It’s pretty evident – by the judges’ clothes alone; thank you, Christina – that all 24 of the battles for the Battle Rounds of The Voice were filmed on the same day/evening. Considering each battle is roughly two minutes long, that’s not tremendously surprising.
What is a smidge bewildering is just what went into the selection of the various battles for editing purposes. For some reason, they decided to stock the final night of this portion of the contest with some rather lackluster face-offs and you almost get the feeling they were trying to fill the other three nights with a good mix and then realized they had an entire night left to plug in the leftovers.
Thankfully, they closed out the Battles with a rather nice competition, but it made sitting through the majority of the two hours rather disconcerting.
Battle #1: Team Cee Lo – James Massone vs. Wade, Cyndi Lauper’s “True Colors”
The night started out on a feeble note with this rather uninspired battle, though I have to say that I heard this one very different from what each of the judges heard. James’ voice has a very narrow profile. Even when he tackles a large range, the sound and color of his voice is very limited and, in addition to not making him particularly interesting to listen to, he sounds pinched and a tad more nasal than the judges gave him credit for. On top of that, he didn’t harmonize well at all throughout the song, which detracted from the whole experience. In contrast, Wade’s voice is full-bodied and rich, full of many lovely layers. His vocal during the battle wasn’t the greatest but it seemed to clearly outshine his Bostonian counterpart. And yet…
All four judges were pretty definitive in their support of James and you have to wonder what they heard in the studio that was different from what we could hear on TV.
Winner: James Massone
Battle #2: Team Adam – Mathai vs. Nicolle Galyon, Sara Bareilles’ “Love Song”
Here’s a song that should’ve played right into Nicolle’s strengths and there are moments when she opens the song that sound just as raw and engaging as Sara Bareilles does when she performs the song live. If there was a song where Nicolle could be chained to a piano it’s this one … and Adam makes the bold choice to axe the piano. It’s a smart move because having Nicolle behind the piano with Mathai strolling around would’ve made for very unengaged battle. Plus, the focus is on their vocal abilities and it’s pretty fair to say that neither really shined. Nicolle was nervous without her crutch and it lead to a number of pitchy moments. Mathai, in trying to be so unique, has too affected of a voice and cheats her way through the song. She, too, has pitchy moments and when the two come together to finish the song, it’s an awful blend. They really don’t sell much of the story and emotion of the song and we have to suffer through it.
Again, there is a sweep of the judges, with Cee Lo noting that Nicolle just came off too generic to stand out. Adam likes to celebrate the differences in contestants voices, which is commendable, but it also offers a detriment to his assessment of a performance at times. Still, he has moments where he just nails it and you gotta love that he said he was let down by the song from both girls.
Winner: Mathai
Battle #3: Team Xtina – The Line vs. Moses Stone, The Rolling Stones’ “Satisfaction”
Christina’s final battle leaves her pairing the country-tinged duo The Line against young MC Moses and, while it didn’t seem to be very fruitful during the rehearsals, the odd pairing actually makes for a pleasant, if not wholly, well, satisfying rendition. The counterbalance between the two styles works better than expected and the song becomes kind of fun, even with Moses atypical rap of one verse. The battle itself isn’t very close, though, as both members of The Line appear stiff throughout the majority of the song. Moses, meanwhile, takes over and works to entertain more than outsing his companions and it’s effective.
Adam and Blake both lean toward The Line while Cee Lo finds himself impressed with what Moses can bring to the table above and beyond his natural skills. Christina has to agree and while it is somewhat refreshing to see a contestant not play into the all-smiles-all-the-time decorum of these kinds of competitions, Hailey’s angerball moment was also rather unappealing.
Winner: Moses Stone
Battle #4: Team Adam – Karla Davis vs. Orlando Napier, The Commodores’ “Easy”
Once again, I really have to applaud Adam on his flexibility as a judge/coach. He gives these two – a clashing match of shy versus experience – the Hall & Oates song “Rich Girl” first, a song both aren’t very familiar with. While trying to sing it, it becomes clear that the song is not going to do favors for either of them, so Adam makes the command decision to cut it and go with another. Orlando, of course, goes on to make the song his own, adding his own unique blend to the phrasing and rhythm. While I appreciate his effort, it leaves one feeling like a strong, clear “straight” rendition of these songs will traditionally stand out better than trying to throw a bunch of tricks at it, regardless of personal style. Karla, meanwhile, plays an almost back-up role during the beginning of the song and you have to wonder if she hasn’t overcome the fear that made her so introverted during rehearsals. She doesn’t squander the great coaching from Adam and guest adviser Alanis Morissette, though, and when she launches into the second verse, her voice is positively wonderful and full of character. She still has weird physical issues but the strength of her voice was somewhat revelatory.
Blake and Cee Lo both glom onto Orlando’s uniqueness but Christina campaigns for the clarity of character in Karla’s voice. Adam concurs.
Winner: Karla Davis
Battle #5: Team Blake – Jordan Rager vs. Naia Kete, Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours”
Everyone and their cousin points out how the reggae-flavored song immediately favors Naia, but many forget just how fantastic of a vocalist Mraz is and how his songs can offer up wonderful meat for any singer to tear into regardless of genre. That’s something that both Blake and wife/guest adviser Miranda Lambert try to impress upon Jordan, to have confidence in his voice and attack the vocals with proper decisions. While Jordan does manage to find his way into the song, he doesn’t ever look particularly comfortable and it costs him both some dynamism in his voice and any ability to harmonize well. Naia comes out like a boxer, and though she has her own vocal problems – missing some notes and letting her tricks sucks out her breath too much later in the song – confidence just exudes off of her and she just has more fun with the song.
Another sweep of the judges, though it’s very interesting to see how Naia isn’t fully happy with the quality of her win. Have to see how that plays out during the live shows.
Winner: Naia Kete
Battle #6: Team Cee Lo – Justin Hopkins vs. Tony Vincent, Journey’s “Faithfully”
Broadway vs. Dive Bar is kind of how this was sold and it is a true highlight of the night and one of the better battles of the competition. The intriguing aspect of this battle is that for all his declarations of yearning to be part of the pop rock scene, Tony’s Broadway history actually strips a genuine feeling from his voice. He’s got great power and range, but his voice is too clear, too crisp, which works against him somewhat in the rock vein. Justin is less polished and his natural growl serves him well from a rock perspective, particularly here where his voice seems to fit Steve Perry better. Still, both throw themselves into this one and it makes for a great back and forth. The “oh”s leading into the ending are superb and Cee Lo is left with an honestly tough choice.
The judges split this one with Adam and Blake preferring Justin’s traditional flawed voice and Christina and Cee Lo opting for the versatility Tony seems to present for future performances.
Winner: Tony Vincent
The night over each judge/coach’s 6-person team is set. Of the bat, Christina seems to have the strongest team overall while Cee Lo’s appear to be the most wobbly. Blake’s team splits the difference, interesting, though solid is about the most you can qualify the team. Adam plays the wildcard with a team that vacillates from amazing to less-than.
What did you think of the final night of the Battle rounds of The Voice. Impressed? Embarrassed? Which team do you think has the best chance of going far and producing a winner? Let us know in the comments below.
