The weirdest thing that happened in Monday’s episode of The voice was it not that Nick Jonas cut the contestant he and his peers agreed to deliver the better Battle performance, it was that… it actually made sense. The ‘loser’ was such a standout that you could understand why he would be reluctant to let her go. Read on, and we discuss not only the unusual seclusion, but also all the couples of the evening.
Team legend: Victor Solomon (grade: A) defeats Deion Warren (grade: A-) on ‘U Got It Bad’ | After having the cutest reaction ever to meet Battle Advisor Brandy, Victor and Deion absolutely smell in Usher’s hit. Her advice to Deion was to start softer so he could grow his voice. As for Victor, John wanted him to work on his stage presence. When the spotlight fell on them, they were so electric that I almost forgot to take notes. Victor apparently had some big crowd-pleasing movements in him. Yet I sometimes felt like he came down like Deion’s excellent accompanist – that man is a charisma machine; his voice, as stretchy as an elastic band (even if Blake did think of him on the pitch). In the end, John could not deny Victor’s more solid vocal and impressive evolution.
Team Kelly: Anna Grace (Grade: B) defeats Ainae (Grade: B +) on ‘You Know I’m No Good’ | In the exercise, the participants revealed that only one of them (sweet, shy Ainae) had never heard the Amy Winehouse classic, and even less related to the classic – and this is evident from their performance. As Advisor Luis Fonsi remarked, Ainae sounded like a little star “singing her truth. Kelly’s advice was that both should cut their runs in half; The voice, not The treadmill. When their fight was going on, hmm … I really did not feel that Anna’s voice matched the song, especially at first; the turn with four chairs once again demonstrated that she had chops and control, it was just a mismatch between the song and singer. Ainae’s more gripping voice worked better – it was the sonic equivalent of lime pressed into a Corona – but unfortunately it was less impressive for Kelly’s sub, Kelsea Ballerini. When Anna grew up, Ainae could only become a medium.
Team Nick: Raine Stern (Grade: B +) Defeats Andrew Marshall (Grade: A) on “Adore You” – Andrew Stolen by Blake | Before the two started practicing, I assumed this fight would be bad to lose Raine. But there was a clarity in Andrew’s vocals that said, “Don’t count me out, dummy.” Nick wanted Raine to work on her falsetto notes, and he and Darren Criss, advisor, encouraged Andrew to catch his breath to get him to the end of his rules. Well, on stage damn. They have not come play! Andrew sang with a passion that claimed he will pay serious attention – and he must burn quickly. The Harry Styles hit served him better than Raine did, but she still managed to hint at how special she is as an artist – enough to convince her coach to like her, as he admits that Andrew in this case shone more brightly.
Team Blake: Pete Mroz (Grade: B) Defeats Savanna Chestnut (Grade: B +) on ‘Have a Little Faith in Me’ | By performing the John Hiatt song with Blake and advisers Dan + Shay, Savanna turned her nerves into attractive vulnerability. In turn, Pete seems to naturally use the emotion of the song. Behind the microphone, he offered vibes for the perfect storyteller. Savanna, however, was able to immediately show more reach. Beautiful performance of each of them. John suggested that Savanna did not have a sense of urgency, and Blake could not help but agree – she acted in her head, not on stage. Eventually, he puts his old mate through to the Knockouts.
Team Kelly: Kenzie Wheeler (Grade: A) defeats JD Casper (Grade: B-) on “Fishin ‘in the Dark” | We skipped training material for this pairing completely, but hey, at least it did not get the mounting treatment. Maybe it became short-lived because it was not really a fight. The moment Kenzie opened his mouth with his head, wheelbarrows and haystacks fell out, it was over. JD acquitted himself nicely – and took out his strap-in-a-suit gimmick – but Kenzie was such a wonderful countryman that he gave my remote a tweak. As Blake put it, he completely “immersed himself” in the vocals. Hope he can sing with Ethan Lively at some point; it will be a joke.
Team Nick: Rachel Mac (Grade: C +) Defeats Bradley Sinclair (Grade: C) on ‘Your Song’ | In practice, Nick explained that he paired these two because he wanted to show the youth of his team – on Elton John’s old-but-a-good. Mmkay. What at first seemed like he would eventually brag was their inexperience. His advice to the kids: have more fun. That, I feared, was going to be rough. And well, it was. Rachel did better than Bradley, especially when she was wearing a seat belt. But when she was not at the highest volume, she just threw in vibrato everywhere, whether it was asked or not. Bradley has a nice voice somewhere – and a fine growl as he unfolds it – but you get the feeling he does not quite know how to use it yet. The coach was nasty, but the coaches fell over the duet on their own. Nick even calls it the best performance they’ve seen in the Battles. Come on, sir?
Team legend: Rio Doyle (Grade: C +) defeats Carolina Rial (Grade: C) on ‘Somebody That I Used to Know’ – Carolina Rescued by John | “Look who we have here!” said John as he entered the rehearsal room with Brandy. Meanwhile, I ask myself: “Wait, who do do we have here? I did not remember the participants at all, until the flashbacks reminded me that I had actually dug Rio, whose husky voice sounded cool during their passage on her and Carolina’s Gotye / Kimbra cover. That said, the brightness of Carolina’s voice really made it flare up. In the moment of truth, I had to ask myself if this was really the right choice for the duo. They throw themselves completely into it, but none of them sound in their element. Rio’s smoky voice was largely wasted, and Carolina sang and shouted just as much. In the end, I would have given Rio the win and promised to pick songs that better showcase her satin vocal style.
So, what did you think of Monday’s performances? Vote for your favorite in the poll below and then answer in the comments: Would you have kept Raine or Andrew if you were Nick?