Miley Cyrus and Christina Aguilera rehearse with a contestant during a taping of “The Voice: Season 10” Knockout Rounds. (Photo property of NBC & United Artists Media Group)
By: Jacob Elyachar, jakes-take.com
Last Friday, The Voice delivered one of its most polarizing casting announcements in its five-year history. Pop music and TV icon Miley Cyrus would be joining Adam Levine, Blake Shelton and fellow new coach Alicia Keys for The Voice: Season 11!
Fans were divided with the announcement to say the least, but the “Wrecking Ball” singer-actress proved them wrong last night as she guided the remaining artists to deliver outstanding Knockout performances. It looks like Ms. Cyrus’s mentoring paid off as Adam, Pharrell and Xtina stole Shalyah Fearing, Lacy Mandigo and Ryan Quinn respectfully.
With three steals instantly gone, did any of the remaining artists impress Blake Shelton to use his steal? Read on to find out…
Up first, Team Blake’s storytellers: Adam Wakefield and Peyton Parker! Peyton was excited to have Miley as an advisor and she sang Dixie Chicks’ “Travelin’ Solider.” Blake was worried about Peyton’s song choice, but she proved him wrong and Miley advised her to go for the higher harmonies. Meanwhile, Adam Wakefield decided to counter Peyton with his version of Sam Cooke’s “Bring It On Home to Me.” Miley advised him to showcase your personality and Blake wanted him to work the room.
After Christina revealed that she had a secret crush on Adam W to Blake, Adam blew everyone away with cover and had both Adam and Pharrell on their feet. Peyton countered with her Dixie Chicks tune that impressed Jordan Smith and Sawyer Fredericks’ coaches. However, I thought that the tempo was so quick for her, as she struggled during the middle of the tune. Blake revealed that he was impressed with the future of country music, but he chose Adam W’s dirty voice to move onto the Live Playoffs.
Pharrell paired Moushumi and Nick Hagelin together for the next battle of the night. The Indian-American songbird chose Halsey’s “New Americana” for her Knockout performance. Moushumi picked the song that because it blended pop and alternative music. Moushumi and Miley bonded over facing their parents’ disapproval, but the actress-singer helped Moushumi to change the melody on the track. Meanwhile, the former ballet dancer turned singer chose Robin Thicke’s “Lost Without You” for his Knockout. I am glad that he chose the song, but Pharrell wanted more projection to showcase his tone.
During the Knockout Round, Moushumi gave one of the best Knockout performances of the season! She took the advice that both her coach and Miley gave to her and shifted the performance to a higher gear. I got chills from her beautiful voice and she was the first artist this round to get me off the couch and give them a standing ovation. Meanwhile, I felt that Nick was a Robin Thicke or Jordan Smith copycat. He lost the battle when he wanted audience participation. I am glad that Pharrell chose Moushumi to represent him in the Live Playoffs.
The final Knockout of the night belonged to Team Christina! The Queen of the Voice paired Maya Smith and Tamar Davis together. The former postal service worker chose to sing future Voice coach Alicia Keys’ “No One.” Xtina wanted Maya to showcase her voice by using different note structures and Miley added that she needed to work the room. Meanwhile, Tamar tackled Sam Smith’s “Lay Me Down” for her Knockout round. Miley was impressed by her storytelling ability and added that Tamar connected her to the song, Meanwhile, Xtina wanted her to put more vocal emphasis on certain lyrics.
During the performance, I felt that Maya did not convince me that she deserved a spot on Xtina’s team. Plus, there were moments that I found Maya’s voice to be shrill and sharp. As for Tamar, she delivered the performance of the night! Her velvety vocals were very pleasant to my ears and I believe that she might challenge her fellow teammates Alisan Porter and Ryan Quinn for the Season 10 crown! I cannot wait to see what Tamar has in store for the Live Playoffs.
Next week, the Knockout Rounds conclude! Who will be the final member of Team Blake?
