Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Joanna Serenko and CammWess earned their second steals on The Voice as the show’s knockout round began Monday night.

CammWess returned to his original team, Team Legend, following a Team Kelly knockout round match with Megan Danielle.

Joanna, however, opted to join Team Blake Shelton after her Team Legend knockout round match with Zan Fiskum.

In addition to Megan and Zan, other singers advancing on Monday’s show included Joei Fulco, Todd Tilghman, Mike Jerel and Roderick Chambers.

All are now in the Season 18 playoffs, though how The Voice will proceed beyond the knockouts hasn’t been determined.

A WELL-DESERVED STEALS

TEAM KELLY

The match: Megan Danielle vs. CammWess
The songs: CammWess — Great New World’s “Say Something;” Megan — Kelly Clarkson’s “Piece by Piece.”
The background: Megan, 17, of Douglasville, Ga., turned one chair in the blinds; then won her battle round match with Samantha Howell. CammWess, 22, of Blythewood, S.C., turned two chairs, then was stolen by Kelly after a battle round match with Mandi Castillo.
The feedback: Blake gave the edge to Camm. John said he regretted letting Camm go in the battles. Nick wouldn’t make a decision, complimenting both singers.
The outcome: Kelly named Megan the winner, praising her ability to pull heartstrings with her vocals. But then John and Nick immediately pushed their steal buttons for Camm. Camm opted to return to Team John.
My take: Two excellent song choices and two outstanding vocals. But Megan’s performance delivered a bigger emotional punch for me, perhaps because there weren’t as many vocal frills, perhaps because it was obvious she really connected with the song. The sparsity of country singers on Season 18 would have prompted me to advance her as well.

TEAM JOHN

The match: Joanna Serenko vs. Zan Fiskum
The songs: Joanna — “Angel from Montgomery” by Bonnie Raitt; Zan — “The Story” by Brandi Carlile
The background: Joanna, 18, from St. Louis. turned four chairs in the blinds; then was stolen by John after her battle round match with Roderick Chambers. Zan, 22, of Seattle, Wash., turned three chairs in the blinds; then won her battle round match with Brittney Allen.
The feedback: Nick and Kelly called it an even match. Blake gave the edge to Zan.
The outcome: Zan was named the winner. Nick and Blake then pushed their steal buttons for Joanna. Joanna opted to join Team Blake.
My take: Strong performance by Joanna and a great ending. Not sure if the suggestion to go big near the end of the song worked though. Then Zan took the stage and — wow! She’s quickly becoming one of my favorites on the show. That was outstanding and her tone is special.

THE COACH GOT IT WRONG

TEAM JOHN

The match: Darious Lyles vs. Mike Jerel
The songs: Darious Lyles — “Me and Mrs. Jones” by Billy Paul; Mike — “Versace on the Floor” by Bruno Mars.
The background: Darious, 30, of Chicago, Ill., turned two chairs in the blinds; then won his battle round match with Nelson Cade III. Mike, 31, of Ashburn, Ga., turned four chairs in the blinds, then won a battle round match with Zach Day.
The feedback: Nick and Blake gave the edge to Darious. Kelly wouldn’t make a pick, but complimented them both.
The outcome: John awarded the win to Mike.
My take: Mike showed off great range during a fine performance. But Darious was fabulous in the battle round and followed that up with another great vocal punctuated by a polished stage presence that looked wholly profession.

THE COACH GOT IT RIGHT

TEAM BLAKE

The match: Joei Fulco vs. Levi Watkins
The songs: Joei — Linda Ronstadt’s “When Will I Be Loved;” Levi — Waylon Jennings “I Ain’t Living Long Like This.”
The background: Joei, 22, of Lancaster, Calif., turned two chairs in the blinds, then won a battle round match with Todd Michael Hall. Levi, 14, of Birminghan, Ala., turned just Blake’s chair in the blinds; then won a battle round match with Jamal Corrie.
The feedback: Both singers got lots of compliments from the coaches. John Legend and Kelly Clarkson favored Levi; Nick gave the edge to Joei.
The outcome: Blake declared Joei the winner; Levi was eliminated.
My take: Levi, 14, singing outlaw country? Sorry, it was hard to buy that match of singer and song. He had fun with the song, though. Meanwhile, the richness in Joei’s vocal — wow! I figured she could slay a Linda Ronstadt song, and she did. Song choices like that could take her far on the show.

TEAM NICK

The match: Roderick Chambers vs. Tate Brusa
The songs: Roderick — “Redbone” by Childish Gambino; Tate — “The Scientist” by Coldplay.
The background: Roderick, 38, of Miami, Fla., turned one chair in the blinds, then won his battle round match with Joanna Serenko. Tate, 16, of Salt Lake City, Utah, turned two chairs, then won his battle round match with Anders Drerup.
The feedback: Kelly gave the edge to Roderick. Blake seemed to be leaning toward Tate. John gave the edge to Roderick as well.
The outcome: Nick named Roderick the winner; Tate was eliminated.
My take: Roderick turned in an excellent vocal, showing off range for days. He came off as much more polished and ready than Tate, who’s vocal was, quite frankly, inconsistent, albeit impassioned.

TEAM BLAKE

The match: Cam Spinks vs. Todd Tilghman
The songs: Cam — “Rumor” by Lee Brice; Todd — “Anymore” by Travis Tritt.
The background: Todd, 41, of Meridian, Mississippi, turned four chairs in the blinds; then won a battle round match with Jon Mullins. Cam, 29, of Alabaster, Ala., turned two chairs; then won a battle round match with Kailey Abel.
The feedback: Nick gave the edge to Todd; Kelly and John didn’t specify a favorite, but seemed to be leaning toward him as well.
The outcome: Blake named Todd the winner; Cam was eliminated.
My take: Nice performance by Cam, but there’s a passion that Todd brings to the stage that’s just undeniable. He delivered a great vocal and a great performance.