Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Gabrielle Zabosky and Frankie Torres perform during the battle round on The Voice. (NBC Photo)

Frankie Torres snagged a steal as the battle round matches continued on The Voice Monday night.

Frankie had performed a duet with Gabrielle Zabosky, singing “Never Tear Up Apart.” The pairing was a bit of a surprise, since both singers turned four chairs in the blinds and it meant coach Gwen Stefani would have to lose one of them.

She awarded the win to Gabrielle. But Reba nabbed Frankie for her team at the very last second, using the third of eight battle round steals available to the coaches.

Meanwhile, The Voice montaged two battles. Get used to it folks. With 56 singers making the show, there are 28 battle round matches, and the show isn’t going to have enough airtime to show them all.

Of course, I’d argue The Voice shouldn’t need to spend 20 minutes of airtime on every battle. And I’d argue that the performances it can’t air should be placed on YouTube in their entirety. But I’ve been arguing those points for years, and The Voice just doesn’t care to do it any differently than they have been.

Particularly shameful on the show’s part is that Torion Seller was eliminated without having a single full performance air. He was one of three singers montaged during the blinds.

Why in the hell did that happen? The Voice showed nearly full auditions for 13 singers who didn’t make the show. Wouldn’t it be more important to reward singers who made the show and invested months in the process with more airtime.

Here’s a recap of Tuesday’s show.

BEST OF THE NIGHT

The match: Frankie Torres vs. Gabrielle Zabosky
The song: “Never Tear Us Apart” by INXS
The background: Both turned all four chairs in the blinds. Gabby, 23, performed Kelly Clarkson’s “Mr. Know It All.” Frankie, 24, performed Heart’s “Magic Man.”
The feedback: Michael called it awesome and loved the arrangement. Michael gave a slight edge to Gabby. So did Reba, who later confessed that was a fake-out that wound up working brilliantly. Gwen loved Frankie’s rock edge. She loved the confidence Gabby showed.
The outcome: Gwen named Gabrielle the winner. At the very last second, Reba stepped in and stole Frankie.
My take: That, folks, was a seamless duet. Great job by both ladies. Gabby has undeniable power in her voice, and I can see why that’s so appealing on this show. But I would have given a slight edge to Frankie. She sounded great and showed off more vocal versatility thanks to a fabulous opening and a growl she unleashed later in the performance.

THE COACH GOT IT VERY, VERY WRONG

TEAM SNOOP

The match: ChrisDeo vs. MisterMoon
The song: “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?”
The background: MisterMoon (female duo of Leah Colon, 26, and Savs, 28) performed Kacey Musgrave’s “Deeper Well” in the blinds and turned two chairs. ChrisDeo, 16, also turned two, singing Jason Mraz’s “I Won’t Give Up.”
The feedback: Reba said it was wonderful when they all sang together. She gave the edge to ChrisDeo. Michael pointed out that Mister Moon is unique to the competition. Gwen complimented all three singers. Snoop loved the way all three singers came together. He also called them superstars.
The outcome: Snoop awarded the win to ChrisDeo. MisterMoon was eliminated.
My take: First off, crappy song choice. You could see all three singers trying to create big vocal moments in a song that didn’t lend itself to them. ChrisDeo had a really rough start never made up for that vocally in my opinion. She’s endearing and is loaded with potential, but likely showed up at The Voice at least a year too soon. Meanwhile, it’s tough for individuals in duets to stand out in the battle round format. But both members of MisterMoon showed more confidence and delivered better vocals when they sang solo, and were especially impressive when they sang together.

THE COACH GOT IT WRONG

TEAM MICHAEL

The match: Edward Preble vs. Mark Shiiba
The song: Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World”
The background: Edward, 19, turned two chairs with his cover of “Luck Be a Lady” in the blinds. Michael pushed his replay button to land Mark, 29 after Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright.”
The feedback: Snoop said he was totally entertained. Reba said Michael couldn’t have paired two more different singers. He gave Mark the edge. Gwen complimented both singers on a great job on a hard song. She gave the edge to Edward. Michael congratulated both singers on coming a long way with their performances.
The outcome: Michael awarded the win to Edward. Mark was eliminated.
My take: Well, gee, that song choice was right down Edward’s wheelhouse and about a million miles from Mark’s. Think Edward might have gone into the performance with a mega edge? It’s a shame, because Mark has a unique sound and deserved a better showcase for what he can do. I’d encouraged folks to listen to the original music he’s already released, because it’s very good. There’s a 100 percent chance I’ll listen to future music he releases. Sorry, but I can’t say the same about Edward’s.

THE COACH GOT IT RIGHT

TEAM REBA

The match: Adam Bohanan vs. Kevin James Graham.
The song: Teddy Swims’ “Lose Control.”
The background: Both turned one chair in the blinds. Kevin, 33, sang Rod Stewart’s “Stay With Me.” Adam, 40, performed “Home” by Marc Broussard.
The feedback: Gwen marveled over the fact that both were just one chair turns. Gwen gave the edge to Adam. Michael and Snoop praised both singers. Reba called the performance “fantastic.”
The outcome: Reba awarded the win to Adam. Kevin was eliminated.
My take: Wow, nice job, guys. Kevin showed off great range and energy. He even took his dark glasses off to hit one of those high notes. But the soulfulness of Adam’s voice won me over. And, hey, he showed off pretty nice range too.

THE MONTAGED

The match: Torion Selleers vs. Jeremy Beloate
The song: “Just the Way You Are” by Bruno Mars
The background: Jeremy, 25, turned four chairs in the blinds, singing Giveon’s “Heartbreak Anniversary.” Torion, 26, turned one, performing “There Goes My Baby.”
The outcome: Michael advanced Jeremy. Torion was eliminated, never having a full performance air.
The feedback: After The Voice blessed us with 8 seconds of the performance, we heard Michael call Jeremy’s voice “glorious.” Post-battle, he complimented Jeremy on a “unique and distinct sound.”

TEAM SNOOP

The match: Suede Lacy vs. Torre Blake
The song: “What I Do For Love” by Bobby Caldwell
The background: Torre, 30, turned two chairs in the blinds, singing “On and On” by Erykah Badu. Suede, 29, snagged the very last spot on the show with his cover of “Redbone” by Childish Gambino.
The outcome: Snoop advanced Torre; Suede was eliminated.
The feedback: Wow, we might have heard 10 seconds of this battle. Snoop complimented the singers for knocking it “out of the park.” He said both have lots of potential, but was especially impressed with the way Torre controlled her nervousness. He also praised her improvement between the blinds and battles.

ChrisDeo and MisterMoon await coaches’ feedback following their battle on The Voice. (NBC Photo)