Season 5’s knockout rounds wrapped up last night, with coaches stealing back contestants they’ve previously lost, and some coaches expressing their enthusiasm in the best way they know how: by being weird.
Night 2 of the knockouts saw the remainder of the contestants battle for a part in next week’s live shows. By the end of the night, the teams were pared down to five contestants each.
Knockout pairings
Lina Gaudenzi vs. Preston Pohl
The first knockout pairing of night two of the knockouts was Team Adam’s Lina Gaudenzi versus Preston Pohl. Adam paired these two because they are both very soulful performers, and he wanted to see who was the most unique.
Lina chose to perform Etta James’ “I’d Rather Go Blind” because she wanted to show off a more bluesy side to her voice that she hasn’t gotten to show off yet on the show. In rehearsals, Adam felt the performance had great potential, but that she was dancing around the song, rather than just singing it. They changed the arrangement to allow her to build momentum throughout the performance, and it really paid off when she took the stage. It was a very passionate performance, and showed off the strength and uniqueness in her voice.
Preston chose Bob Marley’s “No Woman No Cry”, because he wanted to show off his more laid-back side. Adam said that he’s normally nervous about someone singing such a laid back song, but it’s all in how it’s done. He cautioned Preston that he sings inward, and he needs to project outward more, and try to connect with the audience. The song turned out to be a great choice, as it really showed off the warmth and raspiness that make his voice stand out. It was such a happy, fun performance, that it was difficult not to smile along with Preston.
Adam was impressed with how much growth Lina had shown just in the short time he had to work with her since he stole her in the battles, and he said that made the decision much more difficult for him. But in the end, he chose to stick with Preston, and unfortunately for Lina, there was no steal this time.
E.G. Daily vs. Ray Boudreaux
Coach Blake paired contestants E.G. Daily and Ray Boudreaux because they both have blues influences, and offer powerful yet distinct tones to their voices, but he wanted to see who would be the best to bring to the live shows.
E.G. chose Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me” because she wants to be an adult contemporary country soul rocker, and this song encapsulates all of that. In rehearsals, Blake praised her voice, especially its sexy, romantic, softer side, and therefore felt that she should reel in the chorus a bit, to show off that softer side. She tried to capture that in her knockout performance, but unfortunately, her voice betrayed her, and broke more and more at the end of the song.
Ray chose Otis Redding’s “Hard To Handle” for his knockout performance, because he’d love to have a long career singing soul music. Ray continued to impress coach Blake in rehearsals, and he loved how Ray approached the performance, saying it was “100% Ray”. The song really suited his voice well, and showed off just how unique, yet carefully-controlled, his voice is.
Blake appreciated how both contestants really took to heart the advice he had given them in rehearsals, but he was unable to get over the voice breaks in E.G.’s performance, saying that they were “eating him alive”. And despite the fact that Ray “makes [him] feel like less of a man” because of his “studly” voice, Blake had to go with technicality and chose Ray over E.G.
Anthony Paul vs. Jacquie Lee
Coach Christina paired Anthony Paul and Jacquie Lee because they are both young pop singers with a lot of potential, and she wanted to see who can deliver under the pressure.
Anthony chose Jason DeRulo’s “The Other Side”, because he wants to be a pop/R&B artist, and this song would enable him to show off his pop side. His rehearsals didn’t go very well, as Christina felt like he was a better vocalist than this song was allowing him to be, and he in turn felt like he was letting her down. They tried to change the arrangement to better show off his voice, but it may have made it even worse. For his knockout performance, the arrangement was terrible, and he was pitchy for pretty much the entire performance.
Jacquie chose “Stompa” by Serena Ryder for her knockout performance, because the song has a bluesy/rock feel, yet is still current, and that’s the kind of artist Jacquie wants to be. Her biggest problem in rehearsals was her stage presence, and Christina wanted her to look like she was actually enjoying the performance, and to use the stage more. She did much better in the knockout performance, and though her motions did seem rather forced at times, her voice was killer, and really shined with this song. And at the end, in the more passionate part of the song, she lost herself in the music and her movement was much more natural.
It was pretty clear who won the knockout, and Christina reiterated that it was really Anthony’s song choice that killed him. She commended Jacquie’s powerful range and soul, saying there’s a lot in the young performer that reminds her of herself. Since she feels there is more she can do with Jacquie, she chose her as the winner of this knockout battle.
Stephanie Anne Johnson vs. Tamara Chauniece
Team Cee Lo contestants Stephanie Anne Johnson and Tamara Chauniece were paired for the knockouts because Cee Lo felt that they both have strong voices and soulful abilities, but he wanted to see who has the most power and versatility.
Stephanie chose Norah Jones’ “Don’t Know Why”, because she wants to be a more Bonnie Raitt-style artist, and wants her music to “sound like soul food tastes”. She brought a style to this performance that we haven’t heard from her before, sounding almost like a yodel, and Cee Lo loved it in rehearsals. Her challenge would be that this version was not as vulnerable as the original, so she would have to connect to the audience in spite of that. This new style really suited Stephanie, and allowed her to stand out from the rest of the pack, while still allowing her to show off the power in her voice.
Tamara took a risk with a reggae version of Alicia Keys’ “No One”, because she felt she needed to bring a totally different element to her performance. In rehearsals, Cee Lo suggested she loosen up her vocals a little bit, sort of in a Lauryn Hill style. He also advised that pulling off the reggae style would require a lot of commitment and direction. In the performance, her vocals were on point, as always, but the reggae version didn’t do her as much justice as the original probably would have.
Cee Lo and the coaches felt that Stephanie’s performance was a little all over the place, and showed her nerves. This was in contrast to Tamara’s perfect control, which, based on this performance alone, made Cee Lo go with Tamara. But in a Voice first, Christina pushed her button to steal Stephanie back for her team, after eliminating her in the battle rounds.
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