The Voice‘s top 6 took the stage last night, performing two songs each to win America’s votes. Only one contestant will be going home this week, but last week’s shocking eliminations proved it could be anyone.
There were a number of big deal performances this week, with contestants taking on popular current hits, as well as classic “untouchable” standards. Country music is slowly taking over the competition, having spread well beyond coach Blake Shelton’s team. The remaining contestants are the best of the best, and it’s hard to imagine any of them going home.
Coach’s choice
Holly Tucker
Holly Tucker kicked off the night with Blake’s pick, Martina McBride’s “When God-Fearin’ Women Get the Blues.” She had good luck last week with a sassier performance of The Band Perry’s “Done,” and decided to keep up the sass this week. She really is showing a completely different side of herself, and it is a lot more fun than her more serious persona. The judges agreed that the new, sassier Holly is a great improvement.
Michelle Chamuel
Usher chose Keane’s “Somewhere Only We Know” for Michelle Chamuel to show her more vulnerable side. Michelle’s vocal started out very light and delicate, and then built as the song progressed, and ended in that same delicate tone. In the middle, however, she brought out her signature squat, the depth of which is always directly proportional to the strength of the note she’s belting, as though she’s hatching out a power note.
The Swon Brothers
The Swon Brothers made coach Blake proud with his choice of the Merle Haggard classic, “Okie from Muskogee.” It was a perfect choice, as the Swons are, in fact, Okies from Muskogee, and they were obviously thrilled to perform the song. Blake pointed out that they are the first act in The Voice history to really dip into traditional country music, but it really works for them because they seem to have a genuine knowledge of and appreciation for all these songs that they’re singing.
Sasha Allen
Sasha Allen closed out the show with Carrie Underwood’s revenge anthem “Before He Cheats.” She started off wearing what was basically a bright red toga, but before long ripped it off to reveal a sequined black cropped top, shorts, and knee-high boots. While her vocals were good, as always, this performance did not hold a candle to her other performance of the night. Additionally, the stripping away of her dress, and the subsequent attempts at sexy dance moves were not only so unnecessary for a singer of Sasha’s caliber, but also completely disregarding the song’s message.
Danielle Bradbery
Danielle Bradbery’s biggest hit so far on The Voice was Pam Tillis’ “Maybe It Was Memphis,” so Blake chose to stick with what works, and picked Tillis’ “Shake The Sugar Tree” for her this week. Performing under her very own sugar tree onstage, Danielle once again demonstrated just how amazingly zen and calm she is when she performs, even though she is so young. Blake said that in country music, every now and then a girl comes along that is born with a little something extra, and Danielle has that. According to Blake, we are watching a star being born.
Amber Carrington
Adam took a risk choosing Skid Row’s “I Remember You” for his remaining contestant, country girl Amber Carrington, but Amber was able to “country” it up enough to make it work. The country sound actually really suited the song, and if you didn’t know better, you would think it was originally a country song, and an Amber Carrington original. The coaches praised her for taking a chance and mixing it up, because, as Shakira said, “monotony is an artist’s worst enemy.”
Contestant’s choice
The Swon Brothers
The Swon Brothers chose Darius Rucker’s “Wagon Wheel” this week, to take on a current hit climbing the country charts. Interestingly enough, the Swons were backed up by a pack of slutty dancing barmaids, which seemed not entirely appropriate for the performance, and were sort of distracting. But the Swons’ vocals were all that mattered, and they were, unsurprisingly, excellent. Their harmonies are really what set them apart, and not just because they’re the only duo on the competition. The Swon Brothers harmonize better than a lot of professional groups and vocalists out there today.
Holly Tucker
Holly Tucker’s choice was the Rascal Flatts hit, “My Wish,” which she dedicated to her biggest supporters: her parents. For some reason, she sang in front of a giant lighthouse onstage, and whether it was the scenery or the song itself, something about the performance came across as rather hokey. Especially after her sassy performance earlier, this one came across as a little dull, and perhaps a little pitchy. But her voice is very strong, regardless of the song.
Michelle Chamuel
Michelle Chamuel got a little help from Taylor Swift to perform the popstar’s hit “I Knew You Were Trouble.” Usher actually invited Taylor to surprise Michelle while she was singing the song in rehearsals. Taylor was thrilled that Michelle had chosen her song, and excited to see her perform it. Well, Michelle blew away not only Taylor, but the coaches and audience as well. Who would have expected that it would take a Taylor Swift song to get Michelle to release her inner head-banging rock star?
Amber Carrington
Amber Carrington went retro for her performance of Patsy Cline’s classic “Crazy,” looking straight out of the 60s with her tea-length dress and crinolines. She delivered the song perfectly, without overdoing it or changing the melody too much. Though Blake was nervous about her taking on the country classic, even he had to admit that she did it justice.
Danielle Bradbery
Danielle Bradbery chose Sara Evans’ powerful ballad “A Little Bit Stronger,” which proved to be a bit of a challenge for her range in her rehearsals. She had no problem on the live stage however, as she nailed every note effortlessly, and even surprised the coaches with an impressively powerful run at the very end. Vocally, the performance was great, but emotionally, perhaps because of her age and naiveté, it fell a bit flat.
Sasha Allen
Sasha Allen chose her mom’s favorite song, Aretha Franklin’s “Ain’t No Way,” for this week’s contestant’s choice. Turns out mama knows best because this was Sasha’s best performance to date. She obviously knew the song very well and felt very connected to it because she sang the song like it was coming straight from her heart, like she had written it herself. Her voice has always been gorgeous, but this week, for the first time, it didn’t seem like she was trying.
Tune in tonight at 9/8c on NBC to find out who goes home, and check out the debut performance of season 3 winner Cassadee Pope’s new single, “Wasting All These Tears.”