The Voice recap: The top 16 go live for the first time

The Voice is coming at you liiiiiive tonight! Finally! Listen, I enjoy The Voice, obviously, but don't you feel like we all age about 30 years each season? We've been through so much already and yet we have so far to go! We have a top 16 to whittle down to one season 22 champion. Tonight, the top 16 artists will all be performing in the hopes of making through to the top 13 when the results are announced tomorrow night. The two artists on each team at the top of the audience vote will automatically move forward, and each coach will then choose a third member from their team to save. The four remaining artists — one from each team — will then compete tomorrow night for the Instant Save to round out the Top 13. No one wants to perform under that kind of pressure, so the time to impress is now. Let's get into it.

TEAM LEGEND

Omar Jose Cardona, "Livin' On a Prayer" by Bon Jovi
Coach John Legend calls Omar "the golden voice" and a "favorite to win" this entire competition. For his first live performance, Omar sticks to exactly what's gotten him this far: huge '80s pop/rock ballads. The end of this performance is especially impressive — those high notes! — and the guy knows how to work the stage. Camila Cabello calls him "a rockstar" and his coach's review is simply that "so few people on the planet that can sing like you can," so, like, no big deal. There's no way Omar isn't making the Top 13.

Kim Cruse, "I Never Loved a Man (The Way That I Love You)" by Aretha Franklin
Kim Cruse has one of the best voices in the competition, hands down. She owns this classic Aretha song and knows exactly how to build up to something truly special. She gets all four coaches up on their feet. Legend is impressed, but not surprised. He loves how powerful Kim's vocals are but even in that power, she's making smart, "tasteful" choices. It never sounds overdone. "I love watching you execute your craft," he tells her.

Sasha Hurtado, "Tiny Dancer" by Elton John
Well, I would not want to follow Kim Cruse doing Aretha Franklin and Sasha's song choice isn't the most exciting, nor does it give her the "moment" she needs. You know things aren't going exactly in her favor when the two critiques, from Gwen Stefani and her coach Legend are more about her newfound confidence on stage than anything having to do with her actual vocals. This isn't her strongest performance and the competition on her team is stiff.

Parijita Bastola, "I'll Never Love Again" by Lady Gaga
Team Legend's 17-year-old pop/soul singer has been crushing it with big pop ballads, so it's no surprise she takes on one by Gaga here. It allows her to not only show off how well she emotes in her performances, but also remind us of the crazy amount of power she has. She just knows how to break hearts up there on stage — and we'll let her! Do it again, Parijita! She gets a standing ovation from all four coaches. Cabello calls her "masterful," while Legend tells her the performance "was so emotionally beautiful and honest."

TEAM GWEN

Kique, "As It Was" by Harry Styles
Kique's song choice here isn't as bold as, say, "Hey Ya!" but his arrangement is compelling and it sets him apart from the original — it's got a cool rock vibe and it's much moodier. Legend applauds Kique for his confident, interesting choices. "You keep impressing me every time," he tells him. Kique's own coach is equally impressed: She's blown away by the way Kique knows exactly what will work for his voice even at such a young age. "I'm so into you!" she yells.

Kevin Hawkins, "Skate" by Silk Sonic
Kevin is Stefani's steal from the Knockouts, and while his vocal performance is a little jumbled, the man can perform. He commands the stage, engages the audience, and knows how to sell it. Blake Shelton loves seeing "the entertainer" come out at this point in the competition. Stefani tells Kevin that he's got everything he needs already — he can sing, he can dance, and yeah, the guy can perform. She loves seeing him "blossom" on stage tonight.

Alyssa Witrado, "Angels Like You" by Miley Cyrus
Alyssa impressed Stefani in the Blinds with her cover of "Don't Speak" and has become the team's young pop-alternative singer. She slows things down here for her first live performance and it exposes some of her weaknesses. The vocals aren't her best and a little more enunciation might help things. Cabello wishes that Alyssa was a little more emotionally connected to the song, but mama Stefani is nothing but proud of the way she executed a challenging performance.

