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The Voice: Top 8 Advice & Song Requests
Team Xtina: Kimberly Nichole
What’s Working: Explosive stage presence, pitch perfection and the ability to bend just about any tune to her brand of rock-soul fusion has made her a Season 8 front-runner.
What Needs Work: Her set list could use an infusion of tracks written after the year 2000; a touch more vulnerability in her performances wouldn’t hurt with voters, either.
Request List: Erykah Badu’s “Tyrone”; Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun”; Cee Lo’s version of the Violent Femmes’ “Gone Daddy Gone”; Kina’s “Girl From the Gutter”; Dolly Parton’s “What a Heartache”; Jill Scott’s “You Don’t Know”
Team Blake: Meghan Linsey
What’s Working: Former major-label country artist has utilized her monster truck of a voice for back-to-back triumphs on “Girl Crush” and “Home.” It’s hard to shift gears mid-career, but she’s viable as a swampy blues belter.
What Needs Work: Occasionally uses a sledgehammer when a chisel would suffice — not everything needs to be cranked up to 11. Plus, whoever is in charge of her styling should be locked in fashion prison ’til Season 8 is over.
Request List: ABBA’s “The Winner Takes It All”; Aretha Franklin’s “Rock Steady”; Beth Hart’s “L.A. Song”; Jack White’s “Love Interruption”
Team Pharrell: Koryn Hawthorne
What’s Working: Formerly nervous teenager has bloomed — and quickly! — with live-show experience; her husky tone and physical commitment to her performances is muy impressive.
What Needs Work: In a season loaded with big choices, she can’t afford to regress (even briefly) into the scared girl whose hands shook during “How Great Thou Art.”
Request List: Aaliyah’s “At Your Best (You Are Love)”; Amanda Ghost’s “Cellophane”; G.R.L.’s “Ugly Heart”; Loleatta Holloway’s “Love Sensation”; Monica’s “Don’t Take It Personal (One of Dem Days)”
Team Blake: Corey Kent White
What’s Working: As a member of Team Blake and the season’s sole straight-up country artist,, an entire voting bloc is his to lose. He’s solid when it comes to delivering genuine emotion, too.
What Needs Work: His pitch has wandered more places in the last few weeks than a wealthy retired couple with a new Winnebago; hasn’t really cashed in his heartthrob chips, either.
Request List: Waylon Jennings’ “Dreaming My Dreams With You”; Hayden Panettiere’s “Don’t Put Dirt on My Grave Just Yet”; a country twist on “Just a Little Lovin'”; Hank Williams’ “Cold Cold Heart”
Team Xtina: India Carney
What’s Working: Opera-trained diva has monster range and a true flair for the dramatic (as evidenced by her cover of Xtina’s “Hurt”).
What Needs Work: By covering everything from Whitney Houston to Hozier to Billy Joel, India hasn’t been exactly clear about the kind of artist she’s trying to become; her ambition outpaced her execution when her pitch wobbled on the highest parts of “Run to You.”
Request List: Basia’s “Time and Tide”; Lorraine Ellison/Bette Midler’s “Stay With Me”; Elton John’s “Someone Saved My Life Tonight”; Lisa Fischer’s “How Can I Ease the Pain”
Team Adam: Joshua Davis
What’s Working: He’s got a gorgeous, smokey tone and a quiet intensity working for him; plus he’s Adam’s final horse in the race.
What Needs Work: Suffered a severe vocal collapse at both ends of his range during a Top 10 Week cover of “Hold Back the River”; all of his performances are starting to gel together in a giant lump of midtempo mush.
Request List: Tom Petty’s “You Got Lucky”; ELO’s “Strange Magic”; The Mamas and the Papas’ “Dedicated to the One I Love”; Neil Young’s “Heart of Gold”; Modest Mouse’s “Float On”
Team Blake: Hannah Kirby
What’s Working: Hippie chick with quirky dance moves has a lot of vocal horsepower — and brings a real sense of fun to a season where not everyone’s personality has exactly popped.
What Needs Work: SHE NEEDS TO STOP SHOUTING EVERY SINGLE LINE OF EVERY SONG SHE SINGS!!!
Request List: Serena Ryder’s “Stompa”; B-52s’ “Roam”; Eurythmics’ “Here Comes the Rain Again”; Fatboy Slim’s “Praise You”
Team Pharrell: Sawyer Fredericks
What’s Working: This season’s runaway iTunes champ is an old soul whose craggy tone and ability to convey raw emotion are simply shocking considering he’s only 16.
What Needs Work: Since joining Team Pharrell, none of his song choices have been as unexpectedly cool as his “Man of Constant Sorrow” audition; he could afford to experiment with more recent tunes or perhaps something originated by a female artist.
Request List: Aimee Mann’s “Wise Up”; Moby’s “Natural Blues”; Mungo Jerry’s “In the Summertime”; Mumford and Sons’ “The Cave”; Weezer’s “Beverly Hills”; Madonna’s “Don’t Tell Me”
