Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Andrew Marshall earned the final save of The Voice Season 20 battle round Monday night, joining Team Blake in the process

Meanwhile, Emma Caroline and Carolina Rial were saved, meaning they advance to the four-way knockout that will determine one spot in the Season 20 playoffs.

Also advancing on Monday’s show were Kenzie Wheeler, Victor Solomon, Rachel Mac, Anna Grace, Peter Mroz, Rio Doyle and Raine Stern.

Oh, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t congratulate The Voice on managing to edit the show so that all seven battles were featured.

That shouldn’t be tough since American Idol found time for 16 performances Monday night. But last week, The Voice had seven battles scheduled and montaged one of them.

So that’s the good news. All the performances aired.

The bad news: Once again, The Voice battle round format came back to haunt the show. Rachel Mac and Bradley Sinclair turned in the night’s best duet. But only one advanced.

Why? Because every save and steal had been used before they performed.

Again, it’s an absolutely ludicrous format. Coaches should be forced to hear each and every battle before deciding who to steal and who to save.

It’s such a simple, fair concept. And one that would add drama to the results.

Yet it’s one The Voice producers just can’t seem to grasp.

Here’s a recap.

THE VOICE’S FOLLY

TEAM NICK

The matchup: Rachel Mac vs. Bradley Sinclair
The song: “Your Song” by Elton John
The background: Rachel, the show’s youngest contestant, turned just Nick’s chair auditioning with “Let Him Fly.” Just 15 when she tried out, she’s from Romeo, Mich. Bradley, 22, of Rockford, Minn., turned two chairs covering “Say You Won’t Let Go.”
The feedback: The singers got a standing ovation and Nick said they delivered the best performance of the battle round. Kelsea gave the edge to Bradley; Black gave it to Rachel.
The outcome: Rachel was named the winner by Nick. Bradley was eliminated.
My take: Rachel showed wonderful potential, but her vocal seemed a wee bit affected by nerves when she opened the song. Bradley was point on from the word go, showed off a nice rasp on a couple of occasions and delivered the better vocal.
The truth: Not a single save or steal remained when this match was filmed.

THE COACH GOT IT WRONG

TEAM LEGEND

The matchup: Carolina Rial vs. Rio Doyle
The song: “Somebody That I Used to Know” by Gotye & Kimbra
The background: Rio, 16, of Adrian, Mich., turned just John’s chair when she performed “When We Were Young.” Carolina, 17, from Ridgefield, N.J., turned two singing “Stay With Me.”
The feedback: Kelsea and Blake both gave the edge to Carolina. Nick preferred Rio. John complimented both singers.
The outcome: John named Rio the winner, but then used his save to advance Carolina to the four-way knockout.
My take: Rio showed off a distinctive tone. But Carolina provided most of the battle’s vocal highlights, played the stage like a pro and delivered the more convincing performance. She should have been the winner.

A SAVE THE NEEDED TO BE

TEAM NICK

The matchup: Andrew Marshal vs. Raine Stern
The song: “Adore You” by Harry Styles
The background: Andrew turned just Nick’s chair, singing “Gravity” in the blinds. Raine, 22, of Madison, Wisc., turned three chairs singing “Electric Feel.”
The feedback: John and Blake gave the edge to Andrew. Kelsea gave the vocal edge to Andrew; the performance edge to Raine.
The outcome: Nick named Raine the winner. Blake then swooped in and stole Raine with the last save or steal available during the battles.
My take: Raine was impressive in the blinds, but this song choice did not seem to suit her at all. I thought Andrew sounded better in this battle, so I’m glad Blake rescued him with a save. Nick made it clear the decision was based as much on Raine’s potential as what he heard in the battle.

THE COACHES GOT IT RIGHT

TEAM LEGEND

The matchup: Deion Warren vs. Victor Solomon
The song: “U Got It Bad” by Usher
The background: Deion, 28, of Conway, N.C., turned three chairs in the blinds with his performance of “Shallow.” Victor, 22, of Peoria, Ill., also turned three, singing “Glory.”
The feedback: Blake gave the edge to Victor. Kelsea and Nick didn’t offer an opinion. John said he was especially pleased with the stage presence Victor showed.
The outcome: John named Victor the winner; Deion was eliminated when he wasn’t saved or stolen.
My take: Deion showed nice stage presence. But how about that spin by Victor, who completed it and didn’t miss a beat musically. Sometimes, this felt like they were competing instead of doing a duet, though.

TEAM KELLY

The matchup: Anna Grace vs. Ainae
The song: “You Know I’m No Good” by Amy Winehouse
The background: Anna, 20, of Milwaukee, Wisc., turned four chairs singing “My Future” in the blinds. Ainae, 21, of Washington, D.C., nabbed the very last spot on Season 20, auditioning with “Best Part.”
The feedback: Blake gave the edge to Anna; John and Nick both gave the edge to Ainae.
The outcome: Kelly / Kelsea named Anna the winner; Ainae was eliminated.
My take: Anna was the stronger vocalist, but I had trouble buying either performance. Ainae looked like a Disney princess and Anna’s decked out in pink. And they’re sinking “I’m Not Good” with more vocal frills than grit. And down and dirty grit is what this performance called for.
The truth: No saves and only one steal (Blake’s) remained when this battle was filmed.