'The Voice': John Legend's team dominates emotional dedication night; 2 singers cut Tuesday

Cydney Henderson, USA TODAY
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Grab your tissues. It's Dedication Night on "The Voice."

The Top 13 each performed a song near and dear to their heart during Monday's two-hour episode on the NBC singing competition, dedicated to people and places that have been instrumental in their lives.

The singers are hoping their special dedications will pull on America's heartstrings and inspire viewers to vote them through to the Top 11. Two contestants will be sent home Tuesday.

Kelly Clarkson entered this round with an advantage – four singers, compared with Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani and John Legend's teams of three. Will it pay off?

Here's what happened:

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Team John

Will Breman showed off his vulnerable side on Jason Mraz's "I Won't Give Up." He dedicated the song to his mother, Robin, who told him he was "perfect" following his Asperger’s diagnosis.

"The chorus, 'I won't give up on us, even if the skies get rough.' That's what she did for me," Breman said. "I was diagnosed in middle school with Asperger’s. That diagnosis was in the midst of getting bullied and getting made fun of by my peers. I was just broken."

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His emotionally raw performance received a standing ovation from all four coaches.

"Every time you get onstage, I'm amazed how connected you are to the song you are singing," Shelton said. "I was shocked last week to see you not move forward from America. I don’t see that happening again."

Legend's favorite part was the "feeling that you were about to break. It was so powerful."

But the "best performance we’ve seen this season by far," according to Legend, belonged to Katie Kadan. She dedicated her rendition of Mary J. Blige's "I'm Goin' Down" to all the single ladies, including herself.

"Wow! That was something. That felt like the finale for a minute," host Carson Daly said.

Legend's team performances also included Marybeth Byrd, who dedicated a tearful performance of Vince Gill's "Go Rest High On That Mountain" to her grandfather, who passed away a day before she joined the competition.

The song was sentimental for Shelton: "I was just talking about that particular song today and what it meant to me through the memory of my dad, so I know exactly how you feel trying to get through. I can’t even listen to it sometimes because it’s so heartbreaking, but great job."

Team Blake

Soulful singer Ricky Duran dedicated his performance of Ray LaMontagne’s "You Are the Best Thing" to his girlfriend, Alyssa, who recently suffered a stroke.

"Luckily, she got out of surgery and made a full recovery," he revealed.

"It feels like you were born to be there and it felt so natural in the place that you belong," Legend said. Shelton added, "Everybody loves Ricky. It’s because of performances like that. You always deliver a solid performance and people relate to you."

Shelton's team performances also included Kat Hammock's rendition of Frederic Weatherly's "Danny Boy" in honor of her grandfather and Cali Wilson's take on "Butterflies" by Kacey Musgraves, for her girlfriend.

Team Stefani

Myracle Holloway sang Whitney Houston's "I'm Your Baby Tonight" for her grandmother, who took Holloway in and raised her when her mother was unable to.

"I'm grateful for that, because I could have been in a foster home," Holloway added.

Clarkson applauded Holloway for tackling a song she would steer clear of: "That’s a really hard song to sing. … I would never cover that song. You are a champion."

Stefani added that "every moment was incredible."

Stefani's team performances also included Joana Martinez's take on Gloria Estefan’s "Get On Your Feet" in honor of her hometown of Miami and Rose Short, who dedicated All-4-One's "I Turn to You" to Stefani.

"That melted my heart. It was exciting to see that I was helping in some way," Stefani said.

Team Kelly

The powerhouse duo Hello Sunday dedicated Jessie J's "Mamma Knows Best" to their parents for their constant support. (Both sets of parents teamed up to create their own group, called Goodbye Tuesday.)

The duo, who won the first ever wildcard spot last week to remain in the competition, busted out their unbelievable harmony and energetic choreography.

Legend said almost being sent home was a good thing for Hello Sunday: "You being on the brink of going home last week really pushed you, because this was far and away your best performance. Perfection."

Clarkson added, "I’m your coach and I still don’t understand you. You are so talented and so freaking young."

Clarkson's other team performances included Max Boyle's rendition of Allen Stone's "Unaware" in honor of his nephew and nieces; Shane Q's take on Rascal Flatts' "My Wish" for his mother and Jake Hoot's performance of "Danny's Song" by Kenny Loggins, dedicated to his daughter Macy.

Hoot's performance brought Clarkson to tears. " 'The Voice' just likes me to bawl," she added as her voice cracked. Daly said, "More tissue coming up, Kel."

The power to decide who advances to the Top 11 is up to viewers' votes. Results will be revealed during Tuesday's elimination show on NBC at 8 EST/PST.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Voice': John Legend's team dominates on emotional dedication night

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