Idol Chatter & Voice Views

So, did you see those iTunes results from last night’s episode of The Voice?

Seven of the 10 artists who performed on Monday cracked the site’s singles chart today.

Of course, Sawyer Fredericks remains the heavy favorite to win Season 8.

After all, he had the best performing single, cracking the Top 15.

What’s more, all three of his previous songs from the show reappeared in the Top 200.

And check out the results from Team Blake. Corey Kent White, Meghan Linsey, Hannah Kirby and Sarah Potenza hit the singles chart, and were very tightly bunched.

That could mean a tough decision for Blake Shelton when it comes time for him to decide who to save Wednesday night.

But that’s still more than 24 hours away. First, we have to hear from the members of Team Christina and Team Adam. Keep checking back. I’ll be posting song by song grades throughout the show.

Sonic

How she got here: She’s been singing since age 10, even though she was deaf in one ear since age 6. Pre-Voice, she was performing in a group known as Killer Dude. Also a jewelry designer, the 23-year-old from San Francisco, Calif., sang Sam Smith’s “Money on My Mind” in the blind audition, turning two chairs. Sonic was matched with Ameera Delandro in the battle round. They sang Jessie J.’s “Masterpiece.” Christina declared Sonic the winner; Ameera was eliminated. In the knockout round, she went up against Ashley Morgan. Sonic performed “A Woman’s Worth” by Alicia Keys and won the match.

Tonight: Christina has Sonic singing a song she’s very familiar with, “I’m Going Down.” During rehearsals, Christina is encouraging her to slow down and make the song more “slinky.” Check out Sonic’s two-toned hair. Sonic followed Christina’s instructions well. She’s also pouring tons of soul into this performance. And adding some nice wrinkles to the ending. Solid performance, though her vocals seemed to stay on a couple of occasions. Pharrell calls it a “cool little journey” and liked her “confidence.” Blake liked her raw energy. Grade: B–

Kimberly Nichole

How she got here: She was known as the rock ballerina in New York because of the custom tutus she wore on stage. The 32-year-old club singer from New York auditioned with “Nutbush City Limits” by Ike and Tina Turner, and turned two chairs, joining Team Pharrell. In the battle round, she was matched against Lowell Oakley. They performed “Hound Dog” by Elvis Presley. Pharrell declared Lowell the winner. Kimberly was stolen by Christina Aguilera. In the knockout round, she was pitted against Koryn Hawthorne. Kimberly performed “If You Love Somebody, Set Them Free” and was declared the winner.

Tonight: She wanted to go in a rock direction, so Christina has her singing “What’s Up,” a song that has never been performed on The Voice. Well, Kimberly is known as the rock ballerina. This is a really nice match of singer and song. Kimberly’s voice absolutely soars on the chorus. She just held a glory note for a day and a half. Honestly, I think that might have been my favorite performance of the night so far. Kimberly sounded amazing. And Kimberly’s getting one heck of a reaction from the audience, including her grandmother. Pharrell calls the performance “perfection.” Grade: A

Lexi Davila

How she got here: She’s the team following in the footsteps of her grandfather, who was a singer in a nightclub. The 17-year-old from Lorain, Ohio, performed Selena’s “Dreaming of You” in the blind audition and turned two chairs. She was matched against Bren’nae DeBarge in a battle round that was part of a montage package. They performed “Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield. Adam declared Lexi the winner. In the knockout round, she squared off against Joshua Davis. She performed Ellie Goulding’s “Anything Can Happen,” impressing all the judges. When Joshua was declared the winner, Lexi wound up being stolen by Christina, with the very last steal of Season 8.

Tonight: Christina has her singing “All By Myself.” She wants her to sing something slower, but have a chance to show off her emotion and vocal abilities at the same time. This is a tough task, following Kimberly Nichole to the stage and being forced to sing this song. Lexi is showing off a big voice, but the opening slipped away from her in several spots. She certainly went for broke on a big ending. Most of it worth a save, but a few notes strayed pretty badly. Adam called it “an amazing job.” Christina likes the way she loosened up and tried new things with her version of the song. Grade: B–

India Carney

How she got here: She’s the student in her final year in the music department at UCLA and hoping to pursue a career as an R&B/pop singer. The 21-year-old from of Brooklyn, N.Y., sang Billy Joel’s “New York State of Mind” in the blind audition, prompting all four coaches to turn their chairs. In the battle round, she was matched with Clinton Washington. They performed “Stay.” Christina declared India the winner; Clinton was stolen by Adam Levine. In the knockout round, she was pitted against Joe Tolo. India turned in the best vocal of night three of the knockouts, singing “Big White Room” by Jessie J. She was again declared the winner.

Tonight: Christina is asking India to perform one of the coach’s songs, “Hurt.” She says it will force her to be vulnerable. Great opening by India. Heck, great performance by India. Again, this is a singer that belongs in the finals. Heck, she should go deep into the finals. Wow, she turned in a superb vocal. And that was a difficult song to sing. Pharrell loved the performance. Blake calls it “emotional, dramatic, powerful. I don’t know what you could have done to make it any better.” Christina calls it “unbelievable.” Grade: A

Rob Taylor

How he got here: He’s the guy who at one point stepped away from a chance to attend Berklee College of Music to care for his mother, who suffered a stroke. The 22-year-old from Donaldson, La., sang Luke James “I Want You” in the blind auditions and turned three chairs. In the battle round, he was matched against Jeremy Gaynor, who turned four chairs during the blind auditions. They sang “Animals” by Maroon 5. Christina declared Rob the winner. In the knockout round, he was pitted against Treeva Gibson. Rob sang “Love and Happiness” by Al Green and was declared the winner again.

Tonight: Christina has him singing “Earned It,” hoping he can tap into a modern R&B sound. Hmm, Rob gets background singers. And it doesn’t take long for him to show off that falsetto Christina was encouraging him to show off. Rob is certainly pouring his all into this performance, winding up on his knees to deliver the final notes. Wow, and he did show off incredible range over the course of that cover. Pharrell calls the performance “effortless.” I think we just met the third finalist from Team Christina (which I think, is what I predicted). The crowd clearly loved it. Grade: B+