Blake Shelton was the only coach with a steal going into the final part of the knockout rounds, and he used it to take Craig Wayne Boyd to the live rounds on The Voice.
Blake paired Allison Bray and Taylor Brashears in the hopes of narrowing down his country artists. Allison came into rehearsals with Dixie Chicks’ “Sin Wagon” wearing six-inch heels, which Taylor Swift thought were hindering her performance. After taking her shoes off, per Swift’s request, Allison was able to let loose onstage.
Taylor went for a different tone, choosing “Landslide,” hoping to show off a softer side to her voice. Taylor struggled with some notes during rehearsals, and Swift encouraged her to really connect to one person in the audience to sing to.
Gwen Stefani was impressed with Allison’s stage presence, but was blown away by Taylor’s intricate vocals. Blake agreed, picking Taylor as the winner. Winner: Taylor.
Going into rehearsals with Gwen Stefani and Taylor Swift made Ryan Sill blush, but he managed to pull it together to rehearse his chosen song: Neyo’s “Miss Independent.” Swift told him not to be afraid to work the charm, and Gwen wanted him to push the ‘swag’ factor.
Beth Spangler, Gwen’s last steal from the battle rounds, chose to sing R&B pop song, Jojo’s “Too Little Too Late.” Spangler wanted to show off a sassy side in rehearsals, but ended up over-singing the chorus.
Ryan sounded great, but his stage presence left something to be desired. Still, the tone was enough to earn Adam Levine’s vote of confidence. Blake joined in, calling the battle a “dead tie,” and Pharrell Williams agreed. It was a tough choice for Gwen, but she eventually decided to go with Ryan’s boyish charm. Winner: Ryan
Pharrell paired Menlik Zergabachew and Jean Kelley to stage a battle of the Team Gwen castouts. Menlik decided to go “straight up reggae” with his knockout song: Bob Marley’s “Could You Be Loved.” Swift loved his tone, but gave him notes on stage presence, telling him that he needs to connect if he wants to be a performer, not just a singer.
Jean went with Sia’s “Chandelier,” keeping true to her pop roots, but also hoping to convey the ‘beautifully sad’ song. Swift was taken with her from the moment she opened her mouth, calling it a game changer. “Oh. My. God! That was the most emotional performance I’ve seen in so long,” Swift said.
Gwen congratulated both of them on their growth, and Adam Levine basically called the knockout a tie. Blake congratulated Jean’s vocal power, but also voiced his admiration for Menlik’s unique stage presence, calling his arm swings his “grandfather clock” move. Pharrell had a tough time deciding, noting that the two were just so different, it made it impossible to pick one over the other. It was a tough battle, but Pharrell picked Jean. Winner: Jean
Chris Jamison impressed Adam by choosing to sing “Sittin’ On The Dock Of The Bay.” His rehearsal went well, with Swift just telling him not to be afraid to move around the stage more.
Blessing Offor decided to distance himself from Stevie Wonder and R&B, choosing instead to put a slight R&B spin on John Mayer’s “Your Body Is A Wonderland.”
Blake complimented Chris’ ability to really go for it vocally, and Pharrell declared Chris the winner because Chris defied his expectations. The coaches all applauded Blessing’s stage presence, admitting that he was a natural onstage. Adam noted that Chris still needed some work with his stage presence, but Adam saw his potential. Winner: Chris
Blake decided to pit his two youngest singers, Reagan James and Grant Ganzer against each other. Reagan decided to show her R&B flare to Blake and Swift in rehearsals with her song choice: Blu Cantrell’s “Hit ‘Em Up Style (Oops!).” Swift said that Reagan was incredibly mature, and complimented her ability to sing a song that came out when she was a baby.
Grant chose to sing One Republic’s “Apologize,” and Blake awkwardly noted to Swift that Grant had the “cute boy factor.” Grant’s lower register was perfect, but his falsetto left something to be desired.
Grant gave a heavier performance emotionally, and hit a few great notes, but Pharrell noted that Reagan had an undeniable swagger and confidence onstage. Adam admitted that Grant was nervous, and told him that he liked him, but essentially told him that, should he go home, it would not be the worse thing. Winner: Reagan
Anita Antoinette went back to her reggae roots with “Rude.” In rehearsals, both Swift and Gwen commented on her charming stage presence and told her not to be afraid to be more sassy when she struts onstage.
Craig Wayne Boyd, the country crooner Gwen stole from Blake in the battle rounds, performed a more “gospel” inspired country song, “Can’t You See.” Swift encouraged him not to rely on his strong voice for his performance, and Gwen wanted to give Craig a makeover, which Swift actually encouraged, asking him to take off his fringe jacket to perform for them.
Both Craig and Anita impressed the coaches with their more confident performance styles. Blake said he felt like Gwen had taken his ex (Craig) and made him into this hot, desirable man, but then also complimented Anita’s strong performance. Winner: Anita. Craig: Team Blake
Team Adam: Chris Jamison, Damien, Matt McAndrew, Mia Pfirrman, Taylor Phelan
Team Gwen: Anita Antoinette, Bryana Salaz, Ricky Manning, Ryan Sill, Taylor John Williams
Team Pharrell: DaNica Shirey, Elyjuh Rene, Jean Kelley, Luke Wade, Sugar Joans
Team Blake: Craig Wayne Boyd, James David Carter, Jessie Pitts, Reagan James, Taylor Brashears
The Voice live rounds begin Monday at 8 p.m. on NBC.
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