We’re a little over halfway through the Knockout Rounds with precious few spots left for The Voice Live Shows. Who will Teams Blake, Alicia, Adam and Miley advance? That remains to be seen, but let’s take a look at the competitions waged during Night 3 of the Battle Rounds:
Team Blake
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Knockout Round 1: Austin Allsup vs. Gabe Broussard
Austin Allsup is the first to enter the The Voice rehearsals and is a little awestruck to see Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. He picks Tom Petty’s “Breakdown,” a song with attitude and grit that he feels represents him. Tim says he thinks Austin’s a very authentic vocalist. Faith and Tim suggest that he open his voice a bit more. Â Austin’s performance brings a bit of swampiness, and his seems to have reigned in the song without going over the top in his delivery.
Gabe Broussard changes things up a bit, going with “It Will Rain” by Bruno Mars. He does so to show that he can broaden his horizons. Tim says he was blown away after hearing his voice for the first time. Faith offers some enunciation advice and Blake warns him about his breathing. After the power of Austin’s performance, Gabe’s time onstage brings something different, with a more soulful delivery that did have some powerful moments.
Alicia loved the tone of Austin’s voice and his energy, while Gabe really felt his performance. Miley says she was fangirling during Gabe’s performance, and she felt Austin made an awesome song choice. Adam says he was waiting on Austin’s big note and he feels that he’s one of Blake’s best, and he loves Gabe’s composure. Blake says his performance was a pack-breaker, and Gabe has so much talent and the ladies are freaking out. It’s a tough decision but Blake picks Austin.
Knockout Round 5: Dana Harper vs. Karlee Metzger
Dana Harper goes with James Morrison’s “You Give Me Something,” a track that shows off her love of acoustic soul. Tim says it just seems to come across so easy. Faith has her sing it like a bit of a conversation. Dana’s performance is as smooth as they come, beautifully delivered, and may be her best on the show to date.
Karlee Metzger picks Kelly Clarkson’s “Invincible,” a track showing her belief in herself. Blake points out that she needs to watch her enunciation and figure out where to take her breaths. Faith wants her to sing it like she believes it. Karlee hits the stage and her voice really shines through and she hits some power notes that bring the performance up.
Alicia loved seeing Karlee working the stage and felt that there was an ease and joy to Dana’s performance. Miley says Karlee really came out of the cocoon and do so naturally, and she loved how Dana stayed to true to the song. Adam says Karlee has grown so much, while he loves Dana and picks her. Blake says he loved that Karlee pushed herself, and he loved Dana’s relaxing, beautiful voice. He chooses to go with Dana.
Team Miley
Knockout Round 2: Darby Walker vs. Maye Thomas
Darby Walker fangirls out over Tim and Faith upon meeting them. She’s going with Florence + the Machine’s “Shake It Out,” and both Miley and Faith point out that she needs to really focus on what she’s saying. Darby goes first in the performances, and her voice is a perfect fit for the Florence original, hitting the high notes and offering the perfect blend of lilting moments and power notes.
Maye Thomas goes with Tegan and Sara’s “Closer” for her song choice. She loves the song as it feels big and fun and electric. Tim suggests emphasizing certain words and not throwing away others. Faith views both singers as stylists. As for Maye’s performance, she has a definite stage presence with some choreography and her vocals get stronger as the song continues, but her breathy moments seemed a little shaky at times.
Adam loved Maye’s stage presence and thinks that Darby is fun to watch as well. Blake says he feels that Darby took more chances and didn’t hit all of them and Maye was more consistent. Alicia loves Darby’s individuality and she’s just riveted by Maye. Miley says that Maye’s performance was an experience, while Darby has made all the right moves. She ends up picking Darby.
Miley also had one of her knockouts get the montage treatment, with Sophia Urista‘s soulful and powerful performance of “I Can’t Stand That Rain” winning over an unseen Josette Diaz‘s performance of “Eternal Flame.”
