The Voice Season 5: Impressive Knockout Round Performances

Team Adam: Lina Gaudenzi singing I'd Rather Go Blind by Etta James vs. Preston Pohl singing No Woman No Cry by Bob Marley-- the result: Adam chose Preston.-- Ultimately, if only one of them could be chosen, Preston deserved it more than Lina, but this performance by Lina was unforgettable. This song absolutely fit her like a glove. Preston had such an effortless performance that was full of vocal control which is what Blake commented on. Christina liked Preston but not the song; however, she loved Lina's performance and phrasing.

Team Blake: EG Daily singing I Can't Make You Love Me by Bonnie Raitt vs. Ray Boudreaux singing Hard to Handle by Otis Redding-- the result: Blake chose Ray.-- I agree. This was a no contest situation. EG has a great voice, but Ray has something different, and that's what we as listeners look for today. Blake ended up choosing Ray cause EG had that unfortunate break in her voice.

Team Christina: Anthony Paul singing The Other Side by Jason Derulo vs. Jacquie Lee singing Stompa by Serena Ryder-- the result: Christina chose Jacquie.-- I agree, another no contest. Anthony chose the wrong song here. I love Jason Derulo and love the song, but it's too stylized for him to sing and interpret himself. Jacquie on the contrary, sang a song I've never heard before, but owned it.  Cee Lo points out how nervous Anthony was and how impressive Jacquie's range was. Christina chose Jacquie and felt bad the song didn't work out for Anthony.

Team Cee Lo: Stephanie Anne Johnson singing Don't Know Why by Norah Jones vs. Tamara Chauniece singing No One by Alicia Keys-- the result: Cee Lo chose Tamara and Christina surprisingly stole back Stephanie. I say surprisingly because there were a lot of issues with her performance. Tamara, on the other hand, was compared to a young Anita Baker by Cee Lo. I see that.

Team Adam: James Wolpert singing More Than a Feeling by Foreigner vs. Juhi singing Heard it Through the Grapevine by Creedence Clearwater Revival-- the result: I wish Christina would have stole Juhi rather than Stephanie. I am torn over Adam choosing James cause this wasn't a strong performance, but he's had strong performances in the past. It seemed like many of the other coaches would have chosen Juhi.

Team Blake: Austin Jenckes singing I'll Be by Edwin McCain vs. Brandon Chase singing Even if it Breaks Your Hearts by Eli Young Band-- the result: Blake chose Austin. This was a tough one too. Christina kind of brought up the fact that both of them had vocal issues. Blake brought up that Austin was sharp and Brandon was flat and he felt like being sharp was better than being flat. I hope that Austin focuses on moving forward from his backstory because if he doesn't, it could hold him back.

Team Cee Lo: Caroline Pennell singing The Way I Am by Ingrid Michelson vs. George Horga Jr. singing Because of You by Neyo-- the result: Sadly, George's dream comes to an end. Caroline was the right choice here though. As Blake said, Caroline makes me want to curl up in bed with a cup of hot cocoa. Now there's a sight, but I get what he means, she makes me feel the same way.

Team Christina: Matthew Schuler singing Cosmic Love by Florence + the Machine vs. Will Champlin singing If I Was Your Man by Bruno Mars-- the result: Christina chose Matthew and wow was this performance amazing, and Adam stole back Will to his team without question. Matthew is really continuing to slay every performance. He's nothing short of impressive, and this is nothing short of the best performance of the season so far. The vocal was stunning, and it was a cover of the song that was really quite powerful. Will was great too, and deserved to be stolen back. He held his own against Matthew.

I had to share the link:

The Voice Season 5: The Battles Continue

Team Christina: Josh Logan vs. Michael Lynch singing Harder to Breathe by Maroon 5-- I actually really liked this battle, and the song choice was awesome. Cee Lo liked their confidence and effortlessness; he thought that Josh actually sounded a lot like Adam. Blake thought Josh did have a more masculine voice and look in comparison to Adam. Adam thought it was really fun and both did an amazing job; he said this song was his baby and they did it well. Christina praised both of them-- she said she adores Michael and said Josh has a lot of soul. Christina chose Josh to move forward.

Team Cee Lo: George Horga Jr. vs Juhi singing The Best I Ever Had by Gavin DeGraw-- The energy that both of them brought was awesome. I think in terms of growth, George has grown more. Adam thought Juhi showed range and George showed resiliency. Blake said something jumps out at him about Juhi. Christina thought both of them brought the song alive. Cee Lo said Juhi is like a young Einstein. He said George comes here with a brave heart to pursue a passion, and Cee Lo appreciated that. Adam stole Juhi and said he feels like he won the lottery. I think it's awesome that George was so happy that Juhi got stolen.

Team Blake: Austin Jencks vs. Brian Pounds singing To Love Somebody by The Bee Gees-- I liked it, but it was slightly boring as far as song choice. Christina and Cee Lo both connected with Austin more, but felt they both did well. Adam agreed, he felt Austin just took the record somewhere that he preferred. Blake chose Austin to move forward cause he left his heart right there on the stage.

Team Adam: James Irwin vs. Matt Cermanski singing Counting Stars by One Republic-- I loved this battle, the song was hot, and I think the energy was totally there. Blake thinks Matt has the bigger voice, but James has better pitch. Cee Lo chose James whereas Christina liked Matt. Adam reminded them that they are both comeback kids. Adam said it was a flawed performance so whoever moves on will have work to do. He went with James, and I think that was the right decision.

Team Christina: Destinee Quinn vs. Lina Gaudenzi singing I'm Not Ready to Make Nice by The Dixie Chicks-- I think they both were touched by the song and they tapped into the emotion that went along with it. Cee Lo felt liked Destinee lived the song. Adam felt the song didn't lack emotion, but technically there were flaws. He felt Lina had more vocal chops. Blake basically agreed with Adam. Christina was moved by the fact that Destinee was so moved and so she had to go with her. Adam stole Lina though.

Team Adam: James Wolpert vs. Will Champlin singing Radioactive by Imagine Dragons-- Amazing! Probably, almost most definitely the best battle I have heard on the voice. Both young men brought it. Blake said James surprised him more cause he doesn't look the part. Christina felt Will was right on pitch from the beginning. Cee Lo felt James' style was so unassuming, he was intrigued. Adam felt Will was a surprise, but felt there was room for both men in this competition-- I agree. Adam chose James for his team cause he feels like he can do anything. Christina scooped Will up for her team.