The Voice's Second Night Of Battles Delivers A Jaw-Dropper Of A Shock
If you've been reading TVLine's recaps of The Voice for any amount of time, you know how rare it is to get through a night of Battles without your friendly neighborhood recapper being like "WTH?" over a coach's decision. But that was exactly what happened Monday. Though I might have gone with the singer who was eliminated in the third face-off, I wasn't mad about who stayed. What about you? Do you agree that the coaches kinda got it right across the board? Before you hit the comments, let's go over the evening's Battles.
Team Legend: Bryson Battle (Grade: A) defeated Ari Camille (Grade: A-) on "Made for Me" — Ari stolen by Adam | At first, I was leaning toward Bryson; his voice is just... so... pretty. But then I heard more of Ari and switched sides. There was a rawness to her vocal that felt like pure emotion. Of course, by the end I was rooting for Bryson again — that range! Cowabunga! "You can't sing better than that," Adam marveled.
Team Adam: Lucia Flores-Wiseman (Grade: A+) defeated Hayden Grove (Grade: B+) on "My Funny Valentine" | Hayden left me weak-kneed from the first note that he sang, he has such a dreamy voice. But then Lucia opened her mouth, and I forgot he was even on stage. There's a spectacular tanginess to Lucia's unique tone that drops it somewhere between Bjork and Paloma Faith. I need an album by Lucia, and I need it now.
Team Kelsea: Alanna Lynise (Grade: B+) defeated Brook Wood (Grade: A-) on "Angels Like You" | Tough one to call. Alanna had the better-modulated performance but didn't really come alive (or get consistently on pitch) until she got to belt. So Brook, though less nuanced in her delivery, had the stronger vocal. She could cut glass with that voice. If I were Kelsea, I'd have been thinking, "I'm a country artist with a country contestant — can't lose."
Team Bublé: Kaiya Hamilton (Grade: A) defeated Barry Jean Fontenot (Grade: B+) on "Cry to Me" — Barry saved by Michael | I was really grooving to Barry's sweet, rich voice (which hung on for dear life on those high notes) until I caught a glimpse of Kaiya dancing in the background, owning the stage as if she'd been born there. After that, it was all over for me. Her vocals were piercing, pretty and impressive — and that stage presence? Unbeatable.
Team Legend: BD.ii (Grade: B+) defeated Antonio Ramsey (Grade: B-) on "Just Friends (Sunny)" | Tackling Musiq Soulchild's hit, Antonio looked like he was having a blast but sounded, ya know, fine. He reminded me of somebody's Pops having a little too much fun after that third beer at the karaoke party. BD.ii, on the other hand, really embodied the cool-guy swagger of the number, from his smooth voice to his laid-back presence on stage.
Team Kelsea: Jaelen Johnston (Grade: B+) defeated Hailey Wright (Grade: B) on "Neon Moon" — Hailey saved by Kelsea | Wow! Jaelen started off in a register that was so low, it had to have been dug up with a backhoe. Later, he reminded us how rough-'n'-ready his voice could get. So let's see: Deep? Check. Range? Check. Plus, he looked at home on stage whereas Hailey, despite a solidly twangy vocal, seemed so nervous, I would've believed she wanted to be anywhere but there at that moment.
In abbreviated Battles, Grace Miller-Moody bested Tori Templet to remain on Team Adam, Kameron Jaso defeated Naomi Soleil to stay on Team Bublé, and Carlos Santiago won his Team Bublé Battle over Aaron Rizzo.
Were you really upset about any of the coach's decisions Monday (keeping in mind Ari, Barry and Hailey all managed to advance to the Knockouts)? Vote for your fave below, then let 'er rip in the comments.
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