Evan James Fights For His Spot On ‘The Voice’ With “Excellent” Chris Stapleton Cover
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As The Voice faced the largest elimination the show had ever seen, contestant Evan James took a risk with a powerful Chris Stapleton cover.
Season 30 of the fan-favorite reality singing show is well underway, and hopeful musicians from all genres and backgrounds compete to be named champion. After building their teams, coaches Adam Levine, Kelly Clarkson, Riley Green, and Queen Latifah must now go through a series of eliminations.
During the show’s first-ever cut week, the contestant pool was cut dramatically from 28 to 12 vocalists.
Fighting for a spot in the live shows on Team Adam is Evan James. After beating teammate Luke Curran in the battle rounds, the 22-year-old left it all on the stage, in hopes of advancing in the competition.
Evan is a recent grad from Michigan State and an eighth-generation Christmas tree farmer, now pursuing his dreams in music. For cut week, he delivered his rendition of Chris Stapleton’s “Midnight Train to Memphis.”
Chris Stapleton released “Midnight Train to Memphis” in 2017 on his album From A Room: Volume 2. The bluesy country-rock song highlights Chris’ gritty and soulful vocals, a sound that few can replicate.
Before taking the stage, Evan explained his song choice:
“I’m really, really excited about this song because I feel like it showcases something about my voice that I haven’t been able to show yet on this show… Chris Stapleton is my favorite artist of all time, and I am so excited to do this song.”
See Evan James perform “Midnight Train to Memphis” on The Voice in the video below!
Coach Reactions & Evan James’ Fate
Following his performance, Kelly Clarkson praised Evan for taking on such a challenging song, saying that she loved his “vibe.” She added:
“I love your vocal, and I love the ending. It means that you’re really wanting to fight for it.”
Evan’s coach, Adam Levine, commended him for his “excellent work” and added:
“I’m still discovering things about you that are brand-new, like your rasp. I loved your energy; I loved that song; I love the way you sang it.”
At the end of Monday’s episode (November 2), Team Adam members Lexi Stephens, Connor Closs, and Dakota Cohen secured spots in the live shows. This left Evan James’ fate in the viewers’ hands. America will select one eliminated contestant to round out the Top 13.
Voting closed at 3 a.m. EST on Tuesday, and results will be revealed at the beginning of next week’s episode on Monday, November 9. Be sure to tune in at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.
