adele – Usher picks a modern song that could showcase her soulful voice. She accompanies herself on guitar. Usher tells her “You can’t be human! You’re ready to shock America. He advises her to stretch the end of words out. Usher calls her “a diamond” that could be on the radio today. It’s hard to sing this well-worn song without it sounding karaoke. Her vibrato is super wobbly tonight, like she’s out of breath. I she having vocal issues? She pushes herself so hard on the high notes. She sounds hoarse on the big notes. Somebody pass her a lozenge. Not one of her best performances. Shakira says if anyone can take on Adele, she can. Adam thought the key was hard, but it was angsty and young. Blake likes the rock edge she brings to the song. Usher felt her first stab at a contemporary record introduced the world to who she is. He felt fire, he thought she killed it. – 1-877-553-3701 – Sprint text 1 to 8642 – Vote via iTunes
Delvin Choice -Team Adam – Unchained Melody by Righteous Brothers – Delvin is EXCITED about his song! Adam sees him as a big, powerful male vocalist. There aren’t many of those these days, he says. Adam coaches him to connect. He doesn’t have a girlfriend, so he’s going to dedicate it to his parents. I’m not crazy about his phrasing. He’s stretching outttt aaaal the phraaases. I’m not feeling the emotion. This song, when sung right, should bring tears to your eyes. He hits his stride in the chorus, hitting a high note. A bit wobbly. Not the home run it could have been. The arrangement didn’t work for me. Blake says he sang the crap out of it. Usher thinks he has an amazing talent. Usher noted that he made the message of the song happier–but he enjoyed it. Shakira says he did not disappoint. Adam felt he delivered a moment. He’s proud. – 1-877-553-3702 – Sprint text 2 to 8642 – Vote via iTunes
Wow. Coaches. Those first two performances had issues. Guess they’ll be soft pedalling tonight’s performances.
Dani Moz – Team Shakira – Just Give me A Reason by Pink – Shakira warns her not to over embelish and to perform in an intimate style. Don’t be too musical theater. Dani sings from the pit as hands wave, before she makes her way to the main stage. She has a sturdy voice, good dynamics, she hits the money note, big time. Hm. Dani could be a dark horse. She definitely has the vocal goods. Adam notes that there’s no time to breath–she did a fantastic job. He wanted more dynamic. Shakira argues that she DID have dynamics (I think she did too). Blake said the big note changed everything. She picked her moment. AND ADAM IS SO WRONG. Shakira calls her fantastic. – 1-877-553-3703 – Sprint text 3 to 8642 – Vote via iTunes
Audra McLaughlin – Team Blake – Angel of the Morning by Merrilee Rush/Juice Newton – Blake is making a big deal that this song has never been sung on The Voice before. Uhm. So? Does anyone actually care about this song? Because it’s a super boring song choice. Her vocal is competent, but not anything that would help her stand out from the competition. Usher calls it incredible. He loves the character in her voice. “I have to pee if I hold a note that long.” Adam loves her. He wishes she was on his team. Blake is thrilled to be working with her. She’s one of his favorite country singers. – 1-877-553-3704 – Sprint text 4 to 8642 – Vote via iTunes
TJ Wilkins -Team Usher – Waiting on the World to Change by John Mayer – TJ has seen people killed in the streets. He wants to be an agent of change. TJ is singing a contemporary song for the first time. Usher advises him with some Marvin Gaye realness! Ha! This is literally arranged like a Marvin Gaye song. Totally retroed up. I like it, though. TJ began as fodder, but I think he’s got something. He’s outsinging the other soul guy, Delvin tonight. Nice, smooth and soulful! Effortless. Usher was correct to advance him last week. Shakira calls him pure, sincere and extraordinary. Blake calls him “infectious” BUT IN A GOOD WAY! Usher is proud that he trusted his instincts. He’s an incredible artist, he says. 1-877-553-3705 – Sprint text 5 to 8642 – Vote via iTunes
Christina Grimmie – Team Adam – Dark Horse by Katy Perry – Adam feels she has the potential to be a major pop star. She needs to balance ambition with control, says Adam. Welp. She’s singing this better than Katy Perry. She hit a couple of amazing high notes. She’s proving to be a credible pop singer. If she keeps this up, she could be a serious contender, and maybe challenge those pop girls on the radio. Blake says dynamite comes in small packages and she’s the artist to beat on Adam’s team. Shakira is impressed by her range. Adam is more and more impressed by her. Even though it was a cover, he felt like he was watching the VMAS. Usher concures that she’s the best singer on Adam’s team. She’s super contemporary. – 1-877-553-3706 – Sprint text 6 to 8642 – Vote via iTunes
