Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Singers started earning spots in the live playoffs on The Voice Monday night.

Thirteen singers took the stage during the first six knockout round matches of Season 15. Only two singers were sent home.

That means we already know the identity of 11 singers fans can start voting for two weeks from now.

Lost track? Here’s who made it through, by team.

Team Adam: Radha, Reagan Strange, Tyke James

Team Blake: Funsho, Natasia Greycloud (stolen from Team Kelly)

Team Jennifer: Mckenzie Thomas, Patrique Fortson, Sandy Redd

Team Kelly: Keith Paluso (stolen from Team Adam), Kymberli Joye, Zaxai

Here’s a recap of Monday’s show. Suffice to say, I didn’t agree with some of the coaching decisions.

And all the Mariah love got a bit tiresome, didn’t it? Especially when the focus should be on the Season 15 contestants and their talent.

THE COACH GOT IT WRONG

TEAM JENNIFER HUDSON

The matchup: Patrique Fortson vs. Sandy Redd
The songs: Patrique, “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” by Aerosmith; Sandy, “Dangerous Woman” by Ariana Grande
The background: Sandy turned four chairs in the blinds and joined Team Kelly. She was stolen by Jennifer in the battle round. Patrique turned two chairs in the blinds; then won a battle with Colton Smith.
The outcome: Jennifer declared Patrique the winner, calling his “a vocal beast.” She then saved Sandy.
Voice Views take: Surprising song choice from Patrique and he made it work surprising well. As we heard, he sang it because it’s one of his dad’s favorites. But Sandy Redd is an absolute force on stage. Every time she performs, I think I’m looking at the potential winner of Season 15. That vocal was a bit over the top for my like. But the combination of vocal and performance, dang, talk about undeniable. How was she not the winner of this match?

TEAM ADAM LEVINE

The matchup: Reagan Strange vs. Radha
The songs: Reagan, “Dancing on My Own” by Calum Scott; Radha, “I’ll Be There” by Mariah Carey
The background: Reagan, just 13, turned two chairs in the blinds; then won her battle with fellow teen Emily Hough. Radha turned three chairs in the blinds; then won a battle with Foushee.
The outcome: Adam declared Reagan the winner, saying she “dazzled” him. Then he saved Radha from elimination.
Voice Views take: At 14, Reagan made a really nice emotional connection to her song. But the revelation here was Radha. She blew us away with her energy in the blind audition. Here, she proved she can use that big voice to deliver an impressive power ballad performance. She showed great stage presence too. Thankfully, Adam showed the common sense to save her.

THE COACH GOT IT PARTLY RIGHT

TEAM KELLY CLARKSON

The matchup: Kymberli Joye vs. Natasia Greycloud vs. Zaxia
The songs: Kymberli, “The Middle” by Zedd, Maren Morris and Grey; Natasia, “Tenneesee Whiskey” by Chris Stapleton; Zaxai, “Crusin'” by Smokey Robinson
The background: Cody Ray Raymond left the competition after the battle round, forcing this three-way showdown. Kymberli turned three chairs in the blinds; then won her battle with the duo OneUp. Natasia and Zaxai were stolen by Kelly during the battle round. Natasia had turned two chairs in the blinds; Zaxai, one.
The outcome: Kelly declared Kymberli and Zaxai the winners; Natasia was stolen by Blake, who signaled an intention to steal the odd person out early in the feedback. Kelly predicted Kymberli will be in the finale. She called Zaxai a dark horse.
Voice Views take: Just like in the battles, Kymberli just kept getting better during her performance of “The Middle.” And that was a surprising song choice for a woman who’s performed mostly gospel music. Natasia showed off all sorts of vocal acrobatics during a bluesy, soulful version of oft-done “Tennessee Whiskey.” I would not have risked losing her after that performance. Zaxai picked more of a laid-back song. He did a fine job with it, but it didn’t have quite as much impact, even with that great falsetto.

THE COACH GOT IT RIGHT

TEAM ADAM LEVINE

The matchup: Tyke James versus Keith Paluso
The songs: Tyke, “Ring of Fire” by Johnny Cash; Keith, “You Are the Best Thing by Ray LaMontagne
The background: Tyke turned one chair in the blinds; then won his battle with Jarred Matthew. Keith turned two chairs in the blinds to join Team Blake; then was stolen by Adam in the battle round.
The outcome: Adam declared Tyke the winner; Keith was stolen by Kelly Clarkson. Adam tried to save him too, but Keith opted for Kelly, saying her energy seems “contagious.”
Voice Views take: Kudos to Adam for pulling more out of Tyke vocally. Once he got past the opening, he delivered a heck of a performance with those plaintive vocals. And he does have a certain star power. Keith delivered a fine, soulful, so it was nice to see him advance.

TEAM JENNIFER HUDSON

The matchup: MaKenzie Thomas vs. Mike Parker
The songs: MaKenzie, “How Deep Is Your Love” by the Bee Gees; Mike, “Breakeven” by The Script
The background: MaKenzie turned Jennifer’s chair in the blinds after failing to make the show in Season 14. She won her battle with Audri Bartholomew. Mike turned one chair in the blinds; then won his battle with Natasia Greycloud.
The outcome: Jennifer declared MaKenzie the winner; Mike was eliminated
Voice Views take: Both singers decided to “flip” their songs. MaKenzie’s stripped-down version of the Bee Gees’ hit worked much better, even if I wished she had cut back even more on the vocal hijinks. Her delicate vocals sold the song without so many runs.

TEAM BLAKE SHELTON

The matchup: Funsho vs. Katrina Cain
The songs: Funsho, “Earned It” by The Weeknd; Katrina, “Don’t Let Me Down” by The Chainsmokers.
The background: Funsho turned three chairs in the blinds and joined Team Adam. He was stolen by Blake in the battles. Katrina, one of the last singers to make the show, turned the two available chairs in the blinds. She won her battle with Rachel Messer.
The outcome: Blake declared Funsho the winner; Katrina was eliminated
Voice Views take: Kudos to Katrina for wanting to show off her true musical identity. But I think this came down to song choice. And in “Earned It,” Funsho had a song that better allowed him to show off his range and his passion in what was definitely a live playoff worthy performance. I was sorry to see Katrina not saved or stolen. She was one of my favorites based on her blind audition reworking of “Rhiannon” and her strong battle round performance.