'The Voice' Top 11 Recap: Austin's Powers

Monday’s top 11 Voice episode was a night of highs and lows, hits and misses, bad one-liners and awkward Kohl’s fashion segments with Christina Grimmie and Sugar Joans. But it was all leading up to one of the best and most deserved uses in recent Voice memory of what is known in the biz as the “pimp spot.”

Jeffery Austin – the redheaded blue-eyed soul dynamo that, incredibly, started off this season as a one-chair-turning also-ran – closed Monday’s show, and stole the show, with an astounding Robyn cover. And it was so brilliant, I’m not going to wait until the end of this recap to mention it. I’m just going to cut to the chase. My blog, my rules.

Belting a ballad version of Swedish electropop goddess Robyn’s club hit “Dancing on My Own,” Jeffery effectively, exquisitely emphasized every little bit of yearning and sadness in the song. You could hear the aching in his voice. You could see it in his eyes as he worked the camera. This felt so real. I actually wondered if someone specific was on Jeffery’s mind while he sang this. But regardless of who that person might have been, I was pleased that Jeffery, who is openly gay, changed Robyn’s lyrics to make the song more personal. Normally I hate it when a singer switches up a song’s pronouns, but this time, I felt it was a brave and bold move that worked.

While Jeffery’s performance was clearly inspired by Kings of Leon’s bluesy, dirge-y “Dancing” remake from 2013, he definitely made the song his own. And he gave Robyn props, too, joking, “As a gay man, getting sing to Robyn on national television is a dream come true.”

As a longtime Robyn fan and Voice fan, watching someone as amazing as Jeffery sing this song on national television was a dream come true for me. And it would be a dream if – as Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, and Jeffery’s joyfully weeping coach Gwen Stefani predicted – Jeffery won this season. I want his album. And I want that album to be titled Jeffery Sings the Songs of Robyn, please.

OK, and now, on to the rest of our regularly scheduled recap…

Shelby Brown (Team Adam)

Lady Gaga’s “You and I” might have seemed like a risky choice for this country girl. But the song is kind of countryish (it’s about a “cool Nebraska guy,” and Gaga’s video for the single took place in some sort of space-age barn), and it was a good showcase for the more rockin’ side of Shelby. Although it took a minute for Shelby to rev things up, once she tapped into her growling inner Little Monster, it was on. To use a word Blake seems to like so much, this was badass.

Blake actually declared this his favorite Shelby performance so far. Pharrell Williams said she hit the stage like she “came out of a cannon.” And Shelby’s coach, Adam, along with making a bunch of empty promises to buy Shelby a pet giraffe, amusingly berated the studio audience’s epically failed attempt to clap along in time. In a weird way, this was a compliment coming from Adam, because seriously, Shelby’s ability to power through this performance without getting thrown off by the arrhythmic audience was impressive.

Evan McKeel (Team Pharrell)

When I learned that Evan would be doing the Michael Jackson-popularized Charlie Chaplin standard “Smile,” I groaned. What is up with Pharrell’s old-fashioned song choices this season? (Or every season?) So yes, I braced myself for another hokey musical theater performance from Evan. But instead, I got a pleasant surprise.

While I do wish Evan had gone deeper and been a little more raw and emotional here, this was still his most vulnerable, and, ironically, most modern performance to date. His a cappella intro was lovely; the orchestral accompaniment was sweet and tasteful; the delivery was understated and pure; and while I could have done without that random, distracting shadow-dancer in the background, I suppose she added an artsy touch.

Gwen gushed about the special “something” in Evan’s voice and said this was her favorite performance from him so far. (“Favorite/best performance so far” was a recurring theme and go-to critique this Monday.) Blake, oddly, seemed to pay more attention to the dancing “girl in the aquarium” than to Evan, but he called Evan a “pro.” Proud coach Pharrell of course offered the most effusive praise, saying, “I think the difference between today’s performance and any other time is today I feel like you let people in. That was a super-intimate moment that allowed you to connect.” I agreed with Pharrell. This was the first time that I really connected with Evan all season.

Barrett Baber (Team Blake)

Doing Tanya Tucker’s “Delta Dawn” was a big risk for Barrett – this was a rock ‘n’ soul version of a gender-flipped oldie. Blake made it clear that the song choice was all Barrett’s, but that he supported Barrett 100 percent. I was intrigued. Perhaps Barrett was about to become The Voice’s country answer to David Cook?

