Tonight the battle rounds begin. The “twist” is that the coaches can each vie to “steal” two contestants from the other coaches if they aren’t picked. I think they are required to take two each, so I wonder if the “stolen” ones actually have a shot of winning this. I’m guessing the judges have their favorites picked. I would have loved someone to have stolen Jordis last year, but I don’t think she was cut in the battle rounds.
I’ll be live blogging and hope everyone watching comments.
First, we get Blake. Casey vs Terry.
Terry is the classic rock guy who did “The Who.” Casey lost a bunch of weight and did “Sweet Home Alabama.” They meet with Blake and Michael Buble. Terry was happy to see Buble. I hear Buble is an asshat in real life, but whatevs. Blake gives them a Kansas song called “Carry on Westward Son.” He says it will weed one of them out. Buble tells Casey
to alter his technique. He thinks Terry is awesome. Blake tells him not to be complacent. Buble thinks Terry can win the battle. Casey talks about his dad being a truck driver. He’s driven. Blake tells him that Terry is a badass singer. Buble asks who Terry is doing this for. He mentions his son. Terry says Casey is in his way. LOL. They rehearse. Blake thinks Casey has shown growth. Terry knows he can’t rest on his laurels (sp?). Here they go. I found Terry more convincing, but it’s his wheelhouse. Le’ts see what Blake thinks. Xtina says they brought it. Cee-lo thinks Terry has the cool, but Casey
has a great voice. Adam says they were great. He wanted Terry and is impressed by both. Blake says Casey doesn’t back down. He tells Terry he responds to country acts more. We go to a break… Blake says Terry is the winner because he knows his voice better. Casey thanks Blake. Xtina applauds his attitude. Nobody steals Casey. Blake think Casey needs more time to figure out who his is as an artist.
Bryan Keith vs. Colin. Adam’s adviser is Mary J. Blige. Bryan is stoked by the choice of “Santeria.” Colin is up for the challenge. Mary finds Colin amazing, but needs more pain in his voice. Adam says he has the pitch, but needs the pain. Mary J agrees. The rehearse. Colin is a lil stiff, poor guy. Bryan is a lil worried. Not sure why. He’s been pimped. Adam wants more danger from Colin. We’re off to a commercial. I’ll eat my imaginary hat if Adam doesn’t pick Bryan and his hat. Colin is tasting his dream. Bryan thinks it will be a great battle and wants to leave a mark with his music. They are both from NY. Bryan seems more confidant. I have a soft spot for Colin, though. Xtina’s spray tan looks terrible. Blake thought it was a lot of fun. He think they are different, but Blake would go with Colin because of the pitch. Xtina thought Colin rushed it. She prefers Bryan. Cee-lo likes Colin’s energy, but Bryan had the cool vibe. Adam is looking for the best interpretation and he chooses Bryan. Cee-lo and Blake steal Colin. Blake tells Colin that Cee-lo was going to choose Bryan. And Cee-lo says the song didn’t do him justice. We will find out after the break. Colin goes for Blake!
Blake loves stealing.
Diego and JR from Cee-lo’s team are up. JR brags about his youtube views. Diego is committed to charity. He wants to give back. They meet with Cee-lo and Rob Thomas. Diego isn’t so familiar with the song. The song is Jesse’s Girl. OMG. Rick Springfield. I was in love with him in 1983. Ahem. JR thinks he has the upper hand. They are impressed with JR but not Diego, who is not familiar with the song. Cee-lo thinks that Diego has worked hard and wants JR to be more dirty. Commercial break. Diego has been rehearsing morning, noon and night. JR isn’t going to lose this battle, he claims. Here we go. Did JR just do a fake hand shake to Diego? I actually like Diego better. He seems more into the lyrics. You don’t smile like a Vegas showman when you are talking about obsession. Let’s see what the coaches say. Adam says they are battling and it was entertaining. He said he turned around for JR but Diego killed it. Blake said they
both had great moments, but he would pick JR. Xtina thought JR was vocally stronger, but Diego brought it in the end and she would pick him. Cee-lo said they both did an excellent job. He is torn. He goes with Diego! Yay! JR thanks them for the opportunity. Nobody tries to steal him.
De-borah vs.Nelly. Xtina’s team battles next. De-borah is star struck when she sees Billie Joe Armstrong, who chooses the Police’s “Message in a Bottle.” Billie Joe thinks Nelly’s voice is made for the song. He asks if he can take liberties. De-borah is having a harder time, but they think she sounds great. She’s having issues with not knowing the song. Nelly’s Echo? That sounds more like a band. Sigh. I’m trying. I promise.
Crap. I lost my post somehow. It’s been a crappy day. Maybe MJ can help me retrieve the earlier parts. Dang. Cee-lo likes Nelly’s Echo but De-borah was the clear winner. Adam loves them both. Blake says De-borah was like a boxer and would pick her. Xtina says they both have heart. She chooses De-borah! Yay!
Gracia vs Two Steel Girls. They are on Blake’s team. Blake says they are both steeped in country so he chooses a Dixie Chicks song. Gracia is worried that going against two voices is a disadvantage. They rehearse. Gracia is nervous. Blake tells her not to be. Blake doesn’t think the Two Steel Girls are meshing. He thinks Gracia is bashful. Here we go. It’s hard for duo’s to make it so I’m guessing Gracia. Xtina says she enjoyed that Gracia was more playful. Ce-loo picks Two Steel Girls. Adam says Blake can’t go wrong. Blake loves them all. It’s tough for him. He picks Gracia because she brought more confidence.
Aside: pointing up when you go to a high note is so old.
Amanda Brown vs. Trevon Hunt. Cee-lo fought for Trevon, but was the only one who picked Amanda, a background singer for Adele. They meet with Rob Thomas. They will be singing “Vision of Love” by Mariah. Cee-lo didn’t know about Amanda’s range. Cee-lo challenges him to stand up to Amanda. Rob think Trevon suffers from insecurities. They rehearse. Trevon says Amanda will be shocked when he gets on stage. They sing their faces off, much to my dismay. They get a standing O. Cee-lo has to decide. Adam thinks he’s crazy for not picking either. Blake thinks they are both sexy. Xtina says it’s hands down the best performance of the battle rounds. Cee-lo wants to be a part of Trevon’s journey and help him gain confidence. So he chooses him. All the other judges try to steal Amanda. She reaches outside of the box and chooses Adam.