We’re up to the second night of the Knockout Rounds in season 7 of The Voice where the coaches will once again pit singer against singer and send someone off on a tearful farewell. Of course, the singers get to pick their own songs and show off their individual styles and preferences. I really like seeing what they ultimately pick. I also find it really interesting to hear the coaches’ reasoning for who they pit against each other.
Of course, Taylor Swift is still helping out on The Voice this week. Her new album just came out and she clearly knows what she’s doing. That “Shake It Off” song always gets stuck in my head. So let’s find out who stays, who goes and who gets stolen.
Before the performances, the coaches talk about what they’re looking for tonight. Blake wants to have some obvious choices. Gook luck with that. They’re all really impressed with this season’s contenders, though.
Gwen Pits Taylor John Williams Against Troy Ritchie
Gwen pits Taylor and Troy against each other because they’re both indie and alternative. Troy’s always so positive and optimistic. He has his own unique style. He chooses “Hey Ya,” but Gwen and Taylor Swift definitely have some good suggestions about using his different sounds.
Taylor the performer, meanwhile, has been working at a dog hotel, which is awesome, but he wants to sing. He didn’t have the best Battle performance, so he has a lot to prove with his “Mad World” performance. It’s a great song for him, but he keeps marching with his feet, which makes him look nervous. He also doesn’t do the melody of the original song, which he needs to do.
Troy Performs “Hey Ya” and Taylor Performs “Mad World”
Troy’s rendition of “Hey Ya” really shows his own distinct style at the beginning, but then he gets more into what the original song sounds like, and he has an amazing stage presence. He really gets into it and throws it all out there. He even has all of the coaches smiling. And even Taylor’s singing along. “That’s crazy,” Gwen says at the end.
Taylor’s “Mad World” performance is hauntingly beautiful, though. He doesn’t move his feet as much either, which is good. It’s a simpler performance than Troy’s, but this is a great choice for him and really shows what a beautiful voice he has.
The whole audience is in a trance and the coaches seem impressed. “He’s different. I’ve never seen a guy like that before,” Pharrell tells Gwen. Adam definitely prefers Taylor’s emotional performance, but Blake disagrees. Troy was so entertaining. Pharrell has good things to say about both of them, but he seems to like Taylor more. Though she has good things to say about Troy, Gwen calls Taylor a peer. Of course, she has to choose Taylor. “He was special,” Pharrell says.
Result: Gwen Chooses Taylor John Williams
Adam Pits Alessandra Castronovo Against Mia Pfirrman
Adam pits Alessandra and Mia against each other. They’re both young and powerful singers. Mia’s a huge Taylor Swift fan, so she’s excited to see her. She’s singing “Human.” It’s definitely a challenge, but she wants to show that she can use her lower register. Will it pay off?
Alessandra, meanwhile, is singing “Next to Me.” She doesn’t have too much control over the power of her voice, though. Taylor Swift, meanwhile, wants her to perform with her body more and to distance herself from the original song. Alessandra gets so nervous, though. She needs to come up with something to set herself apart.
Alessandra Performs “Next to Me” and Mia Performs “Human”
Alessandra definitely has a powerful voice and she really takes Taylor Swift’s suggestion to put her body into her performance to heart. Pharrell looks impressed, but he always has nice things to say and always looks at the other coaches during performances. That said, she has an incredible range. Mia’s performance of “Human,” meanwhile, seems more emotional and she really belts it out.
Blake loves Mia’s song selection, but he loves Alessandra’s voice and would pick her. Pharrell says that Mia really proved herself and that Alessandra pulls people in. He would also pick Alessandra. Gwen says it’s a hard decision, but she would go with Mia. In the end, Adam says he’s proud of Alessandra’s confidence and that Mia’s control was perfect. They have equal power and ability, but he chooses Mia because she has more control.
Result: Adam Chooses Mia Pfirrman
Pharrell Pits Elyjuh Rene Against Ricky Manning
Pharrell pit Elyjuh and Ricky against each other because they have a soul and R&B vibe and he wants to see who can deliver the best soulful performance. Elyjuh is trying really hard to contain himself when he sees Taylor Swift, which is really hard for him. He chooses to sing “With You” because it shows a smooth side of him. Pharrell says the he needs to concentrate on the emotion of the song rather than the song itself. He was strategizing too much. Taylor Swift wants him to loosen up a bit and let it escalate.
Ricky, on the other hand, has chosen “Wrecking Ball,” which is an interesting choice. He hasn’t done a ballad yet. This is such an emotional song, but Pharrell again says that he needs to make it believable and emotional. You can’t mess around with this song. Taylor Swift says that he needs to work on his eye contact too.
Elyjuh Performs “With You” and Ricky Performs “Wrecking Ball”
Elyjuh has an incredibly smooth voice and such a great stage presence. He’s such an expressive performer. I love watching his facial expressions while he performs and I think he’s a really interesting performer. The coaches seem equally impressed.
Ricky’s performance of “Wrecking Ball” is absolutely beautiful, though. His voice is just mesmerizing, and all of the coaches look so impressed. This has to be my favorite performance.
“That was incredible,” Gwen says. It was real, genuine and moving. She feels there was something missing with Elyjuh’s performance and Adam agrees that Elyjuah picked the wrong song. He feels that “a star is being born” with Ricky. Blake feels like Elyjuh coasted, but Ricky’s performance was his favorite of all the Knockouts. The decision is obvious.
But then Pharrell shockingly chooses Elyjuh because there’s so much work to be done and he believes in him. I kind of saw this coming, though. Of course, all of the judges seem shocked, so someone has to steal him. That way, they both get to stay.
Result: Pharrell Chooses Elyjuh Rene
Gwen’s Steal
Of course, Gwen hits her button for Ricky and he lives to sing another day. “I feel like I might have just won The Voice,” she says. “Your voice is amazing.”
Result: Gwen Steals Ricky Manning
Last Knockouts
Next week will be the last of the Knockouts before the live shows and Taylor Swift will be back. I think she’s been doing a great job.
The Voice airs Mondays and Tuesdays at 8pm on NBC.
(Image and videos courtesy of NBC)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
