The Battle Rounds begin on the Voice! Meet the celebrity advisers and watch 48 contestants battle it out for spots on the live show!
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The battle rounds have begun. The duets are great fun, but the battles themselves feel rigged. I mean, if Blake was really judging the Raelynn vs Adley battle based on who sang it best would he have really chosen the pitch challenged and not quite ready for primetime, Raelynn? He must have had his mind made up before the battle, right? And the judges opinions seem carefully contrived to divvy up praise to both contestants.
At least Blake was ready to let Jordis and Brian know that they both sucked. But I can’t help feeling that he would have picked Jordis no matter what. Ditto Tony in his battle and Jesse in his. So these battles really resemble wrestling matches rather than boxing. But hey, wrestling can be entertaining, even though you know it’s fixed. So I’ll just try to sit back and enjoy?
Except that the mentoring sections aren’t nearly as entertaining as the performances. Eight battles per show would have been about right, and that would have shaved a week, off these rounds, which tend to drag toward the end. As much as I love our girl Kelly–the mentors don’t really add that much to the mix. I felt the same way last year.
Adam Levine’s team convenes. He chooses the first battle
Tony Luca vs. Chris Cauley will sing “Beautiful Day” by U2. Tony was a member of the Micky Mouse Club. Chris’s grandmother was a bluegrass musician. Adam coaches the duo. He says they’re both so good, he doesn’t even want to pick it. Adviser, Alanis Morissette will mentor Tony. They have a talk about the ability to be both credible and famous. Alanis says it’s possible. Tony is afraid of the higher notes, but Alanis encourages him.
Robin Thicke comes in to help Chris. Robin talks about body language. Adam says to feel the words. The contestants are introduced into the cheesy boxing ring. Blake would go with Chris, because his pitch was consistent. Christina is pulling for her old pal Tony. Cee Lo thinks Tony articulated the song better. Adam says they are both amazing. He saw a theatrical side to Chris. Adam Chooses Tony.
Both singers were really good. But I agree with Adam–Tony had the edge. His performance was the more dynamic of the two.
Battle Winner: Tony Lucca
Team Blake Shelton.
Adley Stump vs Raelynn will sing “Free Falling” by Tom Petty. Blake put the duo together because they are so different. Sorority girl, Adley, is about power, Raelynn is a stylist. Blake calls them his “firecrackers”. Seventeen year old, Raelynn, is VERY EXCITED to learn that Miranda Lambert is her celebrity adviser. Blake tells her to not worry about competing with Adley on volume. Stick to keeping solid what she does well. Adley’s adviser is Kelly Clarkson. Blake says Kelly is a great mentor because she’s solid and grounded. Adley is more star stuck than she’s ever been. Kelly advises her to dial it back when she’s singing with Raelynn, but then nail it at the end.
Raelynn is off key to start. Her phrasing is weird. Adley is dialing it back nicely. Raelynn keeps losing the pitch, although she has some nice moments. I would say that Adley won this round. Christina says they were both on pitch, but she thought Adley was the stronger of the two. Cee Lo things Raelynn is adorable but young, but Adley is present in the moment. He goes with Adley. Adam goes with Raelynn because she was more unique. Blake says being a country artist is about telling stories. They both managed that, but he thinks Raelynn did a better job telling that story. WOW. Hm. I wonder if Adley wishes she had gone with Christina instead…
Battle Winner: Raelynn
Team Christina Aguilera
Chris Mann vs. Monique Benabou will sing “The Power of Love” by Celine Dion. Chris is the opera singer who was also a Glee Warbler. Monique sang “Mr. Know it All”. Chris says he’s going to stick to his classical training. He’ll never shrink his voice down again. Monique, who has never been trained is intimidated. Lionel Richie is Chris’ Celebrity Adviser. Lionel says vocal imperfections can be an asset. Chris has trouble connecting to what he’s singing. Jewel arrives to advise Monique. Christina says to pour the love that she feels for her family into her performance. Chris has the technical training, but Monique has the passion.
