The Voice recap: Who's still standing after the second night of Battles?
Tyler Golden/NBC
It’s night two of The Voice Battles (everything has been pre-recorded, in case you’re wondering) and Kelly Clarkson, John Legend, Nick Jonas, and Blake Shelton have some tough choices to make tonight. Let’s not kid ourselves, the Battles are the best part of this show and the best Battles are the ones that make the coaches’ job excruciating. Is that mean? Sure, but this is The Voice! And we mean business! Let’s get into tonight’s Battles.
Team Blake: Toneisha Harris vs Jacob Daniel Murphy
“Good As Hell” by Lizzo
Blake pairs these two up because they both have a huge range and power to back it up. In the rehearsals, however, both Blake and Bebe are pushing Toneisha and Jacob to push those ranges further. It’s a great note, because the first time Jacob goes into his falsetto, Kelly Clarkson can’t help but stand up. Blake’s also picked a great song for these two, who proceed to have a party together up on stage. It’s clear from the beginning that four-chair-turn Toneisha is the front runner, and she pretty much owns the show with some huge, wonderful runs. But Jacob certainly holds his own and Kelly calls this one of her favorite battles. And not just because no one believes Blake knows a Lizzo song.
Winner: Toneisha Harris!
Steals and Saves: n/a
Team Kelly: Gigi Hess vs. Micah Iverson
“Someone You Loved” by Lewis Capaldi
Kelly Clarkson says that as soon as she heard this Lewis Capaldi song, she imagined it as a duet, and she’s been waiting to use it. Good thing she picked Gigi Hess and Micah Iverson (her only male team member!) to tackle this one — they immediately ooze chemistry in rehearsal with Dua Lipa. “They should date,” Kelly says, already knowing this one will be a tough choice. Then during the stage rehearsal, these two actually make her weep — not the hardest thing to do, but still, a great sign. On stage, the chemistry is still very much there. Gigi has some big ol’ “notes that soar” as Blake points out, but I’m with Nick Jonas and John Legend here: Micah wins this one. John loves Micah’s chest voice and Nick thought his confidence really upped his performance. Micah could go far here if he keeps picking the right songs.
Winner: Micah Iverson!
Steals and Saves: n/a
Team Legend: Mandi Castillo vs. Cammwess
“Se?orita” by Camila Cabello and Shawn Mendes
John Legend hands Mandi Castillo, his bilingual singer, and Cammwess, the pop and r&b singer whose name everyone forgot while singing Happy Birthday (just, the saddest moment), a big challenge: This Camila Cabello and Shawn Mendes song calls for extreme chemistry and all the sexiness a person can muster. It’s basically the law: when you sing this song, you must be feeling both yourself and your duet partner. I didn’t make the law! Ella Mai, Team Legend’s advisor this round, tells these two timid little birds that above all, they need to remember to have fun with it. They mostly get there. It’s no Camila and Shawn, but what is? Regardless, vocally, both Mandi and Cammwess sound great. Mandi’s falsetto is her secret weapon and Cammwess is even better than I remember. Nick is actually “blown away” by the amount of growth in Camm. Their own coach is really torn: John tells Mandi she has the perfect voice for pop music and Cammwess that he reminds him a lot of himself. Since Carson Daly reminds John that he can’t choose himself, John goes with…
Winner: Mandi Castillo!
Steals and Saves: Kelly Clarkson swoops in and grabs Cammwess to join Team Kelly! A true surprise, but also a nice addition to her team.
Team Blake: Kailey Abel vs. Cam Spinks
“What Ifs” by Kane Brown featuring Lauren Alaina
Neither Cam Spinks (the greatest name of all time, maybe?) nor Kailey Abel walk into rehearsal with Blake Shelton and his team advisor Bebe Rexha feeling particularly confident about this song choice. It’s much more pop than country, which puts off Cam, who is a classic country singer, but it's a little too country for Kailey, who is more of a soulful singer (that rasp!). Blake and Bebe don’t want to hear it — Bebe Rexha, who had a huge country hit with Florida Georgia Line is proof that going out of your comfort zone can pay off. When they step on stage for real, all of that hesitation is completely gone. Now this, THIS is some chemistry. Plus, Cam’s high register really shines and yeah, Kailey’s rasp is a star. So, um, yes, getting out of their comfort zones really paid off. The judges all commend Kailey for her energy and passion, but give it to Cam for his vocal performance alone.
Winner: Cam Spinks!
Steals and Saves: n/a
Team Nick: Tate Brusa vs Anders Drerup
“Circles” by Post Malone
I’m sorry, how adorable is it when Tate, only 16 years old, takes time in rehearsal to ask the Jonas Brothers for advice about his voice changing? Aw, the JoBros have been there! The Jonas Brothers have other advice for both Tate and Anders in regards to their performance: Mainly, that it feels disjointed and they need to work on blending their performances together. Anders especially feels out of his comfort zone. Not only does he normally stick to rock and roll music, but he’s also not used to being the frontman. Both guys have some work to do if they want to make this a hard choice for Nick. This Battle ends up being pretty "meh." As all the other coaches point out, these two just don’t sound great together. As Nick Jonas points out, that’s not the point of this show. Instead, this Battle shows that Anders has a big range and crisp, well-controlled vocals. It also shows that Tate’s rasp and tone are pretty undeniable.
Winner: Tate Brusa!
Steals and Saves: n/a
Team Legend: Nelson Cade III vs. Darious Lyles
“Come Together” by The Beatles
Oh, this one is going to be a show. As soon as Darious opens his mouth and starts wailing on this Beatles song, he’s unreal. Just from the start. And hi, Nelson isn’t so shabby either. John points out that this song might be more in Nelson’s wheelhouse, whose cool tone would sound good in any genre. His problem, as Ella Mai points out, is that he’s too in his head and trying to be perfect. By the end of rehearsal, as they stand amazed while John Legend works on the arrangement in real-time, both guys feel much more comfortable. Ella Mai laments that she’s going to miss seeing the final result of this pairing. As she should. Both Darious and Nelson are so polished up there and bring so much passion, making a song that everyone knows feel exciting and new. John thought that they both rose to the occasion, so this decision is especially tough— but could see that it was Darious who came out and “was ready to have his moment.”
Winner: Darious Lyles!
Steals and Saves: LOL, like John Legend would just let Nelson Cade III go like that. Nelson will be representing Team Legend in the four-way Knockout.
TEAM STANDINGS
Team Blake: Joei Fulco, Todd Michael Hall (save), Levi Watkins, Toneisha Harris, Cam Spinks
Still to Battle: Todd Tilghman, Jon Mullins
Team Legend: Joanna Serenko (stolen from Team Nick), Mike Jerel, Mandi Castillo, Darious Lyles, Nelson Cade III (save)
Still to Battle: Thunderstorm Artis, Zan Fiskum, Brittney Allen, Cedrice
Team Nick: Roderick Chambers, Allegra Miles, Michael Williams (save), Tate Brusa
Still to Battle: Arei Moon, Samuel Wilco, Jacob Miller, Kevin Farris
Team Kelly: Anaya Cheyenne, Micah Iverson, Cammwess (stolen from Team Legend)
Still to Battle: Tayler Green, Megan Danielle, Sara Collins, Samantha Howell, Mandi Thomas, Jules
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