The Voice aired its first live show on Monday night with the Top 12 artists performing for home viewer votes, and several contestants rose above the rest of the thirteenth-season competition.
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The standout vocalists of the night were Janice Freeman, a 32-year-old single mom and cervical-cancer survivor from Compton, CA; Chloe Kohanski, a 23-year-old singer from Mt. Juliet, TN; Keisha Renee is a 30-year-old backup singer for Nicki Minaj from Las Vegas, NV; and Davon Fleming, a 25-year-old worship leader from Baltimore MD.
These artists got The Voice coaches -- Adam Levine, Jennifer Hudson, Miley Cyrus and Blake Shelton -- on their feet.
Team Miley's Janice performed "The Story" by Brandi Carlile, and Blake threw his cowboy boot at her, which is a gesture that represents awe and admiration for an artist. (It all started with Jennifer throwing her shoe at her favorite artists). Miley admitted she was "shaking and in tears" over the performance.
"You had my favorite performance of the night," Miley revealed.
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For Blake's team, Chloe -- who had the highest-charting song in the history of The Voice's Knockout Round -- took the stage with "Thank You" by Dido.
"You know how much I miss having you on my team, because I think you are a total superstar," Miley told the artist, who had been stolen by Blake in a previous round. "I felt like I was at an award show."
Blake said he had never heard "a more well-rounded voice" than hers, adding, "I'll be damned if you're not a star, Chloe."
Also on behalf of Blake's team, Keisha sang "Midnight Train to Georgia" by Gladys Knight & the Pips. Jennifer said her voice can't make a wrong note, as "her voice is like silk."
"I see you headed to the top. That was everything," Jennifer noted, before Blake told viewers watching that if they couldn't see how beautiful that performance was, there's something wrong with them. Blake said Keisha's performance was one of the best he's ever seen on The Voice.
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Team Jennifer's Davon sang "Love On Top" by Beyonce and received a standing ovation from everyone but Blake.
Adam was speechless after the performance and threw his sneaker at the artist, while Jennifer complimented Davon on making the song his own and representing his own artistry well. Jennifer said Davon took the performance to another level while entertaining the crowd.
Another excellent performance belonged to Team Miley's Brooke Simpson, a 26-year-old singer from the Haliwa-Saponi tribe in Hollister, NC who currently resides in Fort Lauderdale, FL.
Brooke performed "Praying" by Kesha and received a standing ovation from everyone but Jennifer. Jennifer, however, told the singer she represents the power of music, and Miley said Brooke is what the show is all about -- and she may end up stealing it.
The rest of the talented Top 12 artists also delivered impressive performances.
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Red Marlow, a 40-year-old construction company owner from Rogersville, AL who currently resides in Dickson, TN; on Blake's team sang "The Church On Cumberland Road" by Shenandoah.
Adam thought Red's performance was "authentic and real," as well as "powerful and strong." Blake loved to see the performance side of Red, how energetic and sexy he can be onstage. Blake thought Red made country music fans very happy last night.
Shi'Ann Jones, a 15-year-old from Paducah, KY, on Jennifer's team then took the stage with "Vision of Love" by Mariah Carey.
Shi'Ann's vocal got both Blake and Jennifer up on their feet, and Jennifer bragged about being the only one who had turned around for this talented artist, who sings with her heart, in the Blind Auditions. Blake said Shi'Ann picked "the perfect time to become the highlight of the show" and he's jealous she's not on his team.
Jon Mero, a 31-year-old corporate singer from Iowa who currently resides in Atlanta, GA -- who represents Adam's team -- performed "Why I Love You" by Major and received a standing ovation from Adam and Miley.
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Miley acknowledged it was the perfect song choice for Jon and exactly how he needed to start the live shows. Miley said he stepped up his game and the overall competition. Adam noted how special Jon is, saying that he's a technically amazing singer, who can modernize classic songs.
For Team Miley, Ashland Craft, a 21-year-old from Piedmont SC, sang "Delta Dawn" by Tanya Tucker.
Jennifer explained that she owned the stage and proved she deserves to be here, while Miley said Ashland showed her "starpower" and the lane she can fill on the show and in country music.
Miley loved how Ashland totally came out of her shell last night and set the standard for the rest of her performances.
Team Adam member Adam Cunningham, a 38-year-old from Nashville, TN, performed "Against All Odds" by Phil Collins.
Cunningham lost his way a little bit in the beginning of the song, but Blake said he made "one heck of a recovery" and ultimately gave "a hell of a performance." Levine told viewers that we're all human who make mistakes, but it's the recovery that counts. He therefore called Cunningham's performance "a victory."
Also for Team Adam, Addison Agen, a 16-year-old from Fort Wayne, IN, sang "She Used To Be Mine" by Sara Bareilles. Miley confessed she had made a mistake in letting Addison go during a previous round because she's "going to be here until the very end." Miley was astounded by how still and confident Addison is onstage for her age.
Adam then told Addison that he voice is incredible and she can be an inspiration to so many young women.
"[You're] a pillar of class, dignity and soulfulness... I think you're one of the most special singers, not just in this competition but in the world," Adam told her.
Noah Mac, a 17-year-old from Dublin, CA, sang "Speed of Sound" by Coldplay on behalf of Jennifer's team. Adam explained that Noah is someone out of the 50s who is trapped in the future. Although Adam said that "freaks" him out, he loved it at the same time.
Adam also called Blake "stupid" for losing Noah from his team this season.
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Jennifer told Noah that he's "a star" and "is it," adding that he's ready to go. Jennifer can see him winning awards and topping the charts in the music industry.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski