Idol Chatter & Voice Views

The Top 11 on The Voice — back row (from left) — Bryan Bautista, Nick Hagelin, Adam Wakefield, Daniel Passino; front row (from left) — Paxton Ingram, Mary Sarah, Alisan Porter, Hannah Huston, Shalyah Fearing, Owen Danoff, Laith Al-Saaid. (NBC Photo)

Get prepared for another night of solid performances on The Voice.

Adam Wakefield will be flipping a rock song to country. Alisan Porter is tackling the song LaPorsha Renae balked at singing on American Idol.

Hannah Huston and Laith Al-Saadi sound fabulous on the iTunes versions of theirs, and Owen Danoff has his best song choice in a couple of weeks. Even Paxton Ingram might surprise.

Then there’s young Shalyah Fearing, who will be singing a Miley Cyrus tune that would easily make my all-time 10 most hated songs list. Of course, she doesn’t whine like Miley, so maybe I’ll appreciate her version much more.

See also …
Pre-orders underway for new album by Sawyer Fredericks
Blind Joe talks to Voice Views about his new album
Gabriel Wolfchild planning new EP

Before tonight’s performances begin, Carson Daly gives each coach a chance to reflect on the passing of Prince.

And it’s time for performances.

Shalyah Fearing

Until now: Blind audition: Performed “What is Love” and prompted a chair turn from Christina, but only Christina. Battle round: Performed “Lady Marmalade” with Tamar Davis. She didn’t win, but was stolen by Pharrell Williams. Knockout round: Performed “Broken Wing” in a match with Emily Keener and lost, but was stolen by Adam Levine. Live playoffs: Sang “Listen.” Landed at number 14 on iTunes. Voted into finals. Top 12: She performed “Up to the Mountain,” landing at number 46 on iTunes, seventh best of the night. She was voted into the Top 11.

Tonight: She’s sing “The Climb” by Miley Cyrus. Adam says he loves this song for Shalyah, saying it will demonstrate how she can do anything. Shalyah says her family has faced struggles, and she used to listen to this song. Well, the song certainly gave Shalyah a chance to show off her big vocals, and she ended with a nice glory note. But I still don’t love the song or the song choice for Shalyah. Blake says she sounded great and was singing a song that matches her journey on The Voice. Christina thought it was a cool, different twist for her. Adam says it was an amazing moment for her. Grade: B–

Daniel Passino

Until now: Blind audition: Performed “Marvin Gaye” and turned two chairs. Battle round: Performed “Turning Tables” with Kristen Marie and prevailed. Knockout round: Performed “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg” against Alisan Porter and was eliminated. Brought back by Pharrell as coach comeback artist. Live playoffs: Sang “When I Was Your Man.” Landed at number 40 on iTunes. Voted into finals. Top 12: He performed Michael Jackson’s “Human Nature,” landing at 79 on iTunes, 10th best of the night. He was voted into the Top 11.

Tonight: He’ll sign “Time after Time” by Cyndi Lauper. Daniel says he was impressed with a stripped down performance of this song by Pink, and that’s the version he wants to deliver. Daniel’s voice sounds really great on the chorus of this, but I wondering if the performance might be a little too sleepy for a singer performing second on a two-hour show. What we just witnessed was a nice solid performance, but not one that was particularly memorable. Really nice falsetto note near the end from Daniel. Blake says Daniel is “so smooth.” Pharrell says he did a “great job.” Grade: B–

Paxton Ingram

Until now: Blinds: Sang “Dancing on My Own.” Turned three chairs. Battle round: Sang “I Know What You Did Last Summer” with Brittney Lawrence and prevailed. Knockout round: Performed “Hometown Glory” in matchup with Angie Keilhauer and advanced. Live playoffs: Sang “How Deep is Your Love.” Failed to crack Top 200 on iTunes. Advanced to finals via Blake’s save. Top 12: He sang “Hands to Myself,” landing at 164 on the iTunes Top 200, worst of the night. But he was voted into the Top 11.

