The battle rounds continue tonight on The Voice. Let us know what you think as I live blog!
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As usual, we begin with a recap of last week and some coach pimping commentary. Carson reminds us only one will win.
The first two artists from Team Blake are Julio Cesar Castillo vs Teresa Griffen. Julio is a mariachi singer. Teresa is 42 and she is trying to prove it’s never too late to live your dreams. Michael Buble is the adviser. Blake chooses “Conga” by Gloria Estefan. Julio hopes the Latin flavor of the song will help him, but he has a a bit of trouble with the fast pace of the song in rehearsals. Teresa loves ballads and feels like Julio has the upper hand. She still plans to kick butt. She thinks she’s fodder and challenges Blake on the issue. He denies it (of course). Blake thinks Julio is just as talented as Teresa. This is awkward. They don’t have chemistry as duet partners, no matter how hard they try. The coaches are laughing. Not sure if that is a good sign or not. Xtina is speechless and defers to Cee-lo. He says it was cool and he enjoyed it. He likes Teresa’s voice. Adam is also speechless. He thinks it was odd and it worked. He likes Julio’s style because they haven’t had someone like him before. He thinks Teresa is fierce, but likes Julio because he’s different. Blake thought they were both awesome and chooses… Julio. Blake thinks he improved and worked harder. Teresa looks pissed. Julio is in tears. His family hugs him. Cee-lo steals Teresa. She’s excited and the crowd cheers.
Dez Duran and Paulina from Team Xtina are up next. Dez was the ex-Yale football player who got rejected last year. Paulina thinks her voice is sweet yet sassy. She grew up listening to Green Day and is excited about Billie Joe Armstrong. They will be singing “Just The Way You Are”. Dez is a fan of the song but wouldn’t choose it for himself. He thinks it’s really high. Xtina tells Paulina not to ad-lib. Billie Joe agrees. She has pretty hair. Dez think Paulina is a force to be reckoned with. Xtina tells them not to make HER look bad. Xtina wants Paulina to stay on pitch and enunciate better. Xtina worries about Dez’s nerves. We cut to a commercial. 25 minutes into the show and we haven’t seen the second battle. Just saying. He seems a little boy bandish. She’s a little too precious/affected for me. She has charisma though. Xtina seems to be enjoying it. Cee-lo loves Paulina’s personality, but prefers Dez. Adam thought they were both inconsistent, but would go with Dez. Blake tells Dez he’s come a long way. He thinks Paulina is more radio friendly, but Dez won the battle. Xtina is proud of them both. She thought Dez was very consistent. She chooses him. Nobody steals Paulina. She’s not giving up. Dez wants to give Xtina her first win.
Adam’s team is up next. He pits ex-race car driver Benji verses bartender Sam James. Adam praises Mary J Blige, his adviser. Sam loves Mary J. Adam chooses “You Give Love a Bad Name” by Bon Jovi. Adam thinks it will be a powerful duet. Mary J tells Sam to use emotion if he can’t hit the note. He says he’s not a Bon Jovi type of guy. At the final rehearsal, Adam tells Benji only to scream for emphasis, not the whole song. He wants Benji to sing. He thinks they can both thrive on the song. Of course.. off we go to a commercial. We’re back and they face off — literally. I think I prefer Sam the bartender to Benji the race car driver. We get the Benji scream. They hug. The crowd seems happy. Blake thinks Sam stays where he’s at. Benji has a better range. Xtina likes Sam’s smile and confidence. She likes Benji’s screaming and would choose him. Cee-lo thought Benji was the clear winner. Adam says Benji has a great scream. He thinks Benji lacks control. Adam felt Sam’s unique style. He chooses Sam. I agree with Adam. I thought Benji seemed like a poser. Nobody steals Benji even though they all loved him.
Aside: I am not digging these contestants who have one name. You are not Cher or Madonna. You are a contestant on a reality singing show. What do y’all think?
