Ali Caldwell on “The Voice”; Trae Patton/NBCOn Monday’s edition of The Voice, the ten remaining artists for Teams Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, Miley Cyrus and Alicia Keys all performed for a chance to earn America’s vote. Host Carson Daly also announced that for the first time this season, two artists will be eliminated during Tuesday’s show.
Billy Gilman led off for Team Adam, getting back to his country roots with the Martina McBride song, “Anyway.” Levine wanted Gilman, the former country artist who’s segueing to a career in pop music, to show his versatility. Blake was happy to see Billy singing country again, and Miley admitted the performance “scared” her. Gilman’s coach added that it’s amazing how the young singer still manages to “astound” him.
Courtney Harrell, representing Team Blake, followed with Cher’s classic 1980s tune, “If I Could Turn Back Time.” Courtney confessed that covering a song by a distinctive singer like Cher would be a challenge, but one that she felt ready to take on at this point in the competition. Alicia praised the artist for her ability to “take the expected and turn it on its head.” Blake noted that Courtney showcased her stage presence Monday, as well as her voice.
Team Blake’s Josh Gallagher was next, tackling Tim McGraw’s “Real Good Man.” Adam’s advice for the singer: be “aggressive and cocky.” Alicia praised Gallagher for his control. Gallagher also made his coach proud, with Adam declaring, “Tonight, a country star was on that stage.”
Aaron Gibson, representing Team Miley, took his turn, putting his alt-rock spin on Elton John’s “Rocket Man.” Noting that Gibson – who was saved by America’s vote the past two weeks – seems to do well singing fun songs, he said he needed to stick with his strength this week. Miley praised Aaron for always being true to himself and not giving in to popular trends.
The first of Team Alicia’s two remaining artists, Chris Cuevas, was next with a surprising choice: Lady Gaga’s “Million Reasons.” Noting he had to make “Gaga sound like Christian,” Cuevas explained that he identified particularly with the lines, “you’re giving me a million reasons to let you go, you’re giving me a million reasons to quit the show.” Blake declared that Christian delivered an “incredible moment” at the perfect time in the competition. Alicia proudly announced, “Tonight, a star is born.”
Team Blake’s Austin Allsup followed with a cover of John Waite’s 80s hit, “Missing You,” with Shelton explaining that it gave Austin a chance to show his “softer side.” Miley said it was her favorite performance of the season from Allsup. Blake praised the country singer for taking a classic pop tune and making it his own.
The youngest artist in the competition, Team Alicia’s Wé McDonald, had some big shoes to fill, tackling “God Bless the Child,” by Billie Holiday. Alicia advised the 17-year-old classically trained singer to “unleash the opera dragon queen.” The teen did her coach proud, inspiring Alicia to exclaim that Wé “bursts through [America’s] heart every time [she] sings.”
Team Adam’s Brendan Fletcher was given the risky task of singing Cyndi Lauper’s “True Colors.” Levine suggested Fletcher sing the song the way Bruce Springsteen would. Cyrus called Brendan’s take on the classic “her new favorite song.” Adam pointed out that his artist was the first of the season to “take a song and artistically create a version…that didn’t exist before and…is so incredibly different…that people are going to want to listen.”
Blake’s final artist, soulful country singer Sundance Head, delivered a lively bluegrass version of Tom T. Hall’s “Me and Jesus.” Alicia rose to her feet after the performance and complimented Head for delivering a beautiful message. Blake declared Sundance gave a performance the likes of which he’d never seen on all his 11 seasons on the show.
Closing out Monday’s show was Team Miley’s Ali Caldwell, who delivered her take on Mariah Carey’s version of “Without You,” first popularized by Harry Nilsson. She brought the house down and all four the coaches to their feet. Miley, noting that she felt like a winner just by having Ali choose her during the blind auditions, added that her new goal in life is to make Caldwell the star she deserves to be.
The evening also included Levine and his band Maroon 5 performing their latest single, “Don’t Wanna Know.”
The Voice returns Tuesday night at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.
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