Cassadee Pope closed out tonight's (Dec. 17) episode of 'The Voice,' which was Part 1 of a two-night season finale, with her powerhouse version of Faith Hill's 'Cry.' Pope struck a nerve with her rendition, and left viewers going, "Wow." Her cover of this striking, signature Hill ballad could have sealed the deal and could help her win the title of winner of Season 3 of 'The Voice.'

Looking gorgeous, like a princess of pop-country in a short golden gown with a massive train, she nailed every note like her voice was a precision hammer.

Shelton quickly identified that Pope would be best served going the pop-country route, as opposed to staying the pop-rock course she was initially on, since her big and beautiful voice does what country music is known for: it tells a story.

Pope performed surrounded by a threshold of flowers and blooming petals, adding to the emotion, ambiance and drama to her performance. But make no mistake: it was all about her crystalline voice, which dripped with palpable emotion.

Shelton said, during rehearsals, that when she chose him, despite all four coaches turning their chairs around for her in the blind auditions, he felt like he already won the season. That may have been a prophetic statement, although he didn't know it at the time.

Pope also said in her pre-performance interview that Shelton has pushed her to hit the right notes and to do things she may not have done without his guidance. She acknowledged that he has taught her so much professionally and personally.

After her performance, Shelton declared, "For every great moment you've had on the show, and you've had a lot of them, I've never heard you sing as good as you did tonight. Oh my gosh, congratulations."

It's like she's already won.

Tune in tomorrow (Dec. 18) for the Season 3 finale to find out if Cassadee Pope will be named the winner of Season 3 of 'The Voice.'

 

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