Live
Shows Round of 6
June 3
Last week, a shocker, as
Team Adam was reduced to one, cutting longtime
frontrunner Judith Hill and her teammate Sarah Simmons.
On the other side of the coin, Michelle Chamuel and
Sasha Allen have kept Team Usher and Team Shakira alive,
while the country-strong Team Blake have kept whole.
Will that change after this week?
#TEAMADAM
Amber Carrington |
#TEAMSHAKIRA
Sasha Allen |
#TEAMUSHER
Michelle Chamuel |
#TEAMBLAKE
Danielle Bradbery
The Swon Brothers
Holly Tucker |
Each singer will sing two - one
contestant choice and one coach's choice. In the end, ONE will be
eliminated tomorrow.
As a reminder, every iTunes download also
counts as a vote. If your single is
on the iTunes top 10 by the end of the voting window, your votes will be
multiplied by 10. This could be the boost that some singers need.
ROUND 1
We kick it off with Texas' own Holly
Tucker. She brought the attitude last week and it worked for her, so
we're doing it again with Blake's choice of "When God-Fearing Women Get
the Blues" by Martina McBride. She's taking a lot of attitude into the
practice. Will she have enough in the show?
THEY SAY: Usher thinks that theatrics
pushed her to perform. It was a good performance, but he wanted to see
more. Shakira thought she learned how to have fun on the stage. Adam
thinks we're seeing a different brand of character come out from her.
Blake says it's his favorite Holly performance.
WE SAY: She's got the tone. She's got the
pitch. What she doesn't have is the energy, and this is an energetic
song. You can't afford to lose your breath for a second. She lost her
breath for a few seconds.
Next up, Usher picks a song for upcoming
favorite Michelle Chamuel. The coach-turned-friend is giving her
Keane's "Somewhere Only We Know", hoping, like Holly before her, she
goes from strength to strength.
THEY SAY: Shakira says she's made much
progress under Usher's tutelage, working on her dynamics. Adam says
she's "carving out her own spot in the universe". Usher thought he was
aiming for something within Michelle's comfort zone with depth and vocal
ability, precisely what the song is all about.
WE SAY: Pitch perfect. She puts just
enough of her power into the performance to make the performance make
sense. That was Michelle dropping the gauntlet on Danielle's foot.
Up now, Zach & Colton, The Swon
Brothers. Duos are part and parcel of country music. This one is no
exception. Today, this duo gives us "Wagon Wheel" by Darius Rucker.
THEY SAY: Shakira thought it was fun and
loose. Adam thought that it had a classic feel that everyone can enjoy.
Blake thought that there's no one else that sounds like these guys.
WE SAY: Nice to see Zach shine in the
lead for a change. And it's just as good as it ever was, both the song
and the act.
Shakira is next, having witnessed
Aretha's "Ain't No Way" from Sasha Allen. This is actually her
mother's favorite song. So hopefully she has some added incentive to
nail this.
THEY SAY: Adam is still very much angry
at himself for letting her go. This was her best performance. Usher
agrees. Shakira has one question: "Who out of all of the artists left in
this competition can sing that song so well? NO ONE!"
WE SAY: We'll go ahead and say it. Due to
last week's shocker, Sasha's got a built-in fanbase. That and the fact
that she knocked that song on its head and asked it for money is enough
to put her through to next week. Rare is the moment when there are TWO
shockers in a row.
"Maybe It Was Memphis" was Danielle
Bradbery's "moment". Tonight Blake hopes to make another one with
Pam Tillis' "Shake the Sugar Tree", continuing his strategy of
introducing country classics to a modern audience.
THEY SAY: Usher says she's got a lot of
confidence and overcoming nerves. Adam thinks she's still one of the
best on the show. Blake says she makes his job easy. "There's no tricks.
There's no reason to change things up. You are ... born with a little
bit something extra... You're seeing a star being born."
WE SAY: ... Danielle's just this almost
inhuman absolutely perfect young artist with a spectacular voice and a
spectacular control over it. Her one problem? The other three country
acts in the contest. But she's hands down the best of the lot.
