The Battle Rounds continue tonight in an hour long episode of The Voice 5. I’ll be live blogging right here.
Click to Download iTunes Performances from The Voice
Six battles, but only 3 were fully explored. I feel bad for the singers that are montaged, but at least The Voice tries to give each singer SOME exposure. I am pretty bummed that one of my favorites, Ashley Dubose, was montaged. I have a feeling she doesn’t make it through the Knockouts. Ditto the super planty voice of Tommy Pickles, EG Daley. But I’m not surprised. I never believed she’d make the live shows. EG has a great voice, but her age and plantiness (Viewers root for the underdog) would keep her from getting votes.
Having said that, there were no shocks or upsets tonight. The Battle Rounds so far have offered few surprises. But I will say that Christina’s boobs? Need their own chair.
Team Christina with Ed Sheeran is first
Jacob Poole vs Matthew Schuler – “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark” by Fall Out Boy – Both singers are preacher’s sons. Matthew sang “Cough Syrup” in his audition, Jacob was montaged, and performed “Better.” During the mentoring session, there’s some back and forth over who gets the high note, and Christina continues to give vocal demonstrations. Much to the delight of, well, EVERYBODY.
Both singers come out strong and perform the song as if it were a true battle. They perform with energy and passion, but I think Matthew has the edge here. His vocals just pop. You’d never mistake him for anyone else on the radio. Cee Lo says GREAT JOB. He loved the choreography. Adam compares it to a musical ass whoopin. He calls it a draw, though. But he’s still partial to Matthew. Blake notes he was a one chair turn and he can’t believe it. Christina calls them both crazy talented. Christina Chooses Matthew.
Team Cee Lo featuring Miguel is next
Kat Robichaud vs. R. Anthony – “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” by Aerosmith – Kat is a classic rock singer. She recently lost her dad to cancer. R. Anthony cut his teeth on gospel music. Cee Lo admits he paired two different singers together. He advises Kat to bring her rasp. But Miguel warns her to be mindful of dynamics. R Anthony needs to stay authentic, says Miguel. Kat is going to work carefully toward her big moment. R. Anthony will work hard on his stage presence. He doesn’t want to look like a bump on a log.
Set aside the fact that this song has been done to death on singing competition shows. I still hate hate hate this trite bombast. I thought Kat would kick R. Anthony’s ass, but that’s not the case here. She’s still got the edge though, just by the sheer power of her personality. She does some cool things with her phrasing and manages to wrest the biggest moments from the number. Adam loves her commitment and intensity. R. Anthony surprised him. Ditto Adam. He gives it to Kat. Christina compares Kat to a tiger. She admires R. Anthony’s vocal control. Cee Lo calls her a dynamo, a storm, so of course Cee Lo chooses Kat.
*Three Montages I’ll grab later. Ashley Dubose and EG Daley were BOTH montaged. Both won their rounds.
MONTAGED: Team Cee Lo – Cole Vosbury vs Lupe Carroll – “Africa” by Toto. Cee Lo Chooses Cole. (I knew Lupe was just cannon fodder)
Team Blake – EG Daley vs Sam Cerniglia – “Something to Talk About” by Bonnie Raitt – EG, the voice of Tommy Pickles, was montaged! Blake chooses EG. Sam was that awful Michael Buble wanna be from Chicago with the terrible fashion sense. No contest.
Team Adam – Ashley Dubose vs Justin Blake – “Just a Fool” by Blake Shelton and Christina Aguilera – Argh. Ashley is the computer anylist with the incredible voice. That she was montaged doesn’t bode well for her. Adam chooses Ashley. Justin was the country singer only Adam turned around for. What a mismatch!
Team Blake with Cher end the episode
Monika Leigh vs Ray Boudreaux – “Some Kind of Wonderful” by Grand Funk – Two soulful singers will face off against each other. Cher advises Monica to project her voice. Blake wants to know where Cher has been all his life. She’s been working! “I don’t just sit on my ass and punch a button!” Cher snarks. Ray struggles with the high notes. at the last rehearsal, Blake and Cher urge them to push on. Ray shouldn’t allow his fear to hold him back, they say. Cher advises Monika to make her runs count.
I smell a steal!
They are both REALLY good and evenly, soulfully matched. There’s chemistry and charisma and stuff missing from many of these pairings. Of course somebody is going to steal whomever loses this battle. It would be crazy otherwise. One of the best battles so far. Christina felt Ray was digging a little bit deeper. It’s a tough one, she says. Cee Lo says Ray can SANG. Adam calls Ray amazing. Sky is the limit. Blake thought it was awesome. He loves that Monika doesn’t do the same thing twice. But Ray stepped up. Aw. His little daughter yells RAY! When Carson asks for the winner of the battle. Blake chooses Ray Not so fast though. Cee Lo steals Monika
