The Voice's eleventh-season Top 12 artists performed for home viewer votes on Monday night's live show and the talent was out of this world.
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While each artist proved why he or she has made it this far in the competition, there were three standout performances from Billy Gilman, a 28-year-old former child country star from Westerly, RI; Ali Caldwell, a 28-year-old from Woodbridge, NJ who currently resides in New York, NY; and Brendan Fletcher, a 26-year-old bartender from Randolph, NJ who currently resides in Brooklyn, NY.
The three contestants each earned a standing ovation from The Voice coaches Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, Miley Cyrus and Alicia Keys.
Billy sang "The Show Must Go On" by Queen. Blake told Billy it was amazing and he's a million times a better singer as an adult than he was as a child country singer.
Adam, Billy's coach, told viewers that the artist is the epitome of The Voice because his vocal ability is astounding and his emotional conviction is to be admired considering what he's been through so much in attempt to stay relevant in the music industry. Adam called Billy "truly special" and said this show is only the beginning for him.
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Team Miley's Ali Caldwell wowed with a performance of "Did I Ever Love You" by Leonard Cohen. Ali seemed unsure about the song, but Miley asked her team member to trust her, and the risk certainly paid off. Alicia told Ali that she had "a real moment" on the stage and let everyone into a special place inside of her. Miley expressed her pride in Ali for conquering a scary and challenging song.
Brendan Fletcher sang "Whipping Post" by The Allman Brothers Band on behalf of Team Adam. Blake noted that a battle is brewing between Brendan and Aaron Gibson since they bring brand new voices to the show. Adam, however, didn't see it as a contest and told fans that Brendan absolutely deserves to be voted through to next week.
As for the other performers, Sundance Head, a 37-year-old musician from Houston, TX who currently resides in Porter, TX, sang "My Church" by Maren Morris for Team Blake. Alicia told him that he's spectacular and tends to raise the bar each week for his competition. The coaches agreed he pours his heart and soul into every vocal. Al)
Darby Walker, a 17-year-old from Atlanta, GA, belted out a haunting version of "Ruby Tuesday" by The Rolling Stones. Blake complimented the artist on showing off her full voice, rather than just her falsetto, and Miley said her team member represents "being free, the only way to be."
Christian Cuevas, a 20-year-old college student from Rochester, NY who currently resides in Orlando, FL, took the stage with "The Scientist" by Coldplay. Adam said he wishes Christian was on his team, and the artist's coach, Alicia, expressed how he makes every song his own and certainly nailed this one.
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Also for Team Alicia, Sa'Rayah, a 28-year-old from Chicago, IL who currently resides in Country Club Hills, IL, sang "Livin' On A Prayer" by Bon Jovi. Miley enjoyed watching Sa'Rayah rock out and jump out of her comfort zone, and Alicia noted how wowed she was by Sa'Rayah as a vocalist and "true artist."
Austin Allsup, a 32-year-old from Fort Worth, TX who currently resides in Springtown, TX, performed "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man" by Aretha Franklin on behalf of Blake's team. The coaches seemed to think this was Austin's best performance of the season, and Blake said he can out-sing mostly all of the artists in country's new generation.
We McDonald, a 17-year-old from Paterson, NJ, belted out "Take Me To Church" by Hozier. Miley appreciated We's newfound confidence, and Alicia went crazy cheering over the performance. Alicia told her team member that she's the "real deal," someone whom no one could ever forget.
Aaron Gibson, a 25-year-old from Atlanta, GA who currently resides in Kennesaw, GA, performed "Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings" by Father John Misty. Adam gushed about how he has a responsibility to be a singer because his voice is so unique. In fact, Adam said it would be a disservice to the world if Aaron chose not to perform for a living.
Blake joked that if Godzilla could sing, Aaron's voice is what it would sound like. Blake noted Aaron is breaking new ground on the show with his original voice. And finally, Miley told her artist that he can fill the lane Father John Misty is in.
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Courtney Harrell, a 36-year-old professional songwriter from Boston, MA who currently resides in Los Angeles, CA, took the stage with "I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith. Alicia said Courtney really went for it and has grown a lot in this competition. Her coach, Blake, said it was evident in that moment he had made the right choice to save her from elimination.
Josh Gallagher, a 25-year-old from Johnstown, PA who crrently resides in Nashville, TN, sang "Why" by Jason Aldean on behalf of Adam's team. Blake, who previously let Josh go, admitted he's not sure whether he had made the right choice, however, he deserved to be in this competition no matter what. And Adam said it's been a pleasure working with him because no one works harder and "needs it more" than him.
The Voice's Top 11 artists will be determined during Tuesday night's live results show on NBC and the "Instant Save" will return.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski