The Voice 7 - Live Blog and Recap - The Knockouts Premiere, Part 2 (VIDEO)
Welcome to the live blog and recap of The Voice 2014 Season 7, "The Knockouts Premiere, Part 2"!
Tonight, the Knockout Round continues as six more singers will compete on the stage. Last night's show featured some stunning upsets, as presumed frontrunners fell by the wayside, and dark horse contenders stepped things up. Adam and Pharrell each used their one steal, so that means only Gwen and Blake have the power now to give an eliminated artist a second chance! Who will advance and who will be eliminated? Taylor Swift is back as the guest mentor, as we narrow down the teams for the live shows.
The match-ups we're getting tonight are...
Team Adam:
Mia Pfirrman vs. Alessandra Castronovo
Team Pharrell:
Elyjuh René vs. Ricky Manning
Team Gwen:
Taylor John Williams vs. Troy Ritchie
Rickey will be posting individual videos as the night rolls on. Until then, add your thoughts in the comments below, and keep refreshing for analysis, thoughts, and links to videos of the night's battles as they become available.
Let's get this show on the road!
Credit: NBC
RECAP
-Before the teams fill up, Carson talks to the coaches backstage about what they want to see from their teams. Blake wants obvious choices, since he hates it when it's so close. The other coaches just want to see their artists give it their all. Pharrell notes he's never seen this level of improvement in the artists before.
TEAM GWEN: TAYLOR JOHN WILLIAMS VS. TROY RITCHIE
-Troy is already honored to be coached by Gwen, but is doubly honored to be coached by Taylor as well. He'll be singing "Hey Ya" by Outkast, which could either be perfect for him or a complete disaster. He sings a relatively straightforward version in the rehearsal, but Gwen wants to take it farther away from copycat territory. So Taylor helps rearrange it, mixing a low-key opening with a high-energy closing. Troy feels something like this has never been done before on The Voice, but I'm almost certain he's wrong.
-Upon meeting yet another Taylor, Taylor Swift decides she's going to go by "Swiftie" while Taylor John Williams can either go by "Tay-Tay" or "Taylor Three Names". Taylor J will be singing "Mad World", and it's beautiful in the rehearsal. Easily his best vocal performance. However, Gwen wants to get him to stick closer to the melody during the chorus, since that's where the emotional payoff is. She also wants him to not march in place so much. It's interesting watching these performances come together, particularly since the effect is immediate in how much better these performances come across after the advice is implemented.
-Troy sounded pretty damn good vocally, but I thought this was kind of corny, actually. It doesn't help that he's dressed like an accountant of some kind. It felt too much like a drunk boyfriend deciding he's going to take the mic at the office Christmas party and get down. Again, it's a surprisingly good vocal performance for a guy who's never had any lessons whatsoever, and I actually wouldn't mind seeing him go forward. But everything about this just felt dated and corny. I like Troy as a person far more than I liked this performance.
-Taylor is up next, and this is my favorite vocal of the entire Knockout Round so far. I didn't really get what was special about him in his Blind Audition, but I started to see it a bit more in his Battle Round performance. This, however, is something else entirely. It's virtually flawless, in my opinion, with his restrained, well-placed runs, delicate falsetto, and surprising vocal power. I loved this.
-Adam thought Troy's performance was bold. He says it might not have been the best choice for the moment, but he really enjoyed it, all the same. But Adam has to go with Taylor. Blake thought Taylor did an amazing job, but disagrees with Adam, feeling Troy had the harder song and still delivered an entertaining performance. He gives the battle to Troy. Pharrell thought Troy was fun, but loved Taylor's performance, calling his runs "tasteful". Gwen was enthusiastic about Troy, saying his dancing was great. However, she says she feels like Taylor is a peer, so her decision is pretty obvious...
TAYLOR JOHN WILLIAMS ADVANCES TO THE NEXT ROUND!
-No one steals Troy, which isn't exactly surprising, although I almost wish one of the coaches had just taken the risk. I think he might have surprised some people. But this isn't The X Factor UK, so silly doesn't often get very far here.
WATCH: Troy Richie sings 'Hey Ya' (VIDEO) / Taylor John Williams sings 'Mad World' (VIDEO)
TEAM ADAM: MIA PFIRRMAN VS. ALESSANDRA CASTRONOVO
-Mia is briefly flustered after meeting Taylor Swift, but they don't waste much time in getting into the rehearsal. Mia is singing "Human" by Christina Perri, which is another song I really don't need to hear on these shows ever again. Mia is nervous about her battle and the threat Alessandra provides, calling her "the epitome of competition." Taylor suggests Mia connect with the song by taking a breathy approach with the song, almost as if she's acting it out. It mostly works for Mia too, although her voice just doesn't really do it for me here. Hopefully, it's only rehearsal jitters.
-Alessandra, meanwhile, will be singing "Next to Me" by Emeli Sande, and she sounds pretty good on the track, albeit a little lifeless. Taylor suggests getting her body into it, and sounds pretty good herself while showing Alessandra how to do it. Adam knows what she's capable of doing, and notes that Alessandra and Mia are pretty much dead-even.
