‘The Voice’ Recap: The Top 10 Try to Rock the Vote

Apparently there’s some sort of singing show rivalry raging inside the White House right now. Last month, President Barack Obama opened the American Idol series finale (in a pretaped segment), and this Monday, Michelle Obama opened the top 10 performance episode of The Voice – in person! And she even introduced the contestants’ group performance of Dierks Bentley’s “Home”! But both cameos were for good causes: The President’s Idol appearance promoted voter registration among young people, while FLOTUS’s Voice appearance (alongside Dr. Jill Biden, wife of VP Joe) celebrated the fifth anniversary of Michelle and Jill’s Joining Forces Initiative, in honor of Military Appreciation Month.

As Voice host Carson Daly put it, “It is only because of our military service and sacrifice that we all have a voice.” Also, I totally co-sign Blake Shelton’s idea to have the First and Second Ladies be Voice coaches in Season 11.

This was all a triumphant, feelgood start to Monday’s show, but then it was time to get back to business – and back to the real Voice battle. Which of the top 10 contestants will rock the vote this week? Let’s find out.

Daniel Passino (Team Pharrell)

Last week, Daniel – a Coach Comeback artist who was a last-minute surprise addition to the top 24 – found himself in the bottom two, and he almost went home for the second time this season. I have a feeling that Voice producers were not thrilled that he survived the Twitter Save sing-off over Team Adam’s Owen Danoff. How else to explain why Daniel got the death spot for the second time in just four weeks of Live Playoffs (he’s actually performed in the first three spots for four weeks in a row)? Or why his coach, Pharrell Williams, gave him Aerosmith’s hokey, overdone “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing,” aka “that asteroid song”? Neither the positioning, nor the beyond-boring, middle-of-the-road song choice, did Daniel any favors. And when he tried to bring the drama, by dropping to his knees all Jordan Smith-style and emitting a screechy note that reminded me of when Danny Gokey sang a different, also-disastrous Aersomith song on Idol, it was all kinds of wrong.

The coaches’ comments did Daniel no favors, either. Adam Levine dismissively praised Daniel for lasting this long, telling him, “You’ve been there, a lot of ups and downs. Everything should be considered an up until the bitter end.” Christina Aguilera, Daniel’s former coach, confused everyone with a bunch of double-negatives (“There’s one thing that you can definitely not say about you, is that you don’t have passion!”), then actually got negative – something the coaches rarely do on this overly nice show – and admitted, “I did hear a few pitch moments.” Even Pharrell threw Daniel under the Voice bus and said, “I definitely heard pitch issues… [but] I can say that you definitely were living in the moment and that was a very good save on your part.”

Bye, Daniel. Looks like that “thing” you’re going to miss is the top nine playoffs.

Shalyah Fearing (Team Adam)

Sixteen-year-old Shalyah underwent a bit of a hip, grown-up makeover this week, doing Emeli Sande’s “My Kind of Love” and claiming this was the kind of music she really wanted to do all along. It was not a perfect performance, as it featured a lot of unnecessary shouting and growling and had a general trying-too-hard vibe about it. There were, to quote what Xtina had just told Daniel, some pitch issues. But somehow, I appreciated this performance nonetheless. It was raw. It had passion. Shalyah was feeling this. I was feeling it too. She was giving me some baby Mary J. realness here.

“There’s something about it when you’re kind of ragged and edgy with your performance, because there was nothing smooth about that. It was kind of wild, the way you performed that. I think that’s where you thrive,” mused Blake Shelton. “It’s so cool to just witness your passion. You’re so on fire on the inside, and you like share it with us. And it’s amazing, because it comes out in all those really, really, really big notes,” said Pharrell. “America, vote her through, because I want her to do ‘No More Drama’ by Mary J. Blige [next week], and I have this vision in my mind. So help me out,” said Adam.

OK. I may have to vote for Shalyah this week. I think I need to see that.

