‘The Voice’: Bryan Bautista’s Amazing Rendition Of Zayn’s “Pillowtalk” During Live Playoffs

Caila Ball-Dionne | April 12, 2016 9:10 am

‘Tis the time in the Voice season for twists, and, boy, did Carson Daly pull out a doozy. Apropos of nothing, each coach was able to bring back one artist that had been eliminated during the Knockout Round or the Battle Round — and not just from his or her own team. Just like on quality television series Bachelor In Paradise, all eliminated contestants were fair game.

Even though the 20 hopefuls from Teams Christina Aguilera, Blake Shelton, Pharrell Williams and Adam Levine who advanced fairly and squarely are probably irked that they have to compete against four returners, they can at least find solace in the hope that a twist may save their sots one day too. With those hopes in mind, contestants from Christina and Blake’s respective crews took the stage on Monday night for their shots at the Top 12.

Team Blake: Paxton Ingram

Team Blake’s Paxton Ingram had been tethered to the microphone stand for too long, and triumphantly breaks free by performing Calvin Harris and Disciples“How Deep Is Your Love?” The former dance instructor energetically hits all corners of the stage while managing to stay on pitch and in the pocket.

“You looked like this is what you’ve been dying to do the entire time, so I’m happy for you,” says Pharrell.

“I’m as confident that you’re going to move on to next week as I am that Adam’s going to do something stupid with his hair again,” says Blake. Zing, Blake, zing.

Team Blake: Katie Basden

When the Voice audience starts swaying its arms, you know someone’s aiming for a moving performance. In this case, those ballad arms were directed at country singer Katie Basden, who hit mostly the right notes with her performance of Trisha Yearwood’s “Georgia Rain.” Unsurprisingly, the coaches ignored the other notes, which strained to meet the pitch.

“You’re so good, it’s crazy. I’m so sad that you’re not on my team anymore,” says former coach Adam. “It feels like you’re already a big country star.”

“If your voice is an indication of what the future of country music looks like, I mean, it looks really good,” says Blake. “You gained so many fans just now.”

Team Blake: Joe Maye

Former Team Christina member Joe Maye went for a change of pace with the Doobie Brothers‘ “Long Train Runnin’.” The burst of energy did him good, and gave him a chance to showcase a charismatic stage presence. He’s able to sing and dance at the same time — a skill set that is far from a given among these contestants.

“That was so much fun,” says Christina. “The last couple of performances you had on this show, this definitely beat them all.”

“After that incredible performance, you’ve got me thinking that we’ve got a shot to win this thing,” says Blake.

Team Blake: Adam Wakefield

As if performing closing-time slow dance at a country western bar, Adam belts out Ray Charles and Willie Nelson’s “Seven Spanish Angels.” This subtle performance relies solely on the vocals — as opposed to the stage-skipping of the contestants around him — and should earn Adam a spot in the Top 12.

“You are my favorite right now in this competition,” says Adam, whose contestants must be thrilled to hear that. “You tell the story with your voice that kind of transcends everything.”

Blake compares Adam’s soulful country stylings to Ronnie Milsap, Travis Tritt and Chris Stapleton, telling him, “I think you have a hell of a future in front of you.”

Team Blake: Mary Sarah

It is not a great night for the typically strong country singer Mary Sarah. She sings Lynn Anderson’s “(I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden,” and struggles to put any power behind her lower register notes.

“That was super solid, Mary,” says Christina. “Some nice notes there toward the end.”

“I look at Twitter, and you’re definitely one of the fan favorites on the show,” says Blake, nailing why Mary Sarah will probably still be around next week.

Team Blake Comeback Artist: Justin Whisnant

Spared the trouble of dealing with the Knockout Round, eliminated Battle Round contestant Justin Whisnant returns for a shot at the Top 12. Justin sings Travis Tritt’s “Here’s A Quarter (Call Someone Who Cares).” It’s fine, though his breath issues cause him to trail off throughout. Sadly, Justin will probably face a second elimination on Wednesday.

“That was awesome, and you sang with so much passion and feeling,” says Pharrell.

“You sang that so great, and you took some liberties and did some things different than the original,” says Blake. “Oklahoma’s proud of you tonight.”

Team Christina: Ryan Quinn

A second chance that stands a chance is Team Christina’s Ryan Quinn, who was a Knockout Round steal from team Adam. Ryan sings Sam Smith’s “I’m Not The Only One,” and his strong vocals in both his chest voice and falsetto redeem his subpar performance last week.

“You both managed to kind of crack the code and you elevated to a level that I always knew you could elevate to,” says former coach Adam. “I really see you thriving from the change in teams.”

“That was so beautiful,” says Christina. “Vocally, you can just do anything.”

Team Christina: Kata Hay

If Kata Hay’s performance were to be expressed in emoji, it would be that “keeping it 100” emoji over and over and over and over, with maybe one cringe face and five red exclamation points. Kata keeps it 100 to her karaoke bar roots, and commands the crowd’s attention with Aretha Franklin’s “(You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman.” This doesn’t mean starting small and building — no, no. It means screaming it out from the get-go, and not letting up until the last note is played.

“That was like an exorcism. That was wild,” says Adam.

“That was so amazing,” says Christina. “You have so much power.”

Team Christina: Tamar Davis

In her first three performances of the season, Tamar Davis seemed like Top 10 material. With her Live Playoffs performance of Andra Day’s “Rise Up,” however, it doesn’t seem like Tamar will make the cut. Though she has many impressive moments, there are also a lot of missed notes and pitch problems that drag down the performance.

“That was precise,” says Pharrell. You had a rainbow of range.”

“That was so joyous,” says Christina. “Vocally, that was super challenging to do.”

Team Christina: Bryan Bautista

This was the exact right moment for Bryan Bautista to crush a performance, and he couldn’t have done it better. Bryan starts off sweet in his performance of Zayn’s “Pillowtalk,” and builds to huge notes. His sultry vocals have Christina swooning.

“Tonight was just a moment where I was completely blown away. You came out here and you murdered that song,” says Adam, using “murdered” in a good context.

“From the Blind Audition on, I knew you were something special,” says Christina. “This was a whole different song by the time you got done with it.”

Team Christina: Alisan Porter

Alisan Porter has yet to falter in her journey to the top, and she doesn’t disappoint with Janis Joplin’s “Cry Baby.” It’s big, it’s precise,and it lets her roll out a red carpet on the path she’s already paved for herself to the finals.

“I said it a million years ago when you came on the show, ‘That’s the winner of the show,” says Adam. “I’m not surprised by how miraculous that was.”

“That was insane. I’m so in love with what you just did on that stage,” says Christina. “What she does with her voice is epic.”

Team Christina’s Bring Back: Nick Hagelin

Welcome back, Nick Hagelin! Christina scooped up the former Team Pharrell member for a second chance, and he, appropriately, sings Rihanna and Mikky Ekko’s “Stay.” He sings for his life, which sometimes means hitting amazing falsetto notes, and other times means swinging for the fences and accidentally hitting the umpire in the face with the bat. It’s a real roller coaster.

“We all are fans of you as a human being and an artist as well,” says Adam. “You’re still in the process of really improving a lot.”

“You proved here on this stage today why I brought you back,” says Christina. “Tonight was amazing. You deserve to be here and to move forward.”

Christina and Blake’s contestants will have to wait another day for the results, as Teams Adam and Pharrell perform tonight. Find out what bring back contestants they have in store and who holds up to the pressure tonight!