Sisaundra Lewis – Team Blake – Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me by Elton John – Oh. So Kelly Clarkson is a fan, says Blake. He picked the song, because it allows her to lay back a little and sing with finesse. Major powerhouse vocalist sings a big song with major powerhouse vocals. The thing about Sisaundra, is that we know what she can do. But now, to stay in the game, she has to find new ways to surprise us. Usher says she always blows everyone’s socks off. He compares her to Patti LaBelle. Adam loved the restraint that she showed. He loved her control. Blake admires that she knew when to reel the song in. – 1-877-553-3707 – Sprint text 7 to 8642 – Vote via iTunes
Kristen Merlin -Team Shakira – Stay by Sugarland – Shakira picked a song that would allow her to reveal her vulnerable side and an opportunity for a moment. She’s having trouble letting her guard down, though. This is a difficult departure for her. She’s very confident when singing upbeat songs that show off her powerful voice. But here, in a stripped down version, she seems really nervous. It didn’t help that her mic cut out towards the end of the song. That can’t help her. That sucked! Carson congratulated the way she handled it. She did pull out her in ear and kept singing. “You handled it so gracefully…a huge lesson for anyone to learn,” says Adam. Blake thinks she keeps getting better and better. Usher appreciated seeing another side of her. Shakira calls it “heartfelt” and “moving.” She calls her beautiful inside and out. – 1-877-553-3708 – Sprint text 8 to 8642 – Vote via iTunes
Kat Perkins – Team Adam – Magic Man by Heart – A modern spin on the classics is the space she’d like to occupy in the music industry. Adam says she can rise above and cut through any big arrangement. He gives her a few technical pointers, but she’s good to go! He advises her to be MORE aggressive. Really nice interaction with the band. Kat performs like a real front person. She’s got an impressive rock voice. The only thing–I wish she was put more of her own twist on the song rather than just channeling Ann Wilson. She’s a reliable and consistent performer. Now, she’s got to shake things up. Blake can’t believe she’s a nanny. She’s so aggressive! Usher calls her voice “dope” and “amazing.” – 1-877-553-3709 – Sprint text 9 to 8642 – Vote via iTunes
Jake Worthington – Team Blake – Anymore by Travis Tritt – Jake’s passion is to keep country music alive. “There will never be another George Strait…another George Jones” he says. He wants to be in that spot where there will never be “another Jake Worthington.” Alrighty, then. Blake reminds Jake that he’s got to make everyone in the audience feel that he’s singing Tritt’s romantic ballad to them. Giving Jake a heartfelt ballad was a very smart idea. An upbeat song would have seemed karaoke, but here, Jake can pour his heart out and rack up a ton of votes in the meantime! Shakira calls him “endearing.” His appeal grows every week. “You have no poses, whatsoever.” Blake notes his perfect pitch, and the way he let the emotion loose. – 1-877-553-3710 – Sprint text 10 to 8642 – Vote via iTunes
Tess Boyer – Team Shakira – I’ll be There for You by Bon Jovi – Shakira picked a Bon Jovi power ballad because she wants to bring out “the tough girl” in Tess. The idea is to reimagine it for contemporary radio. I poo pooed the song choice initially, but I’ve changed my mind. A big power ballad gives Tess the opportunity to show off her vocals. I wouldn’t call this very contemporary sounding, though. She might as well be wearing leg warmers. Hopefully, Shakira will hand her more relevant songs in the next weeks. Blake thinks she’s the singer on Team Shakira to beat. “We as a collective celebrate you,” says Usher. Both he and Blake coached her at one point. Shakira says she’s grown so much. She nailed it! She says. – 1-877-553-3711 – Sprint text 11 to 8642 – Vote via iTunes
Josh Kaufman -Team Usher – Stay with Me by Sam Smith – Usher says Josh is a great contemporary artist with the essence of soul. Usher makes him run around the stage to help him direct his energy. CONNECT WITH THE AUDIENCE says Usher. He needs to work on his presence. Whoa. Josh is going to be the one to beat. What a great song pick. It’s anthemic and emotional at the same time. Josh has a unique sound and a soulful vibe. He has that retro blue eyed soul thing going, while also sounding completely fresh. Shakira is such a fan! Adam thought the song was perfect and is sad he’s not on his team. Blake says Josh is the guy to beat on Team Usher. He’s an incredible student, says Usher. Adam got him prepared, and then he just took it away. “You have completely made this my night,” he says. – 1-877-553-3712 – Sprint text 12 to 8642 – Vote via iTunes
