The Voice: Live Semifinals

Tonight, all 8 semifinalists will sing, and at the end the coaches will give them scores. The voters and the scores will determine which 4 will go on to the finals, and which 4 will go home.

First up is Team Adam‘s Tony Lucca, singing How You Like Me Now? by The Heavy. Tony hit his stride with this classic R&B song, and showed that he has great stage presence and funky, quirky dance moves. The crowd loved it.

Blake didn’t know the song, but liked it, saying it was bad a$$. Xtina loved it, and felt compelled to point out that she had cleared the song for her team’s us by Moses. Hey Xtina…Moses didn’t make it. She thought it was fun and slick. Cee Lo said it was a pleasant surprise, and became a fan tonight. Adam thinks their collaboration has been great, and said it was the perfect thing at the perfect moment.

Erin Willett, Team Blake, performed Without You by David Guetta featuring Usher. It started a bit low and pitchy, which really disappointed me, since she has such a powerful voice. She also cried when she was done, caught up in the emotion of the song (and the loss of her dad, I’m sure).

Xtina said she has a beautiful voice, and thought it was bold of her to do her own rendition. She also was proud to see the emotional connection. Cee Lo thought it was a wonderful song choice, and that she looked beautiful and sang beautifully. Blake thought she looked beautiful, and would give anything to have 1/10th of her talent and her strength.

Team Christina was up next with Chris Mann singing Ave Maria. He finally looked happy, at ease and in his element. It was beautiful.

Cee Lo called him incomparable, and said his voice was powerful, pure and perfect, and the embodiment of the show. Adam thought it was a wonderful thing to have this show, and that Chris’ performance lends to its credibility. He thought it was an incredible job. Xtina felt the heavens open up, and was moved and humbled. The tiara-wearing diva went on stage to hug him.

Jamar Rogers of Team Cee Lo opted for If You Don’t Know Me By Now by Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes. He put his own contemporary spin on the song and the arrangement, and the song showed his perfect pitch and tone, as well as his controlled energy.

Adam is purely a fan of what he does. Blake thought it was his most laid-back performance, and loved the bottom end rather than his going for the big note. Xtina got motivated to start singing. Cee Lo thought it was a great job as usual, and that the story of his life would be a best seller, as it’s a success story.

Team Adam and Team Cee Lo paired up to perform All These Things I’ve Done by The Killers. Katrina and Juliet slayed it.

Team Blake returned with Jermaine Paul singing Journey’s Open Arms. He showed passion, power and was connected. The crowd loved it as well.

Xtina called him a crazy-talented vocalist, and thought he’d killed it. Murdered it. Cee Lo thought it was another wonderful performance, and has been consistently impressed. Adam congratulated him, saying that he was no longer a background singer, and was in the front for good. Blake said he was a front runner, and said that every time he gets on the stage, he separates himself form the pack a little more.

Katrina Parker, of Team Adam, sang The Fugees’ version of Killing Me Softly. She killed it. WOW!!!!! This was an awesome song choice, and spotlighted her voice perfectly.

Blake said that she has a seasoned quality to her voice and an awesome tone. Xtina has fallen in love with her, and wished that she had been able to coach her with this song. She encouraged Adam to really look at her when he scores the percentages. (Wow. She really has it in for Tony). Cee Lo thought there was a timeless quality to the song, and that Katrina had reinvented it another time. Adam said that Lauren Hill was there before a lot of the newer singers, and that though Katrina stayed faithful to the song, she still sounded like Katrina Parker.

Blake performed his new single Over. Man, is he TALL!

Lindsey Paveo from Team Christina sang Skinny Love by Bon Iver. She played her guitar. Meh. I don’t enjoy her, I don’t like her wierd phrasing, but I guess it was OK.

Cee Lo likes the shy, innocent quality to her voice. Adam thinks that everyone is so different and unique, and that she did an incredible job. Blake thought it was really good, and that strategy-wise, it was smart of Xtina to take her artists back to their roots. Xtina thought it was so great, and in her element, and gave her a hug. And hogged the spotlight.

Team Xtina and Team Blake paired up for Lady Gaga’s Edge of Glory. Meh.

Finishing out the show was Team Cee Lo‘s Juliet Simms singing James Brown’s It’s a Man’s World. This was a great choice to show her grit and rocker voice. Great job, and the crowd loved it.

Adam thought it was something special and unbelievable, and called her the one to beat. Xtina said it brought her back to when she’d performed the song at the Grammys. Cee Lo said she “killed it, baby. Killed it. Killed it. Murdered it.”

The coaches have 100 points to divide between their artists, and those results will be revealed tomorrow night along with the voting results.

My picks? Katrina Parker, Jermaine Paul, Juliet Simms and Chris Mann, based on the performances tonight in comparison with their teammates. How will it really play out?