Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Olivia Kuper Harris listens to feedback after delivering one of the season’s best performances on The Voice. (NBC Photo)

The Voice completed the knockout round and the lineup for its Season 27 playoffs Monday night.

Darius J. nabbed the final steal of Season 27, landing on Team Kelsea Ballerini after losing his Team Adam knockout with Conor James in spite of a fun performance.

Winning knockouts in addition to Conor were Jadyn Cree, Oliver Kuper Harris, Adam David, Jaelen Johnston and Renzo.

Unfortunately, the meant the elimination of Carlos Santiago, Jacquelyn George and Kameron Jaso in spite of standout performances.

Here’s a recap:

See also
Page Mackenzie rips The Voice; Kelsea Ballerini responds
Knockouts, Part 1, aka Michael’s first huge blunder
Knockouts, Part 2

BEST OF THE NIGHT

TEAM LEGEND

The match: Jacquelyn George vs. Olivia Kuper Harris
The background: Olviia, 34, of Dallas, performed “Dream a Little Dream of Me” and turned 3 chairs in the blinds. Jacquelyn, 27, from Franklin, Tenn., performed “I Have Nothing” and turned 2. Both then won their battles.
The songs: “Too Little Too Late” by JoJo for Jacquelyn; “Last Dance” by Donna Summer for Olivia.
The feedback: None of the other coaches voiced a preference, heaping well-deserved praise on both singers. John complimented Jacquelyn’s range. And he loved the confidence Olivia showed on stage.
The outcome: John named Olivia the winner; Jacquelyn was eliminated.
My take: Jacquelyn showed off a nice country voice at the opening and really excelled when the song swelled, nailing one heck of a glory note near the end. Dang, I didn’t remember her being that great. Olivia started being the keyboard, something I wouldn’t have expected, given her song choice. And she delivered an absolutely brilliant sultry vocal before moving to the stage as the song went upbeat. That was a showstopper of a performance. I’d give Olivia a slight edge. I can only imagine there were no saves left when this was filmed, because Jacquelyn deserved one.

BUBLE BLUNDERS AGAIN

TEAM MICHAEL

The match: Adam David vs. Carlos Santiago
The background: Carlos, 36, of Nashville, turned two chairs in the blinds with “Right Here Waiting.” Adam, 34, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., turned one with “Baby, I Love Your Way.” Both won their battles.
The songs: “Unaware” by Allen Stone” for Adam; “You Are the Reason” by Calum Scott for Carlos.
The feedback: The other coaches complimented both singers. Michael called Carlos’s performance “unbelievable.” Michael said he loved the “richness” in Adam’s voice.
The outcome: Michael named Adam the winner. Carlos was eliminated. Wow. Remember, this is the same Michael Buble who eliminated Simone Marijic after a brilliant performance a couple of weeks ago.
My take: Adam delivered a souful performance and did a nice job of building the dynamics after sliding the guitar to the side. But Carlos delivered such an impassioned, vocally impressive performance, he was the clear winner in my mind. I mean, that was heartfelt.

THE COACH (GUESS WHO?) GOT IT WRONG

TEAM MICHAEL

The match: Jaydn Cree vs. Kameron Jaso
The background: Jadyn, 23, of Lincoln, Neb., turnd two chairs in the blinds with “Still Into You.” Kameron, 18, of Wichita, Kansas, turned just Michael’s with a performance of “This Town” that was montaged. Both won their battles.
The songs: “Keep Holding On” by Abril Lavigne for Jadyn; “Say You Won’t Let Go” by James Arthur for Kameron.
The feedback: John Legend and Adam Levine both gave the edge to Jadyn. Michael said he thinks Kameron is going to be a star. He says Jaydn doesn’t know how great she is.
The outcome: Michael awarded the win to Jadyn. Kameron was eliminated.
My take: I thought the was easily Jaydn’s best performance on the show. She started out vulnerable, went big and sounded great throughout. Kameron responded in kind, showing off a great singer-songwriter vibe and showing off impressive range. That and the emotion he brought to the performance earned him a slight edge in my opinion. But I can’t be too mad about this decision by Michael because Jadyn was so good too.

THE COACHES GOT IT RIGHT

TEAM KELSEA

The match: Hailey Wright vs. Jaelen Johnston
The background: Hailey. 19. of Redwater, Texas, turned 2 chairs in the blinds with “Before the Next Teardrop Falls.” Jaelen, 21, of Derby, Kansas, performed “Where the Wild Things Are” and turned 3 chairs. This is a country rematch because they squared off in the battles. Jaelen won the first time around; Kelsea used her save on Hailey.
The songs: “I Want to be a Cowboy’s Sweetheart” for Hailey; “Dial Drunk” by Noah Kahan for Jaelen.
The feedback: Michael and Adam gave the edge to Hailey. John complimented both on a stellar job. Kelsea loved the way Jaelen navigated a more upbeat song and how much Hailey improved since the rehearsals.
The outcome: Kelsea named Jaelen the winner, saying she made the decision based on his entire time on the show. Hailey was eliminated.
My take: Really wish Hailey would have picked a different song. Sure, it gave her a chance to yodel. But I’d argue flipping a non-country song would have given her a better chance against Jaelen. Especially since he delivered what I thought was his weakest performance to date. He needs to enunciate better. The lyrics in the first verse were unintelligible. But he found his groove once he hit the chorus and I think he has more long-term potential as a possible winner of the show.

TEAM LEGEND

The match: Nell Simmons vs. Renzo
The background: Renzo, 33, of Philadelphia, Pa., performed “Simple Man” in the blinds, turning 3 chairs. Nell, 40, of New Orleans, performed “Love Hangover” during a montaged performance and landed on Team Legend. Renzo won his battle. Nell didn’t, but was saved by John.
The songs: “Sweet Thing” by Chaka Khan and Rufus for Nell; “Happier Than Ever” by Billie Eilish for Renzo
The feedback: None of the coaches not named John voiced a clear preference, but Adam and Michael seemed to be leaning toward Renzo. Adam said he’ll be shocked if he isn’t in the finals. John called Nell’s performance “perfection” and loved the versatility in Renzo’s.
The outcome: John declared Renzo the winner; Nell was eliminated.
My take: With her power, her sultry vocals and her stage presence, it’s hard to believe Nell was just a one-chair turn (which The Voice montaged). She was outstanding. Problem is, she was matched with Renzo, a guy who sang a Billie Eilish song and did a stupendous job. That was one of the best performances we’ve seen this season on The Voice.

TEAM ADAM

The match: Conor James vs. Darius J.
The background: Conor, 28, of Bridgewater, Mass., turned 4 chairs in the blinds with “I Say a Little Prayer,” then won his battle. Darius, 35, of Pahokee, Fla., performed “Caught Up” way back in the season premiere and turned 3. He lost his battle, but was saved by Adam.
The songs: “American Boy” by Estelle for Darius J.; “Forever Young” by Alphaville for Conor.
The feedback: John gave the edge to Darius, saying he delivered the more intriguing performance. At the same time, he said Conor has the voice to make the finals.
The outcome: Adam named Conor the winner. Kelsea then stepped in and stole Darius J.
My take: Darius certainly put on quite a show, from the outfit to the great stage presence. I didn’t think the vocal was quite as good as some we heard from eliminated contestants tonight. Conor delivered a superb vocal and delivered it with passion to spare. He’s establishing himself as one of Season 27’s best vocalists.