Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Toni Lorene delivers another standout performance on The Voice Monday night. (NBC Photo)

The Voice continued the knockout round Monday night, but aired just three performances as the show is cutting back to one-hour episodes in November.

Max Chambers, Aiden Ross and Toni Lorene earned knockout round victories.

That meant the elimination of Max Cooper, Liam Von Elbe and Natalia Albertini.

Here’s a recap. The links take you to profiles of the artists.

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Yep, fans, The Voice Season 28 format is going to be atrocious

THE COACH GOT IT WRONG, TWICE IN ONE MATCH

Team Michael

The match: Max Chambers vs. Max Cooper III
The songs: For Mas Chambers, Stevie Wonder’s “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing.” For Max Cooper, Djo’s “End of Beginning”
The background: Max Chambers, 14, of Shreveport, La., turned 2 chairs in the blinds singing The Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back.” He then won his battle with Aarik Duncan. Max Cooper III, 23, of Kansas City, Kansas, performed “Cooler Than Me” by Mike Posner in the blinds, turning all four chairs. He won his battle with Lucas Beltran.
The feedback:
The outcome: Michael named Max Chambers the winner, calling him a front-runner to win the show and noting he’d become the youngest winner of the show ever. He then rewarded the performance with a mic drop. Max Cooper was eliminated.
My take: I loved Max Cooper’s singer-songwriter type performance and the fact that he accompanied himself on keys. That said, he didn’t pick a song with lots of vocal dynamics, which probably worked to his disadvantage. Max Chambers delivered an impressive a cappella opening, a big ending and a strong performance for a 14-year-old old. He also sounded 14. I strongly preferred Max Cooper’s performance and feel the same when comparing the performance of these two contestants in the blinds and battles. So, yep, I disagree with the mic drop and I disagree with the outcome. The mic drop was truly baffling. Of the three winning performances Monday night, Max Chambers’ was easily, and I mean easily, the weakest.

THE COACHES GOT IT RIGHT

Team Niall

The match: Aiden Ross vs. Liam Von Elbe
The songs: Billie Eilish’s “When the Party’s Over” for Aiden; The Fray’s “Over My Head (Cable Car)” For Liam.
The background: Aiden, 20, of College Station, Texas, turned 4 chairs in the blinds singing Adele’s “Love in the Dark.” He then won a battle round match with Ava Nat (she was saved). Liam, 30, from Plattsburgh, New York, turned 2 chairs in the blinds, singing “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room” by John Mayer. He then won his battle with Alex Brown; The voice aired just a small snippet of their match.
The feedback: Reba McEntire called it a very entertaining pairing. She complimented Liam on his wonderful tone. She called Aiden’s range “crazy.” Michael Buble called the performances captivating. Snoop said Aiden could win The Voice. That’s the closest any of the other coaches came to voicing a preference. Niall called Aiden’s performance “a master class” and praised Liam’s growth.
The outcome: Niall named Aiden the winner, calling him “the real deal.” Liam was eliminated.
My take: Liam turned in a fine vocal and showed off a nice little break in his voice. An excellent song choice by Aiden. It gave him a chance to show off his range, his ability to show a vulnerable side. And he changed the song just enough to make it his own. I, too, can see him in the finals for Team Niall. He deserved the win.

Team Snoop Dogg

The match: Toni Lorene vs. Natalia Albertini
The songs: For Toni, LaBelle’s “Lady Marmalade.” For Natalia, Stevie Wonder’s “I Wish”
The background: Toni, 28, of Houston, Texas, performed Lizzo’s “Cuz I Love You” in the blinds, turning 3 chairs. She then won her battle with Sadie Dahl. Natalia, 28, of Cherry Hill, N.J., turned 2 chairs in the blinds, singing “Out Here on My Own” from Fame. She lost her battle round match to Yoshihanaa, but was saved by Snoop.
The feedback: Reba called Natalia’s performance “spectacular” and said she’d give her the edge. Niall said he would lean toward Toni because of the “something special” she can do with her voice. Michael called them both fabulous, but gave Toni a slight edge because of her on-stage personality. Snoop praised Natalia for making the song her own. He loved the way Toni’s voice matched her on-stage energy level.
The outcome: Snoop Dogg named Toni the winner, saying he loves her spirit and confidence. Natalia was eliminated.My take: Natalia put on a great show, but the vocal was a bit overbaked. She sounded better in earlier rounds. Toni picked an overdone, but tried and true singing show favorite. And executed it pretty much flawlessly, showing off tons of stage presence and personality in the process. She was the victor.