(Photo property of NBC)
By: Jacob Elyachar, jakes-take.com
The Voice: Season 13 Battle Rounds are in the home stretch!
Before we get into tonight’s battles, here are the artists that will be moving on to the Knockout Rounds:
Adam Levine: Hannah Mrozak, Dylan Gerard, & Dennis Drummond (stolen from Blake).
Miley Cyrus: Moriah Formica, Brooke Simpson, Chloe Kohanski, & Whitney Fenimore (stolen from Adam).
Jennifer Hudson: Lucas Holliday, Chris Weaver, Davon Fleming, & Noah Mac (stolen from Blake).
Blake Shelton: Keisha Renee, Esera Tuaolo, Mitchell Lee, & Kathrina Paige (stolen from Jennifer).
Who joined these artists in the Knockout Rounds? Which artists were stolen? Read on to find out!
Adam paired soulful singers New York City native Brandon Brown and Des Moines native son (and four chair turn) Jon Mero together. The Maroon 5 frontman assigned them The Temptations’ “I Wish It Would Rain.” Guest adviser Joe Jonas told them not to focus on the Temptations’ version, but make it more modern. Adam also told them to put their “charisma and charm” on the tune. When I listened to them sing, both of them should have recorded this duet for Universal Music Group already! I felt I was listening to junior versions of John Legend and Ne-Yo perform together. Jennifer called it a “true battle,” while Blake advised Adam to pick Jon to move to the next round. Adam advanced Jon to the Knockouts representing Team Adam. While Brandon did not get a steal, I would recommend him to audition for AGT, because he would be a strong contender for the Golden Buzzer.
Blake chose Red Marlow and Ryan Scripps to be his first battle of the evening. Red Marlow was ecstatic to see his guest advisor-Rascal Flatts sitting on the stage. He chose the both of them because Red represents the classic country music artist, while Ryan is part of the new generation of country artists. The five-time winning coach chose country ditty “Fish in the Dark.” When they battled, I connected more with Red than I did with Ryan. Red’s innate ability to weave a story out of song impressed me. I am glad that Blake picked Red to move forward to the Knockout Rounds.
Both Team Miley’s 16-year-old Addison Agen and 20-year-old Karli Webster were paired together because she fought Adam over both of them. The ladies duked it out for a spot on Miley’s Knockout team. The ladies sang an acoustic version of Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want to Have Fun.” Their harmonies were excellent, and both girls impressed their coach as she yelped with delight. Blake called the performance: “two sad girls that just want to have fun,” while Adam revealed he was ready to steal whoever lost the battle. As Miley kept Karli, Adam and Jennifer duked it out to take Addison. Jennifer reminded Addison that she was in her shoes, while Adam stated that he pushed for Addison twice. Addison decided to choose Adam to be her coach.
Jennifer paired her soulful singers Shi’Ann Jones and Stephan Marcell together for “Oh Darlin’.” It was tough for me to divorce myself from Season Two’s Juliet Simms raw and powerful cover of the song that caught the attention of Adam, CeeLo, and Xtina! (I miss Christina so much!) Shi’Ann’s lower register still blew me away, while I thought Stephan did an impressive job showing off his high notes. Both Jennifer and Miley gave them a standing ovation, while Adam called the performance “a tie.” However, Blake thought that Shi’Ann could win this show. Jennifer sided with Blake and chose her “mini-me” to advance to the Knockout Rounds. However, Miley decided to break her girl code and chose Stephan to be the only male artist on her team.
As Miley hugged Stephan, Adam paired Anthony Alexander and Michael Kight. He wanted both of them to influence each other as they covered The Weeknd and Daft Punk’s “I Feel It Coming.” Anthony, whose father worked as a camera operator for The Voice, had a precise vocal performance, while Michael had a dead-on pitch. Blake stated that Michael was at home stage, while both Jennifer and Miley loved Anthony’s voice. Adam sided with the ladies and declared Anthony, the winner of the battle.
After Miley and her guest adviser and father, Billy Ray Cyrus, performed “Sweet Home Alabama,” she tasked Janice Freeman and Katrina Rose to see the late Etta James’ “W.O.M.A.N.” The women had two of the biggest voices on her team and she hoped that they would deliver an epic performance. Both Janice and Katrina delivered a steamy performance that had shades of Team Adam’s Judith Hill and Karina Iglesias battle in Season Four. This was a vocal performance that gave me chills! Janice and Katrina took the show to church and they received the only all-four coach standing ovation. Adam ran up to the stage and gave them a hug. He also added that both of them could rip off the Universal Studios Hollywood soundstage’s roof. Blake added that he would give an edge to Katrina, meanwhile Jennifer called Janice “so season with power!” Miley decided to advance Janice to the Knockout Rounds, while Jennifer stole Katrina!
Tomorrow night, it is all eyes on Blake as he has the final steal of the Knockout Rounds.
