‘The Voice’ Recap: Miley Said Knock You Out
Last Friday, it was announced that Miley Cyrus would be a new Voice coach in Season 11 – prompting a stream of smoke from the nostrils of irate viewers (and irate journalists who had to cover the news on a Friday night; thanks, NBC!), and a stream of Miley hate in the Reality Rocks comments section. But when the Artist Formerly Known As Hannah Montana served as this 10th season’s key advisor during the Knockout Rounds this Monday – wearing an incredible rainbow pantsuit, I might add – she just may have turned some haters into Smilers.
“Miley relates to every genre of music, and she has a working knowledge of all of those things. She’s performed pop music, she came from country roots, and she can share that knowledge with all these artists,” Blake Shelton declared in the show’s opening, which was basically an unofficial infomercial for Miley’s future Voice run. But you know what? The man had a point. He wasn’t just saying that because there was (probably) vodka in his on-set Starbucks cup.
This Monday, Miley gave actionable, actually intelligent advice – none of which involved posing nude for Terry Richardson, twerking on Robin Thicke, straddling wrecking balls, licking hammers, or collaborating with Wayne Coyne. (Although I would have been OK with that last pointer, had she suggested it.) She seemed to take her job seriously, and she didn’t look out of place in her spinning red chair. If this is how Miley acts once she’s a permanent panelist this fall, she may give her fellow new castmate, the more conservative and classy Alicia Keys, some stiff competition.
(Side note: I still recall with a chuckle, back in Season 6, when Adam Levine temporarily went platinum-blond and Blake kept calling him “Miley.” Well, this Monday, Adam sported a day-after-Easter pastel pink ‘do. I’d like to think I gave him the idea, as evidenced by this hair-raising Season 6 red carpet interview.)
Anyway, here’s how the Miley-mentored first Knockouts of Season 10 went down…
TEAM BLAKE: Angie Keilhauer vs. Paxton Ingram
If there was ever proof that song choice is crucial on The Voice, this showdown was it. Paxton came in like a wrecking ball, singing Adele’s master-class 19 ballad “Hometown Glory.” Meanwhile, Angie did a song by Sam Hunt, a man known for talking through most of his songs (and the man who practically ruined last season’s Voice finale with his genuinely terrible performance). Blake warned Angie not to do the Sam song, “Take Your Time,” but she insisted that her arrangement would showcase her unique strengths. She was wrong.
As Pharrell Williams said later in the night, the Knockouts was the time to “go big or go home.” Angie – spoiler alert – did the latter.
In rehearsal, Miley gave Paxton some suggestions about keeping his vocal tricks to a minimum (so as not to dilute their impact), and recommended that he emphasize not just the song’s high notes, but the low notes, too, because of his rich tone. Sound advice. Miley also helped Angie work out the “Take Your Time” arrangement to make it more melodic, and did a solid job with that, too. But in the end, no matter what, it was hard to imagine Angie’s risky song choice paying off. Sam Hunt is not what you pick for the Knockouts. I think Miley and especially Blake should have pushed harder for Angie to do a different song, but for whatever reason, Angie’s mind was made up.
Angie performed first. She was better than I’d expected (certainly more listenable than Sam’s novelty version), but the easy-breezy tune, paired with her already laid-back style, resulted in an underwhelming performance. Then Paxton came out, all emotive with his distinctively keening pop/R&B voice and his Blue Steel smize. His high notes, low notes, and every note in between sounded perfect and, as Adam noted, “like no one else.” This was no contest.
(Angie, ain’t it time we said goodbye? But we can say you never tried, because you pretty much threw this round away. What a shame.)
WINNER: Paxton Ingram
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TEAM ADAM: Owen Danoff vs. Ryan Quinn
In one of Adam’s typically bizarro decisions that made me wonder if that pink hair-dye had seeped into his brain, he pitted two of his four-chair-turners against each other. Blake wasted no time in gleefully pointing out Adam’s stupidity, while making up new nicknames for his rival, most of which had to do with Strawberry Shortcake dolls. Adam makes it too darn easy sometimes.
