Blake Shelton builds his last team for "The Voice" live semi-finals while Chance the Rapper builds his first — and they both get it half right, getting to choose only two artists out of their teams of five in the season's most ruthless cut yet.
Our hearts are still pounding in frustration and sadness as “The Voice” delivered its most ruthless cuts of the season, with more than half of the remaining contestants getting the boot. Tonight’s brutal cuts came from Teams Blake and Chance.
For Blake Shelton, these were his last decisions about his team before it all gets turned over to America. For Chance the Rapper, these were his first. In both cases, the guys made one decision that felt absolutely right, and their other choice was definitely not the direction we would have gone.
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There were some incredible artists sent home tonight, some after delivering their strongest-ever performances yet on this stage. One left us reduced to tears, another left themselves reduced to tears, and yet both of those artists will be watching from home just like us when the show goes live in two weeks.
The night delivered one of the most incredible vocal performances this show has ever seen, and one of the strongest overall moments (stage presence and voice) the show has ever seen. At this stage of the game, with only 40 percent of the artists advancing, the best ever still might not be good enough!
Fair warning, since I’m safe at home, I’m probably going to be a little harsher than my colleagues Kelly Clarkson, Chance the Rapper, Niall Horan, and Blake Shelton. But I might be nicer, too. Maybe.
And just for fun, I’m going to rank the performances from worst to first to see who my favorites are, and then see how they do as the season progresses.
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TEAM BLAKE
Kylee Dayne
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(“Flowers,” Miley Cyrus – 20, Carrollton, TX) Not as perfect with her pitch on the bigger notes toward the end, but Kylee was definitely in her element with this one. We loved her voice particularly on the verses, as it felt like she really was telling us this story like it was her own. The first chorus seemed to overwhelm her a bit, and then she definitely tried for too much at the end. This was not her strongest performance, but it’s definitely the lane she feels right in.
Rachel Christine
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(“The Only Exception,” Paramore – 22, Delavan, WI) It wasn’t pitch-perfect, but she corrected almost immediately when she missed the mark. Most importantly, this was a huge improvement over her hesitant audition. Our heart broke for her when she revealed that she wasn’t sure she was as good as anyone else, so it was so great to see her step out and own this moment. She still needs to grow in confidence, but her voice was perfect for this piece, tender when it needed to be and belting effortlessly. We don’t know if it’s enough to survive, but it’s another step forward in her growth.
Grace West
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(“Love Is Alive,” The Judds – 19, Canton, MI SC) Grace has a great country sound, but we felt a strange disconnect through about half of this song. She did find her groove, but would slip in and out of it as the song went along, as if she wasn’t fully comfortable in it. It’s such an authentic country sound, though, that she carries, we found ourselves really drawn in regardless of the fact we weren’t feeling her take on this song as much as we have previous performances. She also had a little trouble with her pitch, but we still love the truth we hear come from her.
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Mary Kate Connor
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(“If I Die Young,” The Band Perry – 18, Ashburn, VA) A little shaky in places, but Mary Kate landed this one right in the pocket. Her voice in the opening bars had this ethereal quality that haunted, like she was singing to us from the grave almost. She did miss a few notes along the journey, but it was so emotionally connected, we found we didn’t mind them as much. Yes, she could have pushed herself a bit more here and there, but this was an extremely well-executed performance that had so much heart, we’re still feeling it.
Savion "NOIVAS" Wright
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(“Come Together,” The Beatles – 31, Jasper, TX) It was really sweet to see NOIVAS and Blake talking about their late brothers, how much they meant to them and how excited they would be to see their brothers fulfilling their dreams today. Man, did he come out here to put on a whole damned show. He was matching notes with the guitar, and his moment with the backing singers up front in harmony was insane. Around that, he gave incredible vocals and had the time of his life up there. This was the most relaxed and in command we’ve ever seen NOIVAS and suddenly he’s someone we could see buying a concert ticket to watch. That was a graduate level showmanship class!
