On Night 1 of The Voice Battle Rounds, five of the six competing artists moved one step closer to the title, advancing to the Knockout Round stage. With a full two hour show, let’s see who the coaches advance to the next round:
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Battle 1: Shalyah Fearing vs. Tamar Davis (Team Christina)
Tamar Davis is almost in tears when she sees Patti Labelle as her advisor, while Shalyah Fearing is wide-eyed at the whole experience of performing Patti’s “Lady Marmalade” in front of her and Christina Aguilera, both of whom recorded popular versions of the song. Patti is having such a fun time, she joins in singing with them. They both suggest Tamar get into character with her lines and have fun with it. Patti’s final note to both is that they must enunciate the lyrics better. Patti says that though their age ranges differ, they both have “it.”
Out of the gate, Tamar is on it, but Shalyah feels a little off and like she’s straining. But it’s not long before Shalyah hits her groove, nailing the power notes right along with Tamar. By the end, it’s one of the night’s better performances. Pharrell says Shalyah is something else at 15-years-old, but loves Tamar’s jazz run. Adam says that Tamar has that sparkle that puts her over the top, but feels Christina can’t go wrong either way. Blake says Tamar just has more experience and her end notes pushed it over the top for him. Christina feels both have amazing talents and she picks Tamar. But with such a standout performance, Pharrell decides to steals Shalyah for his team.
https://youtu.be/BdjTFIO9U2A
Battle 2: Justin Whisnant vs. Mary Sarah (Team Blake)
Mary Sarah‘s thrilled to meet Gwen Stefani and understands she’s getting two coaches in one. Blake Shelton reveals that they get his favorite song out of the Battle Rounds with the Loretta Lynn / Conway Twitty duet, “Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man.” Blake feels they both have a vintage sound and it will work well for both. Blake asks for more range on Justin Whisnant while Gwen wants more character from him. During the final rehearsal, he’s taken the notes to heart and is right on par with Mary.
The song is a duet by nature so it fits for both singers. Justin is steady throughout, but Mary seems to have some breathing issues as some point. However, Mary hits some high notes that kill and her sassiness playing up the performance definitely catches eyes and ears. Christina says Justin was accurate the whole way through, while Mary’s high notes were great. Pharrell loves Justin’s control and he liked Mary’s showmanship and her high notes. Adam loves Justin’s voice and once Mary got started she was great, but he wanted to hear more out of both of them. Blake is proud of both and says Justin shows more depth and loves what he did with the Conway vocal, while Mary was funky and fun and he has a better idea of her stage presence. In the end, he chooses Mary.
https://youtu.be/k4gYvWKbAKE
Battle 3: Jessica Crosbie vs. Nick Hagelin (Team Pharrell)
Nick Hagelin says he wanted to bow to Diddy and says he was a big influence on his life as a performer. The song chosen for the pair by Pharrell Williams is MGMT’s “Electric Feel,” and Jessica Crosbie feels a little intimidated by Nick hitting the high notes. Diddy has them both start snapping their fingers to get more into the funkiness of the song. Pharrell says Nick needs to drop out of his falsetto into his real voice for a big note, while Jessica needs to find her power notes as well. During the final rehearsals, Pharrell says Jessica took his notes and got into the pocket, while Nick needs to step up. Diddy tells them they need to attack the song with confidence.
When it comes time for the performance, Jessica shows more sass and power with his voice, while Nick digs in to his falsetto, not always consistently, but scoring with some of the song’s bigger notes. They’re both playful in the performance, winning over the coaches. Adam says Jessica is great, and feels Nick was very magnetic. Blake says Nick spent so much time in his falsetto, but when he went full voice he liked that as well and he leans toward Nick. Christina also praises Nick’s high notes and say that put him over the top for her. Pharrell says both took the notes given during the rehearsals. He says they couldn’t be any more different, but in the end he advances Nick. Right at the end, Adam decides to steal Jessica and feels that her Blinds performance was so good and he missed out, so he wants to work with her.
https://youtu.be/Tau2d1enVg8
Battle 4: Chelsea Gann vs. Kata Hay (Team Christina)
Kata Hay goes nuts for Patti Labelle, while Chelsea Gann tears up at the experience. Christina picks Melissa Etheridge’s “I’m the Only One” for them and at the first rehearsal, Christina says Kate’s on fire, while Chelsea is more smooth. At the final rehearsal, Patti says they have the power, but at some points it gets a little pitchy. Christina now feels like Chelsea has upped her energy level. The final notes are that Kata needs to get control of her voice, while Chelsea could stand to let loose a little.
