Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Noivas and Ray Uriel listen to feedback from the coaches during the battle round on The Voice. (NBC Photo)

The Voice battles wrapped up Tuesday night with a steal that might make Blake Shelton a winner again in Season 21.

He swiped Noivas from Team Chance. The same Noivas who turned four chairs during the blinds. The same Noivas who performed on two season of American Idol.

Also advancing during Monday’s show were Neil Salsich, Rachel Christine and Jerome Godwin.

Here’s a recap of the show. As always, following the links will take you to a profile of each singer, complete with info on music they’ve already released.

THE COACH GOT IT VERY WRONG

Team Chance

The pairing: Ray Uriel (1) vs. NOIVAS (aka Savion Wright) (4)
The song: “Jealous Guy” by John Lennon
The feedback: Kelly called the battle pretty even, but thought Ray held a slight edge. Blake loved the energy Noivas brought to the performance. Niall didn’t voice a preference. Chance said Noivas has the talent to win the show. But he liked the way Ray held his own.
The outcome: In something of a surprise decision, Chance awarded the win to Ray. Blake then stole Noivas. He had turned for him in the blinds, but was blocked by Chance.
My take: Chance just made a rookie mistake that might have handed the Season 23 title to Blake. From the moment he left the mic stand behind, Noivas owned that duet, clearly out-singing and out-performing Ray. Yep, Ray performed admirably. He shows potential. But Season 23 is going to be so short — just two live shows — that contestants who are ready for the big stage now are going to have a major advantage.

THE COACHES GOT IT RIGHT

Team Kelly

The pairing: Rachel Christine (2) vs. JB Somers (2)
The Song: “Light On” by Maggie Rogers
The feedback: Niall called the performance amazing. He gave the edge to JB. Chance called Rachel a clear winner, saying he thinks she could win the show. Blake gave the edge to Rachel as well.
The outcome: Kelly awarded the win to Rachel, complimenting her incredible tone. JB was eliminated.
My take: Rachel not only showed off a really nice tone and vocal firepower to spare, she provided nearly all of the performance’s vocal highlights. A well deserved win.

Team Niall

The pairing: Jerome Godwin (2) vs. Talia Smith
The song: “Like I Can” by Sam Smith
The feedback: Kelly called the performance so well done. She didn’t voice a preference. Chance and Blake gave the edge to Jerome. Chance said he thinks the young man could excel on a wide range of music. Niall called the performance phenomenal.
The outcome: Niall named Jerome the winner, saying he shows a lot of confidence when he sings. Talia was elimianted.
: My take:Jerome started slow, but came on strong as the performance continued. I actually wish these two would have dialed it back a bit so that it would have come off as more of a duet and less like two singers trying to out-belt one another.

NO DECISION TO MAKE

Team Blake

The pairing: Neil Salsich (4) vs. Alex Whalen (2)
The song: “Heard It Through the Grapevine” by Marvin Gaye
The feeback: This one turned out to be an easy decision for Blake Shelton since Alex left the show for personal reasons. Neil performed solo and “nailed it,” according to his coach, who complimented his charisma. Remember, Neil turned four chairs in the blinds.
The outcome: Neil advanced to the knockout round.