I have to say, I fully expected Ryan to clobber Owen in this round. Perhaps I’d underestimated Owen because his dad was in the 1970s’ cringeworthy lite-radio act Starland Vocal Band, or because he got montaged in the Battles. But even Owen admitted that he was intimidated by hunky frontrunner Ryan.
However, once Owen started crooning a lovely, truly sweet, and actually modern-sounding version of Billy Joel’s “She’s Always a Woman,” the game changed. Miley’s advice to keep the gentle ballad “small” and draw in the [female, swooning] listener was brilliant. And this was a perfect song choice for Owen, proving that The Voice doesn’t always have to be about brash, brassy belting. Owen was even giving me Matt McAndrew vibes during his performance. (That’s a major compliment, coming from me, by the way.)
Meanwhile, Ryan did Train’s tired, blowhardy “Drops of Jupiter.” Despite Miley’s suggestion that he think of his special-needs students during his performance, in order to drum up some emotion, this just felt empty, like a mere technical exercise – especially after the quiet strength of Owen’s unexpectedly tender performance. Yes, “Drops of Jupiter” showcased the fact that Ryan can sang (better than Owen can), but something just felt… missing.
“If I’m just weighing what I just saw and who was more invested in the song and the lyric, I believed Owen,” Blake said. Adam agreed, “went with his heart,” and declared Owen the victor. But come on, we all knew Ryan wasn’t going anywhere; the guy was prime Steal bait. I’m actually surprised only Christina Aguilera tried to steal him. I’m not sure if she’s the right coach to help Ryan tap into his sensitive side – Christina has been guilty of blowhardiness herself – but for now, I’m just relieved that both guys are still in the running. However, I think Owen may be the new male “frontrunner” of this season.
WINNER: Owen Danoff
STOLEN: Ryan Quinn moves to Team Xtina
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TEAM PHARRELL: Malik Heard vs. Hannah Huston
Malik admitted that he struggles with shyness. Hannah, a sweet schoolteacher, needed a little more swagger. If there was anyone who could help both contestants with these issues, it was the definitely-not-shy, definitely swaggerocious Miley.
Miley seemed to bring out the best in Hannah, coaxing out her inner rock chick with tips on how to work a mic stand and wail on those power notes. Hannah’s “House of the Rising Sun” was absolutely phenomenal. I knew the girl could sing, but I never expected such edge, such fire, or such ferocity from her. This woman doesn’t belong in a classroom, clapping erasers; she belongs onstage, with thousands of adoring fans clapping for her. The coaches gave her a standing ovation, with Adam declaring, “That was bonkers; you completely just brought the house down.”
Malik’s “Isn’t She Lovely” was smooth and pleasant, but following Hannah’s rock-goddess tour de force, it was an inevitable letdown. Adam’s main praise of the performance was that Malik had seemed “unfazed” by Hannah. I wasn’t at all surprised that Hannah won this Knockout – but I do think one of the other coaches should have given him Malik a second chance and stolen him. He had the misfortune of the wrong song choice and wrong Knockout partner, but he had potential.
WINNER: Hannah Huston
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TEAM BLAKE: Katie Basden vs. Lacy Mandigo
This was an exciting girl-powered duel, with Katie taking on the Mirage-era Fleetwood Mac epic “Gypsy” and Lacy serving some ‘90s alt-rock realness with the Cranberries’ howling “Zombie.” Blake seemed more excited about Lacy at first, practically declaring her the savior of rock ‘n’ roll, but as the rehearsals progressed, it became clear that this would be a close call. Both girls impressed.
Katie went first, and her risky rearrangement of the Mac classic paid off. She definitely made the song her own, putting a bluegrassy, Trisha Yearwood-esque spin on the early-MTV staple. There were a couple pitch problems, but her creativity held my interest. As for Lacy, she didn’t quite bring the unhinged Goth drama to “Zombie” that I’d expected from this self-declared rock chick. She really needed to throw herself fearlessly into her performance, but instead she did something that felt more karaoke to me. Surprisingly, she lacked charisma.
Blake kept Katie, but I really did not expect that both Pharrell and Adam would try to steal Lacy. I think Lacy made the right decision by joining Team Pharrell. He just might be the guy to bring out her inner weirdness and make her a little more interesting.