Tonight: Last week, Pharrell recommended Paxton perform an inspirational tune. And Blake has followed that advice. Paxton will sing “Break Every Chain.” And I think it’s pretty clear right away that this is going to be Paxton’s best performance since the live shows began. You also have to love his emotional investment in the performance. Wow, great song choice for Paxton. Gotta say, Paxton deserved to go home the past two weeks. After that performance, he deserves to stay another week. Pharrell compliments him on a great performance. Adam says he was blown away. Blake said he feels like that’s the first time Paxton open his heart up during a performance. Grade: B+

Owen Danoff

Until now: Blind audition: Performed “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right” and turned all four chairs. Battle round: Performed “Runaway” with John Gilman and prevailed. Knockout round: Performed “She’s Always a Woman” in a matchup with Ryan Quinn and advanced.Live playoffs: Sang “Hero.” Landed at number 25 on iTunes. Advanced to finals via Adam’s save. Top 12: He peformed “7 Years” and hit number 47 on iTunes, eight best of the night. He landed in the bottom two with Emily Keener on results night, but earned the Twitter instant save to make the Top 11.

Tonight; He’ll sing “Fire and Rain.” Owen says James Taylor wrote the song about a childhood friend who died and that he can relate to that because one of his friends died serving in the military. Adam reminds Owen that his back is against a wall after last week’s near elimination. Really like this match of singer and song, but I’m still looking for more of a connection from Owen — the type of connection we just got with Paxton. Honestly, not thrilled with that version of the song. And Owen sounded really nervous at the opening. Christina called his performance “vulnerable” and “well executed.” Adam says he loved that version of the song. Grade: C+

Mary Sarah

Until now: Blind audition: Performed “Where the Boys Are” and turned all four chairs. Battle round: Performed “Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man” with Justin Whisnant and prevailed. Knockout round: Performed “You Ain’t Woman Enough” in a matchup with Brittany Kennell and advanced. Live playoffs: Sang “Rose Garden.” Landed at number 67 on iTunes. Voted into finals. Top 12: Sang Carrie Underwood’s “So Small.” Landed at 86 on iTunes, 11th best from the night but was voted into the Top 11.

Tonight: She’ll be performing “Johnny and June” by Heidi Newfield. Mary Sarah calls this the perfect blend of contemporary and traditional country music. And Blake says he’s hoping this is the song that “moves the dial” on iTunes. That was a so-so performance until the last 45 seconds or so when Mary Sarah really kicked it into an emotional high gear, delivering a really nice ending in the process. Christina and Pharrell compliment the performance; Pharrell also calls Mary Sarah’s dress “distracting.” Blake predicts that will do well on iTunes. Grade: B+

Alisan Porter

Until now: Blind audition: Performed “Blue Bayou” and turned all four chairs. The song turned out to be the most popular of the blinds on iTunes. Battle round: Performed “California Dreamin’ with Lacy Mandigo and prevailed; Lacy was stolen. Knockout round: Sang “The River” in a matchup against Daniel Passino and advanced. Live playoffs: Sang “Cry Baby.” Landed at number 12 on iTunes, best from the round. Voted into finals. Top 12: She performed Demi Lovato’s “Stone Cold” and earned iTunes bonus points for the first time by landing at number nine on the singles chart, second best of the night. The song was also number four on the iTunes pop chart.

Tonight: She’s going to sing “Stay with Me Baby.” Love the Bette Midler version from “The Rose” soundtrack. Alisan says she’s never performed the song before. She says the song has been covered by several amazing vocalists, all in very different ways. Wow. That was brilliant. I mean, Alisan took that song to 100 in a heartbeat, then kept delivering more. Easily, easily the best of the night so far. Adam says he prefers to be right about who’s going to win the show, and he still thinks that person is Alisan. Christina calls her phenomenal and says she’s “out of this world.” Grade: A+

Bryan Bautista

Until now: Blind audition: Performed “The Hills” and turned two chairs. Battle round: Performed “It’s a Man’s Man”s Man”s World” with Malik Heard and prevailed; Malik was stolen. Knockout round: Performed “Sorry” in a matchup with Trey O’Dell and advanced. Live playoffs: Sang “Pillowtalk.” Landed at number 37 on iTunes. Advanced to finals via Christina’s save. Top 12: He performed “Kiss from a Rose.” It landed at number 72 on iTunes, ninth best of the night. He was voted into the Top 11.

Tonight: He’ll sing “Just the Way You Are” by Bruno Mars. He says it’s a song he performed at his sister’s Sweet 16 birthday party. Christina wants him to bring the song to an old-school, soulful place. OK, this was bound to be a bit of a letdown after Alisan’s performance, but I’m not particularly enjoying Bryan’s version. And the ab libs near the end didn’t help a whole lot. Pharrell called the performance “effortless” and liked the arrangement. He says Bryan belongs in pop music. Adam says he has the greatest range of anyone on the show. Christina calls it “silky smooth.” Grade: C+

Adam Wakefield (Team Blake)

Until now: Blind audition: Performed “Tennessee Whiskey” and turned two chairs. Battle round: Performed “Can’t You See” with Jared Harder and prevailed. Knockout round: Performed “Bring It On Home to Me” in a matchup with Peyton Parker and advanced. Live playoffs: Sang “Seven Spanish Angels.” Landed at number 30 on iTunes. Voted into finals. Top 12: He sang “Soulshine” and topped everyone on iTunes, landing at number seven and earning bonus points in the process. The song also hit number one on the country singles chart.

