Vanessa Ferguson Killed It On 'The Voice'

One of the unspoken prime directives on Monday's Mother's Day-themed episode of The Voice must have been to get funky because that's exactly what a good handful of the contestants did. For her part, Vanessa Ferguson's performance on The Voice consisted of donning a dapper, bright yellow suit, stepping out with a beautiful blonde coif, and singing the hell out of Lauryn Hill's "Doo Wop (That Thing)." Not only did Ferguson literally brighten up, but the established intensity that she's often brought to her songs got a serious boost of funky sunshine on this latest episode.

During the pre-taped rehearsal and interview segment, we got to meet Ferguson's mother. It was a lovely meeting between mom and coach Alicia Keys. The women were able to share their respective love of Ferguson's skills and celebrate her accomplishments thus far in the competition.

Interestingly, Ferguson announced she was going to sing Hill's incredible '90s hit "Doo Wop (That Thing)" for her Top 10 performance. It was a bold choice; so bold that Keys told us she made sure to secure a blessing from Hill personally so Ferguson could have that extra confidence boost to sing it. Appearing incredibly confident in rehearsals, there was actually something — a thing, perhaps? — that really came through that added a freshness to Ferguson's rendition of this well-known song. It was definitely a good omen.

In rehearsal, Keys reminded the Brooklyn-based singer that she'd have to strike a masterful balance between the singing and the rapping in the song. Of course, Hill's blessing for the performance also worked it's magic. When it came time to hit the stage, Ferguson appeared confident, louder, and more at ease. There was a playfulness and new sort of musicality to her voice.

As coach Adam Levine aptly put it: it's tough to nail Hill's music and it's probably not advisable because of the technical skill that is required to make it work. That said, he was quick to give immense praise for Ferguson's "Doo Wop (That Thing)" performance. That was certainly something extra vibrant and new about her; it came through on Monday night's performance.