The Voice Season 8 Top 8 gave it their all in a series of spirited performances on Monday, battling to stay in the NBC sing-off for one more week.
With fewer and fewer spots left to capture as each week passes, the stakes were higher than ever, as was the star power on the coaching side.
Returning judges Gwen Stefani, Usher and Cee Lo Green mentored alongside Pharrell Williams, Adam Levine, Blake Shelton and Christina Aguilera.
Together they coached the remaining eight contestants during performance rounds, with The Voice results on tap tonight. Let’s see how they did …
Hannah Kirby (Team Blake) sang “We Don’t Need Another Hero” by Tina Turner, and left nothing in the bag in her quest to be named The Voice.
With the help of a children’s choir to help her close out the set, Kirby proved what a dynamic performer, scene-stealer and show-stopper she can be.
Joshua Davis (Team Adam) sang “Fields Of Gold” by Sting, and while he was smooth and polished as always, he has still never blown us away.
At this point in the competition, however, one has to wonder if it will be enough to keep going. That’s not a knock on Davis, just the reality of things.
Kimberly Nichole (Team Christina) sang “Creep” by Radiohead in an effort to show that she can handle a breadth of songs and show off real range.
She certainly delivered a performance that included plenty of (almost over the top) theatrics and a strong bid to connect with the audience emotionally.
Meghan Linsey (Team Blake) sang “Something” by The Beatles, dialing down the stage presence and focusing on her pure singing ability this week.
She’s been as consistent and she is strong, and it’s hard to see her not continuing on past this week, although the competition is certainly fierce.
India Carney (Team Christina) sang “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole, and let her vocals do the talking with this performance.
As always, it will be up to America to decide if her potential and unique vocal stylings are worth keeping around, but India should be a lock to us.
Sawyer Fredericks sang “Simple Man” by Lynyrd Skynyrd and once again showcased an ability belying his young age, and significant vocal talent.
His raw voice makes classic songs feel original, and that’s something almost no one else can say. But that’s the one card he plays. Is it enough?
Corey Kent-White (Team Blake) sang “When I See You Smile” by Bad English, and the epically cheesy rock ballad seemed to suit the country crooner.
He showed with this performance that he can step outside of his honky tonk wheelhouse a bit, and it will be interesting to see if voters reward him.
Koryn Hawthorne (Team Pharrell) sang “Girl On Fire” by Alicia Keys and fell a bit short of what she needed to do to really make a run for the title.
This isn’t to say she did a bad job, far from it. She’s just getting out-performed by others at this point and likely to be eliminated this week or next.
Do you agree? What do you think of the remaining singers and who do you think should be on their way out this evening? Hit the comments to discuss!