The artists are only one performance away from the Live Playoffs on Season 10 of The Voice, but to make it, they first have to survive the Knockout Rounds. To help make them be the best that they can be, they got pointers from award-winning musician Miley Cyrus, who is this season’s Key Advisor.
“What I love about The Voice is being able to give back,” Miley said. There are so many talented people on the show. It’s the best job ever.”
Song choice is so important for the Knockout Rounds, and the artists pick their own tunes, because it shows their mentors – Christina Aguilera, Adam Levine, Blake Shelton and Pharrell Williams — what kind of artists they hope to become.
One final fact before the Knockouts began: The mentors had one final steal, so while they might be sending people home from their team, one of the other mentor’s could pick them up.
The first Knockout of the night from Team Blake pitted country singer Angie Keilhauer vs. pop singer Paxton Ingram. It was an even match in that both artists received a three-chair turn during the Blind Auditions.
Angie chose to sing Sam Hunt‘s “Take Your Time,” while Paxton went with “Hometown Glory” by Adele, because he felt “this song is perfect for me because it shows my range.”
Christina told Angie that she exuded great confidence on stage, and Paxton seemed very connected to his song. Pharrell felt that “Take Your Time” didn’t allow Angie to show her full potential. He said he would give the round to Paxton, who had control of his low notes. Adam, who had pink hair, thought Angie had a lot of passion, but Paxton was gold because his voice doesn’t sound like anyone else. Blake told Angie that he liked the fact that she was up for any challenge, but he could tell that Paxton had selected a song that meant something to him. Paxton was the winner of the Knockout.
The next Knockout was from Team Adam. He faced off Owen Danoff against Ryan Quinn, who he saw as opposites. Owen is rough around the edges, where Ryan is more polished. Owen’s love of music came from his father, who won a Grammy for “Afternoon Delight.” Ryan has been teaching music and playing bar gigs.
Owen chose “She’s Always a Woman” by Billy Joel. Ryan went with Train‘s “Drops of Jupiter.”
Blake pointed out that Adam was silly because he pitted two of his four-chair turns against each other. He felt they both sang great, but Owen was more invested in the song. Christina felt that Ryan gave a “clean” performance, and that Owen really owned it. Pharrell felt that Ryan wasn’t as plugged into this song as previous performances, whereas Owen took them all into “folkland.” Adam said it was a tough decision because they were such opposites, but he went with his heart and kept Owen. But Ryan isn’t going home. He was stolen by Christina.
Round three saw Team Pharrell’s Hannah Huston paired with Malik Heard because “they each have a different way of approaching soul singing.”
Malik selected Stevie Wonder‘s “Isn’t She Lovely.” Hannah chose to perform The Animals‘ “House of the Rising Sun.”
Adam said that Hannah’s performance was bonkers. She brought the house down, but he also felt that Malik did an amazing job. Blake pointed out that Hannah earned a standing ovation. Hats off to her, but he agreed with Adam that Malik sang his heart out. Christina felt Hannah’s choices were impressive and cleverly placed. Pharrell complimented Hannah that her performance could not have gone any better, and told Malik that his voice took the wheel. Pharrell kept Hannah on his team. She will move forward to the live shows because “she is the all-around package.”
It was back to Team Blake for Round 4. He paired up his two steals: Katie Basden vs. Lacy Mandigo as they are both powerful singers.
Lacy picked The Cranberries‘ “Zombie,” which she dedicated to her grandfather, for her Knockout song. Katie chose “Gypsy” by Fleetwood Mac.
Christina told Katie she made a smart song choice and had a clean performance. For Lacy, she thought she roared on the stage. Pharrell thought Katie had so many sweet spots, so he gave the round to her. But he still felt that Lacy did her own thing. She’s an interesting singer, who has all the tools in the shed. Adam told Katie she was phenomenal, and she has improved by leaps and bounds, while Lacy had power and presence on stage. Blake kept Katie because he felt she sang the best.
But Lacy isn’t going home. Both Pharrell and Adam pushed their buttons to steal. Pharrell said if Lacy was willing to work, he had a couple of things for her to work on. Adam pointed out that Pharrell gave the round to Katie, so she should pick him. Even so, Lacy chose Pharrell.
The next Knockout Round pitted Alisan Porter against Daniel Passino because “they are both storytellers.” Alisan chose to perform a stripped down version of “River” by Joni Mitchell. Daniel went in the opposite direction, opting for The Temptations‘ “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg.”
Pharrell told Daniel he slayed his song, and said Alisan’s performance was masterful. He gave the round to Alisan. Adam said he was impressed with Daniel. He thinks he has what it takes, and he knows that Alisan is special and we will be seeing more of her. Blake said Alisan came out and made magic, so Daniel did what he needed to do, which was swing for the fences. Blake said Alisan’s performance was overwhelming, so he would give the round to her. Christina announced that the winner of the Knockout Round was Alisan.
It was back to Team Pharrell for the final Knockout Round pairing of the night, which saw Emily Keener go against Shalyah Fearing.
Shalyah performed “A Broken Wing” by Martina McBride; Emily Keener chose “Big Yellow Taxi” by Joni Mitchell.
Adam said Emily had to be feeling the pressure because she was a four-chair turn, and he was impressed by her version of the song, but the revelation to him was Shalyah, who came out with so much confidence. Blake told Emily there was something so different about her, something special. But, he, too was impressed by Shalyah. He loves the song she sang, and he thought she won the round. Pharrell said both of his artists took the notes they were given. And while Shalyah hit it out of the ballpark, he chose to keep Emily. Adam stole Shalyah, so she, too, is going on to the Live Playoffs.
The Voice returns Tuesday night with the second night of the Knockout Rounds at 8 p.m. on NBC.
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