HOLLYWOOD—The live playoffs kicked off on Monday night’s episode of “The Voice” as the Top 20 finalists performed.
For the first time in “The Voice” history, each of the coaches has been given the opportunity to bring back one artist who was previously eliminated from their team.
Team Adam and Team Gwen performed on Monday’s episode, while Team Blake and Team Pharrell will perform on Tuesday. Only three artists from each team will advance to the Top 12 with eliminations on Wednesday night.
So, who gave some of the best performances of the night? Well, let’s recap some of my favorites.
Team Adam’s Shelby Brown performed“You’re No Good” by Linda Ronstadt
Seventeen year-old Shelby Brown gave what Pharrell called the “best performance yet” of Linda Ronstadt’s “You’re No Good.” Shelby is easily the best country artist of the season. I mean the girl got mad pipes and a hypnotizing country twang. The song gave her room to not only showcase her incredible vocal range, but also revealed her ability to command the stage with her spunky attitude, which ultimately created a dynamic and engaging performance.
Blake said, “I think that was really good and it pisses me off. It’s still not right that you’re not on my team.”
Pharrell said, “I thought that was good. I liked you ever since the Blinds. I loved how at the end you let loose and just let that long note go. You showed all that texture in your voice.”
Adam said, “I adore you. I think you just crushed it so hard tonight. It was unbelievable.” He further commended her for her ability to become even more amazing at such a young age.
So, drum roll please! And the comeback artist for Team Gwen is….Ellie Lawerence who performed “X’s & O’s” by Elle King
This was a really great song choice for Gwen’s comeback artist. The song fit her voice like a glove as it gave her space to once again uncover her trademark quirky tone. I was personally really happy to see her back in the competition. Her performance took me back to the brilliance of her Blind audition when she covered “We Don’t Have To Take Our Clothes Off.” Tonight she not only shined vocally, but allowed her infectious personality to enhance her stage presence.
Adam said, “You picked a really great time to have your best performance. You found something that’s your thing and this felt like just that.”
Blake said, “That’s my favorite performance of the night so far,” while Pharrell congratulated Ellie for her return and points to her ability to just really have a good time on stage.
Gwen said, “That was awesome because what you did was you manned the stage. You showed your personality, you were working it, you were comfortable. It felt like your show. I’m so glad I brought you back.”
Team Gwen’s Jeffery Austin “Say You Love Me” by Jessie Ware
The “Sam Smith-esque” soul singer is consistently nailing his performances every time he hits “The Voice” stage. There’s such an authentically pure quality to his voice that just resonates within every time he opens his mouth to sing. What’s so profoundly alluring about him is his ability to use the colorful facets of his voice to paint the picture told within every lyric. Boy, oh, Boy, did he hit some crazy high notes or what?!
Adam said, “Great performance. You can really win this whole thing.” I think you’ve got it all and are gonna continue to soar.”
Pharrell said, “Easily the best performance of the night and [Gwen] was totally right to take an emotional path. You emotionally dug the lyric and the song. The dynamics were great. This was your night.”
Gwen said, “What was that?! You were an artist purely emoting your beautiful talented gifted voice. I am so winning right now! I am so excited!”
Jordan Smith performed “Halo” by Beyonce
So, Jordan has proven once again that he is the front contender to win Season 9 of “The Voice.” I mean he is OMG, WOW unstoppable. Throwing away all his earth-shattering vocal talent stands a boy who just knows how to directly impact on a deep emotional level every time he performs.
The boy sang a freaking Beyonce song, which is one of the most risky artists to cover. But, of course, if anyone can cover Beyonce, it’s Jordan.
As discussed during rehearsals, Adam did an excellent job in changing up the arrangement of the song and having Jordan elongate some of the notes to ultimately pave the way for Jordan to create his own version of the song. Oh, and he certainly did just that and more on the night of the performance.
Jordan received a standing ovation by all the coaches.
Pharrell said, “What can I say?! Literally there’s is nothing to say! Totally true that God has signed your voice period.”
Gwen agreed, saying, “All I can think of is God when you sing. It felt so good to hear you sing.”
Adam gives one of the most profound statements of the night, saying, “You’re not a singer. You’re a FIGURE. Everybody draws this amazing energy from you even before you start singing. It’s something I’ve never experienced in my life and I’m so blessed to be apart of it.”
Well, that does it for Monday night’s recap. Tuesday will be night two of the live playoffs with Team Blake and Team Pharrell performances followed by elimination night on Wednesday at 8 p.m.
