This week’s performances by The Voice top 10 were some of the best we have seen in the show’s history.
There must have been something in the water this week, because almost every artist in the top 10 gave an absolute show-stopping performance. There was so much show-stopping, it’s a wonder Carson was able to keep things reined in at two hours.
The coach’s guest mentors this week, all of them experts in the behind-the-scenes portion of music production, were a huge help to the performers, and likely helped to spur them on to these incredible performances. Dave Stewart worked with Team Adam, Ryan Tedder worked with Team Pharrell, Mark Ronson worked with Team Christina, and Scott Hendricks worked with Team Blake.
Group Performance
Our top 10 kicked off the show by tackling a medley of songs by one of music’s biggest legends: Elton John. Joshua, Deanna, Corey, Sawyer, and India took on a mellow version of Elton’s “Rocket Man,” where the girls had a little bit of trouble jumping the octave. Then Koryn, Kimberly, Hannah, Meghan, and Rob got the party rocking with “Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting),” and were eventually joined by the other five, as they all chanted “SAT-UR-DAY, SAT-UR-DAY, SAAAAT-UR-DAY!” in their finest Elton impression.
Top 10 Performances
Kimberly Nichole
Rocker Kimberly Nichole hardly batted an eye at tackling the iconic Etta James, and her song “Something’s Got a Hold on Me,” but Christina was thrilled, because Etta James is very near and dear to her heart. They had Mark Ronson help them kick it up a notch, and “dirty it up in a rock sense,” as Christina said. Kimberly started her performance draped across a fabulous red chair, with dramatic lighting, backed up by gospel backup singers and a stage full of lights. It was truly a performance, and you just can’t tear your eyes away when she’s performing.
Joshua Davis
Joshua Davis gave us another stripped-down performance this week, with James Bay’s “Hold Back the River.” Adam chose the song because it’s a love song, which suits Josh’s passionate and soulful style. Dave Stewart was impressed with Josh’s natural tone, and Adam feels he has more range than he’s delivering. It was a beautiful song that did suit Josh’s style very well. However, some parts of it were a little low, and made Josh a little too raspy. This is a little more of a rock song than we’ve heard from Josh before, but it really worked for him.
Hannah Kirby
Hannah made a surprising song choice this week: Tears for Fears’ “Shout,” because she thinks it’s important to let your feelings out. Hannah looked ‘80s-tastic with awesome hair, and an outfit that married Janet Jackson’s “Rhythm Nation” and the Beatles “Sgt. Pepper.” Blake didn’t want the performance to sound too ‘80s, so what resulted was almost a little haunting. Hannah is completely unafraid, and her vocals were amazing.
Meghan Linsey
Meghan Linsey decided to take us all to her home state of Louisiana with Marc Broussard’s “Home.” She felt very strongly about the song because it said so much about who she is, and where she comes from. It was a strong performance, which grew in intensity, and once again showed off Meghan’s soulful vocals. She took us to church at the end, when a gospel choir joined Meghan onstage with tambourines. There’s no such thing as a performance that isn’t improved by a tambourine.
Koryn Hawthorne
Koryn Hawthorne chose Ed Sheeran’s bluesy “Make It Rain” (from Sons of Anarchy) because the song held a personal resonance for her. Koryn once again entered the zen-like state she always does for her performances, but when she came out of it three minutes later, she saw all four coaches on their feet, and a screaming crowd. Koryn put every bit of herself into the song, giving it all the power and intensity she could, while her unique rasp was in full effect, completely milking that bluesy style. She had the entire audience in the palm of her hand.
Deanna Johnson
This was Deanna Johnson’s week to bust out of her shell, performing Jefferson Airplane’s “Somebody to Love.” Adam sees so much in her, and promises that we’ve only seen 30%-40% of what she’s got in store. This song was a lot for Deanna to take on, holding out a lot of strong notes. It was an improvement and a change for Deanna, and she did a good job, but on a night of so many outstanding performances, it was somewhat forgettable. Even the coaches seemed underwhelmed.
Rob Taylor
Rob Taylor chose the Donnie Hathaway classic “A Song for You” for his performance this week. Yet another song with a personal connection, Rob told us a beautiful story with this song. He started off at the piano, which is something we haven’t seen from him before, but Mark encouraged him to step out from behind the keyboard, which ended up being a very wise decision. Rob had so much inside of him, and it just poured out in his beautiful vocals. His falsetto is insane, and he may have even out-matched Elliott Yamin’s unforgettable performance of this song on American Idol.
Corey Kent White
Corey Kent White was the second of season 8’s contestants to step out from behind their ever-present guitar, and therefore, his comfort zone. His performance of George Strait’s “Unwound” was more uptempo and rock-y than any of his previous performances, so it needed to be a little bit looser. This meant he’d have to put down the guitar, and get closer to the audience. He actually did quite well without his security blanket, and once again sounded right at home with this classic country song. He had a little lyric flub, but he played it off successfully.
Sawyer Fredericks
Sawyer Fredericks chose a song any ‘90s kid is familiar with: The Goo Goo Dolls’ “Iris,” which is, in fact, the song that made Team Pharrell mentor Ryan Tedder want to start a band. It’s a beautiful love song, and even though Sawyer has never been in love, he is such a genuine, emotional performer that he made you believe he has. It was the same song that we know so well, but Sawyer put his own spin on it, and proved once again that he has a place on popular radio.
India Carney
Christina chose Whitney Houston’s “Run To You” for India Carney’s performance this week, a song India was familiar with, having performed it for a disastrous audition for The Lion King a few years ago. She tried it again, but her coach and mentor Mark Ronson encouraged her to loosen up and not worry so much about hitting each note perfectly. She’s obviously incredibly talented, and pulled a lot out of her bag of tricks. It’s a lot to take on a Whitney song, especially live on national television, but India did the diva proud.
Tune in Tuesday night at 8 p.m. on NBC for the results of America’s vote, and find out which contestants will be going home.