Idol Chatter & Voice Views

The power goes to the viewers tonight on The Voice.

For the first time, the Season 8 contestants will be performing live.

And, for the first time, viewers will decide who advances.

Well, at least mostly. We’ll select two of the artists to advance from the five remaining on each team. Then each coach will get to save one of the remaining three.

And I’ll be providing song by song grades throughout.

Caitlin Caporale

How she got here: A veteran of many talent competitions — and a huge fan of Christina Aguilera — Caitlin told The Voice she’s been watching the show since Season 1 and always wanted to be a contestant. Caitlin, 23, of Newburgh, N.Y., sang Christina Aguilera’s “Impossible” during the blind audition, convincing two coaches to turn. She was matched against Briar Jonnee in the battle round. They sang “Falling” by Alicia Keys. Pharrell declared Caitlin the winner; Briar was eliminated from the show. In the knockout round, she went up against Hannah Kirby, who had been stolen from Team Blake. Caitlin performed “Warrior” by Demi Lovato and was declared the winner again.

Tonight: She’s going to tackle “Best Thing I Never Had” by Beyonce. Yep, she knows Beyonce is “big shoes to fill,” but she wants to be an R&B/pop singer and says she wanted to choose a song that would be challenging. Pharrell says the key for Caitlin will be sharing some of her personality. Caitlin starts off very well. Hey, don’t forget, this is the young woman who sang with Christina following her blind audition. She’s showing off tons of power with this vocal. Not sure Pharrell got quite as much emotion as he wanted, but that was a really dynamic vocal. Blake says she looks like a star and is starting to look like a threat in the competition. Grade: B

Lowell Oakley

How he got here: He’s the guy who comes from a long line of businessmen but performs with Rip Chord, an a cappella group at Elon University in North Carolina. Lowell, 19, of Durham, N.C., auditioned with Duke Ellington’s “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore,” turning two chairs. In the battle round, he was matched against Kimberly Nichole. They performed “Hound Dog” by Elvis Presley. Pharrell declared Lowell the winner; Kimberly was stolen by Christina Aguilera. In the knockout round, he was pitted against Jacob Rummell. Lowell performed “My Girl” and was declared the winner.

Tonight: He’ll sing “Jealous” by Nick Jonas. Lowell’s typically a crooner singing older songs, but wants to show he can perform pop songs, too. Pharrell wants him to care less about vocal perfection and what everyone else thinks and more about how the song feels to him. OK, one verse in, I’m not sure this was a wise song selection. As a crooner, Lowell was unique. Not sure how unique this is. This song is allowing Lowell to show off his range, and he gets a nice reception from the audience. Blake compliments him on his Adam Levine type falsetto. Pharrell compliments him on a good job and for having fun on stage. Grade: B–

Mia Z.

How she got here: Her name is Mia Zanotti and she calls herself a blues singer with a modern twist. Oh, and she’s been performing since age 8. Mia, 16, of Pittsburgh, Pa., auditioned with a classic, B.B. King’s “The Thrill is Gone” and turned two chairs. In the battle round, she was pitted against Ashley Morgan. They performed ZZ Ward’s “Put the Gun Down.” Pharrell declared Mia the winner. In the knockout round, she found herself engaged in a three-singer matchup after Anthony Riley exited the competition. Mia sang “Hold On, I’m Coming” in her competition with Paul Pfau and Sawyer Fredericks. She made the live playoffs when Pharrell selected her and Sawyer to advance.

Tonight: Mia is going to take on “Ain’t No Sunshine,” slowing things down compared to what she’s done so far. Pharrell wants to show off the purity of her voice. Mia says she’s going to deliver the performance of her life. Dang, you just don’t expect such a nice blues voice out of a 16-year-old. She’s another Voice performer who’s clearly used to being on stage. And this might be a slower song, but Mia still had plenty of chances to show off her vocal gymnastics. Very nicely done. Probably the best so far from a Team Pharrell member. Adam says he’s a fan. Blake says Mia’s the one singer he’d like to steal from another team and calls her the most under-rated singer on the show. Pharrell calls her an “amazing, amazing talent.” Grade: B+

Koryn Hawthorne

How she got here: A junior at Lighthouse Christian Academy, Koryn started taking voice lessons at age 8 and has won numerous singing competitions. The 16-year-old from Abbeville, La., sang Emeli Sande’s “My Kind of Love” for her blind audition, turning two chairs. In the battle round, she was matched against Vance Smith. They sang “Love Me Harder” by Ariana Grande and The Weeknd. Christina declared Koryn the winner. In the knockout round, she was pitted against Kimberly Nichole. Koryn performed Pink’s “Try” and received high praise from the judges, but Christina declared Kimberly the winner, pushing Koryn to the brink of elimination. Pharrell rescued her with his knockout round save.

Tonight: Interesting. Pharrell is going to let her sing “How Great Thou Art.” With her father now being a minister, she should be able to connect with this song choice. Oh, yeah. She’s opening with a strong vocal, plus tons of emotion. I mean, she’s almost quivering as she delivers this lyric. Wow, powerful performance. Very, very nice vocal. My only complaint would be that she almost shouted that final line. She receives praise from Adam. Blake welcomes her to the Top 12. Christina calls it a perfect song choice and praises her poise. Grade: B+

Sawyer Fredericks

How he got here: Upon meeting Sawyer, we learned that he’s home-schooled and lives on a farm with 19 cows, 14 hens, two roosters, two pigs and one donkey. Oh, and he sings, pretty darn well. The 15-year-old from Fultonville, N.Y., auditioned with the classic folk song “Man of Constant Sorrow.” All four coaches turned; he opted to join Team Pharrell. In the battle round, he was matched with Noelle Bybee. They sang “Have You Ever Seen the Rain.” Pharrell declared Sawyer the winner. In the knockout round, he was pitted against Paul Pfau and Mia Z in The Voice’s first-ever three-singer showdown. That’s because Anthony Riley dropped out of the competition. Sawyer performed “Collide” and advanced along with Mia. During all three phases of the competition, he’s been The Voice’s standout performer on iTunes.

Tonight: Sawyer says he’s sorta shy, so the attention he’s getting from the show is a little uncomfortable. He’s singing “Trouble.” And he’s heading into the Top 12. And this song will do great on iTunes. And Sawyer didn’t need the pimp spot to accomplish either. But here we go. Sawyer is delivering another fine vocal, but I think what I like most is he seems more emotionally invested in this performance than he was in some of his earlier covers on The Voice. Blake says it’s tough to watch Sawyer and not think “the other coaches are screwed.” He calls him a “star.” Pharrell considers him a “super rare natural.” Realistically, that wasn’t a perfect vocal, but I doubt it will matter one little bit. Grade: B+