‘The Voice’ Recap: Josiah Hawley and Kris Thomas eliminated
It was an emotional night for Blake Shelton on The Voice.
After performing a moving tribute to the Oklahoma tornado victims alongside wife Miranda Lambert, the Oklahoma native learned that his team would remain fully intact. He didn’t lose anyone. (Neither did frenemy Adam Levine.)
‘The Voice’: Rolling Stone’s Complete Coverage
If you watched Monday night’s performances, it probably came as no surprise that Josiah Hawley and Kris Thomas were the ones voted off by viewers. The news left newbie coaches Usher and Shakira with just one contestant each on their respective teams, making it that much more likely that either Blake or Adam will win the whole enchilada. (As if that was ever a question.)
The writing was on the wall for the ousted contestants when the majority of coaches seemed to be gunning for both of them Monday night. Shakira even gave Usher a serious tongue-lashing after he questioned her choice of Miguel’s “Adorn” for Kris.
Known for his surprising falsetto, Kris did a good job vocally with the song, providing his usual buttery sound, but it lacked an emotional connection and, in turn, fell flat. Even Kris had admitted during rehearsal that it might not have been the best song choice for him, repeatedly saying it wasn’t something he could relate to.
Meanwhile, Josiah’s messy rendition of Coldplay’s “Clocks” – complete with plenty of misplaced growls and runs and too much vibrato – was a tough sell, especially when his overly calculated “charm” was factored in. Sorry, Josiah fans, but he just never came across as genuine. And we think that’s what really did him in. The show may be called The Voice, but there’s no denying that other factors come into play when you’re talking about a true star – one of them simply being likability. But even taking that out of equation, he really just didn’t have the vocal chops to compete with the other contestants.
Anyone else but these two going home would have been borderline shocking. (Oklahoma natives the Swon Brothers from Team Blake and Amber Carrington from Team Adam sweated it out under the hot lights alongside the eliminees before being deemed safe.) Instead, we’re now left with a solid top eight. And for that we say, “Thank you, America.” You done good.
More weeding to come next week.
Previously: Judith Hill Pays Tribute to Michael Jackson