When it comes to the performance, Kata’s lower register doesn’t seem to initially connect, but her command of the stage kind of saves it. Meanwhile, Chelsea’s got pure power right from the top and by the time they reach the song’s chorus, Kata is matching Chelsea’s power notes and feels right at home in the song. Pharrell says Kata has personality and Chelsea exercised the different parts of her range and that he would give it to Chelsea. Adam says Kata is a firecracker and seductive and Chelsea brought the claws out during her performance. Blake says he’s not sure why he didn’t pick either and felt Kata was behind the pocket while Chelsea was in the pocket and he would pick Chelsea. Christina says Chelsea stepped up to the plate and Kata was completely in the moment. Despite two of the other coaches leaning toward Chelsea, she picks Kata.
https://youtu.be/urMmbuHVCGk
Battle 5: Natalie Yacovazzi vs. Nate Butler (Team Adam)
Aware of what their song choice is, Natalie Yacovazzi and Nate Butler are both happy to see advisor Tori Kelly, but also more nervous too since they’ll be performing Tori’s song “Hollow.” Adam Levine says it’s a “singer” song and will give them a chance to show their chops. Adam feels Nate is working too hard for something that should be simple. Tori likes Natalie’s airiness in her tone, but wants her to find her spots. During the final rehearsal, Adam feels that Nate has improved and Natalie needs to get out of her head and just get in the moment. Meanwhile, Tori helps Natalie personalize the song.
Once they hit the stage, Nate navigates the falsetto with ease, while Natalie hits some big notes and has a raspy break in her voice that captures everyone’s attention. Both have strong voices that shine on the song. Blake says Natalie has originality and Nate has a pitch perfect voice. Christina says it’s neck and neck, while Pharrell says Nate’s pitch makes for an interesting mix and Natalie has the passion. Adam says Natalie should be thriving on the song and Nate is more out of his comfort zone, but both met their challenges. In the end, Adam feels he can move forward confidently with Nate.
https://youtu.be/24xL7wnXtFs
Battle 6: Hannah Huston vs. Maya Smith (Team Pharrell)
Pharrell pairs Hannah Huston and Maya Smith together because they’re soulful and left and center and gives them Sia’s “Elastic Heart” to perform, feeling it fits them well. Diddy tells them not to be intimidated and to make the song their own. During the final rehearsal, Diddy takes the lyric sheets away from both singers and gives Maya a pep talk when he can see she’s nervous. He then pulls Hannah aside and asks for more attitude.
It’s clear from the start of their performance that both have power, but Hannah shows more dynamics in her sound. Both singers show their way through some vocal gymnastics during the track and it’s a pretty powerful performance. Adam says Hannah’s presence is amazing and states that with a little more control for Maya it would be neck and neck. Blake says Maya seemed a little more free while Hannah brought powerful intensity to the song. Christina loves both of their vibratos, and feels Maya has a bit more range. Pharrell is proud of both of them, but points out issues in both performances. He picks Hannah, but Christina and Blake try to steal. Maya picks Christina.
https://youtu.be/Ze-_oJZdKBU
So that’s it for Night 2 of The Voice Battle Rounds. How did the vocalists stack up for the night? See our rankings below.
9. Jessica Crosbie (Team Adam)
8. Nick Hagelin (Team Pharrell)
7. Kata Hay (Team Christina)
6. Nate Butler (Team Adam)
5. Mary Sarah (Team Blake)
4. Maya Smith (Team Christina)
3. Shalyah Fearing (Team Pharrell)
2. Hannah Huston (Team Pharrell)
1. Tamar Davis (Team Christina)
Come back next Monday at 8PM ET/PT to check out the new batch of Battle Rounds on NBC’s The Voice.
