The Voice season 12 finals continue tonight. The Top 8 from Team Adam Levine, Team Blake Shelton, Team Alicia Keys and Team Gwen Stefani perform for your votes. FOUR SINGERS leave the competition tomorrow night. BLOODBATH.
Viewers can vote online via NBC.com/Facebook, The Voice smart phone app, or iTunes downloads/Apple Music streams. Duet performances are eligible for votes via twitter during the overnight voting window! Click for Voting Rules. Click for Tonight’s Song Spoilers.
Host Carson Daly says it’s ALL ON THE LINE TONIGHT. Oh. Hunter is first. Eep.
Hunter Plake – Team Gwen Stefani – With or Without You by U2 – Oh right. Hunter and his wife lost their house in a flood. “What I love is that you stuck really close to the original,” Gwen IS SO OBSESSED WITH NOT CHANGING THE MELODY. I hope this performance isn’t boring. The verse is a bit low for Hunter to sing. He’s not really projecting. He can turn this around if he gets real emotional in the second half. The low notes are a bit pitchy. Eh. I love Hunter, but I did not love that performance. I love when he brings his own flavor to a song. That was very ordinary. Hunter’s awesomeness derives from his ability to transform the covers he sings. Hopefully he’s got people who will vote for him no matter what. Blake calls it his “best vocal performance.” Hm. Alicia was “totally swept away…you have an uncanny ability to bring us into your world.” Adam liked Hunter’s classic take on the song. Gwen wants America to realize how talented Hunter is. – Download at iTunes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzfyYAlmywc
Downloading the song from iTunes plus tweeting the special hashtag will count as votes for the duets. #ChrisVanessaDuet Votes will count for both singers.
Chris Blue & Vanessa Ferguson – If I Ain’t Got You by Alicia Keys – Two SUPERB stylists join forces to sing a classic. Man this is soooooo good. I could listen to these two sing all day. Lovely rendition, Alicia should be proud. No coaches comments after the duets. – Download at iTunes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSxVdRRdbJc
TSoul – Team Blake Shelton – Ain’t No Way by Aretha Franklin – TSoul says he’s never covered a female song before. The words mean so much to T. They make him cry. TSoul has really improved over the weeks. Gone is the elongated vibrato that tended to go off pitch (He has a few pitchy moments tonight, though). His phrasing has really improved. His tone is so unusual. He really brings an interesting and quirky vibe to every song he interprets. But when he sings, he allows the music to completely take him over. TSoul is a man possessed tonight. Alicia loves his Otis Redding interpretation of the song. She loves his showmanship. “I’m so proud of you,” says Blake. – Download at iTunes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suJjG5ymMTk
Brennley Brown – Team Gwen Stefani – Suds in the Bucket by Sara Evans – Martina McBride tweeted congrats to her last week. For some reason, Gwen thinks she needs to show a BRAND NEW SIDE at this crucial stage of the game. Oy. Gwen wants her to go upbeat! Try something new! Stretch herself! She’s doing some odd things enunciation-wise. But this isn’t the disaster that I feared. The band arrangement is terrific. This would have been an OK song last week. But tonight? She probably should have gone with a sweet ballad. And look. She’s performing 3rd. That’s not a good thing. Her dad is in the audience and he’s kind of hot. Blake appreciated that she finally seemed like a 15 year old tonight. In a good way. Gwen wants everyone to know that emotional songs are so easy! Uptempo is hard. OK then. – Download at iTunes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29yh-KLEYao
Aliyah Moulden & Hunter Plake – Let it Go by James Bay – Their hashtag is #AliyahHunterDuet. The two admire each other a lot. Hunter thinks he can learn a much about singing from the young vocalist. I didn’t care much for the studio recording? But this…I really like the solo parts. But their vocal blend isn’t great. This would be better for either one as a solo performance. This is the Hunter I dig. Download at iTunes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fI2gK0TCwKs