Nick Hagelin (Team Xtina)

Nick was playing the sexy soulman this week with Michael Jackson’s “I Can’t Help It,” a role he seemed born to play – but unfortunately, he couldn’t help struggling throughout this performance. His voice sounded so thin and strained, with the song resting in a really uncomfortable place in his range. And the staging, which seemed to take place on a leftover set from Mawby’s (Flashdance’s gentlemen’s club), made everything look so awkward. (“I actually wondered how long you would be able to stay inside the box without getting out and dance around,” Blake later chuckled.)

Pharrell totally glossed over Nick’s actual performance, and instead gave a rambling “critique” that was even more confusing than Christina’s double-negatives: “You know what? I have to say about you, Nick, like honestly, not only what you’ve just done but your entire stint on this show since you’ve come back – you represent something that, like, so many people need to see… I love the idea that you represent the possibility that things can change. And it’s possible. So for me, I love what it is that you stand for. I thought your performance was good. But I think what you represent means so much more to people right now like there’s a lot of people that are looking for that second chance. They were told no. But you are a living example of someone where the yes just came right around the corner.” (OK, then, Pharrell. But did you like Nick this week? Spit it out!) Christina claimed Nick sounded “just like Michael.” Um, no. This was bad. And I don’t mean “Michael Jackson-bad.”

Hannah Huston (Team Pharrell)

If there’s any song on singing shows more overdone and clichéd than “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing,” it’s Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep.” So of course that’s what Hannah sang this week. (Apparently NBC has trimmed down the song-clearance but this season?) Of all the Adele songs Hannah could have tackled, I wished she’d tried something a little fresher and more unexpected, but at least she had the vocal chops to pull it off. I will say, though, that this number didn’t impress me as much as some of Hannah’s other more dynamite performances. She seemed to be trying valiantly to bring the fire and emotion that we saw during her “House of the Rising Sun,” “Aint No Way,” “Something’s Got a Hold on Me,” or even “I Can’t Make You Love Me.” Yet I felt a vague, actress disconnect here. She wasn’t totally rolling in the deep.

Adam began the coaches’ commentary with: “The only thing about that that I’m slightly critical is this sliding up into the first note of the chorus made me a little bit crazy. But that’s just stupid; I’m so hung up on the original in that way that I can’t get away from it. But that’s the one little thing… I don’t know what I’m talking about at this point. But 99 percent amazing and that was the one tiny thing, because I’m a stickler and a jerk. But you’re amazing.” (Side note: I am so annoyed whenever Adam apologizes and called himself “stupid” or a “jerk” just because he has dared to actually critique a contestant instead of just blowing smoke up his or her you-know-what. He’s usually right. He needs to stop apologizing for being right!) Pharrell, of course, blew smoke all over the place and called Hannah’s performance “1,000 percent amazing,” then basically forced everyone to give her a standing ovation. I agreed more with Adam’s 99 percent assessment – not Pharrell’s 1,000. This was good, but not perfect. I’ve seen Hannah do better.

Laith Al-Saadi (Team Adam)

B.B. King’s “The Thrill Is Gone” may have seemed like way too obvious a choice for hairy bluesman Laith, who had a major breakthrough last week with a pimp-spot performance of an Ed Sheeran song, which made him seem cooler and more current than ever before. But hey, Laith knows who he is, what kind of artist he wants to be, and what he does best – and it’s working for him. He seemed completely comfortably onstage doing this classic, playing all sorts of tasty guitar licks like he was onstage at one of B.K. King’s nightclubs, indulging in an all-nighter jam session. I won’t say he reinvented the song or made it his own in any way – he did it straight and traditional – but he entertained. And he shredded.

