The Voice 2 – Live Round 3 – Team Christina & Team Blake – Live Blog Recap

Tonight, the first half of The Voice‘s Sweet 16 take the stage! Team Christina and Team Blake will be up first. The judges will also be performing alongside their teams tonight. Afterwards, there will be an instant elimination of one person from each team. That will leave three. Tomorrow night, the highest vote getter will automatically move on and the judges will choose from the bottom two who moves forward.

Also, Maroon 5 is debuting their new song “Payphone” featuring Wiz Khalifa.

Here’s the Top 16:

Are you pumped?!?!

I will be live blogging all the action right here tonight. So, come back soon and often for my thoughts on the talent.

Tonight could be their last! INSTANT ELIMINATION!

What is this nonsense banter tonight? Blake wishes he could kick them…instead of eliminating someone. OK, then.

Raelynn – Team Blake – “She’s Country” by Jason Aldean

Blake asks her if she has a boyfriend. “I’m a heartbreaker,” she quips. Oh, this song is great. It’s a little cliche, but whatever. This song actually fits her perfectly. She can feel comfortable, and her vocals are actually pretty good tonight. Wow. I’m pretty surprised. From now on, Blake, she needs to ALWAYS do a Country song. She’s working the stage and really getting the crowd going. GO GIRL!!! I think I’m officially a fan now.

Xtina calls her a badass. Cee Lo says it was the best performance she’s ever done. Check out her full performance HERE.

Jesse Campbell – Team Christina – “Halo” by Beyonce

Wow. This is a surprise. “Halo” is a HUGE song and totally out of his comfort zone. Xtina wants him to be more adventurous in his songs and choices. He’s a picture in a picture frame!!! He’s making some interesting melodic changes to the song. As the song builds, he delivers passionate vocals. At times, though, he’s screaming. The song is too high for him.

Check out his full performance HERE.

Jordis Unga – Team Blake – “A Little Bit Stronger” by Sara Evans

Oh, I love this song. It’s great to see a softer and more emotional side to the rocker. Wow. She’s ing a gorgeous white dress. She’s standing by the piano. Ouch, bum note there. You can tell that this song means a lot to her. She brings her rock flair to the melody. However, I’m not sure this was the best song. She should have totally rocked out. There are pitchy notes all over the place. Sad panda.

Xtina likes when she shows her vulnerable side. Adam says people want to see that emotion and connection. Check out her full performance HERE.

Musical Performance – Team Christina w/ Krenshaw High School Choir – “Fighter”

Damn. What the hell is Xtina wearing?! There are male strippers! They throw money at Blake! She starts singing some Country song and then segues into “Fighter” — one of her best songs. Jesse gets a few lines. Lindsay and Chris get the bridge. Wow. Then the choir they visited in the pre-package segment joins in. This is kind of all over the place. Jesse really doesn’t have a good voice at all. Hot mess.

Ashley De La Rosa – Team Christina – “Foolish Games” by Jewel

She’s sitting center stage in a sea of fog. The arrangement starts out simple, but percussion and guitar trickles in as the song progresses. It slowly builds and then it all lets loose. Her vocals are pretty strong, despite some bum notes in her higher register when she tries to bring in a “rock edge.” Towards the end, she nails the glory note. She then pulls back to finish out the song.

Cee Lo said it started out too low but then got better. Adam thought she was the biggest surprise. Check out her full performance HERE.

Musical Performance – Maroon 5 and Wiz Khalifa – “Payphone” – Listen to the studio version HERE.

Not gonna lie, I do like this song. I always forget that Adam sings. He sounds pretty good tonight. He doesn’t have a big range, but it gets the job done. Check out their rockin’ performance HERE.

Erin Willett – Team Blake – “Set Fire to the Rain” by Adele

WHY?! NO. NO. NO. Ugh. I’m sick of Adele covers. She enters upstage through the moving set. Right off the bat, there seems to be a disconnect with the material. Her vocals are solid, but she’s having some pitch issues. When the song builds to the chorus, it is underwhelming. When Adele performs, she captivates and doesn’t over sing. Adele lets the song just be.

Adam said to focus on phrasing more. He said that the phrasing in the song threw the it off. Check out her full performance HERE.

Lindsay Pavao – Team Christina – “Part of Me” by Katy Perry

Gutsy and a super current choice. She originally wanted to do a medley of “S&M” and “We Found Love” by Rihanna, but then found herself not being able to connect to it. With “Part of Me,” she’s stripped away the manufactured background tracking and slowed it down a bit. She’s bringing her quirky personality and way of performing to this. However, it isn’t as good as her Gotye cover last week.

Cee Lo hasn’t heard this song. He must not listen to the radio, like ever. Check out her full performance HERE.

Musical Performance – Team Blake – “Heartache Tonight” by the Eagles

The whole group starts singing with just a drum beat and little guitar accompaniment. Then it kicks into high gear. Oh, Jordis and Raelynn sound fantastic on this! Is it me, or are the contestants overpowering Blake?! Heh.

Jermaine Paul – Team Blake – “Against All Odds” by Phil Collins

This is the song of DEATH! DEATH I TELL YOU! He’s seated next to a piano, and the arrangement is pretty sparse. He is laying down some serious vocals. This might be one of the better versions I’ve heard on a singing show. Granted, it’s an American Idol staple, but most of those performances were trainwrecks. He makes his way down stage to a mic stand. He adds some nice vocal runs and makes a few melodic changes. As the song builds, his voice really sounds great. Definitely one of the best of the night.

Xtina says he’s very connected with what he’s singing. Adam thinks he over-embellished the song. Check out his full performance HERE.

Chris Mann – Team Christina – “Viva La Vida” by Coldplay

Hmm. Interesting song choice. There are violin players on stage with him! He’s wearing a suit and looking quite dapper. I wouldn’t expect him to do this song, but it’s pretty good so far. I’m not jumping up and down about it, though. He makes his way and works the crowd. He has one of the best voices in this competition this year. I’m not sold on this.

Adam wanted to be moved and thought it was odd. Xtina praises him for challenging himself and stepping outside the box. Check out his full performance HERE.

INSTANT ELIMINATIONS

Xtina eliminates…JESSE CAMPBELL!!!

Blake eliminates…JORDIS UNGA!!!

OMG. I did not expect that. I totally thought Blake was so into her. She may not have been her best tonight, but she certainly did not deserve to get the boot. Another thing that stings is that in her pre-performance package, she talked about not making it and struggling.

Top 2: Lindsay, Raelynn (yes, I know, but she’s got people)

Blake Bottom 2: Jermaine, Erin

Xtina Bottom 2: Chris, Ashley

What do you guys think? Did Xtina and Blake make the right choices?!

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