Lauren Duski – Team Blake Shelton – Ghost in this House by Shenandoah – Lauren feels the song, because she’s been through heartbreak. Blake says he can see Lauren selling out stadiums. Lauren’s pure, dusky voice is a good match for this gut-wrenching ballad. Simple, yet powerful. A skilled storyteller, Lauren deliverers a beautiful, emotional arc. Adam loves her pure, genuine style. Blake calls that song one of those “untouchable” songs. It’s not an easy song to sing, he says. He can’t wait to see how country fans respond to the performance . – Download at iTunes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNBADxNBFdA
Jesse Larson & TSoul – I Wish by Stevie Wonder – Vote with #JesseTSoulDuet This is a good match and a perfect song pick. Very soulful. And the choreography is a hoot. They end up out in the crowd, not taking themselves too seriously. Such fun. Good vocals too. – Download at iTunes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fgKejgy2fA
Chris Blue – Team Alicia Keys – Take Me to the King by Tamela Mann – Chris explains that he comes from church. He wants to show America his “pure” side. And semifinal week is THE time to pull out the God card! Ok. He doesn’t say that last thing. But you know it’s true. Needless to say, Chris delivers a powerful performance. There’s no swag or flash. He strips his heart bare. We haven’t really seen this side of Chris in the competition. Sometimes he hides behind stylistic flourishes. But not here. TAKE US TO CHURCH CHRIS. Alicia is hooting and hollering. After the performance Chris paces the stage. “I knew you could do it…let all the walls down,” says Alicia. Indeed. “You just got out of your way.” She begs America to vote for him. –Download at iTunes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8f_MGc8MJjk
Vanessa Ferguson – Team Alicia Keys – Superstar by Leon Russell – Vanessa thanks Alicia for going to bat for her last week. Alicia illustrates how to create an impactful vocal moment. What a singer. Vanessa’s grandfather wants to see her in a dress. He’s a singer too. Wearing an elegant red gown and sans hat, Vanessa really makes the song her own. Her phrasing is dynamite. She really pours emotion into the last verse. I really love this girl. But America not so much? “I know what you went through to find this beautiful place,” says Alicia. She begs America to vote for Vanessa. –Download at iTunes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zF16m4jSJps
Brennley Brown & Lauren Duski – Good Hearted Woman by Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson – To vote, tweet #BrennleyLaurenDuet. Brennley’s got her 70’s era country girl going. Love her outfit. I’m getting some Crystal Gayle realness from Lauren. That was fun, if inconsequential. Pedal steel is an awesome touch. – Download at iTunes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7O1IQrd292Q
Jesse Larson – Team Adam Levine – I Was Wrong by Chris Stapleton – I had a feeling Jesse would get a plum spot in the lineup tonight. Oh wow! Jesse’s wife is having a baby. Congrats! The song reminds him of his late dad. Jesse is the only singer left on Team Adam. Producers love it when all teams are represented in the final. Wow. Adam is given the opportunity to plug Jesse before he even sings. Jesse’s got his guitar tonight. This is a new song by Stapleton. He performed it recently on an awards show and he blew everyone away. Jesse’s vocal is on point. Sometimes he’s nasally, but not tonight. Guitar break! Good stuff. Hands down, Jesse’s best performance of the season. DARK HORSE. Adam says his belief in Jesse is SO REAL. “He’s the best we’ve got,” Adam exclaims. He BEEEGGGS America to vote for Jesse. – Download at iTunes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4A-pnWVYFM
Aliyah Moulden – Team Blake Shelton – I Can Only Imagine by MercyMe – When Blake watched her performance last week, at home, he cried!. The God card was Blake’s idea. The band adds a shaker to the arrangement to help her stay in the pocket. Oh. She’s getting a gospel choir. Dang. If she nails this, there’s no way she’s eliminated straight away tomorrow. Oh man. Pimp spot. Gospel choir. GLORY NOTES. Girlfriend isn’t going anywhere. Having said that, this is one of her best vocal performances. She came into The Voice with a shtick, and Blake has managed to mold her into a serious artist. “I signed on to do this show in 2011 hoping that someday I could work with a talent like you…you are the the model voice contestant.” He notes her growth throughout the season. Aliyah and Blake hug. – Download at iTunes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXiOQv2L-So
