Idol Chatter & Voice Views

The battle rounds begin tonight on The Voice. Meet the members of Team Christina Aguilera who will be competing to advance.

Tarralyn Ramsey (defeated by Frenchie Davis in Battle Round)

A gospel singer, she has released three albums, a self-titled CD in 2000, “Tarralyn” in 2004 and “Beyond the Darkness” in 2009. The first two are available on iTunes. All are Christian/gospel albums. She recorded the second in 2004, after winning VH1’s “Born To Diva” competition, hosted by Queen Latifah. She sang “Breathe” for her audition.

Videos

“I’ll Take Your Trouble”

“Unconditional Love”

Frenchie Davis (defeated Tarralyn Ramsey in Battle Round)

This 31-year-old from L.A. gained fame and a touch of infamy during the second season of American Idol, when she qualified for the semifinals, but was then disqualified because of topless photos taken when she was 19. She has since found work on Broadway, appearing in “Rent” in 2003 and, more recently, alongside season two Idol winner Ruben Studdard in “Ain’t Misbehavin’.” The show’s cast album was nominated for a Grammy in 2010. She auditioned with Katy Perry’s “I Kissed a Boy.”

Videos

“Somewhere Over the Rainbow”

“Natural Woman”

Beverly McClellan (defeated Justin Grennan in Battle Round)

She’s been playing clubs and bars in the Fort Lauderdale area for nearly 20 years looking for her big break, according to her bio on The Voice website. Along the way, she’s released five independent albums. The latest, a self-titled CD, was released on Jan. 1 and is available on iTunes. On MySpace, Beverly classifies her music as acoustic, folk, indie. She auditioned with “Piece of My Heart.”

Videos

“Tami’s Song”

“Crossroads”

Lilly Elise

One of the contestants who landed a spot on The Voice on her second chance, Lilly Elise is a 19-year-old from San Anselmo, Calif. She is a student in the popular music program at USC’s Thornton School of Music and lists her genre as pop / R&B on a MySpace page where you can listen to three of her songs and watch two videos of her performing live at USC.

Videos

“Heart of the Matter”

“Love You I Do”

Cherie Oakley

She’s the country singer on Team Christina, and arrives with a pretty impressive resume, having performed as a backup singer with Carrie Underwood and Gretchen Wilson and having written Reba McEntire’s number one hit, “Turn on the Radio.” Head to MySpace and you can find four of her songs, including her version of that hit song.

Videos

“We’ve Got Tonight”

“Gunpowder and Lead” from The Voice

Raquel Castro (defeated Julie Easton in Battle Round)

She’s been known as an actress, not a singer, having starred as Gertie Trinké, the daughter of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez in the 2004 film, “Jersey Girl.” The New Yorker is 16 now and won a spot on The Voice with her version of “Bleeding Love.” You’ll find just one tune on her MySpace page, “Beautiful Girls.”

Videos

“Nothing on You”

“Bleeding Love” from The Voice audition

Julie Eason (lost to Raquel Castro in Battle Round)

This 18-year-old from Palos Verdes, Calif., is a lifelong Christina fan, so she apparently wound up on the right team after tackling Duffy’s “Mercy” during the blind auditions. Her father is a professional composer, according to The Voice website, which also informs us that Julia plays piano, guitar and, yep, the ukulele.

Videos

“Home”

“Back of My Mind”

Justin Grennan (lost to Beverly McClellan in Battle Round)

According to The Voice website, this 33-year-old from Enumclaw, Wash., makes his living selling and installing windows. But he also released a 14-track R&B/soul album, “Things I Should Have Said,” in 2008. You can check out several songs by Justin Grennan and the Project on a MySpace page. He also has his own website.

Videos

“Hypnotized”

“This Ain’t Good”