'The Voice' Top 6 power rankings

We have officially reached crunchtime on “The Voice.”

With this Top 6, America has no more easy choices on who to send home. There are only strong performers left.

Unfortunately, that may mean that the best performers – not the best artists – may move ahead this week. And that spells trouble for the teens – Queens' Trevin Hunte and Baldwin's Melanie Martinez.

Both did remarkably well on the songs they chose for themselves. Hunte had the best outing of the night with his poignant take on the “Dreamgirls” classic “And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going.” Martinez added her own level of sophisticated cool to the Gnarls Barkley smash “Crazy,” prompting Cee Lo Green, who sung the song originally, to tell her, “In many ways, we're cut from the same cloth.”

However, when their coaches stepped in to choose their songs, they both struggled a bit. Hunte seemed lost for much of Katrina & The Waves' “Walking on Sunshine,” which is totally out of his comfort zone vocally and stylistically. Martinez couldn't quite connect to the upbeat Lenka hit “The Show” and the strain showed on her face.

It's not clear what's going on between her and Christina Aguilera, but the judge ripped into her after “Crazy” and then when Martinez avoided her gaze after “The Show,” Aguilera said, “Oh, she's not even looking at me.” Yes, Christina, this teenager doesn't quite have your warrior facade just yet. Imagine that.

In a way, this is “The Voice” dilemma. Is it really fair to compare Martinez and Hunte, who both had little previous show biz experience, to Cassadee Pope, who already fronted major-label band Hey Monday, or Terry McDermott, who has been a frontman for years? Well, as Xtina would say, while fanning herself, “Life is not fair.”

And she's right. So steel yourselves for a rough results show tonight, kids.
    
Here are this week's power rankings:

1. Trevin Hunte, “And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going”
He embodies this song. His powerful delivery and bravado only underscore his vulnerability. “Mourn the loss of all the other competition,” said coach Cee Lo Green, asking for a moment of silence. Unfortunately, that may not be the case.

2. Nicholas David, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”
For a song that has been sung millions of times and millions of ways, David still managed to find an approach that was unexpected. He went the understated routed, giving the song great emotion, while also staying technically sound.

3. Amanda Brown, “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman”
Brown moves back into her soulful side with a gospel reading of the Aretha Franklin classic, surrounded by an army of natural women as backup. It was technically strong, especially the stunning run at the end, but it does go back to a regular Aguilera point about being unsure who Brown is as an artist. There is a feeling of her being able to do this kind of music, but not necessarily wanting to.

4. Amanda Brown, “Here I Go Again”
See, this is the kind of music she loves. There's a joy here, especially in the final amazing high notes, that isn't in the soulful number. Even though she was better in the other song, she enjoyed herself on this one.

5. Cassadee Pope, “Stand”
Her poppy version of Rascal Flatts' “Stand” could be a hit right now. Even when her voice quivers a bit, she makes it work for her.

6. Melanie Martinez, “Crazy”
Everything about this was cool, from the staging to the delivery. You can tell the Baldwin teen hasn't quite developed an artistic thick skin yet, that she's leaving it all out on the stage with her performance. That's what makes her thrilling to watch. It also makes it wrenching to watch her absorb the criticism.

7. Melanie Martinez, “The Show”
She can try to be lighthearted, but she can't quite sell it if she doesn't believe it. Coach Adam Levine was trying to coax her into a happier place, but, in the end, he didn't do her any favors.

8. Cassadee Pope, “I'm With You”
This was so much like the Avril Lavigne original that it kind of removed any reason for tackling it.

9. Terry McDermott, “Stay With Me”
McDermott really comes to life in these kind of songs, where his rocking swagger seems effortless. This was 100 percent better than his take on Foreigner, but voters probably won't see it that way.

10. Terry McDermott, “I Want to Know What Love Is”
This is kind of a mess. His inflections don't help the verses and he travels the same notes over and over. It's emotional, but it feels stuck.

11. Nicholas David, “September”
Nice, but oh-so-predictable.

12. Trevin Hunte, “Walking on Sunshine”
Trevin was about a step and a half short of what it could have been. The Queens teen needed to turn it into a Jackie Wilson song and he managed it for a few bars, but not for long enough.

WILL BE ELIMINATED: Trevin, Amanda
SHOULD BE ELIMINATED: Terry, Cassadee
ACTUALLY ELIMINATED: Amanda, Melanie