The playoffs on “The Voice” grew more and more intense Monday night with every new singer who hit the stage, and coaches Adam Levine and Shakira were left with the daunting task of finalizing their teams of three.
Team Adam and Team Shakira gave some of the best performances seen on the singing competition thus far, leaving their respective coaches admittedly dreading the moment when they’d have to downsize their teams from five to three. Shakira chose to say goodbye to Patrick Thompson and Deja Hall, while Levine sent Jake Barker and Morgan Wallen packing, but both coaches felt confident with their final three singers.
Here’s a closer look at the coaches’ remaining singers:
Shakira And Her Team Of Fierce Females
It didn’t come as a huge surprise when the “She-Wolf” herself found herself leading an all-female team into the live rounds — and it definitely didn’t come as a surprise when those three females were some of the strongest vocalists in the competition.
Although we didn’t get to see much of Kristen Merlin throughout the battle rounds, her heartfelt blind audition was always in the forefront of our minds. So when she hit the stage for one final performance, we knew she wouldn’t disappoint. The country singer commanded the stage and audience with her rendition of Carrie Underwood’s “Two Black Cadillacs,” and hit her high notes with ease, earning her a standing ovation from both her coach and Levine. Usher praised the singer for the “genuine quality and strength” to her voice and said it’d be a “no-brainer” for Shakira to move Merlin on to the live rounds.
Tess Boyer has undoubtedly had the roughest journey on “The Voice.” Losing both her battle rounds but having been stolen twice, Boyer has had the chance to work with three of the four coaches, all the while gaining tremendous support from them all. Her powerful performance of Christina Perri’s “Human” was, well, anything but human. Usher was left in absolute amazement by the notes Boyer was able to hold, dubbing her “superhuman,” while Levine simply said, “I’ll see you at the end of the show,” and admitted that if she won, he’d feel like a real “ding-dong” for being the only coach not to work with her. Shakira chose to move her “little miracle” on to the live rounds.
The one note Shakira gave Dani Moz before her final performance was to let her soul take center stage, and with her stripped-down performance of Lady Gaga’s “Edge of Glory,” Moz did just that. With nothing but her behind a piano, Moz was completely connected to the performance emotionally and hit notes that made her coach jump up with passion and excitement. Shakira praised Moz for being a “true artist” and the “woman of today” before adding her to her top three singers.
Rock, Pop And Soul Make For A Very Happy Adam Levine
Not to be outdone by Team Shakira, Team Adam closed the night with performances that wowed the judges and left Levine howling on his feet.
Delvin Choice was up first for Levine’s team, and his incredible performance of “Let’s Stay Together” left the coaches bewildered by the fact that nobody turned around for him when he first auditioned in season five. Choice commanded the audience and earned a standing ovation from Levine and Shakira, while his intricate and unthinkable runs left both Levine and Usher is absolute awe. Levine commended Choice for taking his notes to heart and truly improving before adding him to his top three.
Rocker Kat Perkins took on one of rock’s classic ballads and delivered a performance Usher could call nothing but “flawless.” Singing Journey’s “Open Arms,” Perkins “unleashed the beast” and let note after note fly high and resonate with the audience. She earned a standing ovation from her coach and Shakira, while Blake Shelton commended her for making it seem as though the song was hers from the start. Levine declared that there had never been a better performance on “The Voice” thus far before moving her on to the live rounds.
Christina Grimmie ended the night of performances with a show-stopping rendition of Jason Mraz’s “I Won’t Give Up” that left Levine hooting and hollering in excitement. The Internet sensation’s ability to be tender, powerful and all around a “ball of fire” amazed Usher, with the coach going so far as to calling her a “baby Celine Dion,” while Shelton declared Grimmie the best singer on Team Adam. Levine praised the singer for “excel[ling] above the rest” before choosing her to be in his final three.
The playoff rounds come to a close Tuesday night (April 15) as Usher is in the hot seat to finalize his team.
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