Cee-lo puts Nicholas David and Todd Tessler together for his battle round. They meet with Cee-lo and Rob Thomas. They are both from the midwest, expectant fathers and have beards. They will be singing “She’s Gone” by Hall and Oates because Cee-lo sees them both as blue-eyed soul singers. I love me some early Hall and Oates, so this could be good. Rob doesn’t think Todd understands his own soulfulness. Todd wants to try to connect to the song on a deeper level. Rob thinks Nicholas seems like an old soul, but may not have the competitive drive. Nicholas has mixed emotions because he and Todd are buddies. Cee-lo thinks he needs to get serious about winning. We will see the battle after the break! Minnesota vs Chicago. Here we go! They are both good. I don’t like those earrings Todd has. Not my style. Nicholas just isn’t cute, so maybe not marketable? They sound good together though. I would probably choose Nicholas, although this is a good battle. I like them both. Adam says it was awesome. Blake tells Todd he’s in the upper percentile of singers. Blake says there’s nobody like Nicholas. Xtina says Todd was solid, but Nicholas was stylin and multi-dimensional. Cee-lo loves them both equally. He goes with Nicholas! Nobody steals Todd.
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Blake pimps Michael Buble. The next battle will be between Lelia Broussard vs Suzzana Choffel. Lelia is used to singing for nobody, so is excited. Suzanna is a music teacher. They knew they would be paired together. Blake chooses “Dog Days Are Over” by Florence and the Machine. Michael loves Lilia’s falsetto. Suzzana is nervous about her tendency to worry about technical details because she’s a teacher. Blake says leave the teacher behind. Screw it and cut loose. Blake is a little worried about Lilia’s pitch during the last rehearsal. Blake is concerned about Suzzana’s tendency to sing in different styles. He loves both of them. It’s go time, he says. After the commercial, the two women square off. Suzanna’s dress looks like a middle school choir dress from the 80s. Well, with a slit. I’m digging this duet. I give the Lelia edge. Xtina thought it was great. She says they went toe to toe. Cee-lo doesn’t think Lelia took off from the second verse. Adam thinks he screwed up not Suzzana and picks her. Blake chooses Suzanna. Nobody steals Lelia.
Xtina wants to switch places with Billie Joe for a day. Josseyln Rivera vs Syliva Yacoub. Sylvia is doing this for herself and her mom. Joselyn is young. Xtina chooses “Best Thing I Never Had” by Beyonce. Billie Joe thinks Sylvia is overdoing the power. Xtina agrees and asks her to reduce the runs. Joselyn has a softer voice, and Billie Joe worries about her trying to overcompensate for that. Xtina says Sylvia needs to show some vulnerability. I’m having trouble understanding their enunciation. I think I would pick Joselyn. This is not my type of song, so what do I know? Cee-lo thought Joselyn was impressive. She’s a little thing with a big voice. Adam thought they were both great. He thought it was a little too much (yeppers). He thought Joselyn was a better performer. Blake thinks it’s too different approaches. He also picks Joseyln. Cee-lo says he would have picked Sylvia. Xtina says it’s a tough choice. She thought Joseyln found her spot. Sylvia was on fire. Drama. Xtina loves them both. We will find out after the break. Xtina’s fake eyelashes are bugging me tonight… specifically the bottom ones. She goes with Sylvia. She loves Sylvia’s fire. Adam and Blake both try to steal Joseyln. Adam thinks she does better than others who do what she does. Blake calls Adam on his bullcrap stuff. He reminds Joselyn that he hit the button on the blind audition. Adam says it makes more sense to be on his team. Blake tells her he loves her. She chooses Adam. Haha Blake. ;-) I love his bullshitting, but I like when it doesn’t always work. Xtina thinks Joselyn is a sweetheart. More coaching banter. Does anyone remember if there’s been a steal that hasn’t been contested? Is it a prerequisite to create drama?
That’s a wrap. What did you think? Do you think the battle rounds are better with the steal? Do you think the ratings will continue to hold up?
