Alicia Keys poses with Faith Hill & Tim McGraw during a taping of “The Voice: Season 11” Knockout Rounds rehearsal. (Photo property of NBC & MGM TV)
By: Jacob Elyachar, jakes-take.com
It’s Round Two of the Knockout Rounds!
Before we get to the recap, here is where our teams stand:
Team Adam: Simone Grundy, Riley Elmore & Josh Gallagher (Stolen from Team Blake)
Team Miley: Ali Caldwell
Team Alicia: We McDonald & Kylie Rothfield
Team Blake: Sundance Head & Jason Warrior (Stolen from Team Adam)
With only two steals left, the artists needed to step up the plate to impress new coaches Alicia Keys and Miley Cyrus. Did they listen to the advice that key advisors Tim McGraw and Faith Hill had to say? Read on to find out!
As Adam made fun of Blake, Tim and Faith praised the four-time champion for his amazing work as a mentor. The first battle of the night was Team Blake’s Courtney Harrell versus newcomer Bindi Liebowitz. Courtney tackled Tina Turner’s “River Deep, Mountain High, a song that sent both Sisaundra Lewis and Pia Toscano home on their respective shows. Faith loved Courtney’s vocal talent and loved her ability to “lay it all out on the stage.” The “This Kiss” singer advised her to create tension and then release! Meanwhile, the former salon specialist sang Dusty Springfield’s “Son of A Preacher Man.” Tim encouraged her to sing the tune like she was in the middle of her show! However, Bindi could not deliver a spectacular performance after Courtney unleashed her a powerful goosie-inducing performance that would make the Queen of Rock & Roll beam with delight. Because of that performance, Courtney will be representing Team Blake in the Live Playoffs!
The Maroon 5 frontman paired Billy Gilman together against Ponciano Seoane. Billy Gilman reunited with Tim and Faith and the couple were impressed to see the young man they knew back in the 2000s soar with his cover of Rachel Platten’s “Fight Song.” Meanwhile, Ponciano chose Ed Sheeran’s “I See Fire.” To be honest with you, I was a little disappoint that he chose that song because I am married to my friend, Peter Hollens’s excellent cover. He also did not connect with me. Meanwhile, Billy gave me a strong case of the chills when he tackled “Fight Song.” His powerful tenor made me smile, and I truly believe that I could have heard it on my favorite Kansas City radio station. Break a leg in the Live Playoffs, Billy!
Team Alicia had the final battle of the evening: Belle Jewel vs. Christian Cuevas. I think one of the biggest disadvantages that Belle had to overcome was being a one-chair turn and her Battle Round performance was montaged. Belle reunited with Tim McGraw, who kissed her hand when she was eight-years-old. I am glad that Belle chose “Don’t Dream It’s Over,” because I was very unfamiliar with the song and I believed she breathed new life into this 80s track. Meanwhile, the former Guitar Center employee has been one of my favorite vocalists since his Blind Audition. Like Belle, Christian had a Tim McGraw—he owned his cologne. Christian tackled Luther Vandross’ “Superstar.” He had an uphill battle because this was the song that Ruben Studdard won American Idol with all of those years ago.
At the Knockout Round, Belle kicked off the duel with a mesmerizing performance. Her voice made my arm hairs stand up. Her gorgeous jazzy tone hypnotized me, and I believed every word that she sang. It was a brilliant performance. Christian countered Belle with his velvet vocals that almost took me back to 2003 when Ruben performed the song in front of America. Just like Ruben, Christian showed conviction and proved that he could be one of the last men standing this competition. Alicia chose Christian to move on to the next round, while Miley delivered the fastest steal in Voice history as she swooped Belle from the “No One” singer.
Next week, “The Voice” Knockouts conclude!
