Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Manasseh Samone and the sister trio Sorelle listen to coaches’ feedback following a battle on The Voice Season 23. (NBC Photo)

The Voice kicks off its Season 23 battle round Monday night.

And the show has already released video of one of the matches we’ll see, a Team Chance showdown between Manasseh Samone and the sister trio Sorelle.

They sing Adele’s “Someone Like You.” And they do it so brilliantly, it’s easy to understand why the show pre-released that performance.

It’s often difficult for groups to stand out in a battle round match. But Sorelle — sisters Madi Heichel, Ana Heichel and Bella Heichel — wisely focused on showcasing their harmonies rather than splitting their vocal part up into tiny solos.

And, wow, what harmonies. I’d award them the win based on how unique they are. But Manessa sounds fabulous too. Remember, she’s a young woman who failed to turn a chair in Season 22, then returned for Season 23 and earned a spot on the show.

Perhaps Sorelle or Manessa will land a steal. Or there’s a new option, a playoff pass.

It’s The Voice’s latest silly gimmick, replacing the battle round save, but more powerful than the save because it allows the recipient to skip the knockout round.

I’m not a fan. Not at all.

If you’re going to create something like the playoff pass, all contestants should have a chance to earn one.

Spoiler sites tell us that wasn’t the case. Two coaches used their playoff pass on the first day of battles, meaning all their singers who performed on day two or three of the battle tapings were out of luck.

The other two coaches used their playoff passes on day two, meaning there wasn’t a single playoff pass available when the last seven battles were filmed.

A much better option, I’ve been arguing for years, would be to have coaches award any steals, saves — and now the new playoff pass — only after they’ve heard and seen everyone perform.

The other problem with the playoff pass is that The Voice has shortened Season 23 to just two live shows. By skipping the knockout round, a singer could make the finals based on just three solo performances. That’s even sillier than the new gimmick.

The new gimmick doesn’t even make any sense from a production standpoint, because it takes four top singers — the singers that viewers might be most likely to tune in to watch — off the show for an entire round.

Anyway, that’s my rant. Here are the battle round pairings.

The number in parenthesis are the number of chairs each singer turned in the blind audition. The number by each coaches’ name is the total number of chair turns earned by the singers on their team.

Editor’s Note: The links will take you to an individual profile of the artist, complete with information on music they’ve already released.

Team Blake (22)

Tasha Jessen (3) vs. EJ Michels (2)
Grace West (2) vs. Carlos Rising (2)
Kylee Dayne (3) vs. Marykate Conner (2)
Walker Wilson (1) vs. Kason Lester (1)
Neil Salsich (4) vs. Alex Whalen (2)

Team Chance (19)

Sorelle (2) vs. Manasseh Samone (1)
Ray Uriel (1) vs. NOIVAS (aka Savion Wright) (4)
Jamar Langley (2) vs. Mariah Kalia (2)
Magnus (1) vs. Alyssa Lazar (1)
NariYella (4) vs. Chloe Abbott (1)

Team Kelly (24)

Holly Brand (3) vs. Katie Beth Forakis (2)
Marcos Covos (2) vs. Sheer Element (3)
ALI (2) vs. D. Smooth (2)
Cait Martin (4) vs. Allie Keck (2)
Rachel Christine (2) vs. JB Somers (2)

Team Naill (24)

Gina Miles (2) vs. Kala Banham (3)
Michael B. (1) vs. Ryley Tate Wilson (4)
Ross Clayton (4) vs. Laura Littleton (3)
Kate Cosentino (3) vs. Tiana Goss (1)
Jerome Godwin (2) vs. Talia Smith (1)