Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Nine more singers advanced to the playoffs on The Voice following Monday’s knockout round episode.

Winning battles were Desz, Jim Ranger, Ian Flanigan, Bailey Rae, Carter Rubin, Joseph Soul and Madeline Consoer.

Meanwhile, Sid Kingsley of Team Kelly was stolen by Blake Shelton and Chloe Hogan of Team Gwen was stolen by John Legend.

Here’s my recap.

THE COACH GOT IT WRONG!

TEAM KELLY CLARKSON

The matchup: Madeline Consoer with “Die From a Broken Heart” by Maddie & Tae vs. Kelsie Watts with “You Oughta Know” by Alanis Morissette
The background: Madeline turned on chair in the blinds; then defeated Eli Zamora in the battle round. Kelsie turned two chairs, then won her battle with Emmalee.
The feedback: Blake gave the edge to Madeline; John to Kelsie.
The outcome: Kelly picked Madeline as the winner. Kelsie was eliminated.
My take: Not to take anything away from Madeline, but “You Oughta Know” is a difficult song to pull off on a singing show. It’s not a pretty song. It all comes down to attitude. And Kelsie Watts absolutely slayed it, all the while showing off her big vocals. She deserved the win here.
Special note: No steals remained when this knockout was filmed.

DID THE COACHES GET THE STEALS RIGHT?

TEAM KELLY CLARKSON

The matchup: DeSz with “Can We Talk” by Tevin Campbell vs. Sid Kingsley with “Make It Rain” by Ed Sheeran
The background: DeSz turned four chairs in the blinds, then won her battle with Joseph Soul. Sid Kingsley turned three chairs, then was stolen by Kelly after a battle round match with Bailey Rae.
The feedback: Blake was the only coach to venture an opinion, saying he’d go with Desz simply because she’s been on Kelly’s team the longest.
The outcome: Kelly named Desz the winner, adding their knockout will go down as one of the best ever. John and Blake both tried to steal Sid. Sid opted to join Team Blake, noting that means he will have worked with three of the show’s superstar contestants.
My take: A really great performance by both singers. Desz’s vocal power is undeniable, and she’s a great show woman too. Sid provided a wonderful, soulful vocal and a nice build to his performance. I don’t know if this was one of the best knockout matches ever, as Kelly said, but both singers deserved to advance.

TEAM GWEN SEBASTIAN

The matchup: Carter Rubin with “You Say” by Lauren Daigle vs. Chloe Hogan with “Weak” by SWV.
The background: Carter turned two chairs, then won his battle with Larriah Jackson. Chloe turned just Gwen’s chair, but then won her battle with Lain Roy.
The feedback: Kelly gave the edge to Carter; Blake called Chloe’s performance “magical.” John praised both performances, but gave the edge to Chloe.
The outcome: Gwen named Carter the winner. John then swooped in and stole Chloe.
My take: Carter surprised me. That was easily my favorite performance from him. And he seemed totally in control at age 14. Really, really nice, regardless of age. Not sure about that save, though. That was a great performance by Chloe, but not her best vocal.

THE COACHES GOT IT RIGHT

TEAM BLAKE SHELTON

The matchup: Jim Ranger with “Humble and Kind” by Tim McGraw vs. Jus Jon with “Finesse” by Bruno Mars
The background: Jim Ranger turned three chairs in the blinds, then won his battle with John Sullivan. Jus Jon turned one chair; then won his battle with Payton Lamar.
The feedback: Kelly gave the edge to Jim based on song choice. Gwen said Jim could win the show.
The outcome: Blake named Jim the winner. Jus Jon was eliminated.
My take: Kudos to Jus Jon for his stage presence. But vocally, this wasn’t even close thanks to a brilliant, emotional performance by Jim Ranger. Wise choice too, on Blake’s part, because he’s the type of contestant Voice fans fall in love with.
Special note: No steals remained when this knockout was filmed.

TEAM JOHN LEGEND

The matchup: Bailey Rae with “Let Me Down Easy” by Billy Currington vs. Lauren Frihauf with “Cry Baby” by Janis Joplin
The background: Lauren turned two chairs in the blinds, then was stolen by John following her battle round match with Payge Turner. Bailey Rae was the next to last artist chosen for Season 19 (only John had a spot available). She won her battle with Sid Kingsley.
The feedback: Gwen was the only coach to venture a choice, and she went with Lauren, partly because she started off as a member of Team Gwen.
The outcome: John named Bailey Rae the winner; Lauren was eliminated.
My take: Bailey Rae was solid from start to finish. It’ll be interesting to see if Voice fans embrace a country singer from Team John. Lauren might have done better with a song that was a better showcase for her unique sound.
Special note: No steals remained when this knockout was filmed.

TEAM BLAKE SHELTON

The matchup: Ian Flanigan with “Beautiful Crazy” by Luke Combs vs. James Pyle with “In My Blood” by Shawn Mendes
The background: Ian was a one-chair turn, then won his battle with Aaron Scott. James Pyle was the last contestant to land a spot on Season 19, landing it on Team John Legend. Blake stole him following James’ battle round loss to Cami Clune.
The feedback: John gave the edge to James; Kelly to Ian.
The outcome: Blake declares Ian the winner; James is eliminated.
My take: At first, I thought Ian’s performance might be a bit sleepy. But he delivered the intensity and emotion before the performance ended. James was intense from the word go, perhaps so intense his vocal suffered slightly. Then again, the version of his performance we saw was cut short.
Special note: No steals remained when this knockout was filmed.

MONTAGED (Again in Van Andrews’ case)

TEAM GWEN SEBASTIAN

The matchup: Joseph Soul with “lovely” by Billie Eilish versus Van Andrew with “Human” by The Killers.
The background: Joseph turned two chairs in the blinds, then was stolen by Gwen following his battle round loss to DeSz. Van also turned two chairs, then won his battle round match with Tori Miller.
The outcome: Gwen advanced Joseph; Van was eliminated.
My take: It’s just a dirty shame The Voice can’t fit seven knockouts into a two-hour show. Blame sloppy, bloated editing and producers who just don’t give a damn.
Special note: No steals remained when this knockout was filmed.