Justin Aaron, "Here and Now" by Luther Vandross
Stefani's powerhouse vocalist taking on Luther? This feels right. Justin lays it down out there. His runs! His belting! All the coaches go wild by the end. Legend can see that Justin is growing with each round. Plus, he "flat out sang that song right now," Legend says, floored by how Justin was unafraid to take on a Luther Vandross song. Stefani had been waiting for this performance and tells Justin that it was "beyond [her] dreams." "You could do any song in the whole world," he's that good, his coach beams.

TEAM CAMILA

Morgan Myles, "Let Him Fly" by Patty Griffin
Morgan Myles had a rough Knockout round, but this performance feels like we're getting back to why Morgan made such a splash in the Blinds. It's Morgan and her guitar and a great storyteller's country song. Shelton is especially excited to see her back in this gear and tells her that her pitch was perfect and she "looks like a star." Her coach Cabello, too, is proud that her "truth teller" is back in top form. It was full of believable emotion which Cabello thinks is "really, really beautiful." Also, friends, that high note!

Eric Who, "Rumor Has It" by Adele
Eric Who is here for the drama in the very best way. He's a performer through and through — remember when he crawled across the stage? — and he continues as such with this new arrangement on an Adele hit. It's a punk rock anthem now, I guess! Legend loves that Eric is making these "confident, bold choices." "Welcome to the Eric Who show, baby!" coach Cabello shouts. She's a huge fan of his: "You just light my spirit on fire," she tells him.

Kate Kalvach, "You're Still the One" by Shania Twain
You can see Kate has some technical issues with her in-ear monitors, which would spell disaster for plenty of singers. Not for Kate! Her vocals sound great. When the coaches learn about the problem, they're all impressed she handled it as well as she did. Kate is a dark horse — she's got a great, sweet, pop voice and knows how to work an arrangement to her benefit. "Your voice is magical and angelic," Cabello tells her, summing it up pretty nicely.

Devix, "Sex on Fire" by Kings of Leon
This is a perfect song choice for Cabello's indie pop artist. It's got an edge and lets him show off both his great rock vocals and the way he effortlessly emotes. Legend loves the performance, and thinks Devix has a voice that is ready for radio right this very minute, but he does tell Devix to loosen up a little more. "I want you to unleash at another level," he advises. Devix's coach Cabello praises his smart artistic choices, which she says are "always tasteful." He's an artist who knows himself and Cabello finds that super appealing.

TEAM BLAKE

Bryce Leatherwood, "I'm Gonna Be Somebody" by Travis Tritt
Bryce is Shelton's tried and true country singer. He picks a Travis Tritt song, which is a great fit even if it's not the most surprising. Legend finds the whole performance convincing and was impressed with the passion Bryce infused into the song. Shelton, too, can't say enough about how authentic and authentically country Bryce is. "You're getting through this thing tomorrow, there's no question in my mind," he tells his artist. You heard it here first!

Rowan Grace, "Hopelessly Devoted To You" by Olivia Newton-John
Okay, this is a song choice! Rowan's a pop artist in the vein of Olivia Rodrigo and this song choice is unexpected and fun while also giving her room to have some big moments. It's not her best vocal, but it certainly feels like a choice made by someone with a lot of confidence. Shelton tells her that she just delivered "a solid performance of a classic song" and in doing so, she's propelled herself into the front of the line of this competition.

Brayden Lape, "Buy Dirt" by Jordan Davis feat. Luke Bryan
Brayden's always had a country-twang to him, but he's done well in this competition as a pop heartthrob type and those types of performances have felt a little more authentic than this one (especially after Bryce Leatherwood). Cabello's a big fan though, calling it her favorite performance of Brayden's this season. Shelton is impressed with how calm and collected Brayden was up there delivering that. I don't think he'll have any problem moving forward.

bodie, "Glimpse of Us" by Joji
I'm sorry, can we just send bodie all the way to the finals already? He's too good not to be there. He's a fresh breath of air on this show and tonight, he picks a song that shows how of-the-moment he is while also demonstrating his ability to pull off power vocals. It's very emotional! Stefani found it unexpected, and thinks his voice is so good that he could pretty much do any genre he wants. Shelton is blown away by bodie's talent and ability to really move the crowd. "I'll see you in the finale," he tells him. Exactly, my dude!

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