It was Team Shakira’s and Team Blake’s turn to win America’s votes, and they gave Adam and Usher’s teams a run for their money. Shakira and Blake also took the stage to perform a country duet.
After last night’s duet from Adam and Usher, tonight’s coaches, Blake and Shakira, performed a duet of their own with Lady Antebellum’s “Need You Now.” While Adam’s and Usher’s voices blended well together, Shakira’s and Blake’s did not. They each sounded good, but it would have suited them each better as a solo. They performed in front of a fireplace and a giant chandelier made of antlers, in case we the audience didn’t know this was a country song.
Team Shakira
Garrett Gardner
Team Shakira’s Garrett kicked off the show with an iconic song: John Lennon’s “Imagine.” Shakira chose this song for him because she wanted him to show off a little more of his artistry at the piano. His performance started off slow and tender, your typical rendition of “Imagine,” before kicking it up and ending as a rock song, once again showing the grit in Garrett’s voice. All of the coaches said nice things about his determination, and that he’s good–looking, but no one really said anything great about his performance.
Kris Thomas
Shakira assigned her unique vocalist Kris Thomas Bruno Mars’ “When I Was Your Man,” because she feels his voice is sweet and emotional, just like the song. She advised him to use a lot of falsetto, because his strength and uniqueness is in his falsetto. He brought a lot of beautiful falsettos and runs to his performance, but his nerves showed through and really affected his overall performance.
Karina Iglesias
Karina Iglesias tackled the Al Green classic “Let’s Stay Together,” which Shakira assigned her to allow her to show off the soul in her voice that she demonstrated in the earlier rounds. She emphasized that she didn’t want Karina to hold back at all, even on the delicate parts. Karina started off in the audience, with a more delicate vocal, before amping it up and taking the stage, roaring her way through the rest of the song with such intensity Blake “thought that microphone was just going to break into a bunch of pieces.”
Sasha Allen
Team Shakira’s Sasha Allen closed the show with The Beatles’ “Oh! Darling,” which Shakira chose for her because of the unbelievable power she has in her voice. Her challenge would just be to make sure her personality comes across in her performance. The performance was a show-stopper: a sexy performance with so much power and some awesome raspy belting. All the coaches made fun of Sasha’s former coach, Adam, for giving her up, but couldn’t praise Sasha’s voice and talent enough.
Group Performance
Shakira took her team to a dance studio and had them meet with her choreographer, so they could learn how to own the stage as a team. She believes if there’s good vibes among the teammates, it will help them build individual charisma. Both Shakira and her choreographer taught each of the team members little hints and tricks to help them look and feel more comfortable onstage. Unfortunately, their efforts seem to have had the opposite effect.
Their performance of Queen’s “We Are The Champions” started off dramatically, with each singer in a single spotlight on a darkened stage. The song was a perfect choice for Team Shakira’s powerful voices, but the number looked too choreographed while trying to look natural. Instead of focusing on each other, because they don’t have that camaraderie or chemistry, they should have performed more towards the audience. That’s such a huge fan favorite song, they would have had an easier time playing off of the enthusiastic crowd.
Team Blake
Holly Tucker
Holly Tucker came into rehearsals feeling insecure that she didn’t fit the mold of what a superstar should look like. Blake assured her that she deserved to be in the competition, and she proved it in her performance of Leann Rimes’ “How Do I Live.” The song was pitch-perfect, and she had some beautiful runs and belts. Plus, Adam Levine told her she was beautiful about 15 times, so whether she wins the competition or not, that’s a win for life.
The Swon Brothers
Team Blake continued their country domination when the Swon Brothers performed the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s “Fishin’ In The Dark.” In rehearsals, Blake praised the Swons chemistry and sense of humor, but worried about their tendency to get a little sloppy with their vocals. That wasn’t a problem in their performance, however, as their harmonies were tight and the whole performance was solid. They are natural performers, and got the audience and the coaches into their performance, with Blake finally getting the big country “moment” he’s been waiting for all these years on The Voice.
Justin Rivers
Blake chose Diamond Rio’s “Meet In The Middle” for Justin because he wants him to establish himself as a hardcore country artist, even though he’s got a progressive voice. Justin clearly had a great time in his performance, smiling wide through the whole thing and getting the crowd to clap along. He dealt with some technical difficulties at the end of the song by freestyling, which really impressed the coaches because even his freestyling sounded great.
Danielle Bradbury
Blake chose Pam Tillis’ “Maybe It Was Memphis” for his youngest contestant, Danielle Bradbury, because it’s a song from when he was growing up, and he wanted her to bring it to a new generation. She certainly did that and more. Looking and sounding like a professional already-established artist, she owned the stage for her whole performance. Blake wanted to go on record saying that he believes Danielle is one of the most important artists to ever appear on The Voice because we’re going to see her career develop from her time on the show.
Group Performance
Blake brought his team to a karaoke bar to get them to loosen up. After he broke the ice with J. Geils Band’s “Centerfold,” his contestants took on Village People’s “YMCA,” Sam and Dave’s “Soul Man,” Wild Cherry’s “Play That Funky Music White Boy,” and Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive,” before finishing up with a group performance of “We Are Family” by Sister Sledge.
Little Big Town’s “Boondocks” was a great song for this country group, as it gave them a great chance to show off their harmonies as a group. It was strange to see five performers on the stage, instead of four (The Swon Brothers are the first duo to make it this far), but the chemistry worked well, and they all seemed to be having a great time. Unfortunately, they were stuck in place for the most part, as all three men were playing instruments and couldn’t make the most of working the stage.
Tonight the votes for Team Shakira and Team Blake will be revealed alongside the votes for Team Adam and Team Usher. America’s votes will save the top two contestants of each team, and then the coaches each get to choose one additional contestant from their team to save.