Knockout Round 6: Aaron Gibson vs. Josh Halverson
Aaron Gibson picks Thomas Rhett’s “Die a Happy Man” to switch things up a bit. Tim McGraw suggests there’s a few moments in the song to deliver a little more happiness and Faith wants him to deliver more vocal changes throughout. Aaron’s raspy voice once again stands out as one of the better ones in the competition, and he connects with the song, giving it more variety along the way.
Josh Halverson is surprised to see Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, especially given that he chose Tim’s “Whiskey and You” to sing. Tim feels that Josh needs to stay connected and want the emotional experience to lead him. Josh’s performance is pretty cool, with the sound of the lone guitar and the cracks in his voice leading to the type of intimate rendition where you could almost hear a pin drop.
Adam says Aaron continually shocks him, while Josh recreated a genuine folk moment. Blake says Aaron has a gift, with an edgy voice while Josh is the most chill human being ever. Alicia says she loves the subtlety of Aaron’s voice, and Josh provided one of the most powerful performance’s she’s seen. Miley has loved watching Aaron grow, and Josh took everyone to a different world. She picks Aaron, but Josh is not going anywhere as Alicia steals him back.
Team Adam
Knockout Round 3: Nolan Neal vs. Brendan Fletcher
Brendan Fletcher picks Allman Brothers Band’s “Soulshine,” a song that he thinks will help bring out his personality. Faith tells him that he needs to smile and make a connection to the lyric. The song is a perfect fit for his voice and his performance is one of the stronger ones of the evening.
Nolan Neal is going with Steven Tyler’s “Love Is Your Name,” a song that he always wanted to sing. Adam says he may not need the guitar and Faith warns him about hitting notes that he can’t move away from. As for Nolan’s performance, it shows the mix of rasp and power that we’ve come to expect from the singer, but there’s little room for a dynamic swing. However, he nails what he sings.
Blake says Brendan has such a great, full voice, but Nolan treated it like a knockout round and he swung for the fences. Alicia says Brendan did a beautiful job and the delivery was beautiful and when Nolan hit his stride, he just unleashed. Miley says Nolan is someone she would want to see in concert, but she loves Brendan’s voice. Adam says Nolan is such an extroverted performer, while Brendan did a world-class job as well. He picks Brendan.
Team Alicia
Knockout Round 4: Michael Sanchez vs. Sa’Rayah
Sa’Rayah goes with Chaka Khan’s “Ain’t Nobody,” looking for a passionate, soulful song to show what she can do. Faith tells Sa’Rayah to make the power notes count and it’s clear that she loves what she’s doing. After Michael’s blistering performance, Sa’Rayah takes it up another level. The soul, the power and the presence was all there, making for what was arguably the night’s top performance.
Michael Sanchez picks Grover Washington, Jr.’s “Just the Two of Us,” which was initially done with Bill Withers on vocals. For the performance, he’s going to show off his piano skills as well. Alicia tells him not to speed through it and get into a groove. Michael kicks things off with just a knockout performance, as the richness of his voice is present throughout with some pretty cool scatting at the end.
Miley says Sa’Rayah just lit up the room, while she felt that Michael won the round. Adam says they were the illest duo of all-time, with Sa’Rayah commanding the catwalk and Michael being a sneaky killer. He leans a bit to Michael. As for Blake, he’s a huge Michael fan , but he felt Sa’Rayah was so incredibly talented and delivered a performance. Alicia felt both owned their performances and she goes with Sa’Rayah. Sadly, with Alicia having the only steal, she can’t hold onto Michael, who arguably had the second best performance of the night.
Knockout Rounds, Night 3 Rankings
8. Austin Allsup (Team Blake)
7. Sophia Urista (Team Miley)
6. Brendan Fletcher (Team Adam)
5. Aaron Gibson (Team Miley)
4. Darby Walker (Team Miley)
3. Dana Harper (Team Blake)
2. Josh Halverson (Team Alicia)
1. Sa’Rayah (Team Alicia)
