by Jessica Blackwell

Last night was the semi-finals of The Voice, and not only did each contestant perform two solo songs, they also took a trip back to their hometown to visit their old stomping grounds and hold concerts in their community. 

Damien headed back to Monroe, LA to reunite with his family and co-workers. As we know, Damien and his co-workers have been through alot together so they're super tight and everyone was happy to see him. He also went back to his old high school and gave the kids an inspirational speech about never giving up on your dreams and performed a concert later that evening with the choir from the school. On stage, he performed Michael Jackson's "She's Out of My Life" and Paula Cole's "I Don't Want to Wait". I didn't care for the choice of the latter, but true to Damien form he made it his own. Blake called his "She's Out of My Life" performance one the "the most perfect" performances ever done on The Voice Stage. 

Craig performed "Working Man Blues"  and The Old Rugged Cross and Pharrell said he really knows how to work a stage. There really isn't much to say about Craig - he's a damn professional. When he headed home to Nashville, he was looking forward to seeing his son but was pleasantly surprised to find that his parents flew in from Dallas to see him as well. 

Gwen commented again that Taylor was hard to coach because he has a distinct style. What that really means is that he's hard to coach because his style is nothing like hers. Either way, his haunting, dark melodies work for him. He performed "Falling Slowly" and a slowed down version of Taylor Swift's "Blank Space". Blank Space was a smart choice because it's a new song that is climbing the charts and everyone loves. The crowd wouldn't stop cheering long enough to let the coaches get a word in edgewise! 

Matt headed back to New Jersey see his family and the students he used to teach at the music store in town. He also gave an interview about his experiences on The Voice on NBC10 and performed a concert. For his performances, he did "Make it Rain" and " I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For."

One of Chris's performances turned out to be the most surprising of all. His first performance was "Sugar" by Maroon Five, which is to be their next single. I don't even think Adam has performed it live yet and although he and Chris have different voice types, it was a great rendition. The song allowed him to display an amazing falsetto that no one even knew he had! When Chris went home, he found his entire family at the house wearing "Team Chris" t-shirts. It made him so emotional he was struggling not to cry as he thanked them for his support. His last performance was "When I Was Your Man" by Bruno Mars. 

Tomorrow some of the past contestants return to the stage and get a chance to re-join the competition and we find out who the finalists are! Stay tuned! 

The Voice airs Mondays and Tuesdays at 8pm EST on NBC. 

(Image Courtesy of NBC)