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TEAM CHANCE
Manasseh Samone
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(“Speak the Name,” Koryn Hawthorne – 22, Dallas, TX) A former “Voice” contestant who’s gone on to Grammy-nominated fame as a Christian music artist, it’s exciting to think that her original is now being covered back on the stage where she got her big break. Manasseh might have started too low on this one as she got a little lost in the basement, faltering vocally in ways we didn’t even know she was capable of. We could tell she was feeling it, but it wasn’t coming across as effectively through the television for us. It was passionate enough, but it was also very shaky and inconsistent.
Jamar Langley
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(“The Thrill Is Gone,” B.B. King – 37, Andrews, SC) Honestly, we were hoping for a little more guitar from Jamar considering he had it there and was so vocally leading the band. Either lead them with real guitar licks, or lose it entirely and lead them as a vocalist. Vocally, by the way, he was as consistently great as always. He has this effortless tone to his voice that is so seasoned, you can feel the blues coming so naturally through it. We were hoping for something to help him stand out a bit as a master musician in some way, but it wasn’t there, so we’re not sure this will be enough.
Ray Uriel
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(“Essence,” Wizkid f. Tems – 25, Gary, IN) Ray makes it look so effortless. He has one of the smoothest R&B vocals we’ve seen on this show and it comes sliding out like he’s just breathing. It’s deceptive, though, because that’s just how much control he has. He caressed these lyrics beautifully. The only criticism we could give is that it almost felt a little too polished, like he was giving a clinic on achieving perfection in performance. But clinical isn’t what you want in music because it takes away the soul of a performance. All of that to say we expected to feel something — or at least feel like Ray was feeling something — and that didn’t happen. We kind of wanted him to loosen up more to go there.
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Kala Banham
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(“My Funny Valentine,” “Babes in Arms” – 24, Windermere, FL) Jazzy and playful in her approach to the song, Kala really slowed this one down to let each line and note breath through her perfect pitch and delivery. Her voice was so rich and full-throated, and we definitely agree with Chance’s note to hold back the vibrato and sustain some of those big moments. We were transfixed by the very little that she did do because it was so incredible. The soaring notes at the end were just the icing, because this was already the whole dessert!
Sorelle
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(“Something’s Got a Hold on Me,” Etta James [as performed by Christina Aguilera] – 15/20/21, Lexington, OH) Did we just witness the greatest group performance in “Voice” history? Chance’s arrangements with these sisters enhanced their incredible solo work and their harmonies — are there even words to express how great those are? Let’s talk about that solo work, though, because we’d put them up for pitch, connection and intention individually against anyone in the competition. The fact that all three are so accomplished alone and yet still come together; this group is just bonkers. That’s all we can say about it.
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PREDICTIONS & RESULTS
Team Blake: It feels like NOIVAS is a no-brainer for Blake, but then comes the rub. Based on these Playoffs, we’d give the edge to Mary Kate for how emotionally connected she was, but we know he’s got a soft spot for Grace, who is usually much stronger in her country music lane. We had a feeling he’d lean toward Grace, but held out hope for our girl, Mary Kate, who really had a moment up there. But Blake usually surprises us with his choices, so we could be all wrong.
The first decision Blake made was his easiest one, because NOIVAS is in a class of his own when it comes to overall performance. He is a force to be reckoned with when he takes the stage. Then, his final decision of his entire “Voice” career was upon him, and he went with his classic country gal in Grace West. No real surprise, but she needs to get back on track and fast.
Team Chance: He was not lying when he said his team was great. It is great, so he’s going to have to pray that one of them can come back as a wild card because more than two deserve to continue. Only Manasseh seemed to falter this big opportunity, but we all know she’s way better than what she gave. We were worried for Kala, though. As a newcomer to Chance’s team, could she overcome the deeper relationships he has with everyone else? She smoked almost everyone vocally — except Sorelle, which feels like his no-brainer team. We’d go with those two, but had a feeling he might take Ray over Kala.
For his first-ever live shows, Chance put his chips on Sorelle, which makes perfect sense. They are bringing something fresh and interesting every single time they get on the stage. Our only criticism is that we don’t get to see them perform more, but they seem finale bound to us. He then also did what we thought he would do — though we didn’t agree — and sent Ray Uriel to join the sisters. Ray is incredible, but Kala is incredible, and apparently dismissed by three different Coaches. Now, we’re hoping for a Wild Card opportunity.
“The Voice” continues Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.
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