“Let me start with this: Your guitar playing, I can’t say enough about it. It’s absolutely incredible. Having said that, as just a fan of yours, I would caution you moving forward, because don’t ever underestimate what an incredible singer you are… That [performance] was almost 50/50 guitar playing and singing. And your singing is so good, man. Let them hear it,” said Blake. Adam countered with: “I do hear what Blake is saying. However, that was probably the best show of musicianship I’ve ever seen on this show… The way the voice and the musicianship work in tandem, to me it’s what makes somebody more extraordinary, because they can do both brilliantly. All in all, the most well-rounded and multitalented guy in this competition.”

I was Team Adam on this Laith debate. I know this show is called The Voice, not The Guitar, but I’m starting to really dig this dude. (Side note: However, I was happy this week to see the coaches acting like judges for once and occasionally actually doling out a tiny bit of tough love. At this point, even they can’t deny that this season ain’t the best in Voice history and that the thrill is slightly gone.)

Paxton Ingram (Team Blake)

Paxton is suffering from a serious identity crisis on this show, although I’m not sure if that’s his fault or his confused coach Blake’s. He started off as a funky Miami dancer singing R&B and sexy Selena Gomez covers, and then when that didn’t work, he tried doing a gospel song last week. That direction actually did work, at least judging by the fact he was last week’s highest iTunes-charter. Anyway, this week, puzzlingly, Paxton made, if not a total 180, then at least a 45- or 90-degree turn by covering Celine Dion’s melodramatic, schlocky, Jim Steinman-penned power ballad, “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now.” Will the real Paxton Ingram please stand up? I’m not sure who he is anymore.

That being said, as much as I personally miss the cool, hipster Paxton who used to sing Robyn and Calvin Harris bangers, he did a pretty solid job here covering a very difficult, ambitious, gauntlet-throwing song. The guy’s a stronger vocalist than he usually gets credit for, and he may make another impressive iTunes showing with this tune.

“That was awesome. I love how dramatic it was. I love how every time I see you hit the stage, you always bring that drama and that presence to it. And I didn’t know what to expect because Celine is just a whole different thing. But you definitely made it your own, and I was genuinely pleasantly surprised,” said Christina. “You are in the zone right now, man. And what you did last week, what you did this week, what’s happening with you right now, what we’re seeing happen is the reason I do this job. You are becoming this artist right before our very eyes,” raved Blake. Maybe Blake knows what he’s doing, after all.

Mary Sarah (Team Blake)

Mary has lost her spunk, spark, and sass for me over the past few weeks, as she’s veered away from the signature vintage-Opry sound that made her first couple performances so special. (Mary is another contestant who’s had a bit of an identity crisis this season.) So I was delighted that she went “back to her roots” with Tammy Wynette’s all-time classic “Stand by Your Man” this week. She nailed that very high, very tricky chorus; she looked like a country Grace Kelly in her retro cocktail frock and sleek chignon; and she came across like an elegant ingénue. This was the Mary Sarah I first fell in love with when she crooned “Where the Boys Are” at her Blind Audition. (Side note: It was also the perfect song choice for a night with dozens of proud soldiers sitting in the audience. Whoever chose this – be it Blake, Mary, or a joint decision – was very smart.)

“That was amazing. That’s a major song, and it is a very difficult song in all ways. … Since the Blinds, I haven’t seen anything that really fit you quite as well as this. And it was just incredible timing,” said Adam. “You have no idea how you just engaged the entire country audience out there. I mean, a young, 20-year-old girl up here singing a Tammy Wynette song and blowing the roof off this place! Yee haw!” said Blake.

Bryan Bautista (Team Xtina)

Bryan gave a nod to his Latin heritage this week by doing something rarely attempted on The Voice: He sang in Spanish, covering Romeo Santos and Usher’s bilingual ballad “Promise.” It was a shrewd move, not just because he may have attracted an entire new fanbase. He also got much of his mojo back, after two dud performances in a row. This was the sexy Bryan I remembered! Although all of the coaches’ comments focused on the Latin angle, this really wasn’t an example of a contestant playing the “Latin card,” or any sort of card. It was just an artist doing what he does best – like Laith jamming on some B.B. King or Mary warbling Wynette.