Tonight: He’s going to flip “Lights” by Journey into a country song. Adam says he feels like he’s been in his “safe place” with his song choices and wanted to step out of his genre for this performance, though it’s not a song he’s performed before. Adam starts out at the piano. Dang, “Lights” sounds like it was meant to be performed that way. Another very solid performance from Adam. He even flashed more range than normal near the end of that performance. Pharrell loves the soulful flavor Adam poured into the song. And he says the Big Machine label should be taking a close look at Adam. Blake says he “can’t think” the notes Adam hit during that performance. Grade: A–

Nick Hagelin

Until now: Blind audition: Performed “Lost Stars,” turned three chairs and joined Team Pharrell. Battle round: Performed “Electric Feel” with Jessica Crosbie and prevailed; Jessica was stolen. Knockout round: Performed “Lost Without U” in a matchup against Moushumi and was eliminated. Brought back by Christina as her comeback artist. Live playoffs: Sang “Stay.” Landed at number 25 on iTunes. Voted into finals. Top 12: He sang Blake Shelton’s “Mine Would Be You,” dedicating the song to his wife. It landed at 41 on iTunes, fifth best of the night. He was voted into the Top 11.

Tonight: He’ll sing “Your Body is a Wonderland” by John Mayer. Nick’s playing guitar on this, but his adorable son, Bash, will have to watch from home after breaking his shin in a playground accident. Nick gets to show off his great range again, and his voice sounded fabulous on the chorus, but there were parts of that performance that seemed a little disjointed. Blake says he thought that was one of Nick’s better performances. Christina loves Nick’s positive energy and calls his loveable. Grade: B

Hannah Huston

Until now: Blind audition: Performed “Unaware” and turned three chairs. Performed “Elastic Heart” with Maya Smith and prevailed; Maya was stolen. Knockout round: Performed “House of the Rising Sun” in a match with Malik Heard and advanced. The song wound up being the round’s most popular on iTunes. Live playoffs: Sang “Ain’t No Way.” Landed at number 44 on iTunes. Voted into finals.Top 12: She performed “Something’s Got a Hold on Me.” The song landed at number 40 on iTunes, fourth best of the night. She was voted into the Top 11.

Tonight: She’ll slow things down, singing “I Can’t Make You Love Me” by Bonnie Raitt. Hannah says she performed sorta like Beyonce last week. This week, she wants to pull it back and sing something more stripped down. She says this is the type of song she hopes to write one day. Yep, that was very good from Hannah. She was clearly emotionally invested in the song. And she delivered a very special ending without going the huge glory note route. Adam likes the unique character in her voice. Pharrell says he’s sure that performance got a standing ovation from all of Nebraska. Grade: B+

Laith Al-Saadi

Until now: Blind audition: Performed “The Letter” and turned two chairs. Performed “Honky Tonk Woman” with Matt Tedder and advanced. Knockout round: Performed “In Your Eyes” in a matchup with Jessica Crosbie and prevailed. Live playoffs: Sang “With a Little Help from My Friends.” Landed at number 32 on iTunes. Voted into finals. Top 12: Performed “Born Under a Bad Sign.” Landed at 45 on iTunes, 6th best from the night, and number one on the blues singles chart. Was voted into the Top 11.

Tonight: He’ll be singing “Make It Rain” by Ed Sheeran. Laith says the fact that he’s been voted through twice by America provides a huge boost of confidence between he’s not typically what voters would be looking for, admitting he’s neither young nor pretty. He says Adam wanted him to perform something more contemporary, hence this song choice. Dang, love that opening. Hey, who cares about young or pretty when he can perform like this. He’s making great use of the pimp spot with this performance. And, for once, The Voice is making great use of its backup singers. Another excellent performance. My second favorite of the night, behind only Alisan. Pharrell was so impressed by that performance, that he gives Laith an opportunity to plug the three albums he’s already released. Adam says Laith was “amazing.” In this case, he’s not overstating. Grade: A.