‘The Voice’ recap: The Top 12 vie to move on

Kicking off with somber words of support to the people of Paris, “The Voice” Top 12 show never seemed to reach its usual energy level Monday night. Following one of the evening’s most powerful performances – a gospel hymn sung by Team Adam’s Jordan Smith -- the coaches’ thoughts again returned to the tragic recent events. Shelton thanked Smith for the soul-stirring song “coming off the weekend and the horrible things that happened over in Paris and having a heavy heart the past few days.”

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On the other hand, Monday’s live show also provided a moment that had Pharrell Williams laughing so hard he could barely speak.

After Team Adam save Amy Vachal had just performed a smooth-jazzy rendition of Drake’s “Hotline Bling,” Shelton called it the most “elegant and classy performance of a song about a booty call in the history of music.” Then he noted that Stefani had sung it to him on the “Tonight” show.

Of course, Stefani and he had been compelled to sing it as a playful duet – and it was before the two coaches (recently divorced from their respective spouses) had admitted they were romantically involved. But it was the closest either Shelton or Stefani had come to directly referencing their relationship on the show.

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Stefani mouthed a startled-looking “wow,” Levine fanned himself, and Carson Daly tried to keep the competition on track by moving to Williams for comments. Williams allowed himself a few heartfelt guffaws before catching his breath and returning his focus to the competition and the contestant before him.

Ah, live TV.

Anyhow, this week only one contestant will head home, regardless of team, so perhaps those relatively low stakes – coming on the heels of many weeks in which teams were essentially cut in half – lowered the energy. Who can say? And none of this is to say there weren’t some fine performances. There were.

Here’s how they went down:

Braiden Sunshine (Team Gwen): Having started singing AC/DC songs in a band at age 9, this 15-year-old singer wanted to show off his rock side with Styx’s “Renegade.” Stefani told him he had to “command” the audience and not seek its approval, and Sunshine did his best to work the stage even though its boundaries may have been difficult to see without his glasses. (Why does the show keep depriving this poor kid of his glasses and flattening his cute curls?) Shelton and Williams marveled at Sunshine’s versatility. Stefani admitted she’d had misgivings about Sunshine’s rock ambitions, but seemed satisfied overall, calling Sunshine “brave” for giving it a go and declared herself to be “proud.”

Amy Vachal (Team Adam): Levine suggested Vachal surprise people by lending her “smooth stylings,” as Daly dubbed them, to Drake’s “Hotline Bling.” Musically it was tonally appealing, if a bit drowsy and emotionally lacking. Vachal’s unflappable coolness seems to be both her greatest gift and biggest shortcoming. After regaining his composure (see above), Williams admired the “creative license” taken by Vachal, who had initially been on his team. Stefani said it was “definitely better” than the rendition she and Shelton had done on the “Tonight” show. Levine admitted that it had been a “weird” but “brave” choice and said he really wanted Vachal’s version of the song in his life.

Mark Hood (Team Pharrell): Hood, whom Williams had saved last week, sought to add dimension to his soul side by singing a stripped-down version of Phil Collins’ “Against All Odds.” It was a little too precise, a little lacking in the oomph we’ve come to expect from Hood, but overall, solid. Still, Stefani admired his “heart” and “spirit,” and Levine said the singer gave “200%” of himself “every single time” he performed, something the Maroon 5 singer said could not be taught.

Emily Ann Roberts (Team Blake): Shelton said saving this 17-year-old country singer last week had been a “no-brainer.” “There’s no reason you can’t be the new power female in mainstream country music,” he said. Roberts certainly showed off her talent and charm with Patty Loveless’ “Blame It on Your Heart,” a song she said, rather cutely, was “about dumb boys.” All the coaches admired the progress Roberts had made already during the course of the show. Levine said she’d “grown up before our eyes” and was “ready to go.”

Korin Bukowski (Team Gwen): Bukowski’s quirky, geeky, underdog charm was on full display with David Guetta’s “Titanium,” a song that Stefani rightly said suited her. What was more surprising, though, were the bold, bright power notes Bukowski hit after a mildly shaky start. Williams called the performance “transformational.” Shelton said she’d “nailed” a super-hard song, and then begged, “Please keep thinking that you’re not cool because … that’s what so cool about you.”

