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.

Sarah Potenza

How she got here: Pre-Voice, she released a trio of albums with the country blues band, Sarah and the Tall Boys. She was working on a fourth, self-titled album when The Voice came along. Sarah, 34, of Nashville, Tenn., was the first contestant we met in Season 8 and auditioned with the classic rock hit, “Stay With Me,” turning all four chairs. In the battle round, she was matched with Hannah Kirby. They turned in one of the best performances of the battles, singing “Gimme Shelter.” Blake declared Sarah the winner, but both Adam and Pharrell tried to steal Hannah. She decided to join Team Pharrell. In the knockout round, she was pitted against Brian Johnson. Sarah sang “Wasted Love,” the first single by Season 7 Voice runner-up Matt McAndrew. Blake declared Sarah the winner, but Brian advanced as well when he was stolen by Adam Levine.

Tonight: Sarah is performing “Freebird” and said the song suits her because she’s traveled the country performing with her band, sometimes just eating tuna fish, because singing is what she wanted to do. Blake has helped her out with this arrangement. Sarah’s been outstanding to this point in the competition. And tonight’s not going to be an exception. She sounded great on the soft beginning. She sounded great — though the backing could have been softer — when the song swelled. And she sounded great again on a splendid ending. She’s getting high praise from all the coaches. Blake calls it “awesome” and says the song selection came from her. Grade: A

Hannah Kirby

How she got here: She played her first gig at 12, began by singing country music, but now considers herself an alternative rock artist. Hannah, 20, of Sulphur Springs, Texas, sang “The Letter” in her blind audition, snagging the very last spot on Team Blake and the very last spot on Season 8. In the battle round, she was matched with Sarah Potenza. They turned in one of the best performances of the battles, singing “Gimme Shelter.” Blake declared Sarah the winner, but both Adam and Pharrell tried to steal Hannah. She decided to join Team Pharrell. In the knockout round, she was pitted against Caitlin Caporale. She sang “Higher Love,” but was on the verge of elimination again when Pharrell granted the win to Caitlin. This time, Hannah was stolen back by Blake.

Tonight: Hannah is going to perform Carole King’s “I Feel the Earth Move.” She promises to unleash the full Hannah, complete with some of her unique dance moves. Hannah’s been performing for a long time, and her comfort on stage shows. Not sure I love this song choice for her. But she takes some liberties near the end that make it more than a straight cover, showing her willingness to take risks, and showing that she can nail a pretty big glory note, too. Christina called it “so entertaining.” Pharrell says “that is entertainment.” Adam loved her “fearlessness.” Blake thinks Hannah is possessed by whatever song she’s singing. Grade: B+

Corey Kent White

How he got here: He’s a country singer who performed as lead vocalist for a group called Oklahoma Stomp starting at age 11 and was playing the college circuit pre-Voice. Corey, 20, of Bixby, Oakla., performed the Zac Brown Band’s “Chicken Fried” in the blind auditions. Pharrell and Blake turned around at the last second. Corey opted for the Oklahoma connection. In the battle round, he was matched with Jacob Rummell. They sang Hunter Hayes’ “I Want Crazy.” Blake declared Corey the winner; Jacob was stolen by Pharrell. In the knockout round, he was pitted against fellow country singer Cody Wickline, who turned four chairs in the blind audition. Corey sang “Live Like You Were Dying,” dedicating the song to his grandfather. He turned in an emotional performance and was declared the upset winner.

Tonight: Blake will have him sing “To Make You Feel My Love.” Blake says he’s dead on what’s popular in country now, and now he wants him to show he can sing a ballad and deliver a moving vocal. As the only country singer left on the show, and a good-looking guy, I expect Corey to advance regardless of what he sings tonight. And he turns in a solid vocal. There were a couple lines there where he sounded really special. My guess is that will be a crowd-pleaser that earns him a spot in the Top 12. Christina compliments the tenderness in his voice. Pharrell liked his sincerity, too. Blake calls it a great job. Grade: B

Brooke Adee

How she got here: She’s an indie-alternative artist who says she was hooked on performing the minute her dad took her to see “Annie” when she was about 8 years old. Brooke, 16, of Tampa, Fla., sang “Skinny Love” by Birdy for her audition and turned two chairs. Blake called her a “future star” and she joined his team. In the battle round, she was matched against Bay Brooks. They sang Taylor Swift’s “Style.” Blake declared Brooke the winner; Bay was eliminated from the show. In the knockout round, she was pitted against fellow teen Kelsie May. Brooke performed “Electric Feel” and advanced again.

Tonight: Brooke is going to sing Ellie Goulding’s “Love Me Like You Do” and wants to give it more of an indie feel. But she admits the song is a bit out of her comfort zone. Darn, The Voice discovered some very impressive young talent this season. Brooke was absolutely splendid through most of that performance. Not sure she pulled it off quite as well as she hoped to when forced to reach for the high notes. But vocally, she turned in a very solid performance. Both Christina and Pharrell wanted to see her add a little more of herself to the song. Adam says the performance seemed a little stiff at times. Blake says she showed off what a great singer she is. Grade: B–

Meghan Linsey

How she got here: She was one half of the successful country duo Steel Magnolia and is now reaching for a second shot at music stardom, albeit in a more soulful musical direction. Meghan, 28, of Nashville, Tenn., auditioned with a country version of the Nazareth rock classic “Love Hurts.” The only coach who didn’t turn around was Blake Shelton, who she once toured with. She joined Team Pharrell. Blake corrected that misstep in the battle round, stealing Meghan after she lost her match against Paul Pfau; they sang “Don’t Let Me Down.” In the knockout round, she was matched against Travis Ewing, Blake’s other stolen contestant from the battle round. Meghan performed “Natural Woman,” turned in one of the most impressive vocals from the opening night of the knockouts and was declared the winner.

Tonight: Interesting song choice. Blake has her singing “The Love Runs Out” by OneRepublic. He wants her to show that she’s a more diverse artist. The former country artist has shown a preference for soul on The Voice. Blake says this could be her theme song. Hmm, I was excited about this song choice. And I didn’t love the opening. But the last minute or 90 seconds of that performance was on fire. The veteran female singers delivered some fantastic performances for Team Blake. He says she deserves to be in the Top 12 and loves the versatility that performance displayed. Grade: A–