“I know the Latin community is losing their minds… The idea that you did that on the show while competing, and you showed so much of your vocal ability, like all of your range from high to low, that was awesome. Anybody with Latin blood should be voting for this guy,” said Pharrell. “I don’t have any Latin blood, but I will say that I have Jewish blood, and it loves you very much. But all joking aside, you’re awesome…I think you’re one of the most gifted singers in this competition,” said Adam. “You consistently come out here and do such a phenomenal job, and you showcase something different every single time you come out here. But this time, you guys, he had to bring his own personal background into this. He is the only person this season and in this competition representing for the Latinos. Show him the love from the Latin community, please!” begged Christina.

Alisan Porter (Team Xtina)

Dedicating her acoustic rendition of Patty Griffin’s “Let Him Fly” to her late boyfriend (whom she dated during the darkest and most drug-addicted period of her pre-motherhood life), Alisan had another lovely and tender magic moment – a la her “The River” performance a few weeks ago. Alisan has proven time and time again that she can be a total powerhouse and a badass belter, but I like her best when she strips things back and just lets herself be sweet and vulnerable – and behaves as if she has nothing to prove. This was one of those moments, and it felt so intimate and special. While other performances of the night, like Daniel’s and Nick’s, seemed to drag on forever, this was one performance I did not want to end.

“I think the a mark of someone who is an artist is someone who uses everything in their life, good and bad, to speak through the music. You do that, and you did that tonight. I commend you for that, because it’s not an easy thing to confront the negative or the scary things in your life that you don’t want to remember. And to do that to me is a defining thing about artistry that I’m very happy that you brought to the show tonight,” said Adam. “We’ve seen you sing over-the-top; you’ve done that a lot. That [mellower song choice] was such a smart move. I mean, that got to me,” sighed Blake. “I’m so proud of you for being courageous enough to show your vulnerability here on this stage tonight and share with us such a personal, heartfelt story. That’s one of the hardest things to do in the world. Sometimes it’s easier to hit the high notes and be bold… but then to pull back, and pull the curtain on you and your truth, that is commendable. I applaud you wholeheartedly tonight,” gushed Christina.

Adam Wakefield (Team Blake)

Alisan’s performance would be tough to top, but it was the contestant with the biggest chance of taking the championship away from Alisan, supercool Southern rocker Adam Wakefield, who got the pimp spot this week. He probably didn’t need the pimp spot, given the momentum he’s had all season. But his spirited cover of Ray Charles’s “I Got a Woman” (the song he was singing the night he met his girlfriend) sure was an awesome way to end the show. Sitting at his honky-tonky piano, self-assuredly wailing and banging away with a brass band backing him, he looked like he should have been headlining the Stagecoach or iHeartRadio country music festivals or the ACCAs this past weekend; he was just that good. No wonder this song won his gal pal Jenny Lee over. Jenny won’t be the only lady voting for Adam tonight. (Spoiler: I will be voting for Adam tonight.)

“Southern rock, country, soul – so much soul. I can’t wait to hear the album that you make with Big Machine – they better throw all the money in the whole machine, the whole company, behind you! You’re the next one, bro. You are the next one,” raved Pharrell. (Side note: If Adam signs to Big Machine after this show, should Idol winners Trent Harmon and Nick Fradiani worry about dropping down Scott Borchetta’s priority list? Maybe so.) “You literally just blowed my brains out,” said Blake, clearly not knowing the meaning of the word “literally” or the past tense of the verb “to blow.” But Blake’s point was well-taken. Adam was mind-blowing tonight.

So, Adam Wakefield blowed Blake’s brains out. But who blowed his or her chances of making it to the top nine? I’m predicting the bottom two will be both of this season’s Coach Comeback picks, Daniel Passino (again) and Nick Hagelin, with “damn Daniel” finally going home. Tune in Tuesday to see if I’m right – and to see my favorite Voice winner ever, Season 8’s Sawyer Fredericks, return to the Voice stage.

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