Barrett Baber (Team Blake): Shelton’s country-singing family man had been aiming for low-key, but he ripped into Richard Marx’s “Right Here Waiting” with his usual unbridled passion. “I love how no matter what kind of song it is, you just attack it,” Levine said. “It could be the most sensitive ballad or the most energetic song and you just can’t help it, you have to pull that mic off the stand and be like uh.” Perfectly put, Adam.

Madi Davis (Team Pharrell): Sixteen-year-old indie-folk singer Davis is one of my favorites, in part because she makes such interesting choices and is, as Williams said, “musically wise” beyond her years. Davis aimed to take a more playful and upbeat approach with Jewel’s “Who Will Save Your Soul,” and did a truly inspired job with it. Stefani said she was impressed by the boldness of Davis’ voice and Shelton said the talented teen had “definitely snuck up” on him during the competition and that she had done a great job of changing things up and making people see her anew.

Jeffery Austin (Team Gwen): It’s hard to remember that, before he auditioned for “The Voice,” Austin was just a young worker, toiling away in PR, who had not really performed onstage since he was in high school. Every time he takes the stage now, he’s confident and ready to show his distinctive voice and ability to connect with a lyric. He did it again with James Bay’s “Let It Go.” Levine noted his growth, saying a singer like him was the show’s “greatest dream.” And Shelton said his vocal strength and perfect pitch could position him for a win.

Shelby Brown (Team Adam): After a teary rehearsal, Brown stepped it up and tore into Jamey Johnson’s “In Color,” hoping to make her dad proud. For some reason, even though her performance was both powerful and tender, the coaches found something to quibble with. Shelton said Brown had gotten “out ahead of the band a little bit,” but conceded that she’d compensated by following up with some major power notes. Levine tried to put a positive spin on Shelton’s beef, but may have ended up making things worse by harping on the “mistake,” even as he was patting Brown on the back for recovering from it. Personally, I thought Brown did a fine job – better than some other singers who received only praise from the coaches. I suppose it would be unfair to suggest that Shelton was trying to undercut Brown’s country-voting faction in order to redirect the support to his team. Or would it?

Evan McKeel (Team Pharrell): I don’t really get the appeal of McKeel. He aimed to put a “soulful twist” on Kenny Loggins’s “This Is It,” while bounding around stage, awkwardly trying to prove he wasn’t awkward. McKeel just seems to be trying too hard. Even if his enthusiasm is genuine, and I see no reason to doubt that it is, it’s just too much – too “Up With People”-ish. Still, Stefani, who had pointed out McKeel’s awkward delivery last week, had only good things to say about him this time around. And Williams credited his team member with lifting people and singing with his heart.

Jordan Smith (Team Adam): Smith unleashed his potently high (and highly potent) vocals on the gospel hymn “Great Is Thy Faithfulness,” which he had sung with his church choir and at the Vatican, accompanying himself on piano. It was as solid and moving as everything Smith does, and also elicited the usual level of hyperbole from the coaches. After Shelton had thanked Smith for the “beautiful” performance and Williams had urged everyone to buy the hymn on iTunes, Levine said, “Sometimes there’s so much about the world that can be so confusing and so sad and then you come along and make us all feel like there’s a lot of hope.”

Zach Seabaugh (Team Blake): Last week, Seabaugh brought the house down with his hip-swiveling performance of “Brand New Girlfriend,” and perhaps that’s why he was given the final slot on the show. But he looked and sounded beyond subdued on Little Texas’ “My Love” – veering off key in several spots and wandering dully around the stage. Even Seabaugh looked disappointed with himself, yet the coaches greeted his underwhelming performance with unbridled enthusiasm, calling him a seasoned pro and predicting he would be a “huge star.” Only Levine expressed reservations, saying he had been left wanting more of last week’s “Elvisy stuff.” I’m with Levine.

On Tuesday one – and only one – singer will head home. Who will it be?