Tonya Brought The Soul To The Live Playoffs

The Voice contestants have been taking it to church — and Tonya Boyd-Cannon really turned the Live Playoff stage into her church tonight. It's great to see the contestants infuse their past and their passions in with their journey on this show — and Boyd-Cannon did just that. The experienced performer brought her faith and confidence to the stage and nailed Elton John's "Take Me to the Pilot." Boyd-Cannon's performance was one of the most powerful of the competition so far — and really proved that she could win this whole competition.

Boyd-Cannon's resume is quite different than most performers — she spends her days leading the choir at a local prison. Though this isn't a conventional start, it's definitely been working for her. This job allows Boyd-Cannon to teach others about what she loves and that passion for music is so evident in her performances. Tonight's performance of "Take Me to the Pilot" was the perfect balance between rockstar and church singer. Boyd-Cannon owned the stage with her crazy vocals and even crazier confidence. Her performance was on a whole different level from the other contestants — and that's what makes her stand out.

The only thing Boyd-Cannon has going against her on The Voice is her age. Sure, this show is supposed to be all about the voice (there's no denying she has that), but once it gets to the live shows the vote is up to America and the whole concept of the show is sometimes forgotten. There's hope, though — voters chose Craig Wayne Boyd as The Voice winner and he was one of the oldest contestants last season. But we all know age is just a number and at 35 Boyd-Cannon still has plenty of time to build a fruitful career. She has the voice, stage presence, and style to be the next big name is soul music — and that's why fans will bring her to the end in this competition.

Image: Tyler Golden/NBC