Well, no. Not so much. While the coaches adored this performance, I was disappointed. Rehearsal footage showed Barrett wailing on an electric guitar, all Casey James-style, yet onstage his guitar was nowhere to be seen. His flat, karaoke performance lacked any charisma or churchy soul, and when the choir singers came in halfway through, Barrett got lost in the shuffle. I barely noticed him after that.

However, Gwen raved that Barrett was “manning the stage.” Adam called him “awesome” and said he loved this new “showman” side of his personality. Blake monosyllabically hollered and grunted and whooped it up like Barrett had already won Season 9. Um, were the coaches and I even watching the same show? I thought this version of “Delta Dawn” did not shine at all.

Korin Bukowski (Team Gwen)

“There’s no one here that has evolved the way you have,” Gwen told Korin on Monday. Well, if by “evolved” Gwen meant “creepily transformed into my platinum-blonde clone,” then sure, Korin has definitely evolved. But when Korin later said she hadn’t been “feeling like herself” the past two weeks, her comment was not lost on me.

Come on, Korin began this season as a quirky boho nerdy-girl with an affinity for wide-brimmed Taylor John Williams hats… and now she basically looks like a L.A.M.B. catalog model. Her metamorphosis has been jarring and weird, and I don’t think it’s helped America connect with her at all. Korin only made it to the top 12 as Gwen’s personal pick, and last week, she was in the bottom two and almost went home.

This week, a drippy early-2000s Mandy Moore song assignment seemed like yet another baffling decision from Korin’s coach. But the A Walk to Remember ballad “Only Hope” actually worked pretty nicely with Korin’s fragile little baby-voice and Bambi-eyed persona. She still wasn’t the cool girl I remembered – there was something very Glee, very Christmas-special about this – but there was a connection and commitment here that seemed to be missing from Korin’s last couple performances. Sadly, though, I still don’t think “Only Hope” is the kind of song that will sell on iTunes. There’s not much hope for Korin to survive another week.

Anyway, Pharrell praised Korin for “coming into her own.” Ha. Adam praised Korin and Gwen (mostly Gwen, really) for “molding and shaping her identity as a singer.” OK, Adam, whatever you say. Honestly, I don’t think Korin will be able to forge her own identity, or reclaim her old one, until she escapes her coach’s nail-art-manicured clutches and leaves The Voice – which will probably happen this Tuesday.

Amy Vachal (Team Adam)

After finally entering this century with a game-changing “Hotline Bling” cover last week, jazzy chanteuse Amy continued to establish her relevance with a winsome ukulele remake of Taylor Swift’s “Blank Space” this week. While her take on the song was a little too sweet – Taylor’s original had more humor, more snark, and the tiniest touch of woman-scorned, bunny-boiling menace – there was a cutesy Joey Cook/Postmodern Jukebox feel here that I enjoyed. Amy, along with Madi Davis and Jeffery Austin, is one of only a handful of Season 9 contestants who’s ever made a genuine effort to change up her songs (no, Barrett Baber’s “Delta Dawn” does not count), and that effort should be applauded.

Blake, after suggesting that Amy cover his novelty hit “Boys 'Round Here” (DO NOT LISTEN TO HIM, AMY), got serious and praised Amy’s lower register. Pharrell then begged America to download Amy’s “Blank Space,” though I don’t think his plea was necessary (this creative cover is the sort of fare that always sells well). And Adam told Amy, “You completely triumphed.”

After a couple of iffy weeks, including one when Amy almost didn’t make the top 12 at all, I think she’s turning into a contender – just as long as she steers clear of too-obvious trad jazz standards and, of course, “Boys 'Round Here.”

Zach Seabaugh (Team Adam)

Zach’s thoroughly enjoyable “Brand New Girlfriend” performance from a couple weeks ago, which was basically a very good Elvis impersonation, is beginning to look like a fluke now. Maybe Elvis has left the building for good.

For the second week in a row, Zach relied way too heavily on his pretty 17-year-old face and ability to charm the front row of NBC-casted female seat-fillers. This resulted in yet another mediocre performance. Zach/Blake’s song choice this Monday, Thompson Square’s “Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not?,” also seemed pandering; Gwen even semi-joked, “That was cheating, because you already have all the cute girls that want to vote for you, and then you do a song like that!”

As the other coaches made silly comments about Zach’s matinee-idol good looks, the whole scenario reminded me of an actual Idol, Sam Woolf from American Idol Season 13, who was obnoxiously branded as that season’s token teen heartthrob and could never live it down. Of course, Zach seems a lot more comfortable with that tag than shy, socially awkward Sam ever did. But still. We do not need to be constantly reminded of how handsome Zach is, or how much the girlies love him, or how young he is. We have eyes, after all. What we need is for Zach to offer something that’s pleasing to our ears.

