It was Shakira and Adam’s turn to watch all of their contestants perform, before narrowing their teams down from five to three for The Voice live shows.
Team Shakira
Kristen Merlin
Kristen Merlin kicked off the night for Team Shakira, choosing Carrie Underwood’s “Two Black Cadillacs,” because the song had some big moments that would really showcase her talent. Her challenge in rehearsals was to hold back a little bit, and not overdo the performance from beginning to end. When she took the stage for the coaches, she had a perfect performance: vocally awesome, with great stage presence. The coaches all raved about her, and Shakira was overcome with happiness.
Deja Hall
The youngest contestant in the competition, Deja Hall, chose Jordin Sparks’ “Battlefield,” because the upbeat song would allow her to show off a side she hasn’t yet demonstrated, singing all ballads. In rehearsals, Coach Shakira reminded Deja to stay in the pocket. In her performance, Deja sounded wonderful, if a bit boring. However, all the coaches were crazy about her, and Shakira remarked how good her contestants are making her look.
Tess Boyer
Former cheerleader Tess Boyer chose Christina Perri’s “Human” for her playoff performance, because she related to its message. It’s a risky song, and Shakira encouraged her to show as much emotion as possible onstage. Tess gave a dynamic and emotional performance, and the coaches praised the beauty and power of both her low and high register. Usher said that Tess has reaped the benefits of the entire coaching panel (Well, except for Adam – “Thank God!”), and there’s a little bit of each of them in her performance.
Patrick Thomson
Patrick Thomson chose Ray LaMontagne’s “Trouble” for his playoff performance, because the song just spoke to him. Shakira thought it was a great choice for his voice, but he needed to convince the audience, make them think he wrote it. “Have you ever been saved by a woman?” She asked him. “Once.” He replied, “It was you!” His performance finally made the coaches understand where he was coming from, and what kind of artist he really wanted to be.
Dani Moz
Dani Moz was the final contestant to take the stage for Team Shakira, and she chose to do a stripped-down performance of Lady Gaga’s “Edge of Glory.” Shakira wanted her to make sure that her voice was stripped down as well, and she inserted a lot of emotion into the performance. Well, she had that in spades, and even gave her coach goosebumps. The performance was rough around the edges, but her emotion really drew the audience in, and made it an unforgettable performance.
After expressing her love and gratitude to all her contestants, Shakira revealed that she will be taking a team chock-full of girl power into the live shows, with Tess Boyer, Kristen Merlin, and Dani Moz.
Team Adam
Delvin Choice
Delvin Choice may not have turned any chairs last season, and he has blown the coaches away with his powerful voice this year. He chose Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together” for the playoffs, because it is the perfect example of the type of artist he wants to be. In rehearsals, Adam reminded him to watch his dynamics, and mix some softer moments in with his powerful runs. The coaches were blown away by his performance, and no one can believe that he got no chair turns last season, when now he’s a front-runner in the competition.
Jake Barker
Jake Barker may be new to performing, but he took a big risk by choosing his coach’s band Maroon 5’s “She Will Be Loved.” He is a natural talent, but he needed to focus his vocals, and have more confidence in himself. Adam pointed out that this is a big sing-along song (he should know!), so he would need to open up in his performance. He took a bit of an R&B approach with it, and while the coaches seemed to like his laid-back performance, they weren’t as enthusiastic about him as they were about other contestants.
Kat Perkins
Kat Perkins has a big voice, and it has carried her this far in the competition. She chose Journey’s “Open Arms” for her playoff performance, as a tribute to her father, who taught her all about music as she was growing up. In rehearsal, Adam’s only comment was for her to be less dynamic in the chorus, and just belt all the notes. Her performance was absolutely flawless, which left the coaches with very little to say. Blake did, however, manage to fit in an “’Open Arms’ my ass – open LUNGS!”
Morgan Wallen
Team Adam’s Morgan Wallen is a bit of a dark horse in this competition. He chose Florida Georgia Line’s “Stay” for this performance, because his true passion is country music. He struggled a bit with rhythm in rehearsals, but he seemed at home in his performance onstage. The coaches were very impressed, even drawing comparisons to Travis Tritt and Pearl Jam lead singer Eddie Vedder (Blake’s “That guy…whatever his name is” just about made Adam short-circuit.)
Christina Grimmie
YouTube star Christina Grimmie chose “I Won’t Give Up” by Jason Mraz, in honor of her mom’s fight with breast cancer. In rehearsals, she sounded great when she was following a plan, but things went sour when she started to improvise. Adam told her to make a plan, and stick to it. Her dynamic performance absolutely blew everyone away, with Blake saying she’s the best singer on Team Adam. Usher called her a baby Celine Dion, eliciting a thrilled shriek from Christina.
Adam said his decision would be based on who he felt was furthest along at this point in the competition, and as a result, chose Christina Grimmie, Delvin Choice, and Kat Perkins to move on to the live shows.
Team Usher takes the stage for the playoffs Tuesday night at 8 p.m. on NBC.