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In the final week of recorded episodes, coaches pushed their artists to fight for a chance at performing in next week's live playoffs.
Editorials 6

Final Knockouts: Week 7 on Season 12 of “The Voice”

By Sam Bodnar · On April 14, 2017


In the final week of recorded episodes, artists brought their A-game in order to advance to the live playoffs, which begin next week. Only Alicia Keys had a steal remaining, so unfortunately many talented artists went home on Monday night. Performances from all over the genre spectrum lit up the audience and gave the coaches confidence in their teams moving forward (the best performances are marked with a *).

Battle #1

Team: Blake Shelton

Artists: Andrea Thomas performing “Cry” by Faith Hill vs. Lauren Duski performing “You Say Nothing at All” by Lauren Krauss

Performance Notes:

Thomas’ Notes

Duski’s Notes

  • The bass, banjo, and violins complemented her lower register with a steady melody in the opening.
  • Her energy sparked up into the chorus, where she was a bit flat and pitchy on the higher notes.
  • Emotionally, the connection to the music and lyrics was not fully there; nonetheless, she was graceful, and her falsetto fluttered with the violins and piano.
  • She chose to lower the octave in this song to showcase the texture on her lower vocals.
  • The acoustic guitar strumming behind her in the verses complemented the elegance of her higher notes when she shifted to the chorus.
  • No power or range was displayed, but her performance seemed more “genuine and authentic,” according to Coach Keys.

Shelton Selects: Lauren Duski

Battle #2

Team: Keys

Artists: *Vanessa Ferguson performing “If I Were Your Woman” by Gladys Knight vs. Jack Cassidy performing “Unsteady” by X Ambassadors

Performance Notes:

Cassidy’s Notes

Ferguson’s Notes

  • His introduction was completely unsteady. His head voice was pitchy and it sounded like someone gasping for air.
  • The incorporation of the drums in the second verse helped to give the song more life, and it provided his voice an extra boost of power while he was playing the piano.
  • Cassidy’s power and falsetto came into full bloom at the end, but for me it was not enough to win.
  • Sass, power, and terrific emoting. Compared to previous performances of hers, this was the best by far.
  • The electric guitars and drums gave her a major edge in adding suspense and fire into her song.
  • Her emotions at the final point in the song got the better of her vibrato, but ultimately this girl on the piano was “remarkable,” according to Coach Shelton.

Keys Selects: Vanessa Ferguson

Battle #3

Team: Adam Levine

Artists: Davina Leone performing “Toxic” by Britney Spears vs. Jesse Larson performing “The Letter” by Joe Crocker

Performance Notes:

Leone’s Notes

Larson’s Notes

  • Her diction was messy in the first verse, but her lower voice is enchanting.
  • The runs she went on fit the mood of the piece well and flowed well with the background vocals, which were harmonizing with her in a lower octave.
  • She did not prep her breath well for her final high notes and because of this, they were scratchy and sharp in comparison to the instrumentals.
  • His voice at the start was too small and smooth and it did not match the rough edge that the electric guitars and rapid drums played with.
  • The chords he shredded on his guitar and the way he took some moments to step away from the mic stand were full of enthusiasm and brought something unique to his piece.
  • Keys told him to “never hold back” and Coach Stefani said she has “never seen anybody command their own voice or guitar” the way he did.

Levine Selects: Jesse Larson

Battle #4

Team Levine: This battle between Malik Davage and Mark Isaiah was summarized in a single minute. Isaiah defeated Davage with his performance of “Love Yourself” by Justin Bieber.

Battle #5

Team: Gwen Stefani

Artists: *JChosen performing “Without You” by David Guetta vs. Brandon Royal performing “Redemption Song” by Bob Marley

Performance Notes:

JChosen’s Notes

Royal’s Notes

  • His control on his lower voice, strength in his belt, and silkiness of his falsetto is incredible.
  • The emotional connection he created with the lyrics and the way he worked the stage was perfect. His vocals did, however, get away from him on a couple moments.
  • J’s stage presence is remarkable. The way he glides around the floor oozes confidence and finesse. If he’s not in the final four I will be flabbergasted.
  • This felt like an homage to Marley and not a song that had a profound emotional connection.
  • His Jamaican accent complemented the slowly strumming acoustic guitar, which was his backbone in this knockout.
  • Despite a pitchy upper register, he worked the stage confidently and never missed a beat.

Stefani Selects: JChosen

Battle #6

Team Shelton:

Artists: *Aliyah Moulden performing “Before He Cheats” by Carrie Underwood vs. Caroline Sky performing “At Last” by Etta James

Performance Notes:

Moulden’s Notes

Sky’s Notes

  • The country twang in the instrumentals provided a sensational background for her power and energy.
  • Here and there, she blew a note when the guitars’ chords changed in the chorus, but her delivery was strong as usual.
  • Her stage presence has some room to grow. When she began to move in time with the light piano keys and drums, however, she came to life and easily transitioned into the higher notes of the song.
  • Right out of the gate, her sharp and pitchy notes placed her in this disappointing final appearance.
  • Some of her higher notes glided along with the piano keys, but they uncomfortably contrasted with the violin orchestrations.
  • James sang this with gorgeous crescendos and a simple structure, yet Sky messed with the structure and side-stepped on utilizing the crescendos to carry on the emotional appeal of this classic.

Shelton Selects: Aliyah Moulden

Final Battle #7

Team Stefani:

Artists: Troy Ramey performing “Chandelier” by Sia vs. Stephanie Rice performing “Safe and Sound” by Taylor Swift

Performance Notes:

Ramey’s Notes

Rice’s Notes

  • He took a soulful approach to this song but eliminated the pop aspects. It was more rock- and soul-centered, which was a significant difference from Sia.
  • Ramey scream-growled his higher notes in the final 30 seconds, which gave him nowhere to expand and showcase his head voice or vibrato.
  • Levine emphasized that losing Ramey would be a major mistake for any team because Ramey passionately delivers different sides of himself through the rhythms he creates.
  • Her soul and pain came pouring out through each stroke of her acoustic guitar and the background violin.
  • She balanced out the tempo of the cover, as well as her energy. However, the song didn’t highlight anything specific about her voice — only her ability to recall pain and emote it.
  • It felt like her vocal power was absent in this performance, and it was also my least favorite of hers in terms of her stage presence.

Stefani Selects: Troy Ramey

Steals: Keys stole Stephanie Rice.

Adam LevineAlicia KeysBlake Sheltonbob marleyBritney Spearscarrie underwoodDavid GuettaEtta JamesFaith HillGladys KnightGwen StefaniJoe CrockerJustin BieberknockoutsLauren Kraussneeds editingseason 12SiaTaylor SwiftThe VoiceX Ambassadors
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Sam Bodnar

Sam Bodnar is a sophomore at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. He is a Journalism Major and will be working with the Indiana Daily Student in the fall of 2018. He is one of the youngest staff writers for MEB and the former Editor-in-chief for his high school publication, "The Sage." He looks forward to many more unique experiences with MEB and the journalism world.

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