Songs That Inspire

Plot:

"Duets" - Songs That Inspire - June 7, 2012Theme: Songs That InspirePerformance: Jennifer Nettles and John Legend team up for "I Got the Music In Me."Contestant/Coach: Alexis Foster/Robin Thicke We see them in rehearsal and Robin tells him they are the underdogs because he is the least known person in the competition and they were near the bottom of the leaderboard. First up is Alexis who Robin wants to be confident and in control.Song: "Killing My Softly," Roberta FlackPerformance: They sound wonderful together with Alexis taking the high harmony part. She is very natural.Judging: John thought she sounded clear as a bell and it was well-done. Kelly thought she sounded great felt a little disconnect between Alexis and the audience since she looked so much at Robin and she wants her to engage the audience more. Jennifer agrees but thought there was some growth from last week.Contestant/Coach: John Glosson/Jennifer Nettles In rehearsal he talks about how important this song is to him and tells a story about today is the day his mother found out she was pregnant with him and the next day his parents lost his older brother to leukemia.Song: "How Great Thou Art," Traditional HymnPerformance: It is grandiose yet heartelt and they sound strong together and both have a lot of conviction.Judging: Kelly thinks he's too damn good and they sound like they've been singing together forever. Robin was touched by it and it made him think of family. John thinks they sounded beautiful and the arrangement was gorgeous.Contestant/Coach: Jordan Meredith/Kelly Clarkson Jordan thinks she sounds good but thinks she looks funny. Kelly wants to help her feel better since they're very similar in terms of their lives. She says she needs the sense of nothing to lose to translate to her performance and confidence.Song: "Mama's Broken Heart," Miranda LambertPerformance: She is much sassier and exuding more of a sense of fun. Kelly's clearly having a good time too and they sound great together. She gets points for going and flirting with Robin. Plus, it's a terrific, funny, bouncy song.Judging: John says wow and that he loves it. He thinks he carried herself like a star and it was a dramatic improvement. Robin thinks she looks tasty as pie and she was a whole new person. Jennifer loved it and had the look of a rock star and the sound of a country star and she thought she really grew.Contestant/Coach Meleana Brown/John Legend: They celebrate that she was number one last week and she can scarcely believe it.Song: "If I Ain't Got You," Alicia KeysPerformance: She looks chic in white and gold and she sounds strong. But together it's hand-in-glove vocally. Legend gives a lot and she's responding well.Judging: Kelly says her favorite part of the voice is her head voice because her power belt is a little nasally and she thinks they were great together. Jennifer was worried about the beginning but saw her get confident and get really into it. Robin thinks she's wonderful and it was a great song choice.Contestant/Coach: Olivia Chisholm/Robin Thicke Thicke says she needs to pretend like Beyonce retired and take her shoes. She needs to get out of her head and have more confidence and to keep her moving and be free and unafraid.Song: "Crazy in Love," BeyoncePerformance: They're very cute together and she's moving well. It's a very light performance vocally but she's hitting it.Judging: Jennifer could tell she was having fun, and she thought there was great growth from last week. Kelly loved it and liked that she sounded bigger and bolder. John raves about her legs and she loved the way she opened up, he wasn't as impressed vocally as the others.Contestant/Coach: J. Rome/Jennifer Nettles He was inspired to sing this song by his grandfather who was his biggest fan. We see video of J.Rome and his grandfather singing "Amazing Grace" in his granddad's nursing home.Song: "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You," Laura Branigan/Michael BoltonPerformance: It's a big dramatic ballad, they both sound good. She's giving a lot with her eyes and he seems to be a little more closed off but that might be emotional protection. He hits all the big notes with ease.Judging: John says he's running out of nice things to say about J. Rome and he calls him phenomenal. Robin just applauds. Kelly is a wreck and crying and says he's so good and she hates him, but she's just kidding.Contestant/Coach: Jason Farol/Kelly Clarkson Kelly is trying to figure out what's holding Jason back. He's worried about pleasing people and is nervous about what his parents want for him, which is school. She brings his dad in as a surprise. His dad sings too and gives him support since his own dad didn't support him.Song: "Hallelujah," Leonard CohenPerformance: Jason starts off soft but solid. Kelly enters and they sound nice but very sedate. He's clearly very into the song but Kelly is overpowering him but he gets in a couple of good licks.Judging: Robin thought it was lovely and says his dad wanted him to be a dentist so he empathizes with his family pressures but says he was born to do it. John thought it was a great song to show off his tone. John thought it was pitchy and that he swallows his consonants a bit. Jennifer thought it was a little bit shaky at first but got better and saw growth in his confidence.Contestant/Coach: Bridget Carrington/John Legend She's climbed steadily up the chartsSong: "Heard It Through the Grapevine," Marvin Gaye/Gladys KnightPerformance: John starts off the Marvin version and sounds golden. It's a weird way to go. Then Bridget sashays out and does the Gladys version. They seem to be having fun and sound good but, maybe the song is just too overplayed, because even though it's uptempo it doesn't feel exciting. She's grooving though.Judging: Robin thought she did a great job. Jennifer loved that she had so much attitude and loved the gravel in her voice. Her only note was the beginning was muddy. Kelly agrees with that but then when she got going she shone really bright.Rankings:n1st J. Rome2nd John Glosson3rd Jordan Meredith4th Bridget Carrington5th Meleana Brown6th Olivia Chisholm7th Jason Farol8th Alexis FosterSing Off Jason vs. AlexisIn the first a cappella solo showdown Jason chooses "Me and Mrs. Jones" and hits some clunkers right at the beginning. It has nice moments but isn't perfect. Alexis is stronger and more confident on "(You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman" although she hits a couple of bum notes as well.Kelly says she thought Alexis was good but Jason's her boy. Robin thinks they're both lovely and he John both give them advice to keep at it. Jennifer says those the most tenacious peeps do the best and she wonders where these performances were before. Kelly chimes back in to agree with that advice.Going Home: Alexis Foster