‘The Voice’ recap: Blake Shelton’s and Pharrell Williams’ teams step up

The second night of “The Voice” live playoffs brought us performances that were just as strong as the first, which, considering how well Adam Levine’s and Gwen Stefani’s teams did on Monday, is saying something. Pharrell Williams’ team and Blake Shelton’s looked, overall, like a bunch of real pros, taking the stage with a level of confidence that, in some cases, belied their tender years.

As for the new “comeback” conceit -- in which the coach is allowed to bring back one performer who’d previously been sent home -- the jury is still out, as far as I’m concerned. Though it’s certainly a kindness to give worthy singers a second chance, some of the singers took better advantage of the opportunity than others. Also, now that we know a coach may bring back a singer he or she reluctantly sends home, will that lower the emotional stakes in the earlier rounds? That remains to be seen.

Darius Scott (Team Pharrell): Scott showed off not only his vocal but also his producer chops, coming up with his own arrangement for Kanye’s West “Love Lockdown” and maneuvering his way through it perfectly. Levine called the performance “flawless and soulful.” Shelton said Scott was the Team Pharrell member the other coaches had to be most concerned about.

Ivonne Acero (Team Blake): This super-likable 18-year-old singer has surmounted her shyness and not only blossomed as a vocalist, but also -- we learned Tuesday -- been voted homecoming queen and student body vice president at her high school. Awwww! The coaches were all impressed with Acero’s growing confidence, amply on display as she sang Joan Osborne’s “One of Us,” but none more so than her own coach. “You are the perfect example of what makes this show cool,” Shelton told Acero, saying it was mind-blowing to “see an artist make a transformation” as she had. “You still are shy but you’re not a shy performer,” he said.

Morgan Frazier (Team Blake): This endearingly ambitious and hard-working country singer -- a returnee to Team Blake after having been stolen, briefly, by Williams -- showcased her potent vocals and, as Shelton observed beforehand, her “potential to be a country star,” with her rendition of Jack Ingram’s “Lips of an Angel.” After she’d finished, Shelton declared that Frazier already appeared to be a “country standard,” citing as evidence the way she worked the stage, commanded attention and knew how to “build everybody up to those big moments.” If the singers didn’t vote Frazier through, he said, “then they must be full of hate.”

Evan McKeel (Team Pharrell): Williams threw McKeel a softball, assigning him Stevie Wonder’s “Overjoyed,” a song he had already sung -- impromptu -- during his blind audition. Still, McKeel’s performance was one of the evening’s weaker outings. Vocally, he was solid, but his delivery was distractingly awkward. Stefani pointed that out, saying McKeel’s movements had been “too theatrical” and “thought out.” Williams tried to give the “body language” issue a positive spin. “I read it as you being genuine,” he said. “When you tell someone you love them, that doesn’t always look cool.” Nice try, Pharrell.

Madi Davis (Team Pharrell): It’s hard to believe Davis is only 16. Her tone and the musical choices she makes are mature and accomplished. Her ethereal rendition of Fleetwood Mac’s “Songbird” was perfection. Shelton called it a “breakout moment.” Williams begged everyone to vote her through. Here’s hoping.

Celeste Betton (Team Pharrell): Williams chose Betton as his “comeback artist” because, he said, sending her home during the battle rounds had “really weighed” on his heart. Singing “Something in the Water,” by Carrie Underwood, with a power and conviction bordering on ferocity, she more than proved herself worthy of the second chance. Williams said Betton had “tapped into the strongest part of the universe,” adding, “That was all we could ever ask for.”

Zach Seabaugh (Team Blake): Shelton suggested this movie-star-handsome 17-year-old former athlete turned country singer might want to play up his heartthrob appeal, but even he didn’t seem to have expected Seabaugh to embrace that identity with such hip-shaking vigor. Seabaugh channeled Elvis as he rocked his pelvis and riled his fans with Steve Holy’s “Brand New Girlfriend.” It was thoroughly entertaining. Levine called the performance “one of my favorites we’ve had so far,” adding that few would have been able to pull off what Seabaugh just had. “All of the gyrations and all of the performance,” Levine said. “That is not something you want to mess with unless you have that thing. You have that thing.” Shelton posited that Seabaugh had bought himself a ticket the next round.

Riley Biederer (Team Pharrell): This 19-year-old pop singer showed off the appeal that has made her YouTube-famous with a Tori Kelly’s “Should’ve Been Us.” Stefani, who’d been Biederer’s coach for a bit, complimented her on her confidence, beauty and the warmth of her tone. Williams called her “a fighter.”

Nadjah Nicole (Team Blake): Shelton’s “comeback” singer sought to display what her coach called her “fun, playful side” (not to mention her dramatically long faux ponytail) with Diana Ross’ “Upside Down,” and she did, though it probably wasn’t a grand enough performance to keep her on the show through the next big cut. Still, Shelton celebrated Nicole for taking the opportunity to perform Ross’ hit and realizing a long-held dream.

Emily Ann Roberts (Team Blake): Shelton clearly has high hopes for this just-turned 17-year-old country singer. (The country coach helped her celebrate her birthday, during rehearsals, personally presenting her with a cake and singing “Happy Birthday.”) Roberts tugged at the heartstrings, singing the gospel/country song “In the Garden,” a favorite of the grandfather she’d never met. She made it clear to everyone what Shelton sees in her. Stefani said the beautiful young singer was one of her favorites on Team Blake, calling her “so pure,” “so honest and real” and with an instinct that was “so true.” “You have a full thing happening,” she said. Shelton said Roberts had “the voice of an angel” and that he admired the way she had laid put her heart out there for everyone to see. It was, he told the teen, a “big night” for her.

Mark Hood (Team Pharrell): Hood revealed his range with Justin Bieber’s “What Do You Mean?” -- starting off by accompanying himself on the piano -- but his impressive vocal pyrotechnics were more than matched by the blasts of light that were part of the over-the-top production. Levine and Shelton complained that they’d been blinded by the lighting, though they had only kind words for Hood’s singing. Stefani’s vision, however, was blurred only by her own tears. “I’m crying again because he’s so good,” she explained. She said his personality, talent and versatility made Hood one of her favorites. “I love you, I love you, I love you,” she gushed.

Barrett Baber (Team Blake): High-school drama teacher and airplane-crash survivor Baber got a lot of love, too, and deservedly so, for his unabashedly emotional take on an unabashedly emotional song, Lee Brice’s “I Drive Your Truck.” Stefani said that Baber gave “so much” of himself with “every note,” “every stance.” “You just give, give, give of yourself, and it’s very powerful,” she said. Shelton echoed his girlfriend’s praise, telling Baber, “The only artist I’ve ever seen give as much of themselves to a performance as you is Garth Brooks.”

Wednesday, we’ll find out which three singers from each team will make it through to the next round. Exciting!

MORE:

Aziz Ansari’s fight against ‘hacky ethnic jokes’ fires his new Netflix show ‘Master of None’

Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid rock out their first Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show

Stephen Colbert and Liam Neeson star in ‘Candy Crush: The Movie’

‘iZombie’ recap: All bets are off in ‘Max Wager’