‘The Voice’ recap: Meet your Season 10 finalists

The cuts on “The Voice” ahead of next week’s semifinals were just as massive and merciless as any of us may have expected. In the course of a single hour — a time block that also included performances by Alicia Keys, who will join the show as a coach next season, and OneRepublic, whose lead singer, Ryan Tedder, has served as a “Voice” mentor — the happy-go-lucky Top 8 was more or less unceremoniously slashed to an unsettled-looking Top 4.

Still, at the outset of the show, Adam Levine offered some needed perspective, saying he was “so completely proud” of his team members and “very much at peace” with whatever results the evening would bring.

“It would be really amazing if they could get it all the way to the end here,” he said, “but they are all the way to the end. They’ve done everything right as far as I’m concerned, and I’m nothing but completely satisfied and proud and very, very happy.”

Very well put, Adam.

Still, four would survive and four would head home. Three singers — Adam Wakefield of Team Blake, Alisan Porter of Team Christina and Hannah Huston of Team Pharrell — advanced directly to the finals, thanks to America’s votes and downloads. Based on their standings on the iTunes charts, their performances the previous night, and their obvious appeal, those picks weren’t terribly surprising.

On the other hand, none of the five remaining singers — Shalyah Fearing and Laith Al-Saadi of Team Adam, Paxton Ingram and Mary Sarah of Team Blake, and Bryan Bautista of Team Christina — was exactly undeserving, and several had also performed well on iTunes.

Bautista, Mary Sarah and Al-Saadi were given the opportunity, again, based on votes and downloads, to sing for the sole remaining slot in the finals.

Mary Sarah showed off her polished performance style and powerful pipes with Carrie Underwood’s “Something in the Water.” Bautista was as smooth and seductive as ever, and showed off his remarkable range, singing Miguel’s “Adorn.” And Al-Saadi growled and shredded his way through “All Along the Watchtower,” turning in two impressive guitar solos.

Which was the best? Well, that really was a matter of taste. And the audience apparently really dug Al-Saadi, who dominated the Instant Save tally throughout the commercial break, collecting somewhere in the neighborhood of 50% of the vote.

Before the Instant Save result was officially revealed, Blake Shelton said he would always be Mary Sarah’s friend and available to help. He predicted that, no matter what happened, she would find an open door for her in Nashville. He reminded her, too, you don’t have to win the show to find success. Christina Aguilera called Bautista a star. He inspired her, she said, crediting him with putting in the hard work it takes to do well.

In the end, Al-Saadi got the save, and Bautista and Mary Sarah were sent the way of Fearing and Paxton and all the other talented singers who have been sent home shy of next week’s finale.

That means all four coaches will have a horse in the final race, which should make it exciting. Here, America, are your Season 10 finalists:

Adam Wakefield (Team Blake)

Alisan Porter (Team Christina)

Hannah Huston (Team Pharrell)

Laith Al-Saadi (Team Adam)

Should be fun.