The Voice Recap, The Top 12 Bring The Heat and Are Cee Lo and Christina Coming Back?

Photos/Videos via NBC

The Voice's super talented Top 12 performed for the first time without having to worry about getting kicked off by one of their coaches. Now they are working for our votes, and I have to say most of them earned it. While the weather is mild around parts of the country, California is experiencing a bit of a heatwave, which may have been the reason why the air conditioning in the show's studio went out for a bit. The contestants offered up some scorching performances, and I promise that will be my only pun on the show's temperature situation. So, how did everyone do?

TEAM USHER

Vedo was the first contestant to sing with the first Michael Jackson song of the night, "Rock With You." I always feel some kind of way about people covering MJ. Usher can do it, in fact check out his, Whitney Houston and Mya's performance of "Wannabe Startin Somethin." He and Vedo were both confident about him doing this though and it turned out better than I expected. Vedo was a little flat at the beginning, maybe he was focusing too much on his dancing but Blake thought the choreography added to his performance. I think people might see Vedo as a mini Usher, (Minusher?), so I think he should just showcase his voice instead.

Josiah Hawley performed "The Man That Can't Be Moved" by The Script. Usher told him that everyone else might go a little loud for the night, so he wanted him to do something more subdued. I like Josiah, I mean he's hot but he also has a great voice. I wish he had been louder here. Another solid performance though, and did Adam let him borrow one of his shirts?

Michelle Chamuel sang Robyn's "Call Your Girlfriend." I loved this song choice for her and she rocked it during rehearsals, but missed a lot of the notes on stage. I think she went too soft with it and relied too much on her falsetto. But I agree with Shakira that her stage presence is getting better, and I can't help but root for her.

TEAM BLAKE

Blake has an all Country team this year, and I think the standout is member is Holly Tucker. She does "Broken Wing" by Martina McBride, a song she can personally relate to and I think that's why she sang it so well. A couple of pitchy moments, but I enjoyed her growls which helped to earn her a standing ovation. I think if Holly stays consistent she'll continue to be Blake's star team member.

The Swon Brothers aren't bad themselves, but i'm just not feeling them. To honor the late George Jones, they sing his song "Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes." I don't know if George has any other more rockin' tunes, but I wish they had done one of those. I get that this was a tribute, but what made the Swon brothers a teensy bit interesting to watch during their audition is that they rocked. So bring some of that back, and I'll ease up on these guys.

Danielle Bradbery sang "Wasted" by Carrie Underwood. Not a bad performance, but I personally wasn't wowed by it. Danielle has been consistent and good, but she reminds me of every other teenage Country singer that has been on this show and others. Shakira liked her performance though, calling her a mini Margaret Thatcher, which is a very odd compliment because Margaret was a bitch. The other coaches seem to think she's the next coming of Udnerwood, but we'll have to see about that.

TEAM SHAKIRA

Shakira's first team member to perform was Garrett Gardner who bonded with his coach over hurtful comments about their musical ambitions. That's why I love Shakira, she's so motherly with contestants. He sang the Backstreet Boys' "I Want It That Way" which is probably my favorite BSB tune, but it was an odd choice for him. I don't think it was as rockin' as Shakira wanted it to be, and Adam agreed with me. Garrett is better than this, but I can't fault Shakira for wanting to give him a challenge.

The always amazing Sasha Allen was given Heart's "Alone" and again put her own special twist on the classic rock hit. I don't think Sasha's Broadway past hindered her anywhere here, in fact it brought out some awesome theatrical moments. I like how stripped down it was and how the focus was on her voice. Sasha is one to beat, and Blake still won't let Adam forget that he gave her up.

Kris Thomas had the other MJ song, "I'll Be There." Kris almost joined the Navy, but luckily the show called him or he would have been harmonizing with other guys while marching in line. Or whatever they do in the Navy. It was a little shaky in parts, and Usher pointed out that he seemed to have ventured into the Mariah Carey version at times. Still his coach loved it, but I wish he had really put that falsetto of his to work.

TEAM ADAM

Adam first contestant to sing was Sarah Simmons with "The Story" by Brandi Carlile. Perfect song for her voice and she performed it well. Sarah might not be the most exciting singer, but she has a lot of potential and it'll be interesting to see how she does with changing up her sound on the show.

Adam was excited to see Judith Hill play piano on "You've Got A Friend." This was the first time of his contestants have performed with their own accompaniment. I like that she wasn't distracted while playing, and it could have been boring, but Judith performed this the way Carole King does so she was able to shine.

Amber Carrington got to close out the show with "I'm Gonna Love You Through It" by Martina McBride, another popular artist for the night. Amber also related to his song, but brought out more emotion than Holly. Blake told her that she made Martina and Nashville proud, and I wondered if maybe he was a little jealous that Adam had her on his team.

The big news breaking just as the show was in it's second hour was that former coach Christina Aguilera might be returning. The folks over at The Wrap are claiming that both her and Cee Lo Green could rejoin the show for some big paydays. Both left to pursue other projects that really haven't happened, so I could understand why they would want to go back to something comfortable and profitable.

What does that mean for new coaches Shakira and Usher? Well, I like them both and wouldn't want to see them be pushed out, like how another show is doing, *ahem*. Then again, the four original coaches were the best so we'll have to see what happens.

Besides that, everyone did pretty good, despite the heat. The guys shed some clothing, so that's something. Though i'm not trying to be attracted to Carson Daly. How do you think the Top 12 did, and who do you expect to be booted off first? Let us know!