Josh Halverson; Tyler Golden/NBC(LOS ANGELES) — The knockout rounds concluded on Monday’s edition of The Voice, a night that saw coach Alicia Keys steal the last artist from Miley Cyrus.
Artists from Adam Levine and Blake Shelton’s teams also duked it out to see which ones would make it to the live rounds.
Back to give the coaches some help were country music power couple Tim McGraw and Faith Hill.
Leading off for Team Blake was country veteran Austin Allsup with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ “Breakdown,” taking on 15-year-old Gabe Broussard, singing Bruno Mars’ “It Will Rain.” Hill and McGraw advised Allsup to loosen up and give the song “a little more swampiness.” Faith praised Gabe for connecting with the song, but needed to work on his breath control.
The other judges called the competition a toss-up, except for Miley admitting she was “fangirling” during Gabe’s performance. Noting that he was “breaking out of the pack,” Blake gave the round to Allsup.
Next up, for Team Miley was 17-year-old Darby Walker tackling “Shake It Out,” by Florence + the Machine,” battling Maye Thomas with “Closer,” by Tegan and Sara. Miley, Tim and Faith all agreed the winner of the round would be the artist who sold her song the best.
Adam, Blake and Alicia seemed to lean toward Maye as the winner, and even Miley called her performance “a home run,” but Cyrus ultimately declared Darby the winner, for her unique voice.
Adam then pitted Brendan Fletcher, singing The Allman Brothers’ “Soulshine,” against returning contestant Nolan Neal — who “learned his lesson” from the last season, when no coach turned their chair for him. He picked the song he wanted to go with back then — Steven Tyler’s “Love Is Your Name.” The challenge for Brenden was “not to be so scared,” while Nolan needed to “milk more out of [the] melody.”
Blake gave the round to Nolan, for treating the performance like a knockout round. Alicia agreed, but Miley had a soft spot for Brenden. Adam declared Brenden the winner, citing his “vulnerability.”
Alicia’s team was next, and it was Sa’Rayah, performing Chaka Khan’s “Ain’t Nobody,” going head-to-head with Michael Sanchez, singing and playing piano for Bill Withers’ “Just the Two of Us.” Sa’Rayah’s coach and advisors agreed that she needed to focus on the lyrics as much as the notes. Michael, according to Keys, needed to concentrate on the emotion in his performance.
The other coaches were split on the winner, with Adam leaning towards Michael and Blake going with Sa’Rayah. Miley called it a tie. Alicia thought both artists nailed their vocals, but felt Sa’Rayah nailed her performance, and declared her the winner.
Team Blake’s final pairing consisted of powerhouse vocalists Dana Harper, singing James Morrison’s “You Give Me Something,” and Karlee Metzger, with Kelly Clarkson’s “Invincible.” Faith suggested Dana make her performance “a little more intimate.” Blake thought Karlee needed to use the power in her voice wisely.
Alicia, Miley and Adam thought both artists killed their performances, but Blake – after a bit of stalling – picked Dana.
The final knockout of the night belonged to Team Miley’s Aaron Gibson, singing Thomas Rhett’s “Die a Happy Man,” battling Josh Halverson, singing McGraw’s “Whiskey and You.” The challenge for Gibson was to make the audience feel the emotion of his song. Halverston, according to Cyrus, needed to place substance over style.
The other judges agreed Miley had a tough choice, but she chose Aaron. However, Alicia seized the moment and scooped up Josh.
The Voice returns Tuesday night at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.
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