Finally, it's the last man standing on
Team Adam, Amber Carrington. Tonight, she gets a song from Skid
Row. The song, "I'll Remember You". She needs to take a hair song from
the 80s and turn it into a country classic for the new generation. Will
a mandolin and a banjo help?
THEY SAY: Blake gives Adam props for
"bringing it back to country". Shakira thought it was a great song
choice, saying monotony is a performer's worst enemy. Adam though that
it was a risk to sing this song... and it paid off for both him AND
Amber.
WE SAY: Amber finally gets the rule. If
she can't choose between country and rock, she might as well sing it and
let the chips fall where they may. Works this time. Will she get the
votes, though?
So at the half, it's still a wide open
field. Holly, though, is on the outside looking in.
ROUND 2
The Swon Brothers are back with
Blake's choice of "Okie from Muskogee" by Merle Haggard. And what better
band to sing it than two Okies from Muskogee. Especially in this
climate.
THEY SAY: Usher thought it was cool. Adam
thought Blake was beaming. Blake thought it was "right" for them to do
this song, because they haven't forgotten their roots.
WE SAY: You know, any other week, that
song would be a death sentence. But because America is rallying behind
Oklahoma, it's going to get them through to the next round. Cheap, but
surprisingly effective.
Holly's personal choice is "My
Wish" by Rascal Flatts, a song that she's dedicating to her parents.
THEY SAY: Shakira thought it was awesome.
Adam thought she had range. Blake thinks that she's the most diverse
artist left on his team.
WE SAY: *breathe* I can *breathe* hear
her *breathe* breathing. That's not a good thing. It shows poor control.
On the plus side, she does have that emotional range to tackle that
song. And the note on the end absolutely killed.
Michelle picks "I Knew You Were
Trouble" by Taylor Swift... with an apt lyric, "I knew you were trouble
when you walked in." Who walks in? Taylor Swift. Trouble herself. So
what does she think? I think the hug says it all.
THEY SAY: And the crowd goes crazy. The
coaches.... agree.
WE SAY: I almost doubted the song choice
until I heard what she could do with it. But with all the movement and
the music to go with it, it's asking for trouble. That's her, and she's
true to herself first, but expending that much energy may cost her.
Next up, an iconic song from a country
music legend, "Crazy" by Patsy Cline courtesy of Amber. This
could be HER big country moment.
THEY SAY: Blake says it was beautiful.
Shakira didn't know she had that in her. Adam calls Amber a "breath of
fresh air" and a "firecracker". "That represents the subtlety of a
beautiful voice."
WE SAY: The phrase "more with less" comes
to mind.
Danielle's
pick is "A Little Bit Stronger" by Sara Evans for her sister, who's been
through this song before. If you're going to be a car, be a Bugatti. It
showcases her upper register, but did she end up biting more than she
can chew?
THEY SAY: Everyone loves her, and Shakira
loves her in Spanish. Blake likes that she picks and chooses her moments
carefully.
WE SAY: That's the mark of practice.
She's controlled, she's got range. She knows where her strengths lie,
and she plays to them.
Time to close it out with Sasha
and Shakira's choice for her... fighting fire with fire with Carrie
Underwood's "Before He Cheats". But it looks like she's struggling from
the outset. Can she add some big city swag to an Okie's lament?
THEY SAY: The coaches can't hear above
the audience. I think they liked it. Usher says there's more than one "Sasha
Fierce". Shakira called it hot.
WE SAY: .... Hell yeah. And it looks like
she's genuinely pissed at Adam. Can't imagine why.
So everyone did well, but one person has
to go. And I'm willing to wager it's one of the four country artists
remaining, because it's a split vote. Michelle and Sasha have their
audience locked up. That leaves the four artists left to fight for a
piece of the country pie. Whoever gets the smallest piece is going home.
Simple.
But I've been wrong before. We'll see who
falls behind tomorrow. Until then, remember to support local &
independent music!
To see this episode in its entirety, or to
find out how you can be a contestant, go to
nbcthevoice.com. |