The Voice's Top 8 semifinalists sang for their lives during Monday night's performance show in the hope of making the Final 4 in next week's finale.

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The race was close as ever last night, as the remaining eight artists each proved why he or she deserves a spot in the finals. It was an epic showdown of talent after each singer took the stage with a new song and also a duet with a fellow contestant.

One of the night's outstanding performances belonged to Sundance Head, who sang "Love Can Build a Bridge" by The Judds. He received one of the two standing ovations from all four coaches -- Blake Shelton, Adam Levine, Miley Cyrus and Alicia Keys.

Blake told his team member that he's out of compliments for him because he just continues to blow his mind every week. Blake noted there is no one else in the world like him and the uplifting, entertaining performance couldn't have gone any better. Blake said he has so much passion and raw talent.

Sundance was an extremely tough act to follow, but Billy Gilman rose to the occasion on behalf of Adam's team. Billy closed out the show with an impressive execution of "I Surrender" by Celine Dion. He received the other standing ovation from all four coaches.

Adam told Billy that America has seen what he can do and he's the only person who could've followed Sundance's act last night. Adam said all the coaches are "in shock and amazement" over Billy's natural ability, insisting that such a song is even hard for Celine herself to sing.

Adam also revealed Billy is hard-working and incredibly humble behind the scenes. Adam added that no one appreciates The Voice opportunity more than Billy.  

Prior to Sundance and Billy's performances, Adam thought his team member Josh Gallagher -- who sang "Danny's Song" by Loggins & Messina -- had the best performance of the night. Adam said "he nailed it" because he was vocally on point, the song perfectly fit his voice, it was tasteful, and his voice sounded better than ever. Adam acknowledged it was the best timing to have a breakout moment.

Viewers, however, probably had a terrible time choosing whom to vote for because Christian Cuevas, Aaron Gibson, Ali Caldwell, Brendan Fletcher and We McDonald also delivered fantastic performances.

Ali belted out "I Will Always Love You" by Dolly Parton with a mix of Dolly and the late Whitney Houston. Alicia loved it, saying Ali showed power but also restraint when needed. Alicia said it was "almost a perfect performance." Ali's coach Miley was certainly on the same page as Alicia. Miley admitted she's jealous that she wasn't the one up onstage performing that song in that beautiful way.

Christian brought the house down with a soulful and emotional rendition of "To Worship You I Live (Away) by Israel & New Breed. Adam expressed admiration for how Christian is able to wear his emotions on his sleeve, saying it's a wonderful quality to have.

Blake noted that Christian makes the audience feel whatever he is feeling onstage, which is the mark of a true artist. The singer's coach Alicia added that Christian fulfilled his dream by singing that song for millions of viewers and the performance represents him as a human being.

We McDonald rocked the place with "Scars To Your Beautiful" by Alessia Cara. Miley said it was like watching We in concert on her tour because she worked the stage tremendously.

And Alicia was "so, so, so proud" of her for accomplished her own vision for this song. Alicia said We knows what she wants and is her own artist. The audience couldn't stop screaming for We, and Alicia explained home viewers are witnessing the growth of a star on The Voice.

Aaron and Brendan -- who have the deep, raspy voices in the competition -- also came to compete last night and definitely impressed. Since the guys don't belt out high notes or have any tricks, they tend to be forgotten when it comes time to vote. (Aaron fought his way out of the bottom three weeks in a row). So they made sure to stand out this week.

Aaron performed "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You" by Bryan Adams. Miley told her team member that she truly believed what he was singing and the song was very different from anything they've done in the past because he didn't play his guitar. Aaron appeared out of his comfort zone but successfully sang a big, classic, popular song.

Last week, Brendan sang "True Colors" and landed at No. 2 on the iTunes singles chart. Adam therefore figured out that fans love to hear songs that display his vulnerable and emotional side.

As a result, Brendan followed that up with "Angel" by Sarah McLachlan this week. Blake explained that Brendan has had the "most consistent growth over the course of the show" as far as popularity goes and it's because his voice is infectious and has that "warm, gravely" sound.

Adam confessed he's a shameless Brendan supporter and America should vote for the artist if they want to see a different shade or tone in the finale. Adam said Brendan always delivers a pure message because he never strays from being himself.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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