The Voice Monday night recap: Top 10 prepare for elimination
On Monday's episode of "The Voice," the top 10 contestants preformed for what may have been their last appearance on the show.
The artists gave their all to impress viewers and coaches. But it will be up to viewers to vote for their favorite contestants to continue on in the competition.
The night began with fan favorite Kennedy Holmes. As the youngest contestant and a member of team Jennifer Hudson (JHUD), Holmes has big shoes to fill.
The 13-year-old held her own on Monday night with a performance of "Me Too" by Meghan Trainor.
The song was chosen by JHUD to bring out Holmes' performance skills, and the singer did not disappoint.
Holmes brought out classic dance moves like the Moonwalk and managed to maintain her pristine vocals. The coaches seemed ecstatic to see a new side of the performer, and audience members seemed to enjoy the performance too.
The teenager continuously impresses coaches and viewers with her versatility and singing skills making her a very competitive candidate to continue on to the top 8.
Next up, Reagan Strange of team Adam Levine changed the pace with a heartfelt performance of Faith Hill's "Cry." Strange used her powerful voice and evoked emotions that made hearts melt across the nation.
In previous weeks, the Tennessee native was announced as one of "The Voice's" most streamed artists. Her fans have even affectionately named themselves Strangers. With her growing fan base and consistent talent, Strange is likely to continue on in the competition.
Following Strange, coach Blake Shelton sang his new song entitled "Turnin Me On." The country star played the guitar while singing sensual lyrics about passion and love. It is safe to say that he brought the heat.
Sarah Grace of team Kelly Clarkson cooled things down a little with her rendition of the classic gospel song "Amazing Grace." And, Grace was amazing to say the least.
The singer reworked the gospel song to sound like a rock ballad that included a trumpet solo. Both Grace's voice and trumpet were completely on key and didn't miss a beat. The exciting performance and her talented trumpet playing skills will make the young vocalist one to beat.
After Grace, another member of team Kelly also let her talents shine with a well known gospel song. Kymberli Joye sang "Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)" by Hillsong and took the entire audience to church.
Joye has stated in previous episodes that she would like to focus specifically on gospel music and wants America to see her sing the genre more often.
Her heartfelt rendition featured clear and crisp vocals. She knew exactly when to let the power of her voice take over and when to restrain her voice for softer moments of the song.
The gospel genre fits the singer's vocal styling well and seems to be helping elevate her to a top position in the competition.
On the opposite side of the musical spectrum, Chris Kroeze of team Blake allowed the country genre to showcase his talent.
Kroeze sang a rendition of “Callin’ Baton Rouge” by Garth Brooks.
The performance featured a violin that maintained a high pitch and fast tempo which gave the song a folk music feel. Kroeze added to the folk music feel by singing long notes with a raspy, deep voice.
Shelton seemed to thoroughly enjoy the performance. The country singer could be seen bopping his head from his chair.
Another member of team Blake continued the country vibe. Dave Fenley sang "When You Say Nothing At All" by Allison Kruass. The singer used a violin accompaniment as well, but in a much different way than Kroeze. Finley's performance was heartfelt and featured a much slower rhythm.
He sang lyrics filed with love and belted out strong notes. Shelton also seemed to be proud of this performance, he gave Fenely a standing ovation.
Following Fenley, DeAndre Nico of team Adam Levine kept up the theme of love songs.The vocalist sang "That's What I Like" by Bruno Mars. The coaches and audience members definitely liked his soulful vocals and 90's R&B feel.
Last week, Nico came face-to-face with elimination as one of the bottom two. His coach threw a fit and seemed almost upset that such a talented singer came so close to elimination. Levine advocated for Nico and helped him maintain his place in the competition.The singer made Levine proud with his performance on Monday night.
Despite his heartfelt performance and the support of Levine, Nico did not receive viewer support for the past two eliminations. Without fan support, Nico's future in the competition doesn't look bright.
One singer whose future on the show does look bright is team Kelly's Chevel Shepherd. The young queen of country sang a rendition of "You’re Lookin’ At Country” by Loretta Lynn.
The singer consistently impresses with her powerful country vocals and undeniable stage presence. Shelton even praised the young country star for her performance.
One of Shelton's favorite singers performed next. Kirk Jay sang a powerful country rendition of "Tomorrow" by Chris Young.
Jay slowed the song down and let his voice shine. Shelton called it one of his best performances of the season.
Finally, Mackenzie Thomas of team JHUD closed out the night with even more emotion evoking vocals. The singer preformed a rendition of "Because You Loved Me" that would have made the song's original singer, Celine Dion, proud.
As the performances concluded, voting opened for viewers to save their favorite contestants. The votes will reveal the top 8 artists and two contestants will be sent home.
To see who else will advance in the competition, tune in at 8 p.m. Tuesday on WRAL-TV and NBC.
