Blake Shelton was the only coach that had a Steal left going into the final Knockout Rounds on Season 21’s The Voice. And he used it on talented soul singer Paris Winningham, who, according to John Legend, delivered an A+ performance during the Monday (Nov.1) night telecast.
Winningham, 32, of Jacksonville, Florida, was on Team Legend before the surprise team swap happened. He tackled Chris Stapleton‘s version of “Tennessee Whiskey.” The song — originally recorded by David Allan Coe and later included on George Jones’ Shine On album — was a solid choice for the powerhouse singer, despite his lack of natural twang.
Although Winningham’s performance was incredibly well-received after showcasing his soulful growl on the song, it wasn’t enough to win over his original coach. Legend chose to stick with fellow standout Jershika Maple, who floored judges with her rousing rendition of Natalie Cole’s “Inseparable.”
Shelton, however, changed Winningham’s fate of being booted off the show by slamming on his red button mere seconds before the end of the two-hour program.
“Holy cow, man! This is [a] Chris Stapleton [song], but you just brought an entirely different personality to it. You killed it, you really did,” a clearly-moved Shelton said, praising Winningham. The performance also brought Kelly Clarkson out of her chair.
“It’s perfect that Paris ended up on my team because he sang a country song,” Shelton added later. “Moving forward, I want to keep finding songs for him that allow him to have that kind of personality on stage.”
Winningham, as with Maple, will now head into the Live Shows portion of the reality television singoff.
The Voice returns Tuesday with a new 1-hour episode on NBC.
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