The top 12 contestants gave it their all tonight, with some incredible standout performances that are sure to earn them America’s votes.
It looks like exactly what The Voice needed was some Reba: Reba McEntire helped mentor the top 12 this week, and almost all of them went on to have their best performances of the season. It’s that Reba magic, and here’s hoping we see more of her on The Voice real soon. If for no other reason than for Hannah Kirby’s mom to finally get that lock of hair.
Top 12 performances
Hannah Kirby
Team Blake’s Hannah Kirby pretty much lost her mind when she saw Reba, and then Hannah’s mom brought it to a whole new level. After all that excitement, Hannah rocked out to “Edge of Seventeen” by Stevie Nicks. Adam chose the song because it tells a story, and he wanted Hannah to take her fans on that journey. Hannah took the stage in a Stevie Nicks-appropriate level of fringe, and then completely brought the house down with an incredible performance.
Brian Johnson
Brian Johnson was Adam’s surprise save last week, proving Adam’s got a lot of faith in him. So how perfect that the song choice this week was Sting’s “If I Ever Lose My Faith In You.” It was a tough song to sing, vocally, requiring Brian to tie together his head and chest voice. But Adam encouraged him to save his breath for the right parts, and Reba reminded him to focus on the message of the song.
India Carney
India Carney took us to church with – that’s right – Hozier’s “Take Me to Church.” Until now, India has only sung ballads so Christina chose the Hozier hit to show off a different side of India’s talent. There’s no question that India has the voice to pull off just about anything, and this was another great performance. However, this one didn’t quite pack the same punch as some of her other performances.
Mia Z
Team Pharrell’s young jazz songstress Mia Z chose The Rolling Stones’ “Miss You” for her performance this week. Her voice added a great blues note to the classic song, but unfortunately, Mia apparently went to the Ariana Grande School of Enunciation, because you couldn’t understand a word she said. But she’s got a sort of cool confidence that just oozes out of her, it’s hard not to love anything she does.
Deanna Johnson
Adam chose Hillsong United’s “Oceans” for Deanna Johnson, sticking with the spiritual theme that worked so well for her last week. He wanted this week to be more about the performance than the vocals, since Deanna’s still battling nerves. And while she didn’t necessarily look nervous, and looked like she was having a great time, she was a little wide-eyed, looking like she couldn’t quite believe where she was.
Sawyer Fredericks
There’s something different, and something incredible, about Sawyer Fredericks. Pharrell thinks that everyone “feels a bit more liberated after hearing him sing.” So hearing Sawyer sing John Lennon’s “Imagine” truly took us all to another place. It’s a song that has provided a “moment” for contestants on various shows in years past, but in spite of there being slight imperfections, Sawyer made the song perfectly his own.
Rob Taylor
Rob Taylor had his work cut out for him with “I Put a Spell On You.” From Nina Simone, to Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, to Creedence Clearwater Revival, to Winifred Sanderson, everyone has performed this song, including countless reality show contestants. Rob would have to put his own spin on it, to set himself apart, and that he did. He had the appropriate amount of fun, and intensity, and showmanship, but he also brought a great falsetto scream that we haven’t heard before.
Corey Kent White
Blake chose Jason Aldean’s “Why” for country boy Corey Kent White, because he wanted Corey to start showing a little bit of a bad boy image, proving how many different sides he has to bring to the table. Corey was so thrilled to meet fellow Oklahoman Reba, he would do pretty much anything the two of them wanted him to do. He didn’t give a vocally perfect performance, but he conveyed the feeling of the song.
Koryn Hawthorne
After last week’s near-elimination, the message of Kelly Clarkson’s (what doesn’t kill you makes you) “Stronger” was the perfect anthem for Koryn Hawthorne this week. She impressed Pharrell and Reba by arranging the song for herself, knowing exactly what she wanted from her performance. She may have had a minor lyric fumble, but she gave such a powerful performance, even starting a cappella, that she had Christina calling her Tina Turner.
Joshua Davis
Adam described Joshua’s voice as “warm and inviting,” but some (this writer) might say it is as warm and inviting as chocolate chip cookies fresh out of the oven, with the chips still melty. Basically, his voice is delicious. Simon and Garfunkel’s “America” was yet another perfect song choice to make the most of that delicious voice, but this time, he stepped outside of his comfort zone, and put down his guitar. It paid off, as the coaches thought it was his best performance yet.
Meghan Linsey
Little Big Town’s “Girl Crush” has been in the news lately thanks to some ignorant country fans not quite understanding or approving of the message of the song. So it was great to have Meghan Linsey bring it to The Voice stage this week. Meghan returned to her country roots for this performance, as every Team Blake contestant does at one time or another, but she was able to inject so much soul into the performance, that she held her own as the R&B artist she wants to be.
Kimberly Nichole
Kimberly Nichole rocked the house last week with the 4 Non Blondes’ “What’s Up,” and she felt this week’s performance of “House of the Rising Sun” was just a continuation of that performance. Just hearing the combination of “Kimberly Nichole” and “House of the Rising Sun,” you had to know it was going to be awesome, and sure enough, it was. Kimberly strutted effortlessly around the stage, setting the place on fire, like it was no big deal. Pharrell was on his feet before she was even halfway through the song, and Blake said this might just be Team Christina’s first winning season.
Tune in Tuesday night at 8 p.m. on NBC to find out the result of America’s vote, and witness the Instant Save in action for the first time this season.
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