Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Aiden Ross and Ava Nat listen to feedback from the coaches following their battle round match on The Voice. (NBC Photo)

Nine more singers advanced to the knockout round as The Voice aired its third battle round episode Monday night.

Ava Nat and Carolina Rodriguez — both of Team Niall — landed on the brink of elimination.

But Ava was rescued by Niall, who used his only save on her. And Carolina was rescued by Snoop Dogg, who stole her for his team.

Winning battles on Monday were Aiden Ross and Kirbi of Team Niall, Max Chambers of Team Michael, Mindy Miller and Lauren Anderson of Team Snoop and Conrad Khalil and Leyton Robinson of Team Reva.

That meant the elimination of Aarik Duncan, Emmanuel Rey, Makenzie Phipps, Manny Costello and Vinya Chhabra.

The battle round will presumably wrap up next Monday on NBC. Tuesday, NBC will air NBA basketball rather than another night of The Voice.

Editor’s Note: Following the links below will lead you to a profile of each singer, complete with information about music they’ve already released.

BEST OF THE NIGHT

Team Niall

The match: Aiden Ross vs. Ava Nat
The song: “What a Time” by Julia Michaels
The background: Aiden, 20, of College Station, Texas, performed “Love in the Dark” by Adele in the blinds, turning all four chairs. Ava, 18, of New York, N.Y., performed “I Love You, I’m Sorry” by Gracie Abrams and turned three chairs.
The feedback: Reba said they sounded great as a duet and called it a wonderful performance. She recommended Niall advance both singers. Michael praised the richness of Ava’s tone and Aiden’s falsetto and gave Aiden a slight edge. Snoop called the performance “beautiful.” Niall said they “sounded so good together.”
The outcome: Niall declared Aiden the winner, then saved Ava. Snoop tried to steal Ava, but she opted to stick with Team Niall.
My take: Fabulous performance by two of the Season 28 standouts. One was a four-chair turn in the blinds. The other certainly deserved to be. I was a bit more taken with Ava’s lovely tone and versatile vocal than Aiden’s falsetto. I also realize among a Season 28 cast packed with talented female singer-songwriters, Aiden might be the more unique of the two. Bottom line: It’s tough to argue with an outcome in which two deserving contestants both advance.

A SURPRISING STEAL

Team Niall

The match: Carolina Rodriguez vs. Kirbi
The song: “You Say” by Lauren Daigle
The background: A Niall super fan, Carolina, 19, of Miami, Fla., performed “Cardigan” by Taylor Swift and turned two chairs in the blinds. Kirbi, 24, of Florence, Ala., performed “God Only Knows” for King and Country and turned all four chairs.
The feedback: Reba called the performance “angelic,” said she loves the voice of both singers and declined to pick a favorite. So did Michael Buble and Snoop Dogg, who reminded the ladies that he still had a steal to use once Niall made his decision. Niall called the performance beautiful and emotional.
The outcome: Niall declared Kirbi the winner, calling her one of the better story tellers in the competition. Snoop then swooped in and stole Carolina, saying he was amazed by the growth she had shown since the blinds.
My take: Niall made the right choice based on the ethereal quality and vulnerability in Kirbi’s voice. She served up a great reminder of why she turned four chairs in the blinds. Give her heart-wrenching songs to sing and she’ll have the crowd in tears. And, dang, nice performance by Carolina, who has an incredibly engaging personality to go along with that big voice.

THE COACH GOT IT WRONG

Team Michael

The match: Max Chambers vs. Aarik Duncan
The song: “Just the Two of Us” by Bill Withers
The background: Max Chambers, 14, of Shreveport, La., performed “I Want You Back” by The Jackson 5 in the blinds, turning two chairs. Aarik Duncan, 38, of Raleigh, N.C., performed “Birds of a Feather” by Billie Eilish and turned Michael’s chair.
The feedback: Snoop called both great singers and appreciated their chemistry. He gave the edge to Max. Niall said he can’t call it. Reba called it a spectacular performance and gave the edge to Aarik. Michael called the battle “amazing.”
The outcome: Michael awarded the win to Max, saying he loves his potential to become a star. Aarik was eliminated.
My take: Vocally, this was far from my favorite performance of the night. But you have to appreciate the joy and positivity these two singers brought to the stage. I probably would have given the win to Aarik because of his experience. I think Max probably arrived at The Voice a couple of years too early given the number of more seasoned and very vocally gifted singers in the Season 28 cast.

