‘The Voice’ Recap: James Wolpert, Austin Jenckes & Tessanne Chin Shine

The Voice kicked off the live show playoffs last night with performances from Teams Adam Levine and Blake Shelton. Some vocalists, namely James Wolpert and Tessanne Chin of Team Adam, and Austin Jenckes of Team Blake, stood out above the others.

Before the performances began, however, coach Christina Aguilera opened the show with Flo Rida, singing their new hit “How I Feel.” The song intertwined lyrics from the Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse song “Feelin’ Good” – made famous by Michael Bublé – with rapped verses by Flo Rida in between. For the performance, Aguilera showed off her figure in a black bra top, short shorts and a mesh bodysuit, accessorized with a black fedora and heels.

Shelbie Z. from Team Blake started the playoff performances, singing Reba McEntire’s version of the Bobbie Gentry song “Fancy.” She proved herself one of Shelton’s strongest country singers.

Levine’s Wolpert performed second, singing a chilling rendition of Joni Mitchell’s “A Case Of You.” The emotional and stripped down performance showcased Wolpert's unusual voice.

Nic Hawk, a former Team Adam member now on Team Blake, took on Robin Thicke’s controversial song “Blurred Lines.” The coaches enjoyed his fun performance, but none particularly liked his singing in the performance.

Ray Boudreaux from Team Blake then sang Marc Broussard’s “Home.” Shelton told him his performance would be the performance of the night. It was a tall order, given the range of talent on the stage, but Boudreaux owned the stage with his soulful rendition of the "swamp pop" song.

Shelton’s Jenckes closed off the first hour, performing “She Talks To Angels” by The Black Crowes. Aguilera has flagged herself as a major fan, telling the singer that when he performs, she puts her notes aside and just listens. Cee Lo Green and Coach Shelton were impressed by the strength in his voice.

Grey from Team Adam went next, lending her powerful voice to Paramore’s pop hit “Still Into You.” Her performance was fun, but not her best yet.

Will Champlin, who went from Team Adam to Team Christina and back again, sang his own arrangement of “Secrets” by OneRepublic. The rendition was starkly different from the original, but that's not in a negative context. After the performance Aguilera told him she wished he was still on her team, while Levine assured the constant runner-up that he definitely belongs in the competition.

Team Adam’s Preston Pohl went off-character and performed B.o.B. and Bruno Mars’s hit “Nothin’ On You.” His timing for the rap verses were a bit off, but his performance was still highly admirable.

Shelton’s last contestant, Cole Vosbury, performed next. He sang Rod Stewart and Martin Quittenton’s “Maggie May” in a performance that, while strong, was very similar to the original.

Chin closed the night, singing a heartfelt of rendition of Jimmy Cliff’s “Many Rivers To Cross.” She proved herself, yet again, a force to be reckoned with this season.

Tune into The Voice tonight at 9:00 p.m. EST to watch Aguilera and Green’s teams perform, and on Thursday at 8:00 p.m. EST for the results show.

-Ava Butler