WINNER: Katie Basden
STOLEN: Lacy Mandigo moves to Team Pharrell
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TEAM XTINA: Alisan Porter vs. Daniel Passino
Daniel was definitely the odd man out here, since Miley, Christina, and Alisan are all former child stars who’ve struggled personally on their way to womanhood. Everything about this Knockout, in fact, seemed to favor Alisan. Daniel must have been pretty bummed when he found out which contestant he’d be up against.
After showcasing her over-the-top belting (some might even say shouting) in her last two performances, Alisan did something very smart this week: She pulled back with Joni Mitchell’s hushed and vulnerable “River,” accompanied only by a piano, proving that she’s not all about glory notes and showing off. This number was tender, emotional, and simply gorgeous. I don’t know if I’ve ever heard the Voice studio sound so pindrop-silent. It was like everyone in the audience held their breath for the duration of this exquisite performance.
Daniel’s hokey song choice, “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg,” wasn’t doing him any favors, especially since even he admitted it didn’t represent what he wants to do musically. (Daniel fancies himself more the Justin Timberlake type. Good luck with that, Daniel.) It was technically proficent, but this performance was so corny, it may as well have been sponsored by Mazola; so whitebread, it could have been sponsored by Wonder; so cheesy, I wondered if he’d made a deal with Velveeta. You get the picture. Timberlake, this guy is not. Pharrell, who said he would have gone in for a Steal if he had any Steals left, said Daniel “slayed that,” was “something special,” and “fought his way out of that corner” – but I disagreed.
But honestly, I think Daniel could have given the performance of his life and still have lost to Alisan. He was just a goner from the get-go. I felt bad for him when he was eliminated – he seemed to take the news very hard, and was too choked-up to even speak – but clearly Christina made the right decision here.
And then Pharrell called Alisan a “unicorn,” thus further cementing her status as the Jordan Smith of Season 10.
WINNER: Alisan Porter
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TEAM PHARRELL: Shalyah Fearing vs. Emily Keener
It was a battle (or, OK, Knockout) between young girls with old souls, with Shalyah doing Martina McBride’s heartfelt “A Broken Wing” and Emily doing the second Joni song of the night, “Big Yellow Taxi.” Emily’s song was well-chosen, as she delivered her steadiest, most on-pitch vocal of the season and showcased a lighter, girlier side of her personality. “Charming” would be the best way to describe this.
(Side note: Emily auditoned with “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” and did “Big Yellow Taxi” this week. Will Coldplay’s “Yellow” be next? “Yellow Submarine”? “Yellow Rose of Texas”? I suppose any of those would be a better choice than Tony Orlando’s “Tie a Yellow Ribbon ‘Round the Old Oak Tree.”)
Shalyah, not a country singer by trade, put a gospel twist on the Martina ballad, and she also impressed, even more so than Emily. Fearing was fearless. Aside from her major voice, she exhibited so much confidence and charisma onstage, especially for someone so young and inexperienced. “I really thought this was the finale show, and you’d just won The Voice,” raved Christina.
However, in the shocker of the night, Pharrell “went with his gut” and kept Emily; although he had an undeniably tough decision, I really thought Shalyah’s evangelical powerhouse performance would have sealed the deal for her. (Emily seemed as shocked by this outcome as anyone, actually.) But thankfully, Adam stole Shalyah. It may seem like an odd pairing – Emily would have been a more natural fit for Team Adam – and it’s a shame that Shalyah, like Lacy, has already been passed around among three coaches. But I’m just glad she’s still in the game. I still think she could make it to the finale, if Adam can figure out what to do with her.
WINNER: Emily Keener
STOLEN: Shalyah Fearing moves to Team Adam
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So you know what that means? We’re only one night into the Knockouts, and already three of the coaches (everyone but Blake) have used up their Steals. This is a concern, because there are still a few great singers – like Team Blake’s own Adam Wakefield and Mary Sarah – who haven’t sung yet. And now they’re performing without a safety net. Hopefully the coaches will be extra-thoughtful about their Knockout Rounds decisions going forward.
Come back Tuesday, when the Knockouts continue apace, and Miley and her amazing Technicolor jumpsuit continue to impress. See you then!
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