Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Just four artists were eliminated during night one of the battle rounds on The Voice.

That’s because Collin McLoughlin and Amanda Brown were “stolen” by other coaches after losing their respective matchups with Bryan Keith and Trevin Hunte.

The teasers for tonight’s show indicate the steal will play a role again, which still leaves me wondering how The Voice is going to whittle this field of very talented contestants down to a manageable number.

After all, each coach had eight team members in Season 1; 12 in Season 2.

This year? Sixteen. Plus the contestants they’re stealing.

For profiles of all of the contestants, head here. And keep your eye out for the featured video spot to the right. I’ll be featuring a different “before The Voice” song from a contestant every day in that spot.

Today: Nelly’s Echo with “If I Were the King.” Nelson, by the way, should have won his battle round last night.

On to night 2 of the battles on The Voice.

Sounds like the pace will pick up tonight with five battles in just 60 minutes.

Battle 1: Cody Belew vs. Domo — Domo is a dancing dynamo who says she’s as big as Lady Gaga in China and has a video to sorta prove it. Cody is the guy who barely made it onto a team and then went berserk when he realized it had happened. He likes to entertain with bam-bam, which makes this an interesting matchup. They’ll perform Gaga’s “Telephone.” Domo promises some surprises with the show they have planned.

Domo looks fantastic. And Cody sounds fantastic with his opening line. Wow, no doubt Domo is quite the dancer who loves the spotlight. And I liked that rap she did in the middle of that performance. But as much as I’d like to see her advance, I think Cody displayed the better vocals from start to finish. Nothing wrong with Domo’s vocals; she just didn’t seem to project quite as well. Please, coaches, save her if she loses. My pick: Cody.

Cee Lo Green picks Cody Belew. And no one saves Domo. 🙁

Battle 2: Aquile vs. Nathalie Hernandez: They’ll be singing “You Give Me Something.” Aquile, you’ll recall, is the guy who grew up in Colorado, felt a little out of place and now lives in San Diego. Nathalie is just 15 but already has an EP to her credit. Christina is encouraging her to be fearless as she takes on a guy nine years older. Aquile would appear to have an edge in this showdown. He’s just much more experienced.

Very nice opening from Aquile, who looks the part of a pop star. But there’s certainly a sweet tenderness to Nathalie’s tone. Unfortunately, she’s gone off pitch a couple of times and seems just a wee bit nervous, while Aquile looks perfectly at home, dancing around her and singing a love ballad. One of my fears is that given the talent level on this show, some of the younger contestants are simply going to be overmatched. They’re all very talented; it’s just tough to make up for that experience gap. My pick: Aquile.

Christina picks Aquile.

And, now, in a development I feared, The Voice decides it can just skip some of the battle showdowns and just show us who wins.

Battle 3: Celica Westbrook vs. Lisa Scinta:  Celica Westbrook wins.

Battle 4: Charlie Rey vs. Rudy Parris: Rudy Parris wins.

Battle 5: Caitlin Michele vs. Melanie Martinez:  Melanie is the young lady who played guitar and tambourine during her blind audition. I consider her one of the favorites on the show. Caitlin is a student at Berklee College of Music who says she doesn’t want to be a pop star; she just wants to make enough money through music that she doesn’t have to make her living selling clothes on eBay.

After a somewhat rough audition, these two artists take the stage. No way Melanie Martinez is going anywhere. She’s just too talented and too unique. You just want to see more to find out how talented. But Caitlin is certainly sticking with her, note for note. If anything, she’s coming across as a little stronger vocally. Very nice performance, ladies. My pick: Melanie Martinez, only because I think she has more potential down the road.

Adam picks Melanie.

But both Cee Lo and Blake want to steal Caitlin. And Caitlin heads to Team Cee Lo.  Hmm, maybe she remembers when Blake encouraged her to join the “normal” team and she responded by saying she’s anything but normal.