Will Blake Shelton win his fifth title with any of these artists? (Photo property of NBC & United Artists Media Group)
By: Jacob Elyachar, jakes-take.com
Last night, Team(s) Adam and Gwen dueled for America’s votes!
Tonight, it was Team Blake and Team Pharrell’s turn to face the music.
Which artists became frontrunners? Who received a third chance thanks to their coach? Read on to find out…
Up first to face America was Team Pharrell’s Darius Scott. He chose to rearrange Kanye West’s “Love Lockdown.” Colored me impressed! Darius was not on my “Artists to Watch” list when the show went live, but I was awestricken by his superb arrangement. He could be Team Pharrell’s dark horse this season! B+
18-year-old Ivonne Acero was crowned Homecoming Queen before returning to the show! I was surprised that Ivonne tackled Joan Osbourne’s “One of Us.” While it was hard not to get Sarah Simmons’ outstanding cover of this song out of my head, I thought that it was a sturdy cover. The only downside was that Ivonne surled her lyrics during the crescendo of the tune, but all and all…I thought it was better than I expected. B-
I love Morgan Frazier! She has one of my favorite artists this season because of her impeccable vocals. For her live playoff song, she chose Hinder’s “Lips of a Angel.” Despite having a few sour note hiccups during the first few bars of the tune and halfway through the song, I still liked her stage presence and her belting notes at the end of her cover. I hope that it was just first night nerves, because she could not afford that type of performance again. B
Throughout the season, Evan McKeel teased his interpretation of Stevie Wonder’s “Overjoyed.” Tonight, the Team Pharrell pop rocker sang the entire song! His vocals were on point and he was the first artist that made me smile. I also believed that he made the music icon proud with his pitch perfect cover. A+
16-year-old Madi Davis is stepping onto holy ground! The reason why…she covered Fleetwood Mac’s “Songbird.” I got goosies when Madi covered Christine McVie’s masterpiece and I am so glad that she gave this song justice! As a lifelong Fleetwood Mac fan, Madi’s “Songbird” was probably one of my favorite Fleetwood Mac covers done by a Reality TV contestant. I believe she could be a major threat in this competition. A-
I am so glad that Pharrell brought Celeste Betton back to the competition! Celeste chose Carrie Underwood’s “Something in the Water” for her comeback performance. Holy expletive! Celeste tore the roof off of the Universal Studios Hollywood soundstage. Her vocals were impeccable and the runs were outstanding! Thank you for giving me chills, Celeste! A
Last season’s winning coach “Got Lucky” with these artists who impressed me tonight on “The Voice.” (Photo property of NBC & United Artists Media Group)
Ok! Can someone steal the AGT buzzer for me? I would have used it for Corey Kent Scotty…I mean Zach Seabaugh! I can only describe his performance of Steve Holy’s “Brand New Girlfriend” in three words: “Train wreck karaoke!” F
19-year-old Riley Biederer came out swinging with her cover of Tori Kelly’s “Should’ve Been Us.” Her power punch vocals definitely made me forget Zach’s train wreck and I just have a feeling that this girl is not only going to move onto to the next phase of the show, but will have a bright future once the show ends! A
Blake brought back Nadjah Nicole as his comeback artist! She tackled one of the greatest superstars of all-time: Ms. Diana Ross’ “Upside Down.” While it was a great dance track, I needed to see more vocals from Nadjah. Wrong song=plane ticket home! C-
I am surprised that Team Blake’s Emily Ann Roberts did not close down the show! She chose the gospel standard “In the Garden” for her Live Playoff performance. Like Craig Wayne Boyd and Meghan Linsey before her, Emily will definitely advance to the next round due to swaying the Christian crowd. Vocally, this was the first time that I connected with her. She could pull the win right out of Jordan, Celeste and Ellie’s feet. A-
Team Pharrell’s Mark Hood has been a fan-favorite since his Blind Audition! We saw last night that performing a current song destroyed Regina’s chances of moving on, but Mark gave a compelling performance of Justin Bieber’s “What Do You Mean?” that perfectly merged vocal excellence and unbelievable showmanship! See you in the semifinals, Mark! A
Barrett Baber closed the night with Lee Brice’s “I Drive Your Truck.” While he has a strong voice, he reminds me so much of X Factor USA Season Two winner Tate Stevens! Like Tate, I have a feeling that he could marching towards the winner’s circle later on this season. Good luck, Barrett! B+
Tomorrow night, The Top 12 are revealed! Also, last season’s champ, Sawyer Fredericks, drops his latest single!
Artists that should move to the Top 12 on Team Blake: Ivonne Acero, Emily Ann Roberts & Barrett Baber
Artists that should move to the Top 12 on Team Pharrell: Celeste Betton, Riley Biederer & Mark Hood