Madi Davis (Team Pharrell)

Finally the episode got going when this amazing lady showed up. Really, every time Madi performs on The Voice, she elevates the artistic level of this show. This week, her epic and intense cover of U2’s “Love Is Blindness” (inspired by the brooding, murder-ballady version Jack White recorded for The Great Gatsby soundtrack) was just pure fire, pure power, pure passion, pure drama. I was enchanted.

“I had no idea you had that in you,” marveled Adam. (Side note: I knew.) Blake declared this the best performance of the entire night. Pharrell – who later ran onstage to excitedly embrace Madi, while her father welled up in the audience – even compared Madi to the mighty Adele.

And you know, the Adele comparison wasn’t that far off. I mean, Madi could sing the next Bond movie theme, and I would buy it. I just hope people buy Madi’s “Love Is Blindness” on iTunes this week, and that the song’s heaviness, darkness, and relative obscurity pick don’t hurt her chances.

Braiden Sunshine (Team Gwen)

First of all, I love me some Spandau Ballet, and their “True” is a classic that has become a permanent part of pop culture. It has been sampled by Lloyd and P.M. Dawn. Steve Buscemi crooned it in The Wedding Singer. It was a major plot device in a Modern Family episode. Chad Radwell even got cozy with a goat while the song played in the background on Scream Queens. But 15-year-old Braiden covering “True” on The Voice this Monday was not one of the '80s prom ballad’s top pop-cultural moments.

I know Gwen was trying to bring back the vibe from “Feeling Good,” the Knockout Rounds performance that was Braiden’s finest moment of the season. And this wasn’t a bad idea, since Braiden’s attempt to rock out to Styx last week was a major misfire. But the kid once again seemed out of his depth, with his wavering pitch issues and deer-in-headlights expression. It probably didn’t help that he didn’t know the Spandau song – either due to his unfamiliarity with any of the references mentioned above, or maybe just because he’s 15 years old.

The only thing about this performance that redeemed Braiden was the 10-second money note he held towards the end. He wasn’t exactly Tony Hadley-esque, but managed to nail it, and this was undeniably impressive. Pharrell exclaimed, “That note was crazy!” Blake said “True” was “just odd enough of a song choice” that it worked. But I don’t think this totally worked, and I know this much is true: That big note is the only thing that might keep Braiden safe this week.

Jordan Smith (Team Adam)

Jessie J’s self-acceptance empowerment anthem “Who You Are” was of course the perfect song choice for proudly dorky-and-different Jordan the Unicorn. I could already imagine his version soaring up the iTunes charts, before I even heard him sing a note of it. The Jessie J songbook is tough to take on, but I knew Jordan had the lung power to handle it.

Interestingly, though, I felt slightly unmoved by Jordan’s performance. While his vocals were, as usual, on point, there was something vaguely emotional lacking this time. Maybe my expectations were too high. Maybe coming off of last week’s fantastic and passionate “How Great Is Thy Faithfulness,” Jordan had set his own bar too high. But I had expected to sob buckets during this (like I did when bullying victim Jillian Jensen sang it on The X Factor Season 2). And instead I thought Jordan’s rendition was merely nice.

Of course, the coaches felt no disconnect, no absence of passion. They were practically choking back tears during their commentary. “The people can feel your intention,” Pharrell said. “How good does that feel, to use your gift like that and just shine?” Gwen asked rhetorically. Adam called Jordan “one of the best performers I know.” I am sure America will agree and will flock to iTunes immediately, but I think I’ll skip downloading this one.

Emily Ann Roberts (Team Blake)

Much ado has been made of Emily’s bluegrass leanings, but this week was the first time when I really felt it all come together for her in a bluegrassy way. Maybe Emily was inspired by the kind encouragement of her new Twitter follower, Ricky Skaggs. Her twangy, homespun cover of the Judds’ “Why Not Me” was her best moment of the season so far, with crisp, clear vocals and tons of heart. This performance could be a game-changer for her.

Pharrell raved about Emily’s “super-classic feel… it’s amazing how classic you sound.” Blake said, “You’re going to be around for a long time.” It was unclear if Blake meant around for a long time on The Voice Season 9 or a long time in general, in the music business – but after this performance, I think either interpretation could apply.

So now, it is prediction time. On Tuesday, two contestants will be up for elimination, and after a live Twitter sing-off, one will go home. I think those two will be Braiden and Korin – with Korin, who controversially survived last week’s Instant Save showdown against Mark Hood, not being so lucky this time around.

Tune in Tuesday to find out if I’m right! See you then.

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