Kelly Clarkson joins “The Voice” family! (Photo property of NBC)
By: Jacob Elyachar, jakes-take.com
The original American Idol winner is joining The Voice family full-time next season! Before Kelly Clarkson jumped into one of the show’s swirling chairs, the three-time Grammy-winning singer helped Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, Miley Cyrus, and Jennifer Hudson train their teams for the Season 13 Knockout Rounds!
Before we get to the night one of the Knockout Rounds, here is where all four teams stand:
Team Adam: Adam Pearce, Hannah Mrozak, Dylan Gerard, Dennis Drummond (stolen from Team Blake), Addison Agen (stolen from Team Miley), Jon Mero, Emily Luther, & Anthony Alexander.
Team Miley: Ashland Craft, Janice Freeman, Karli Webster, Stephan Marcellus (stolen from Team Jennifer), Chloe Kohanski, Brooke Simpson, Whitney Fenimore (stolen from Team Adam) & Moriah Formica.
Team Jennifer: Lucas Holliday, Noah Mac (stolen from Team Blake), Chris Weaver, Davon Fleming, Jeremiah Miller, Shi’Ann Jones, Katrina Rose (stolen from Team Miley) & Eric Lyn.
Team Blake: Red Marlow, Anna Catherine DeHart, Adam Cunningham, Megan Rose (stolen from Team Miley), Mitchell Lee, Esera Tuaolo, Kathrina Feigh (stolen from Team Jennifer), & Keisha Renee.
With all four coaches each armed with one remaining steal, fans can expect some of their favorites may not move on to the next stage of the competition. Which artists received one of these final steals? Who moved on to the Season 13 Playoffs? How did Kelly Clarkson do as the Season 13 Knockout Advisor? Read on to find out!
Longtime friend Blake Shelton welcomed Kelly Clarkson to the family as he paired Adam Cunningham and Esera Tuaolo together. Adam chose Chris Stapleton’s “Either Way” for his Knockout performance. Kelly loved Adam’s personality and storytelling ability in his performance, but Blake suggested him to showcase his lower register. Meanwhile, Esera chose Luther Vandross’ “Superstar” to perform (a song that won Ruben Studdard American Idol) for the Knockout Rounds. The former NFL Player dedicated this performance to his mother, who was battling cancer. Esera’s cover left Kelly Clarkson speechless and suggested to use his vibrato when he performed. Adam opened the Knockout Round with a sturdy performance, but Esera captured my heart. Blake chose to advance Esera to the Playoffs, while Adam stole Adam Cunningham!
It was so refreshing to see Kelly Clarkson and Jennifer Hudson interact on The Voice. Team JHUD’s first knockout pairing of the evening was Lucas Holiday and Shi’Ann Jones. When Lucas Holliday sang “Tell It Like It Is,” Kelly stated that Lucas’s performance was the reason why she was excited about Season 14 Blinds. Shi’Ann Jones sang “Who’s Lovin’ You” for a spot-on Team Jennifer’s Playoff team. Kelly was blown away but advised Shi’Ann not to use vocal runs too much and also added to imagine that her crush avoided her. Lucas delivered a stunning performance that if it were another season, would have gotten him to both the Playoffs and the Top 12. That being said, it was going to be hard for him to defeat Jennifer Hudson’s honorary daughter. Shi’Ann reminded me so much of a younger version of X Factor UK champion Sam Bailey, because when she sang “Who’s Lovin’ You,” fans knew that she was going to be in it to the end. Jennifer made the right decision moving forward as she chose Shi’Ann to advance to the next round, but they need a Wild Card coach! If Christina Aguilera were the Wild Card coach, Lucas Holliday would have been stolen.
Adam Levine paired both of his steals together and to be honest; this was a tedious battle! Addison Agen (who moved onto the next round) was boring and was too pitchy! It is a shame that no one wanted to steal Dennis Drummond after he unleashed his inner Jesse Kinch and performed Jimi Hendrix’s version of “All Along the Watchtower.”
Miley paired two of her unique vocalists (Janice Freeman and Karli Webster) together. Team Miley’s version of Sisaundra Lewis tackled Mary J. Blige’s “I’m Goin’ Down.” Karli sang “Blue Bayou,” and she immediately opened herself up to being compared to Season 10 champ Alisan Porter, who won Team Xtina their first championship with that song. Meanwhile, Janice stole the show with her spectacular cover that would have Mary J. Blige proud if the “Be Without You” singer watched the show. I am glad that Janice will be representing Miley in the Playoff Rounds.
Jennifer paired her two soul singers (Eric Lyn and Davon Fleming) together. The Kansas City native performed a jazzy take on Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Goin’ On?” Jennifer and Kelly wanted Eric to milk it for all its worth. Meanwhile, Davon went to his gospel roots and performed MercyMe’s “I Can Only Imagine,” and he made Kelly cry! While Eric’s tone was like honey, I felt that the performance was too sweet for my ears to consume. However, Davon’s voice gave me chills from the first note that he sang. I truly believe that Davon (who Jennifer picked to advance to the Playoffs) has potential to not only win this show, but also maybe the breakout R&B star that the show has been waiting for since Season One.
Team Miley was in the spotlight as the “Malibu” singer-songwriter paired Ashland Craft and Chloe Kohanski in the team’s final battle of the evening. Ashland Craft chose to tackle Bon Jovi’s “Wanted Dead or Alive” for her Knockout performance. I would have never expected Ashland to tackle this song, but the Piedmont, South Carolina native delivered an intriguing country cover of the rock hit. As Miley shouted: “You did it!” to Ashland, Chloe took the stage and performed another Fleetwood Mac song: “Landslide.” Once again, Chloe’s raw vocals made my jaw drop, and I got another case of the goosies from her. While Miley chose to keep Ashland on her team, both Blake and Jennifer were eager to steal Chloe! Jennifer wanted to help promote Chloe’s message, but Blake wanted to help her win the show and had his eye on her since the Blinds. Chloe picked the five-time winning coach to be her new advisor.
Next week, The Knockouts conclude!
