Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Here’s what happened and what should have happened when the members of Team Blake squared off in the live playoffs Monday night.

The lineup: Performing were original Team Blake Shelton members Casi Joy, Aliyah Moulden, TSoul and Lauren Duski, plus stolen contestant Aaliyah Rose, the youngest female on the show. Blake opted to bring back Felicia Temple, an excellent choice. She had lost to Casi Joy in the knockout round, in spite of a solid performance.

What happened: Aliyah Moulden and Lauren Duski were voted into the finals. Blake opted to save TSoul. That meant the elimination of Casi, Felicia and Aaliyah Rose.

What should have happened: The finals are going to seem empty without Casi Joy. I considered her the show’s best country artist, and nothing that happened on stage Monday changed that opinion. I actually figured Casi, TSoul and Lauren Duski would be Blake’s Top 12 trio, but there’s no denying Aliyah Moulden has a ton of star power at age 15 and delivered another winning performance. Blake was left to choose between TSoul and Casi for the save; he went with TSoul. Strategically, it might have been the wrong move. Especially considering how well country singers have done in the finals on The Voice. It’s not as though fans couldn’t vote for Lauren Duski and Casi Joy.

Here are the Team Blake performances in my order of preference.