Pop princess Rihanna poses with “The Voice’s” Queen of Cool during a taping of the Season Nine Knockout Rounds. (Photo property of NBC & United Artists Media Group)
By: Jacob Elyachar, jakes-take.com
Before I get to my recap, I want to take the coaches (Adam, Blake, Gwen & Pharrell) to task!
They are officially getting on my nerves! Instead of picking God-given talented artists such as Andi & Alex, Blind Joe and Ellie Lawrence, they have picked artists that have no business being in the Top 20 (see Braiden Sunshine and Blaine Mitchell), while sending the unfortunate eliminated artists home early. If the coaches continue to make these stupid decisions, then Season Nine could go down in Voice history book as the second worst season following Season Seven. Plus, this also shows the Powers-That-Be that they should switch out Adam and Blake with either CeeLo and Usher or will.i.am and Brad Paisley or even Harry Connick Jr. and Keith Urban before Season 11 begins its filming process. (Also, it would help to add another female judge to join the dais- Xtina, Shakira, Kelly Rowland, Gloria Estefan, Cher, Missy Elliott, Reba and Pink have my votes)
Anyway, back to the recap….
Up first to face the coaches were Team Gwen’s Korin Bukowski and Summer Schappell. Korin chose Kodaine’s “All I Want.” I swear every time that Korin opens her mouth, she is a spitting image of Team Usher’s Season Four runner-up Michelle Chamuel. Like Michelle did during her season, Korin is shaping up to be a force to be reckoned with in the live shows. Meanwhile, Summer chose Little Big Town’s “White Church” (which was one of Rihanna’s favorite county songs). Despite following Gwen and Rihanna’s advice, I felt that Summer’s performance was flat.
Rihanna flexed her potential coaching muscles during a Team Adam knockout match. Rockers Dustin Christensen and Keith Semple greatly benefited from Rihanna’s teachings. Rihanna told Dustin to let his vocal flow freely with his cover of Zac Brown Band’s “Free” and advised Keith to take down the monstrous song covered by Mariah Carey: “I Want to Know What Love Is.” Dustin’s “Free” was filled with grit that made him stand out. However, Keith countered with a superb cover of the Foreigner tune that ended with a spectacular falsetto.
The last battle of the night belonged to Team Pharrell. He paired his two powerhouses, Darius Scott and Morgan Frazier, together for one impeccable Knockout Round. Darius opened up the round with a spectacular cover of George Benson’s “On Broadway.” I felt that he added a nice Caribbean flair that kept my attention and showcased spectacular vocal gymnastics that made me smile. Meanwhile, despite having some minor hiccups, Morgan Frazier’s cover of Eli Young Band’s “Even If It Breaks Your Heart” was probably the most satisfying female performance I have seen so far this season.
I am very happy that both artists received spots in the Live Playoffs. Pharrell kept Darius, while Morgan returned home to her former coach: four-time show winning coach Blake Shelton!
Next week, Pharrell has the last steal! Will last season’s winning coach change the course of the season? Read on to find out!
Off-topic, Let’s Go Royals!!!
