'The Voice' recap: Blake Shelton, Usher knock out top talent

By Amy Reiter

May 1, 2013 12 AM PT

For the second and final night of Knockouts on “The Voice” Tuesday, the members of Teams Blake and Usher took the stage in pairs to vie for the live rounds. As Teams Adam and Shakira had done the night before, they selected their own songs and, after receiving advice from their coaches, tried to best their fellow team members/opponents. Unlike the previous night, the evening brought a few unexpected victories and eliminations.

For his first matchup, Shelton paired country cutie Savannah Berry with dark horse country dude Justin Rivers. Berry chose “As Long as You Love Me,” by Justin Bieber, hoping to show off her stylistic range, and during rehearsals Shelton said he was deeply impressed with her artistry. “Maybe I found my own Justin Bieber in Savannah,” he said, in a nod to fellow coach and real-life Bieber mentor Usher. As for Rivers, Shelton seemed skeptical about his song choice, Miley Cyrus’ “The Climb,” saying it was a “big risk” to pick a song by a woman, and coaching him to pull back on his runs in favor of his range.

Given that initial feedback, and the fact that she’d impressed the other coaches early on, you might have expected Berry to sail right through and Rivers to be sent packing. But onstage, Berry’s rendition fell flat and Rivers, though he sang with his eyes shut tight, hit some whopping notes and held them, as Usher noted, for what seemed like forever. Both Usher and Shakira gave the round to Rivers, and ultimately, Shelton did too. Even he seemed startled by his choice. “I really thought Savannah was gonna win that,” he said, but Rivers “just dug down,” knowing it was “his last chance.”

PHOTOS: Hollywood backlot moments

Usher teamed model Josiah Hawley with Texas hairdresser Jess Kellner. “Both have distinctive tones,” Usher said, “but I want to see who can bring more character to the stage.” Hawley sang Amy Winehouse’s “Back to Black,” hoping to showcase his versatility. He didn’t really connect too well, emotionally, but he looked pretty doing it.

Kellner delivered more emotional depth with James Morrison’s “You Give Me Something,” which reminded her of her mother, but she didn’t have a solid grasp on pitch. Though the other coaches seemed to prefer Kellner — Levine said he’d wished each had done the other’s song, and Shelton said he felt Hawley came off as “a little bit calculated” — Usher picked Hawley.

“Josiah, it’s definitely been an incredible time working along with you,” Usher said, faking us into thinking he was about to send him home. But then, after a long pause, he finished his thought. “I can’t imagine not continuing to work along with you, so the winner of this round is Josiah.” Kellner was left in tears.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Tony nominations 2013

For his second round, Shelton paired two power vocalists with gospel roots: Baylor University marching band member Holly Tucker, who’s been on Team Blake from the start, and Team Shakira steal Luke Edgemon. Before the two took the stage, Shelton told the camera that Tucker was such a strong and special singer, he felt as if he’d been “handed a gift by ‘The Voice’ gods,” so it was clear it was her match to lose.

Tucker showed off her crystal-clear vocals, powerful pipes and passion on Tim McGraw’s “Live Like You Were Dying.” Edgemon displayed his impressive range and groovy creativity by putting his own twist on Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream.” The coaches squabbled over who’d won. Levine and Shakira pushed for Edgemon. Usher was a proponent of Tucker. Shelton said he’d never seen such controversy amongst the coaches, but seemed pretty certain even before he filled us in. Edgemon had been too laid back for his taste. Tucker had swung for the fences and taken vocal risks. Plus, having worked with Tucker for longer, he was more invested in her. She won the round.

Still the judges argued. “All I’m telling you is that you’re miscalculating her,” Shelton said.

Next, Usher paired former model Audrey Karrasch with Michelle Chamuel, who said she was representing “nerdy people.” Karrasch appeared to have lost a fair amount of weight since the Blind Auditions, and with it much of her spark. Her take on “How to Love” by Lil Wayne was all over the map — in some places off and straining — in rehearsals and in the clutch. Meanwhile, Chamuel, who bonded with Usher by doing pushups in rehearsal, gave an enthusiastic, utterly charming rendition of Pink’s “Raise Your Glass.”

The decision seemed clear. Chamuel had won over all the coaches with her energetic performance (Shelton said it looked as if she’d found out she’d won the lottery just before coming onstage), including her own. She also won the round.

“I was able to be me on that stage,” Chamuel said, “and it felt really good.”

In a battle of cute teenage talents, Shelton paired Danielle Bradbery with Taylor Beckham, hoping to see which one came off as more confident. Bradbery delivered a terrific, full-throttle “Jesus Take the Wheel,” whereas, Beckham, stolen from Team Usher in the Battles, was slightly less locked in on Rihanna’s “Russian Roulette.”

Shelton chose Bradbery in what he said was an “easy choice to make as a coach” but an awful one “as a human being.”

In another battle of similar singers, Usher paired C. Perkins, who he’d stolen from Team Shakira, with Vedo in a battle for R&B; superiority. Perkins bit off more than he could chew with Chris Brown’s “She Ain’t You,” losing his breath as he tried to pump up the audience and failing to focus on the singing itself.

Vedo, on the other hand, chose a song that showcased his voice, Bryan Adams’ “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You,” and dedicated it to his mom, who died shortly after Blind Auditions. It was a moving performance. The coaches were unanimously in favor of Vedo. Usher, who made the win official, called him a “shining star.”

More surprising was the outcome of Shelton’s next round, pitting Grace Askew, a country singer and early favorite (at least of mine), against country duo the Swon Brothers. Askew sang Ann Peebles’ “I Can’t Stand the Rain” (with which Tina Turner also had a hit) hoping to prove she could sing soul in addition to wear cowboy boots. Pitched too low and a little out there, the song didn’t elicit Askew’s best performance. The Swon Brothers performed much more solidly, albeit less imaginatively, with Dobie Gray’s “Drift Away,” harmonizing well.

The coaches were split, and Shelton seemed torn, but ultimately, he said, he was going with the Swon Brothers because they might prove easier for him to get a handle on than Askew, who, he said, never sang the same thing twice. The Swon Brothers thus became the first duo to make it to the live shows.

Usher’s final matchup was Cathia, a Team Shakira steal, and another early fave, soul singer Ryan Innes. After both singers were coached on stage presence and delivery, Cathia surprised everyone with a remarkably strong, appealing, confident take on Kelly Clarkson’s “Mr. Know It All.” Maybe we really didn’t know a thing about her. Innes’ growly performance of Gavin DeGraw’s “I Don’t Want to Be” — which Levine mystifyingly thought wasn’t gritty enough — paled in comparison.

Still, I figured Innes, among this season’s out-of-the-gate standouts, would take it, based on his past performances alone. But Usher is apparently a man of surprises. He gave the round — and the live-show slot — to Cathia.

That means Shelton’s heading to the live shows with an all-country team and Usher with a hodgepodge he proudly calls “very diverse.” Here’s who:

Team Blake
Danielle Bradbery
Holly Tucker
Justin Rivers
Swon Brothers

Team Usher
Cathia
Josiah Hawley
Michelle Chamuel
Vedo

Were you surprised by the coaches’ choices?

ALSO:

‘The Voice’ recap: Knockouts halve teams

‘The Voice’ recap: Battle Rounds finish strong

‘The Voice’ recap: Big battles and broken dreams