Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Aubrey Nicole delivers an emotional performance during the knockout round on The Voice. (NBC Photo)

Once the last battles aired Monday night, The Voice immediately launched into the knockout round.

And by the end of the evening, three singers had secured spots in the Season 28 playoffs: Ava Nat, Aubrey Nicole and Ralph Edwards.

The knockouts are a win or head home format this fall on The Voice because the coaches don’t have any saves or steals.

Here’s a recap of Monday’s matches.

THE COACH GOT IT WRONG

TEAM NIALL

The match: Sadie Dahl vs. Ava Nat
The songs: For Sadie, “Too Good at Goodbyes” by Sam Smith. For Ava, “Hopelessly Devoted to You” by Olivia Newton-John.
The background: Sadie, 19, of Draper, Utah, performed “Colors” by Black Puma in the blinds, turning all four chairs. She was stolen by Niall after her Team Snoop battle with Trinity Lorene. Ave, 18, of New York, N.Y., performed “I Love You, I’m Sorry” by Gracie Abrams and turned three chairs. She was saved by Niall after her battle round match with Aiden Ross.
The feedback: Reba called the performances “absolutely fantastic.” Michael praised Sadie’s “gorgeous vibrato.” He complimented Ava’s “beautiful tone” and gave her the edge. Snoop called it a “flawless” performance from both singers, but gave Sadie the edge.
The outcome: Niall awarded the win to Ava, based on her consistency and her story-telling ability. Sadie was eliminated.
My take: Niall’s save against Niall’s steal. Gotta say, I was scratching my head over Ava’s old-fashioned song choice. She made it work with excellent control and the same top-notch vocals we heard from her during the blinds and the battle round. But I was more taken with the more soulful and more contemporary song choice from Sadie. She lights up the stage and showed off plenty of vocal power herself. As well as a lovely lilt near the end of the song. In other words, I think the coach got this one wrong.

TEAM REBA

The match: Aubrey Nicole vs. Leyton Robinson
The songs: For Aubrey, “I’m Going to Love You Through It” by Martina McBride. For Leyton, “I Could Use a Love Song” by Maren Morris.
The background: Leyton, 23, of Rogers, Ark. performed “Weren’t for the Wind” by Ella Langley, turning two chairs in the blinds. She then won her battle with Manny Costello. Only Reba turned for Aubrey Nicole, 19, of Littlestown, Pa., who sang Cam’s “Burning House in the blinds. She was then saved after her battle with Cori Kennedy.
The feedback: Michael told Leyton she performs with skill beyond her 23 years. He called Aubrey’s performance “stunning.” Snoop and Niall also complimented both singers without voicing a preference. Reba praised Leyton’s performance ability. Reba was left crying over Aubrey’s emotional performance and Reba’s loss of a step-son to cancer.
The outcome: Reba named Aubrey the winner. Leyton was eliminated.
My take: An excellent song choice by Aubrey, who then executed it wonderfully with emotion, control and impressive vocal firepower. Leyton has a really lovely country tone, but the chorus got a bit shouty in a couple of spots. Question: Why the hell did The Voice montage Aubrey in the blinds? That was obviously a big mistake.

TEAM SNOOP

The match: Kenny Iko vs. Ralph Edwards
The songs: For Ralph, “Drive” by Ed Sheeran for Ralph; For Kenny, “There Goes My Baby” by Usher
The background: Kenny, 35, of Washington, D.C., performed “Versace on the Floor” by Bruno Mars and turned two chairs in the blinds. Ralph, 30, of Fresno, Calif., performed “Lights” by Ellie Goulding, turning four chairs in the blinds; he won his battle against Jerrell Melton earlier in Monday’s episode.
The feedback: Niall called Kenny “one of a kind,” saying he came off like a pop star. Niall said Ralph “could easily win the show.” He said he’d give the win to Ralph. Reba and Michael praised both singers without voicing a preference. Snoop praised Kenny’s showmanship and Ralph for showing off more than just his power and rasp.
The outcome: Snoop declared Ralph the winner. Kenny was eliminated.
My take: Kenny displayed impressive range and again proved he’s quite the performer. But Ralph’s a heck of a showman, too, and that rasp is something that’s going to resonate with Voice fans. Hard to believe he tried out 11 times previously and never made it to a blind audition. He showed off nice versatility on this song too. He was the clear winner here.

Oh, and The Voice’s production decision to air Ralph’s battle and knockout match on the same night was both bizarre and silly.

But, hey, this is The Voice. So if you’ve been watching for any length of time, you know a degree of silliness is to be expected each and every season of this gimmick-filled, coach-centric production.