‘The Voice’: Teams Adam And Cee Lo Sing Live
Last week, Team Christina Aguilera and Team Blake Shelton were finally put at the mercy of the at-home viewership, and Monday night (Apr. 9) 12 more singers from teams Cee Lo Green and Adam Levine took the stage. And what a stage it was, filled with tricks and flash and elaborate costuming. The extra bells and whistles worked wonders for some; for others, it only drowned out their talent. Head below to watch each performance, then get our predictions for tonight’s elimination.
The Good Juliet Simms, “Roxanne” by The Police (Team Cee Lo) Trying to avoid being pigeonholed as the “classic rock” singer, Juliet turns out this classic rock standard about a girl and her red light. She began it immersed in a cloud of fog, wearing a fringed arm-warmer, but that weird costuming choice didn’t detract from her performance, the most compelling of the night. Those little stops in her voice as she dragged out “red” were actually really interesting! Adam, of course, was immediately pissed off because he wanted her on his team, and the rest of the coaches are equally jealous of Cee Lo’s pick.
Tony Lucca, “In Your Eyes” by Peter Gabriel (Team Adam) Former Mouseketeer Tony Lucca, still talking about his post-Disney career, tells the camera that instead of chasing pop stardom he picked up his guitar and hit the road. So he tackles this 1986 Billboard chart-topper made famous by the seminal ’80s teen romance Say Anything. Lucca worked the stage like a pro, but his old pal Christina calls him one-dimensional and throws shade at his celebrity connections. (Careful Christina, he probably has childhood dirt on you). Adam tells him the way he sang the song made him proud, especially when it came to his falsetto.
Mathai, “Ordinary People” by John Legend (Team Adam) The doctor’s daughter who dreamed of stardom — whose mentor referred to as being “from another planet” — is quirky and confident on the stage. We think it’s a good thing, but as Christina points out, the performance verges on being lounge-y.
Jamar Rodgers, “Are You Going to Go My Way” by Lenny Kravitz (Team Cee Lo) Jamar says he represents the comeback, since he was a former Season 8 American Idol contestant (and Danny Gokey’s friend). The lights go crazy and he’s got a band on stilts. This is the kind of performance that uses staging to elevate it, not just distract with flash. The crowd goes wild, Cee Lo calls him a winner, and Adam says “You embody what this show is with what you just did.”
Pip, “When You Were Young” by the Killers (Team Adam) Pip is still rocking the bow ties, and says he’s more comfortable on stage than off because of his musical theater background. He says he wants to get more into rock, and thinks The Voice is rockstar 101. The song definitely has a Glee-does-rock vibe to it, befitting the Darren Criss-alike bow tie. Adam points out that he needs to be scarier and more dangerous on stage. Still, if the tweens are watching he’s golden, and he’s not actually bad, just too earnest, so we’re keeping him safe and at the very edge of the good pool.
The Rest Kim Yarbrough, “Rolling in the Deep” by Adele (Team Adam) She used to work in a potato chip factory, which sounds like a particular kind of hell for anyone. She recognizes the peril of attempting an Adele song, meaning, you have to go all out, and she tries but falls short. (Cee Lo says says since it’s a current song the comparisons are just too close.) Her skill is superior to her competition by leaps and bounds, though.
Katrina Parker, “Tonight Tonight” by Smashing Pumpkins (Team Adam) Katrina is the office worker who’s sickness kept her from singing for a few years, so she sees The Voice as her big chance. Kartina is rocking a distinct Adele look, but her Smashing Pumpkins attempt lacks punch and flavor. Cee Lo points out that it sounded like a showtune instead of Billy Corgan — though, side note: Who tries to sound like Billy Corgan on a singing competition? Adam agrees the set was theatrical, but liked it.
Chesesa, “Don’t Leave Me This Way” by Thelma Houston (Team Cee Lo) If Cee Lo had taken on “Don’t Leave Me This Way” it would have shone, but it’s too much of a disco throwback for us to get behind it. Her voice is powerful, but the performance was about 30 years too late.
James Massone, “Don’t Know Why” by Nora Jones (Team Cee Lo) James has upped his confidence, and Cee Lo wants him to take on Nora Jones to speak to the online feedback about James being sweet. He’s sitting on bench, alone, on a set piece that says “James St.” The girls are screaming for him, which bodes well, but his falsetto is completely off during the performance. Cee Lo calls attention to the screaming girls, which will be his saving grace during eliminations tonight.
Tony Vincent, “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears (Team Cee Lo) Tony’s wife just had a baby a week ago, so he’s basically glowing through his entire rehearsal. He tends to be overdramatic in his performances, and this song restrained him a bit, which should’ve been a good thing, but turned out really awkward. He stook on top of a giant dictator’s platform that turned around into a stairwell. Holding back all that insane rocker energy turns him into a wedding singer, and the coaches didn’t have much encouragement for him, including his own mentor. We smell trouble for the Broadway star.
Karla Davis, “Airplanes” by B.O.B (Team Adam) Adam has told Karla to bring out “Bertha,” her sassy inner confidence. She took a small step in proving that she’s more than country music with the B.O.B. tune, but her stiff, whisper-y rendition was eaten up by the band. The song’s wordiness was too much for her to manage — we miss MC Moses already! — and this step out of her comfort zone might place her out of the competition altogether.
Erin Martin, “Walk Like an Egyptian” by the Bangles (Team Cee Lo) Erin committed fully to the Egyptian theme, evoking Kylie Minogue’s Aphrodite tour as two men drag her on stage in a chariot. In the end, the song was less weird than she’s been before, even taking into account the dance break and the blacklight. Cee Lo tells her she needs to be more aggressive.
Safe Tony Lucca (Adam) Juliet Simms (Cee Lo) Mathai (Adam) Pip (Adam) James Massone (Cee Lo)
In Trouble Erin Martin (Cee Lo) Kim Yarbrough (Adam)
Gone Chesesa (Cee Lo) Katrina Parker (Adam) Karla Davis (Adam) Tony Vincent (Cee Lo)
Tonight we get the results, and the bottom three singers from each team sing for their lives. Do you agree with our predictions? Let us know on Twitter or Facebook!
