Idol Chatter & Voice Views

If you were hoping an already eliminated favorite would get a second chance on The Voice in Season 11 via the comeback artist route … well, too bad. It apparently won’t happen.

After having comeback artists in the live playoffs the past two seasons, The Voice has apparently decided to ditch that aspect of the competition for Season 11.

It simply wouldn’t have fit into the schedule.

As it is, the show will try to cram 20 performances into next Monday night’s two-hour episode, which will also feature live voting and results and coaches contemplating which artists to save and which artists to send home.

You see, there’s a little thing called the Presidential Election next Tuesday, in the same dang week as The Voice live playoffs and it’s messing up the show’s schedule.

Lots more on what I think of the show’s solution between now and Monday. In the meantime, here’s a recap of Monday’s show.

As always, the links lead to a profile of each artist. And the number in parenthesis indicates blind audition chair turns.

BEST OF THE NIGHT

Team Miley:

The match: Aaron Gibson (3) vs. Josh Halverson (3)

The songs: Aaron — “Die a Happy Man” by Thomas Rhett; Josh — “Whiskey and You” by Chris Stapleton.

The verdict: Miley awarded the win to Aaron, but Josh advanced as well when he was stolen by Alicia. My take: Interesting that with so few country singers in the competition, both of these singers went country for this performance. Oh, and they clearly turned in two of the best performances of the night, so both definitely deserved to advance.

RUNNER-UP

Team Blake

The match: Gabe Broussard (2) vs. Austin Allsup (1)

The songs: Gabe — “It Will Rain” by Bruno Mars; Austin — “Breakdown” by Tom Petty.

The verdict: Blake awarded the win to Austin; Gabe, the youngest contestant on Season 11 at 15, was eliminated. My take: Austin has been performing nearly as long as Gabe has been alive, and the difference in experience clearly showed in those performances. Plus, Austin did a superb job with the Tom Petty tune.

THE COACHES GOT IT WRONG!

Team Miley

The match: Darby Walker (3) vs. Maye Thomas (2)

The songs: Darby — “Shake it Out” by Florence and the Machine; Maye — “Closer” by Tegan and Sara.

The verdict: Miley awarded the win to Darby; Maye was eiminated. My take: Since Darby was featured way back in The Voice’s Olympic sneak peek, the outcome shouldn’t be surprising. Nor was the pairing, though with so so many R&B females advancing to the voting round its a shame that The Voice couldn’t have found room for both of these talented young ladies. Honestly, I preferrred the performance from Maye.

Team Alicia

The match: Sa’Rayah (2) vs. Michael Sanchez (1)

The songs: Sa’Rayah — “Ain’t Nobody” by Chaka Khan; Michael — “Just the Two of Us” by Bill Withers.

The verdict: Sa’Rayah advanced, Michael was eliminated. My take: There’s no denying the power in Sa’Rayah’s vocals, but that performance was way overbaked in my opinion. Michael went crazy in a very impressive way at the end of his performance. Plus, his presence in the playoffs would have helped diversify the show’s musical lineup.

THE COACHES GOT IT RIGHT

Team Adam:

The match: Nolan Neal (4) vs. Brendan Fletcher (3)

The songs: Nolan — “Love is Your Name” by Steven Tyler; Brendan — “Soulshine” by The Allman Brothers

The verdict: Adam awarded the win to Brendan; Nolan was eliminated. My take: I whole-heartedly agree, largely because I didn’t like the match of voice and song for Nolan while Brendan’s rasp suited the song he selected perfectly. The elimination means the end of the road for Nolan, who failed to turn a chair in Season 10 and returned to turn four this season.

Team Blake

The match: Dana Harper (2) vs. Karlee Metzger (2)

The songs: Dana — “You Give Me Something” by James Morrison; Karlee — “Invincible” by Kelly Clarkson

The verdict: Blake named Dana the winner; Karlee was eliminated. My take: Dana deserved the win for a more steady performance. Truth be told, neither was spectacular. Oh, where are you, Blaine Long, the three-chair turn Blake ousted in the battles?

THE MONTAGE TREATMENT

Team Miley:

The match: Sophia Urista (2) vs. Josette Diaz (1)

The songs: Sophia — “I Can’t Stand the Rain” by Tina Turner; Josette — the performance was montaged and we didn’t even find out what Josette sang.

The verdict: Miley advanced Sophia, calling her “Prince on the outside, but Janis Ian on the inside. This girl can’t hit a wrong note.”