Team Cee Lo Green Rocks ‘The Voice’ With “Everyday People”

Robbie Daw | June 15, 2011 10:02 am

When a be-wigged Cee Lo Green and his team of The Voice hopefuls — Curtis Grimes, Vicci Martinez, Nakia and Tori and Taylor Thompson — took to the stage to rock out a rambunctious version of Sly & The Family Stone’s 1968 smash “Everyday People,” NBC lucked out with one of the most joyous moments on television since, well, a be-feathered Cee Lo Green banged away on the ivories while Gwyneth Paltrow rolled around like a minx at the Grammys. Watch below! Last night kicked off with the results of the previous week’s performances by Team Christina Aguilera. America voted, and bald rocker Beverly McClellan was the clear-cut favorite who will go on to compete. Host Carson Daly then instructed a teary-eyed Xtina that she was allowed to save only one more of her remaining three team members — Raquel Castro, Frenchie Davis and Lily Elise.

“At this point, I have to go with a superstar voice and that is Frenchie,” Aguilera determined.

Toward the end of the show, it was Team Blake Shelton who had to face the music. Dia Framton was America’s choice, following her haunting take on Kanye West’s “Heartless” last week. But in the night’s most shocking moment, coach Shelton chose to save shy teen Xenia, rather than seemingly-sure-thing country crooner Patrick Thomas or down-on-his-luck rocker Jared Blake.

“I can’t affect change with Jared Blake or Patrick Thomas like I can with Xenia,” Blake reasoned, while sounding like he even surprised himself with the decision. “So I’m going to pick Xenia.”

Between these two tense moments, there were, of course, the individual performances from members of Team Adam Levine and Team Cee Lo Green.

From Adam’s side, Casey Weston wasn’t thrilled about being tasked with KT Tunstall’s “Black Horse And A Cherry Tree,” but she gave a pitch-perfect, though slightly uncharismatic, performance. Devon Barley sounded shaky and lacked any real presence while singing OneRepublic’s snoozy 2008 single “Stop And Stare,” and Jeff Jenkins went off key a few times during “Jesus Take The Wheel,” which he dedicated to his recently-deceased mom. The one who really brought their A game was, of course, Javier Colon, who offered up a stirring rendition of Sarah McLachlan’s “Angel.”

Cee Lo’s side kicked things off with an over-the-top (that’s a good thing!) performance of “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” by the Thompson sisters. We kind of dug Vicci Martinez‘s moody rendition of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene,” though there was a bit of oomph missing from it. Nakia effortlessly blew the roof off the stage with his superb “Sex On Fire,” but poor country dude Curtis Grimes struggled with Cee Lo’s odd choice of Robert Palmer’s “Addicted To Love.”

As for the group performances, Team Adam tackled Joe Cocker’s version of the Beatles’ “With A Little Help From My Friends” (which a certain generation will remember as the opening-credits song for The Wonder Years.)

But it was Cee Lo and his four charges who blew viewers away with “Everyday People” in a moment that once again confirmed Green is skilled at taking on any genre. Enjoy!

OUR THOUGHTS: If we had to guess now, we’d say Levine is going to lose Devon and Casey, while Cee Lo could possibly shed Curtis and Tori and Taylor Thompson from his team. We’ll find out next Tuesday.