The Knockout Rounds continued tonight on NBC’s The Voice. Here, judges Adam Levine, Gwen Stefani, Blake Shelton and Pharrell Williams picked two of their team members to go up against each other. In each round, the contestants choose a song to sing that they believe will impress their judges and earn them a spot in the Live Rounds.
Once again, singer Rihanna serves as the key advisor who mentors all of the performers before they take the stage.
So here are the Knockout Round performances from tonight’s episode:
- Team Adam
James Dupre vs. Shelby Brown
The first round was between James and Shelby. Shelby, who is a country artist, decides to sing, “Jesus Take the Wheel” by Carrie Underwood. The song really showcases her powerhouse vocals and Adam just notes that she needs to get lost in the song and rid away her nerves.
Meanwhile, James chooses to sing “Sure Be Cool If You Did” by The Voice’s own Blake Shelton. James is also a country artist, who has already found mild success through his YouTube channel (he appeared on Ellen). Based on the rehearsals, it seems that Shelby has the upper hand, as James’ performance falls a bit flat.
During the performances, James delivers a much more laidback performance. Although Blake notes that James has awesome taste in song selection, most of the judges seemed to be swayed towards Shelby’s more dramatic flair. Thus, Shelby wins a spot on Team Adam for the Live Rounds.
- Team Pharrell
Siahna Im vs. Mark Hood
The next pairing of the night was between soulful singer Mark Hood and teenage musician Siahna Im. Mark comes into the rehearsals smiling ear to ear as he sees Rihanna beside his coach. Mark decides to sing, “Stand by Me” by Ben E King. Once again, Mark embellishes the classic song with numerous runs. However, he sometimes goes a bit overboard which might be his downfall.
Meanwhile, Siahna comes into rehearsals with the song “Back to Black” by Amy Winehouse. Her song selection isn’t all too surprising, as she previously impressed judges with her old school vocals. Her ability to belt out the soulful song when she is still so young is impressive and ultimately might win her the round.
Unfortunately, Siahna’s performance lacks a lot of the stability in her vocals that she had during rehearsals. Thus, Mark is able to edge ahead and win a spot on Pharrell’s team.
- Team Gwen
Jeffrey Austin vs. Kota Wade
Team Gwen’s first pairing of the night was between her two rock-soul team members, Jeffrey and Kota. Jeffrey decides he wants to sing “Turning Tables” by Adele, which is undoubtedly a bold and challenging choice. However, if he is able to conquer it, he will definitely be guaranteed a spot in the Live Rounds.
Meanwhile, Kota chooses “Barracuda” by Ann and Nancy Wilson, which is a unique selection but not the most ideal for the Knockout Rounds (very limited dynamics and range in comparison to Jeffrey’s song choice).
During the performance, Jeffrey crushes the Adele hit and showcases his incredible vocal range and falsetto abilities. Unfortunately, Kota digs her own grave, as she is unable to show her dynamics during her performance. In addition, she notably lost control on several occasions. Thus, Gwen grants Jeffrey the spot on her team.
- Team Blake
Emily Ann Roberts vs. Nadjah Nicole
Blake decides to pit Emily against fellow team member Nadjah, as he believes they both have similar voices (although I don’t really see too much of the similarity between the two). Emily comes into rehearsal with “Cowboy Take Me Away” by Dixie Chicks. She has an incredible voice, but gets some tips from Blake and Rihanna how to properly hit the rhythm of the song.
Meanwhile, Nadjah enters the ring with “A Woman’s Worth” by Alicia Keys. Nadjah, who is Blake’s only pop and R&B artist, struggles with nerves throughout her rehearsal.
In the Knockout Round, Emily performs without the nervous energy she was struggling with during the rehearsals. She even added some of her own artistry into the song, which Pharrell later praised her for. Nadjah also did a good job on the Alicia Keys song, but her performance wasn’t as memorable. In the end, Blake stays with what he’s comfortable with and keeps country artist Emily Ann Roberts.
- Team Pharrell
Evan McKeel vs. Tim Atlas
For his team’s second performance of the night, Pharrell paired up Evan and Tim. Evan is an indie artist who chooses to sing “Dare You to Run” by Switchfoot. Rihanna decides to make Evan get rid of his guitar, so he is able to show off more of the emotion behind the lyrics of the song. Pharrell tells him, “Don’t overthink, over feel.”
Meanwhile, fellow indie artist Tim Atlas comes to the rehearsals with “Torn” by Natalie Imbruglia. Unfortunately, his voice doesn’t come off as strong as Evan’s did during his preparation for the performance. Additionally, Tim seems to struggle with his stage presence.
Evan shows off his strong voice and emotions during his performance of the Switchfoot ballad. Meanwhile, Tim tries his best to lay it all out but, unfortunately, this translates into a few too many ad-libs. In the end, Pharrell decides to keep Evan, as Tim added too many “herbs and spices” into his vocals.
- Team Gwen
Regina Love vs. Riley Biederer
Gwen pitted up her two steals, Regina Love and Riley Biederer. Regina is a bold, soulful diva that decides to tackle “Midnight Train” by Gladys Knight. Gwen advises Regina to be creative with her singing and add more of her own flair to her vocals.
Meanwhile, Riley chooses to sing Beyonce’s “XOXO.” Riley says she knows it’s a risk, but she wanted the opportunity to showcase her artistry on such a well-known song.
In the performance, Riley delivers an intriguing spin on the Beyonce song and also has a strong stage presence and notable confidence radiating throughout. Powerhouse Regina puts up a fight, as she conquers the Gladys Knight song with the diva-like vocals we now expect from her. Unfortunately, Regina’s belting overpowers Riley’s more dynamic performance. In the end, Gwen keeps Regina for her team. However, Pharrell decides to use his last steal and gets Riley back on his team.
That’s it for the Knockout Rounds. Next week we will be entering the Live Rounds, where audiences will get a chance to vote for which singers continue on in the competition.
You can catch “The Road to the Live Shows” tomorrow, November 3 to get a recap of the last few episodes of The Voice.