The Voice season 6 top 12 took to the stage to perform live for America’s votes for the first time.
The Performances
Bria Kelly
Bria Kelly was the first season 6 contestant to take the stage to perform live in front of America…no pressure. She took on her first modern song on The Voice with her own take on Adele’s “Rolling In The Deep.” The coaches all felt it was a risk to take on such a popular song, and Adam and Shakira wished the key was a little higher. Usher loved Bria’s passion, and felt she “started this thing off right.”
Delvin Choice
Coach Adam gave Delvin Choice a big challenge with the Righteous Brothers classic “Unchained Melody,” but he felt that Delvin’s vibrato would lend itself very well to the song. Adam encouraged Delvin to inject enough passion into his performance, as though he’s singing to his love that is walking away from him. After the performance, Usher said he actually felt like Delvin managed to make it a happier, joyous song, but all of the coaches felt his vocals were beautiful.
Dani Moz
Team Shakira’s Dani Moz had a big week last week, and was looking to follow up on that success with her first live performance. She and Shakira chose Pink’s “Give Me A Reason,” and Shakira felt the song would compel Dani to the next level. Her one criticism was to make sure that Dani didn’t make it too musical-theatre-y. The performance was very strong, and while Adam pointed out that it could have been a little more dynamic, Shakira made it very clear that she disagreed with his assessment.
Audra McLaughlin
Coach Blake loves Audra McLaughlin’s classic country voice, and gave her Merrilee Rush’s “Angel of the Morning” to show it off. Controlling her breath would be her biggest challenge for this song, but she certainly didn’t have any problem with that in her performance. Usher couldn’t get over how long she was able to hold out her notes, saying he would have to pee if he tried holding a note out that long. Blake added that he peed just hearing Audra hold it out.
T.J. Wilkins
T.J. Wilkins decided to take on John Mayer’s “Waiting on the World To Change,” because its message hits close to home, and he wants to be the change. This was his first crack at a contemporary song, but he intended to make it his own. Usher felt this was a big moment for him, in which he proved something about himself. All the other coaches just can’t help but be charmed by him, in spite of the fact that he’s on another team.
Christina Grimmie
YouTube star Christina Grimmie chose Katy Perry’s “Dark Horse” for her first live performance, because it paints a picture of who she wants to be as an artist. In rehearsal, Adam pointed out that her greatest challenge would be to balance performance with breath control. She managed to belt out some big notes in her performance, leading Blake to name her as the artist to beat on Team Adam.
Sisaundra Lewis
Team Blake’s Sisaundra knocked it out of the park last week, so this week was her chance to give a more restrained performance, which she did with Elton John’s “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me.” Adam said that the restraint she showed was the most beautiful part of her performance, with Usher adding that it was like she was “playing with her food.” Usher also compared her to superstar Patti LaBelle, which is high praise indeed.
Kristen Merlin
Kristen Merlin and her coach Shakira decided on Sugarland’s “Stay” to show off the subtlety and nuance in Kristen’s voice. It was a beautiful and moving performance until Kristen experienced every artist’s worst nightmare: her mic stopped working on live television. But she handled it like a total pro, which earned her lots of points from the judges, who also praised her heartfelt delivery.
Kat Perkins
Rocker Kat Perkins took on Heart’s “Magic Man,” in a continuing effort to dominate all the most kickass songs in classic rock history. While “Magic Man” is a big song, Adam feels Kat’s voice can rise above any big musical arrangement. Her performance featured a lot of magic men, in the form of guitar players, that Kat serenaded onstage, awkwardly. The coaches couldn’t get over the fact that this rocker used to be a nanny, but Usher pointed out that performing is a good release.
Jake Worthington
Jake Worthington wants to be a true country artist, like George Strait and George Jones, and he chose Travis Tritt’s “Anymore” as the song to prove himself. In rehearsal, Blake advised him to make sure that everyone in the audience feels like he’s singing to them. His performance was just as honest and genuine as Jake himself, right down to the emotion in his voice when he spied his mama in the audience. Blake said that honesty, especially in country music, goes 80 percent of the way.
Tess Boyer
Shakira wanted Tess Boyer to bring to the stage the same energy and determination she has used to put herself through law school. Shakira chose Bon Jovi’s “I’ll Be There For You” to show Tess’ passion. Tess has been passed around between three coaches this season, and after this performance, Usher said that all of her coaches, past and present, as a collective, celebrate her.
Josh Kaufman
Soul man Josh Kaufman closed out the night with Sam Smith’s “Stay With Me,” a song that would capitalize on his retro style, while proving he can fit in on modern radio. In rehearsals, Usher had him run a lap around the stage to get him to remember he needs to make use of the whole stage. Josh’s performance was absolutely incredible, and he captured the audience’s attention with his dynamic performance.
The Voice top 12 results show airs Tuesday at 8 p.m. on NBC.