The top 10 contestants all came to win this week, and with the celebrity mentors returning, there were some awesome performances from both the contestants and coach Adam Levine’s band Maroon 5.
Coach Adam’s band Maroon 5 kicked off the night with a performance of their newest single, “Love Somebody,” showing the top 10 contestants how it’s done. Performing in all white in front of all all-white backdrop, there were splashes of blue water that turned into waves and then into rain. It was all very reminiscent of an iconic Sesame Street performance. We also got a brief glimpse of the music video for “Love Somebody,” which features, not surprisingly, a shirtless Adam Levine.
Team Blake
Holly Tucker
The first contestant of the night was Team Blake’s Holly Tucker, who narrowly avoided elimination last week as part of the bottom three. Blake gave her the traditional gospel tune “How Great Thou Art,” to utilize her gospel background. In what turned out to be an appropriate song choice in light of the tragic situation in coach Blake’s home state of Oklahoma, Holly gave a powerful performance, belting it to the rafters, completely losing herself in the performance, as mentor Sheryl Crow recommended.
The Swon Brothers
Team Blake’s The Swon Brothers stuck with their country roots with Randy Houser’s “How Country Feels.” They’re definitely settling into their performances, learning what works and doesn’t work. They’ve been divvying up the solos more evenly between Zach and Colton, whereas it had been all Zach in the early rounds. Their harmonies are still unmatched, and it looks like the last duo in the competition isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
Danielle Bradbery
The youngest artist in the competition, 16-year-old Danielle Bradbery took on a country song that’s older than she is: Jo Dee Messina’s “Heads Carolina, Tails California.” She looked very California, in cutoff shorts and a tank, and seemed as comfortable as artists well beyond her years. The coaches were all wowed, and Usher even commended coach Blake’s work with Danielle, saying it’s “easy to see why he has won.”
Team Adam
Judith Hill
Judith Hill paid tribute to the late great king of pop with Michael Jackson’s “The Way You Make Me Feel.” She had a hard time with the song choice because, having previously worked with Jackson, the song stirred up a lot of emotions for her, and she was afraid people would think she was taking advantage of his memory by performing his song. But Coach Adam was right, and the audience loved Judith’s unique, sassy take on the song.
Amber Carrington
Team Adam’s Amber Carrington had the tall order of singing Kelly Clarkson’s “Breakaway,” which Adam picked for her to demonstrate her ability to bridge the gap between pop and country music. Amber really related to the song’s message, and her passion showed through in her performance. It started off slow, but the song picked up at the bridge, and she ended the song standing in front of a wind machine, her hair and dress blowing dramatically in the breeze.
Sarah Simmons
Sarah Simmons changed it up this week, singing the more upbeat “Mama Knows Best” by Jessie J. Sarah chose this song to show off a different side of her voice other than what all the ethereal ballads she’s been singing have shown. She certainly did show off another side of herself: the sexy rock chick side. So sexy, in fact, she had Adam fanning himself, Usher lifting up his leg, and Blake just shouting “sexy!” over and over again.
Team Shakira
Sasha Allen
Emeli Sande’s hit “Next To Me” has been covered a lot recently, and it was Sasha Allen’s turn to prove she could do it just as well as Amber, or Lea and Idina. This was her first take on a modern radio song in the competition so far, and she nailed it. Not only were her vocals outstanding, as they always are, but she seemed to have the most fun she has had thusfar in the competiton. Her coach Shakira loved it, standing up and fist-pumping along by the end.
Kris Thomas
As the only male R&B singer in the competition, Kris Thomas needed to step up his game to keep from being eliminated. Shakira chose Miguel’s current hit “Adorn” for him, but he had trouble with the sexy song because his on-and-off relationship is on the rocks. The coaches felt he was thinking too much in his performance, and it got the best of him. Shakira did not appreciate her fellow coaches criticizing her song choice, and by the time she was done saying her peace, both Adam and Usher were hiding behind their chairs.
Team Usher
Josiah Hawley
After a strong performance last week, Team Usher’s Josiah Hawley had to rise to the occasion again this week with his performance of Coldplay’s “Clocks.” He was intimidated by some of the higher notes in rehearsals, but coach Usher and mentor Pharrell Williams told him to practice practice practice until he was comfortable with it. Unfortunately, he must not have practiced quite enough, because the coaches could still see that he seemed a bit uncertain.
Michelle Chamuel
Team Usher’s Michelle Chamuel closed the show with Pink’s “Just Give Me A Reason,” which Usher picked for her to give her a chance to show off her range and her emotion. Though it’s a difficult song to sing, Michelle absolutely nailed it, and all the coaches couldn’t help but be proud of and happy for her, whether she was on their team of not. Usher named hers the best performance of the night, based on the fact that everything that made the performance great was her: no backup singers, no dramatic staging, just her.
Tune in tomorrow at 8/7c on NBC to find out who goes home.