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Two Tenn. singers perform in Voice finale

Mt. Juliet native Chloe Kohanski and Dickson's Red Marlow gave their final three performances on Monday night's show. Each debuted original songs, played one cover and performed their own duets with coach Blake Shelton.

The winner will be revealed on NBC's The Voice Tuesday night from 8-11 p.m. on Channel 10. Previous winner, Knoxville's Chris Blue, is set to perform on the finale.

The two-night season finale of NBC's "The Voice" kicked off on Monday night, with two Tennessee singers among the "Top 4" contestants.

Mt. Juliet native Chloe Kohanski and Dickson's Red Marlow gave their final three performances on Monday night's show. Each debuted original songs, played one cover and performed their own duets with coach Blake Shelton.

Now it's up to viewers to decide the winner via voting, iTunes downloads and streams and social media action. The winner will revealed on Tuesday night on NBC.

Here's how both Tennessee contestants spent their final chances to perform for America.

THE VOICE -- "Live Finale" Episode 1321A -- Pictured: Chloe Kohanski -- (Photo by: Trae Patton/NBC)(Photo: NBC, Trae Patton/NBC)

Chloe Kohanski

The 23-year-old rock vocalist has been a frontrunner since her blind audition, and hasn't faltered since.

Her original song “Wish I Didn’t Love You” truly played to her strengths. It’s a yearning minor-key ballad with a verse that evokes “Total Eclipse of the Heart” – which was one of her most popular covers this season – and a chorus that falls in the perfect range of her signature rasp.

“If I could forget,” she belted. “Don’t you think I would/Wish to God I could/I wish I didn’t love you.”



Kohanski earned a standing ovation from the coaching panel, and coach Blake Shelton was effusive in his praise.

“America, I want you to think of every superstar that you can remember in music…and remember that those people are never like anybody else,” he said. “They don’t look like anybody else. They don’t sound like anybody else. And then I want you to think about that performance – how your (Chloe’s) voice cracks and pops and falls apart as you’re singing, so perfectly. Ladies and gentlemen, this is a superstar right here.”

Kohanski also got to lighten the mood in her duet with Shelton, channeling Roy Orbison impressively on “You Got It.”

And in perhaps the most telling placement of the night, "The Voice" saved Kohanski for the final performance of Monday's show: a swaggering cover of Kim Carnes' "Bette Davis Eyes."

THE VOICE -- "Live Finale" Episode 1321A -- Pictured: (l-r) Red Marlow, Blake Shelton -- (Photo by: Trae Patton/NBC) (Photo: NBC, Trae Patton/NBC)

Red Marlow

40-year-old country singer Red Marlow had to fight for his spot in the Top 4. He won the "instant save" from elimination in the previous round after earning the most votes from viewers.

Marlow’s debut original song for “The Voice” was one he penned himself – country ballad “I Pray” was written with his friend, Larry McCoy.

“His dad had passed away the night before, and we were all sad,” Marlow told Shelton in a behind-the-scenes video. “We wrote this song and got to go the funeral the next day, and play it for him.”



The song earned high praise not just from Shelton, but fellow judge Jennifer Hudson.

“Anybody who gets on a stage and sings a song with a title (like) 'I Pray,' as my mama used to say, ‘is all right with me.’ So for that alone, I commend you.”

Shelton applauded Marlow’s “simple relatability…and now you’ve taken it to the next level. This is a song that Red wrote about a real life experience, and listen to that story that he put into words…great job. You’re a country star.”

He also gave Marlow a literal pat on the back during their lighthearted duet of Brad Paisley’s “I’m Gonna Miss Her.”

Marlow also likely did Garth Brooks proud with his solo acoustic cover of "To Make You Feel My Love."

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