With this first week of summer also came an especially exciting week for NBC's The Voice. In this action-packed episode we were treated to performances by three of the judges, eliminations on Team Adam and Team Cee Lo, and performances from the semi-finalists. And just in case you forgot that tonight's show was two hours long, Cee Lo wore two, coordinating, bedazzled watches to remind you of its doubled length.
Before the performances could commence however, Team Cee Lo suffered the loss of two of its members- America put through Vicci and Coach Cee Lo chose to hang on to Nakia. Shortly following was the elimination of a few of Adam's team members- America picked Javier and Adam decided to go with Casey this time around. I'm glad everyone made the right choice this week.
The performances then began with a soulful rendition of Madonna's "Like a Prayer" sung by (one of my personal favorites)
Frenchie Davis. Was anyone else really into the Sister Act-inspired choreography that the back-up singers were busting out? It was most definitely fun to watch, and Frenchie rocked it as usual.
Nakia continued the evening with his own interpretation of
Adam Lambert's "Whataya Want from Me." As Adam stated, his particular take on the song forced him to like it. I agree. Nakia is fun to watch and clearly has a great instrument.
Dia then changed things up with a rather laid back version of "Losing My Religion" by R.E.M. She, of course, earned rave reviews from the judges, and though it most certainly wasn't the most impressive vocal of the evening, I do enjoy the folksy vibe she gives off as an artist.
Casey then sang the
Dolly Parton classic "And I Will Always Love You." Hmmm. I can't say it was the most original choice of all time, but I give her credit for creating her own version of the song and not trying to imitate Whitney.
Putting a bluesy twist on the evening, Beverly killed it with her version of
B.B. King's "The Thrill is Gone." Her performance earned unanimous praise from the judges, and Christina even stated Beverly is one of the reasons she is "so thankful she signed on to do this show." It's certainly going to be difficult choosing between the final two contestants of team Christina.
Javier kept the fantastic performances of the evening rolling with a gorgeously powerful rendition of "Fix You" by Coldplay. The judges loved everything about it and so did I...including his beautiful bald head. But for real, it was probably my favorite performance of the night.
Xenia kept the evening moving with of ho-hum version of "The Man Who Can't Be Moved" by the Script. All of the judges complemented her level of maturity in both the quality of her voice as well as her personality. I realize this girl is 16 years old (and her performance this week was slightly better than last week) but it seems she is a singer who is resting on the laurels of her pretty tone and doing nothing more with it. The performance lacked energy and creativity, in my opinion.
Vicci rounded off the evening with a high-energy performance of "The Dog Days are Over" by Florence and the Machine. Adam dubbed it the "coolest performance of the night" and the rest of the judges, of course, loved it.
Next week, the final four contestants will compete for the ultimate prize. If I had it my way, those four would be Dia, Javier, Beverly, and Vicci. Who will your votes be going to tonight?
The Voice airs Tuesdays at 9PM on NBC, but don't forget to catch tomorrow night's special episode at 8PM. Check in with BroadwayWorld's THE VOICE Over tomorrow night for a complete recap of who made it through to next week's finals! Vote for your favorite contestants at NBC.com or by downloading songs by tonight's artists on iTunes.
The series features musician coaches
Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green,
Adam Levine and
Blake Shelton. The program is an innovative vocal competition series modeled after Holland's top-rated vocal talent discovery show "The Voice of Holland." "The Voice" is hosted by Carson Daly and features the musician coaches working through the various phases of the competition with only the most talented vocalists. The show's second season will air on NBC in mid-season on Mondays (8-10 p.m. ET).
"The Voice" is a presentation of Mark Burnett's One Three Inc., Talpa Content USA, Inc. and Warner Horizon Television. The series is created by John de Mol, who executive-produces along with Burnett, Audrey Morrissey and Stijn Bakkers.
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