THE COACHES GOT IT RIGHT

Team Snoop Dogg

The match: McKenzie Phipps vs. Lauren Anderson
The song: “Before He Cheats” by Carrie Underwood
The background: Makenzie Phipps, 23, of Bluefield, Va., performed “4X4XU” by Lainey Wilson in the blinds and turned Snoop’s chair, landing the very last spot on Season 28. Every other team was full when she auditioned. Lauren, 40, of Oak Park, Ill., performed “Midnight Train to Memphis” by Chris Stapleton to turn Snoop’s chair.
The feedback: Niall praised both singers and called it a 50-50 battle. Reba gave a slight edge to Lauren based on a shriek she unleashed part way through. Michael also gave a slight edge to Lauren. Snoop called McKenzie a superstar. He called Lauren a great singer, performer and teammate.
The outcome: Snoop awarded the win to Lauren, says she has the stage presence and experience to make it to th finals. McKenzie was eliminated.
My take: Wow, both of these ladies delivered fire on stage and some special vocal moments. It was a shame either had to go home. Lauren’s performance was a tad more fiery — from a take-no-prisoners opening to the shriek — and her vocal tone is a bit more unique, so it’s difficult to argue with Snoop’s decision.

Team Snoop Dogg

The match: Emmanuel Rey vs. Mindy Miller
The song: “Angel from Montgomery” by John Prine
The background: Emmanuel, 27, of Inglewood, Calif., performed “Primera Cita” by Carin Leon and turned two chairs in the blinds. Mindy Miller of Damascus, Md., performed “Wildflowers and Wild Horses” by Lainey Wilson and also turned two chairs; Snoop used his block to nab her for his team.
The feedback: Niall called the performance beautiful and called Mindy’s voice amazing. Reba gave the edge to Mindy. Michael didn’t voice a preference, complimenting both artists. Snoop said both artists made his proud.
The outcome: Snoop names Mindy the winner, saying she’s what the show is “all about.” Emmanuel was eliminated.
My take: Kudos for Emmanuel for doing a nice job with a song well out of his wheelhouse. He showed off nice range and even sang a couple of lines in Spanish. But the clear standout here was Mindy, with that rich, powerful voice of hers. I remember thinking she deserved more than two chairs turns in the blinds. She confirmed that with this performance.

Team Reba

The match: Leyton Robinson vs. Manny Costello
The song: “Think I’m in Love with You” by Chris Stapleton
The background: Manny, 28, of Athens, Ga., performed “Almost Home” by Craig Morgan and turned two chairs in the blinds. Leyton, 23, of Rogers, Ark. performed “Weren’t for the Wind” by Ella Langley and also turned two chairs.
The feedback: Reba got absolutely no help from the other coaches, who declined to express a favorite. Instead, they praised both singers. Niall, for instance, said he loved the grit in Manny’s voice and the piercing quality in Leyton’s vocal. Reba complimented both singers on a wonderful performance.
The outcome: Reba advanced Leyton, promising to challenge her with future song choices and watch her rise tot he occasion. Manny was eliminated.
My take: Vocally, this was close. Manny’s growl and soulful vocal was impressive. Leyton showed off more vocal firepower than I remember from the blinds and sounded especially strong on the harmonies. In terms of stage presence, it wasn’t close. Leyton took the stage looking like a star and pranced the stage with a Stevie Nicks’ vibe. Manny’s eyes were hidden by a baseball cap for most of the performance.

WHO THE HELL KNOWS?

Team Reba

The match: Vinya Chhabra vs. Conrad Khalil
The song: “It Takes Two” by Marvin Gaye and Kim Weston
The background: Vinya Chhabra, 14, of East Brunswick, N.J., performed “Ironic” by Alanis Morissette in the blinds, turning three chairs. Conrad, 28, of Newark, N.J., performed “Caught Up” by Usher, turning Reba’s chair but no others.
The feedback: This was montaged, so we saw only a tiny snippet of the performance and heard no feedback from anyone other than Reba.
The outcome: Reba advanced Conrad, praising his showmanship and pizzazz. Vinya was eliminated.
My take: Again, The Voice should never, ever have to montage a performance, especially during the battles when so much airtime is wasted on non-performance footage. I’m especially miffed over this one because I was eager to see Vinya perform again. She’s just 14 and already has a long list of musical accomplishments. Maybe she’ll wind up on the far better singing show over at ABC one day. I might have looked forward to seeing Conrad again too. Except his blind audition was montaged. That’s right: He’s performed twice on The Voice and been montaged twice. Don’t you just love how much respect The Voice shows for the time singers invest in these performances?

Carolina Rodriguez and Kirbi were all smiles following their battle round performance on The Voice. (NBC Photo)