-Alessandra goes first, and while I love her straightened hair and blue dress, it all makes her seem a bit older than she is, which somewhat undercuts the youthful energy of her performance. Still, she mostly takes Taylor's advice and gets her body into it. She still seems a little subdued at points, but it's still a solid vocal that sets the bar at a decent height for Mia.
-Mia sings, and while I can recognize that she's outsinging Alessandra, I thought Mia's voice sounded really whiny here. She hits every note, and really conveys the passion of the song. But I just didn't find it pleasant to listen to. Still, I suspect she'll be put through, since the Knockout Rounds have taught us that when you pit an upbeat song vs. ballad, the ballad usually wins.
-Blake thought both girls did a tremendous job, but would give it to Alessandra because that's who he'd recognize on the radio. Pharrell thought Mia had a moment with her glory note towards the end, but thought Alessandra was more distinctive, so he gives it to Alessandra. Gwen notes how Alessandra transitions from head voice to chest voice, while noting that Mia had some real moments in her performance. She gives it to Mia. Adam anguishes over his decision and just goes with his gut...
MIA PFIRRMAN ADVANCES TO THE NEXT ROUND!
-Alessandra thanks the coaches, particularly Adam. But she doesn't get stolen. So let this be a note to future contestants: Do NOT pick an upbeat song. Your opponent will pick a ballad.
And THEY. WILL. BEAT YOU.
WATCH: Alessandra Castronovo sings 'Next To Me' (VIDEO) / Mia Pfirrman sings 'Human' (VIDEO)
TEAM PHARRELL: ELYJUH RENE VS. RICKY MANNING
-Elyjuh "tried to keep it cool" around Taylor Swift, but can't keep from telling her how beautiful she is. Taylor asks if he's always this controlled, and we get an amusing flashback to all the times his emotions have come out. His expressiveness is part of what makes him as likable as he is. He says he'll be singing "With You" by Chris Brown, since it will allow him to show another smooth side. Pharrell, however, doesn't think Elyjuh is feeling it. He tells Elyjuh he needs to feel incredible while singing this song, and convey that feeling to the audience. Taylor suggests Elyjuh loosen up on himself, as far as his blocking is concerned.
-Ricky is over-the-moon about being mentored by Pharrell, saying that everything Pharrell teaches him will stick with him. He'll be singing a restrained version of "Wrecking Ball" by Miley Cyrus, since he hasn't sung a ballad just yet. Pharrell likes the vocal, but feels Ricky is coasting on the cleverness of the arrangement. He wants him to emote more, saying he gives off a Twilight vibe. Taylor agrees, saying he's like Robert Pattinson. She says to use his looks like a sniper shot, to convey the passion of the song instead of just singing it. Pharrell is understandably impressed by Taylor's insight, and hopefully Ricky uses these qualities of his in the battle, since I think his vocal has the potential to be a real showstopper.
-Elyjuh performs, and while it's a vocally impeccable performance, it's almost too easygoing for this round. He does some great runs, and even does a few scat-like ad-libs that add to the vocal a lot. And his ending note is killer! But I don't think I'll remember this once we're on the other side of this commercial break.
-Ricky is even better here than he was in rehearsals. His runs are as impeccable as Elyjuh's, and his tone is absolutely gorgeous. I just love the choices he makes, and the way he expresses himself onstage, really illustrating the pain behind the song. There was nothing about this I didn't love.
-Gwen is surprised by Ricky, calling it real, genuine, and moving. Meanwhile, she feels Elyjuh's performance was missing the connection with the lyrics. Adam agrees that song choice is more crucial here than ever, saying that while Elyjuh didn't mess up, it was hard for him to compete with a star being born, since Ricky delivered an incredible performance. Blake calls Ricky's vocal his favorite performance of the Knockout Rounds. Pharrell tells Elyjuh that Ricky "killed it," and says he thinks Elyjuh is so much bigger than that performance. But because he feels there's more work to be done...
ELYJUH RENE ADVANCES TO THE NEXT ROUND!
-WHAT?! Seriously, Pharrell's entire argument is, "You didn't do as well as the other guy. And you still need a LOT of work. But BECAUSE you need a lot of work, I CHOOSE YOU!" Insane. Thankfully, Gwen instantly steals Ricky, saying she feels she just won The Voice with this choice.
GWEN STEFANI STEALS RICKY MANNING!
-Backstage, Pharrell tells Elyjuh he picked him because he believes in him. "Don't sing somebody else's story. Sing your story!" He states that he felt Elyjuh didn't get a chance to show everything he could with the song he picked, but then why let him sing it at all? I just didn't get this. But whatever, at least Ricky is moving forward.
WATCH: Elyjuh Rene sings 'With You' (VIDEO) / Ricky Manning sings 'Wrecking Ball' (VIDEO)
-And that's a wrap! To recap, here are the results of tonight's Knockout battles...
TEAM GWEN: Taylor John Williams defeats Troy Ritchie
TEAM ADAM: Mia Pfirrman defeats Alessandra Castronovo
TEAM PHARRELL: Elyjuh Rene defeats Ricky Manning (Gwen STEALS Ricky Manning!)
So what did you think of tonight's show? Did the coaches make the right choices? Whom would you have put through? Sound off in the comments! Join us next week as the Knockout Rounds continue with Taylor Swift! Until then, thanks for hanging out!