by Todd Betzold

 

The Knockout Rounds kicked off last night on The Voice and it was fun and scary to watch. We are down to the 40 best singers on Season 3 and now they are going head-to-head singing a song of their choice with only 20 of them making the live shows. It's sad to say goodbye to some of them, but this is intense stuff and I love it!

 

Team Christina: Devyn DeLoera vs. Laura Vivas
Devyn: "I Have Nothing" by Whitney Houston
Laura: "I Need To Know" by Marc Anthony
Christina said she just wants to her Devyn's voice, but is worried nerves could play into it. Laura wants to show off her Latin-ness, which is why she picked her song. Whitney is a huge person to take on and Devyn fell short. She has a good voice, but it is only alright. Laura went up there and was some Latin fire. She has spunk and she had sass and sang some Spanish and I loved it. Christina thought Laura had bam and Devyn is ambitious and feels one of them can benefit from her coaching more and she picks Devyn.

 

Team Christina: Adriana Louise vs. Celica Westbrook
Adriana: "Already Gone" by Kelly Clarkson
Celica: "Never Say Never" by Justin Bieber
Adriana wanted to show more emotion and show another side to her, but Christina wanted more emotion and begging in the song. Celica wanted a younger song and something with more of a punch. Adriana won me over in her battle and sings a great song and has strong vocals with a big voice. Celica hasn't been shown much this season, but she has a good voice and she showed some confidence on the stage and I liked her, but I think Adriana outshined her. Christina said both showed improvement in their performance, but she picks Adriana.

 

Team Christina: Alessandra Guercio vs. Dez Duron
Alessandra: "Take A Bow" by Rihanna
Dez: "Stuck On You" by Lionel Richie
This is a battle of two different styles for Christina and Alessandra is one of Christina's steals. Christina wanted to work with Alessandra on her confidence, so will it work? Dez ran out of breath during his rehearsal, as did many girls watching him did! Alessandra sounds good, but I think the song was too powerful for her and not as strong as she was in her battle. The song for Dez was nothing special, but has no big wow moments in it and he seems out of place on Christina's team, which means she'll keep him. Christina said she is torn about this one and she picks Dez to move forward.

 

Team Christina: Chevonne vs. De'Borah
Chevonne: "Dancing With Myself" by Billy Idol
De'Borah: "You Found Me" by The Fray
I love me some De'Borah, so she better take this thing! Chevonne is the other steal for Christina from Team Cee Lo. Chevonne is entertaining on the stage, but I am not a fan of the song and her vocals. De'Borah digs deep for her performance and shows a lot of emotion and I loved it. Cee Lo said he would love to have both of them on his team, which Chevonne said she was! Christina loves them both dearly, but she picks De'Borah for the live shows!

 

Team Christina: Aquile vs. Sylvia Yacoub
Aquile: "Grenade" by Bruno Mars
Sylvia: "Fighter" by Christina Aguilera
This is a tough one for me, as I am a fan of both of these. So, Sylvia sings one of her coach's own song? Kissing butt a little??? Aquile has such a great voice and those eyes bring you into his performance. Sylvia has some sass and I loved it. She worked it on that stage and put a little twist to the song here and there and I enjoyed it. She ran out of breath at times, which could hurt her. Christina said they both took on big songs, but she picks Sylvia for the live shows.

 

Team Christina for the live shows: Devyn DeLoera, Adriana Louise, Dez Duron, De'Borah and Sylvia Yacoub. Does anyone else think that Cee Lo may be drunk right now?

 

Team Blake: Gracia Harrison vs. Liz Davis
Gracia: "Don't Want To Miss A Thing" by Aerosmith
Liz: "Gunpowder & Lead" by Miranda Lambert
Blake wants to bring a country singer to the finals and the best to do that is not to split the vote, so he puts them against each other. So, country artists singing rock? Blake is worried. Blake's expectations are high for Liz, since it is his wife's song. Gracia may have sang a rock song, but she put a country twist on it and hit some amazing notes, so rock on girl! This is so hard because Liz brought the attitude needed for that song and they were both so good. Blake feels Liz has a better grasp on who she wants to be as an artist and he picks her for the live shows.

 

Team Blake: Rudy Parris vs. Terry McDermott
Rudy: "Forever" by Chris Brown
Terry: "Maybe I'm Amazed" by Paul McCartney
This is a battle of the rockers for Team Blake. He is worried about Rudy being able to sell a Chris Brown song. I think Rudy has such a great voice, but it is lost in a song that is known to be a younger generation song that is popular right now. On the other hand, Terry picks the perfect song and rocks it. Terry knows who he is as an artist and Blake picks him over Rudy for the live shows.

 

Team Blake: Collin McLoughlin vs. Michaela Paige
Collin: "Breakeven" by The Script
Michaela: "Love Is A Battlefield" by Pat Benatar
Collin is Blake's first steal of the night, so will he save his or let them go like Christina did tonight with her saves? Collin is great and entertaining, but I think he is up against a strong competitor. Both the songs lacked any big wow moments, so I am going with Michaela. Blake said he heard great things from both, but it comes down to what he is into the most and he picks Michaela.

 

Team Blake: Julio Cesar Castillo vs. MarissaAnn
Julio: "Somebody to Love" by Justin Bieber
MarissaAnn: "Lady Marmalade" by Patti LaBelle
Latin versus Pop for this pairing and it seems like Blake has a wide variety of singers, so that could be a good thing for him during the live shows. Last night was Taylor Swift night and tonight it is all about Justin Bieber. Blake stole MarissaAnn from Team Christina because he saw potential in her at only 15 years old. I like Julio and his different style he brings to the show and I am a fan. MarissaAnn worked it out with that song and had so much fire for a 15 year old. Blake said it was dead-even and he has more time invested in Julio and he goes with him for the live shows.

 

Team Blake: Cassadee Pope vs. Suzanna Choffel
Cassadee: "Payphone" by Maroon 5
Suzanna: "Could You Be Loved" by Bob Marley
On paper, this seems like an easy victory for Cassadee, but you never know with how Blake is picking tonight. Suzanna is worried about not having a vocal moment in the song, so that could hurt her. It started slow for me with Cassadee, but she ends strong. Okay, I change my mind on Suzanna. It was fun and upbeat and I enjoyed it, but I gotta go with Cassadee. Blake thought Suzanna's song choice hurt her and he picks Cassadee for the live shows.

 

Team Blake for the live shows: Liz Davis, Terry McDermott, Michaela Paige, Julio Cesar Castillo and Cassadee Pope.

 

The Voice airs Mondays and Tuesdays at 8/7c on NBC.

 

(Image courtesy of NBC)

 

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