'The Voice' Season 18: Joanna Serenko channels old school retro vibes, Todd Tilghman takes everyone to church
The final two performances of the first episode of the Live Playoffs were from Team Blake Shelton. Performing remotely from her house in St Louis was Joanna Serenko. She sang the 1977 hit 'Rich Girl' by Hall and Oates.
Serenko managed to keep the old school vibe of the song intact with her performance and coach Blake noted that though she didn't change the groove of the song, her tone is so different that she could pass the song off as her own. Coach Kelly Clarkson also appreciated her "cool song selection".
"Joanna is definitely going to be a very rich girl as long as she continues to perform like that. Great arrangement girl." wrote a fan on Twitter after her performance.
"Joanna Serenko has such interesting intonation. This is a fun song choice but may not help her into the next round. Wait a minute. She is selling those notes with a few bigger moments. I’m liking this a lot. The big risk may bring a big reward. Good Luck! #TheVoice #VoiceLives," wrote another.
"How do they decide? Everyone's so good! #JoannaSerenko's doing a cool cover of #RichGirl now," tweeted a fan while another fan observed, "Joanna Serenko has got that easy listening and dance style. #TheVoice".
Next up was 41-year-old pastor and father to eight children, Todd Tilghman, from Mississipi. He took everyone to church with his performance on David Foster's 'The Glory of Love' especially his mentor Shelton who exclaimed, "Oh my god!you are on my favorite artists I have worked on, on the Voice."
After his performance, viewers took to Twitter to express support. "My favorite from the beginning! And I think you’re the smartest with your choices- song choice is very important. Don’t ever change your style #TheVoice," wrote a fan.
An emotional fan tweeted, "I’m crying watching this over and over again. Congrats Todd and @blakeshelton.What an amazing song choice. Classic! #TheVoice"
Another commended him for ending the night perfectly, "@todd_tilghman That’s how you end the night!!! Best. Song. Of. The. Night! @blakeshelton #goingforthewin You’ve got this"
Audiences can vote for all the 17 performers from the episode on the voice official app on NBC. Voting lines shut at 7am ET on Tuesday, May 5.