The Voice's Top 10 artists took the stage on Monday night and the two best performances, which belonged to Sundance Head and Ali Caldwell, were saved for last.
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Sundance, a 37-year-old musician from Houston, TX who currently resides in Porter, TX, and Ali, a 28-year-old from Woodbridge, NJ who currently resides in New York, NY, received standing ovations from Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, Miley Cyrus and Alicia Keys after singing songs that couldn't have been more different from each other.
Sundance took the stage with "Me and Jesus" by Tom T. Hall. Alicia said Sundance has her heart while he simultaneously steals hearts around the world. She said she feels "at home" listening to him. Sundance's coach Blake then congratulated him on a unique and uplifting performance unlike anything The Voice viewers have seen in 11 seasons.
Ali belted out "Without You" by Harry Nilsson. Her coach Miley explained how Ali has the biggest voice and the song took her back to the Blind Auditions when she felt she had already won The Voice just by snagging Ali for her team. Miley admitted her new goal in life is to make Ali the biggest star in the world because she already is and deserves to shine and be heard.
Billy Gilman, a 28-year-old former child country star from Westerly, RI, delivered another standout performance although that's to be expected of him at this point in the competition. Billy sang "Anyway" by Martina McBride.
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Blake told Billy that he's so good at singing country music even though he wants to take his career down a pop lane. Due to his incredible range and talent, Blake confessed Martina is one of the few vocalists with a song that can do Billy's voice justice.
Miley revealed Billy makes her nervous as a coach because he may be the winner of The Voice. Finally, Billy's coach Adam said he was astounded once again and can't explain how special the artist is. Adam said Billy accomplished a "remarkable feat" and blew him away.
Several of this season's rockers gave viewers a glimpse of their softer, more vulnerable side. By diving into slower tunes, Austin Allsup, a 32-year-old from Fort Worth, TX who currently resides in Springtown, TX; Aaron Gibson, a 25-year-old from Atlanta, GA who currently resides in Kennesaw, GA; and Brendan Fletcher, a 26-year-old bartender from Randolph, NJ who currently resides in Brooklyn, NY, showed more to their personalities.
Austin took the stage with "Missing You" by John Waite. Miley said she didn't know what came over her because she got very teary-eyed during the song. Miley said she really believed Austin and it was a powerful performance. His coach Blake agreed the song was emotional and he managed to make a classic song his own.
Aaron sang "Rocket Man" by Elton John, and Adam noted he's establishing himself as an artist and is a big fan. Aaron's coach Miley explained that Adam doesn't say something if he doesn't mean it, adding that Aaron doesn't need fire, glitter and glam onstage to deliver a compelling performance -- all he needs is his voice and guitar.
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Brendan performed "True Colors" by Cyndi Lauper. His version became Miley's new favorite song, as she admitted interest in downloading it on iTunes and listening to the tune on repeat. Adam then gushed about how his team member is the first person this season to take a song and artistically twist it into something original and special. Adam noted Brendan is valuable and was totally in his element.
Christian Cuevas, a 20-year-old college student from Rochester, NY who currently resides in Orlando, FL, also took an emotional approach to the performance show by belting out "Million Reasons" by Lady Gaga.
Blake said the powerful vocal was probably timely enough to advance him into the semifinals. It was clear the coaches had been waiting for this moment from Christian, and his coach Alicia was so proud, saying an artist was born that night.
Courtney Harrell, a 36-year-old professional songwriter from Boston, MA who currently resides in Los Angeles, CA; Josh Gallagher, a 25-year-old from Johnstown, PA who currently resides in Nashville, TN; and We McDonald, a 17-year-old from Paterson, NJ, appeared to have the most fun onstage last night.
Courtney sang the 80s hit "If I Could Turn Back Time" by Cher and she totally came alive. Alicia called Courtney's voice "relentless" and said she took the term "expected" and turned it on its head. Her coach Blake admitted it was like a brand new artist dropped into the Top 10 because her personality came through like never before.
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On behalf of "Team Adam," Josh performed "Real Good Man" by Tim McGraw, and even The Voice host Carson Daly said it looked like he had a blast on the stage. Alicia told the artist he was in his element and own skin, controlling the energy in the room. Adam insisted a country star was born.
We McDonald wowed per usual with her soulful rendition of "God Bless the Child" by Billie Holiday. Alicia gushed about how there's nobody like her, and at 17, her talent is a beautiful thing that should be appreciated and honored. We managed to belt out some opera, soul, jazz and pop in this song, bursting through home viewers' hearts.
On The Voice's upcoming Tuesday night results show, two artists will be eliminated from the competition. Season 11's semifinals begin next week.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski