Idol Chatter & Voice Views

The Voice wrapped up its battle round Monday night with six excellent pairings.

Next up: the show’s new twist, a four-way knockout in which fans will vote for the winner.

Kelly Clarkson saved Samantha Howell during Monday’s show. That means she will join Todd Michael Hall, Nelson Cade III and Michael Williams in that four-way showdwon.

Monday’s show also featured steals of Team Legend’s Cedrice by Blake Shelton and of Team Blake’s Jon Mullins by Nick Jonas.

The only disappointment Monday night was that the show montaged two battles, those featuring Kevin Farris and Jacob Miller; and Tayler Green and Jules.

After 17 seasons, you would think the show would learn some editing tricks that would make montages unnecessary.

I mean, does The Voice really need to take 15 minutes of airtime per battle, chock full of background clips and ‘oh, my gosh, I love working with my guest mentor’ comments?

Here’s the recap of Monday’s battles. Keep checking back for followup interviews with tonight’s artists.

BEST PERFORMANCE OF THE NIGHT

TEAM JOHN LEGEND

The match: Cedrice vs. Thunderstorm Artis
The song: “Stay” by Rhianna
The background: Thunderstorm Artis, 24, of Haleiwa, Hawaii, auditioned with “Blackbird” by The Beatles and turned four chairs. Cedrice, 28, of San Diego, performed “Fever” by Peggy Lee and nabbed the very last spot on Season 18.
The feedback: Nick said he was blown away by the performance. Kelly said Thunderstorm might have an edge in a musical competition. Blake and Nick felt Thunderstorm held a narrow edge too.
The outcome: John named Thunderstorm the winner, saying his voice is a magical mix of angelic and rasp. Blake immediately stole Cedrice.
My take: A simply brilliant performance on a great song choice. Both singers deserved to advance. I probably would have given a narrow edge to Cedrice, who would have been a four-chair turn if she hadn’t been the last singer to audition for Season 18.

A WELL-DESERVED STEAL

TEAM BLAKE SHELTON

The match: Todd Tilghman vs. Jon Mullins
The song: “Ghost in This House” by Shenandoah
The background: Todd Tilghman, 41, of Meridian, Mississippi, performed “We’ve Got Tonight” by Bob Seger and turned four chairs. Jon Mullins, 32, of Nashville, Tenn., performed “Don’t Give Up on Me” by Andy Grammer and enticed Blake to turn.
The feedback: Nick called it a fantastic performance. Kelly called it a very even battle. Nick and John were especially impressed by Jon, who turned just one chair in the blinds.
The outcome: Blake awarded the win to Todd. Nick then stole Jon.
My take:That was a dead-even performance with both singers delivering fine vocals full of passion. I can’t blame Blake for retaining a four-chair turn just because someone who only turned one chairs performs better than the other coaches thought he would. But I was also happy to see Jon stolen after such a strong performance.

A WELL-DESERVED SAVE

TEAM KELLY CLARKSON

The match: Samantha Howell vs. Megan Danielle
The song: “Top of the World” by Patty Griffin
The background: Samantha Howell, 19, of Virginia Beach, Va., auditioned with “Take It on the Run” by REO Speedwagon and turned three chairs. Megan Danielle, 17, of Douglasville, Ga., performed “Remedy” by Adele and turned Kelly’s.
The feedback: Blake called Megan’s tone “unbelievable.” Nick and John agreed that Megan did extremely well for someone who only turned one chair in the blinds. Samantha got kudos for her vocals as well.
The outcome: Kelly awarded the win to Megan, calling her the dark horse of the whole competition. She then saved Samantha, saying she was too good to go home.
My take: Nice outcome. Samantha looks and sounds like a star and is now headed to that four-way knockout. But I’d agree with Kelly that Megan was the revelation of that battle. Her opening was absolutely beautiful.

THE COACHES GOT IT RIGHT

TEAM KELLY CLARKSON

The match: Sara Collins vs. Mandi Thomas
The song: “My Baby Loves Me” by Martina McBride
The background: Sara Collins, 18, of Baton Rouge, La., performed “Johnny and June” by Heidi Newfield and turned two chairs. Mandi Thomas, 33, of Memphis, Tenn., performed “Time to Say Goodbye” by Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman and turned one.
The feedback: Blake praised Mandi for doing such a great job on a country song. John complimented them both, but said Sara was more convincing as a country singer.
The outcome: Kelly awarded the win to Mandi, praising her consistency. Sara was eliminated.
My take: Sara sounded a little nervous early in the song, but came into her own over the course of the song. That said, I thought Mandi sounded outstanding throughout the entire performance.

TEAM NICK JONAS

The match: Arei Moon vs. Samuel WILCO
The song: “Missing You” by John Waite
The background: Arei Moon, 28, of Boston, Mass., performed “Miss Independent” by Kelly Clarkson and turned two chairs. Samuel WILCO, 39, of Fort Knox, Kentucky, auditioned with “Lately” by Jodec and also turned two.
The feedback: Kelly loved the chemistry and the vibe and called it evenly matched. Blake called it even too. John gave a slight edge to Arei.
The outcome: Nick declared Arei the winner, saying he loved her charisma. Samuel was eliminated.
My take: Samuel turned in a fine performance just after celebrating his 40th birthday. But the song seemed a better match for Arei’s vocals and I loved her I’m-fine-without-you attitude on stage. She delivered big time vocally and in terms of stage presence.

TEAM JOHN LEGEND

The match: Brittney Allen vs. Zan Fiskum
The song: “Closer to Fine” by The Indigo Girls.
The background: Brittney Allen, 28, of Columbus, Ga., performed “Dancing on My Own” by Robyn and turned just John’s chair. Zan Fiskum, 22, of Seattle, Wash., auditioned with “Light On” by Maggie Rogers and turned three.
The feedback: Kelly called it effortless and beautiful and congratulated them for creating a “magical moment.” Blake gave the edge to Zan.
The outcome: John called it the best performance of the day and awarded the win to Zan
My take: Both singers turned in strong performances. But Zan’s unique sound sets her apart and she deserved to advance following that vocal.

MONTAGED

TEAM KELLY CLARKSON

The match: Jules vs. Tayler Green
The song: “Water Under the Bridge” by Adele
The background: Tayler Green, 27, of Franklin, N.J., performed “Issues” by Julia Michaels and turned two chairs. Jules, 15, of Peoria, Ariz., performed “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked” by Cage the Elephant and also turned two.
The outcome: Tayler was named the winner; Jules was eliminated.

TEAM NICK JONAS

The match: Jacob Miller vs. Kevin Farris
The song: “Lights Up” by Harry Styles
The background: Jacob Miller, 29, of Eden, Wisc., performed “The Times They Are a Changin’” by Bob Dylan turned three chairs. Kevin Farris, 33, of Arlington Heights, Ill., performed “Home” by Johnnyswim and turned two.
The outcome: Jacob was named the winner; Kevin was montaged.