I’d send them both home. Both are off key, and their voices aren’t blending at all. HELP ME. MY EARS ARE BLEEDING. I suppose Chris had the edge. He sang on key, at least. Cee Lo thinks they’re both good, but picks Chris. Adam said Monique opened up near the end. Adam is going with Chris. Blake is picking Monique. Christina says Monique stepped up to the plate, but she picks Chris for the strength of his voice. Warbler dude is on to the live shows.
Battle Winner: Chris Mann
Team Cee Lo Green
Cheesa vs Angie Johnson will song “Total Eclipse of the Heart” by Bonnie Tyler. Hawaii native, Cheese sang “If I Were A Boy” in the blind auditions. Staff Sargeant, Angie, made a video that went viral. These two are very competitive! Baby Face arrives to advise Cheesa. She’s worried about hitting the high notes. Ne-Yo is advising Angie. Ne-Yo wants Angie to go full throttle and not hold back. Angie says when your finger is on the trigger, you don’t pull until you’re ready to shoot. Military metaphors for the win!
This battle is a friggin’ scream-a-thon. Having said that, they were both pretty solid. Really don’t know who I’d pick. Adam thought they were both shaky in the beginning. Adam reluctantly picks Cheesa. Blake picks Angie for clarity and diction. Christina thought it was a great match. She liked Cheesa’s depth, but impressed with the way Angie was hitting the notes. She picks Angie. Cee Lo feels like a proud father. Cee Lo felt Cheesa had the articulation, so he picks her.
Battle Winner: Cheesa
Team Blake Shelton
Jordis Unga vs Brian Fuente will sing “Ironic” by Alanis Morissette – Jordis was a contestant on Rockstar:INXS in 2005. She came in 5th. Brian says he might be the underdog because it’s a girl song, but he still thinks he can blow Jordis away. Kelly Clarkson will advise Brian. Kelly sings along with Brian–she tells him to commit. He’s a killer when he doesn’t hesitate, she says. Jordis rehearses with adviser Miranda Lambert. Blake is afraid she’s psych herself OUT of winning the round. Gee. She did the exact same thng on Rockstar. She can’t lose focus, says Blake. Let him be the bad guy. Jordis feels like she’s not getting any younger, and that this is her last shot.
Jordis wasn’t as strong as I was expecting, but she was better than Brian. They were both really shaky and pitchy. Christina says there were pitchy moments, but she picks Jordis. Cee Lo felt it was neck and neck, but he liked Brian’s aggression. Adam picks Jordis. Blake says he wanted a rock singer. He noticed some pitch issues, didn’t think either sang to their capabilities. He picks Jordis. I hope Jordis doesn’t, once again, psych herself out of the competition.
Battle Winner: Jordis Unga
Team Christina Aguilera
Anthony Evans vs Jesse Campbell will sing “If I Ain’t Got You” by Alicia Keyes. Anthony is a gospel singer, Jesse a single dad. Jesse is “trying to do some intimidation stuff” says Anthony. Jesse is sure he can take out Anthony, who appears to be an underdog. But is Jesse overconfident? Jesse’s adviser is Lionel Richie. Lionel tells him not to outdo. “Milk your moments” says Christina. “Take your time” says Lionel. Jewel is working with Anthony. He’s going to work on competing with Jesse, but keeping the integrity of the song. Anthony wants to please his dad, a famous preacher, so bad. I think he’s got some Daddy issues.
Anthony, surprisingly, is holding his own. This is a very nice duet. I think I like Anthony a little better. His tone is so pretty, and he’s got some nice phrasing going there. Cee Lo says “both stellar performances”. Adam says the level of talent is insane. Adam is going with Jesse. Blake gives the edge to Jesse. Christina is upset she has to make a decision, but she picks Jesse. All 4 had turned around for Jesse in his blind audition, so I’m not surprised.
Battle Winner: Jesse Campbell
