Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Lauren Michael Sellers performs during the knockout round for Team Reba on The Voice. (NBC Photo)

Lauren-Michael Sellers and Sydney Sterlace turned in standout performances to earn spots in the playoffs as the knockouts concluded Monday night on The Voice.

Also earning knockout round victories were Sofronio Vasquez, Mikaela Ayira and Aliyah Khaylyn.

Meanwhile, Danny Joseph and Jan Dan were saved by coaches Reba McEntire and Gwen Stefani, respectively.

And Jeremy Beloate nabbed the final playoff spot thanks to a steal by Snoop Dogg.

The playoffs begin Tuesday night with one team competing. The final three teams will compete on pre-taped episodes airing next Monday and Tuesday.

Each team has five singers at this point. That will be cut to two in the playoffs.

Here’s a recap of Monday’s show.

WONDERING ABOUT THOSE SAVES

TEAM REBA:

The match: Tate Renner (“In Color” by Jamey Johnson) vs. Danny Joseph (“It Hurt So Bad” by Susan Tedeshi) vs. Lauren-Michael Sellers (“Hold On To Me” by Lauren Daigle)
The background: Danny, 37, and Lauren, 35, both turned four chairs in the blinds. Tate, 24, turned three. All then won Team Reba battles.
The feedback: Reba pronounced herself very proud of all three performers. Gwen was the only coach to express a preference, saying she thought Lauren-Michael won the knockout.
The outcome: Reba awarded the win to Lauren-Michael. She then saved Danny. Tate was eliminated.
My take: Simply a superb song choice, wonderfully executed by Lauren-Michael. She selected a song that allowed her to show off her power and her emotion. Danny turned in a heck of a blues performance, bringing undeniable energy to the stage, so it’s tough to argue with Reba’s decision to save him. Though I must say, I thought Tate delivered his best Voice performance in that match.

TEAM GWEN

The match: Sydney Sterlace vs. Jan Dan
The background: Sydney, 15, turned four chairs with her audition. Jan Dan, 29, turned two. Both are original members of Team Gwen. Mor Ilderton, a three-chair turn stolen in the battles, was supposed to round out the trio, but didn’t compete.
The feedback: Snoop said both singers picked exceptional songs for their vocals and said Sydney could win the show. Gwen loved both performances.
The outcome: Sydney was named the winner. Jan Dan was then saved by Gwen.
My take: Mor’s absence robbed this match of any suspense. Gwen still had her save; it was the last of her knockouts to air. Who was possibly going to go home other than the singer who was already there? Mor is fine, by the way. In fact, he’s heavily promoting a Christian single called “Stranger” which drops Friday. As for the knockout, Sydney won hands down. Every time she sings, I think, “Hold it, isn’t she one of the younger contestants.” Then I check and am shocked that she auditioned at just 15 years old.

THE COACH GOT IT RIGHT

TEAM MICHAEL

The match: Jeremy Beloate (“Golden Hour” by JVKE) vs. Sofronio Vasquez (“You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me” by Dusty Springfield) vs. Kiara Vega (“Call Out My Name” by the Weeknd)
The background: Jeremy, 25, and Sonofrio, 31, both turned four chairs in the blinds. Kiara, 18, turned three. All then won battles on Team Michael.
The feedback: Gwen and Snoop both thought Jeremy won the knockout. Michael praised all three, but based his decision on how unique Sofronio is as a vocalist.
The outcome: Michael named Sofronio the winner. Snoop Dogg stole Jeremy. Kiara was eliminated.
My take: Sofronio established himself as one of the show’s best male vocalists in the season premiere and certainly solidified that standing with this performance. He won. But I would have given Kiara the steal based on that rich, soulful vocal. Jeremy delivered a fine vocal, it just wasn’t my cup of tea.

A TOSS UP

TEAM SNOOP DOGG

The match: ChrisDeo (“Beneath Your Beautiful” by Labyrinth) vs. Mikaela Ayira (“Scars to Your Beautiful” by Alessia Cara) vs. Torre Blake (“Slow Burn” by Kacey Musgraves)
The background: All three of these singers turned two chairs during their blind auditions. All three then won Team Snoop battle round matches. ChrisDeo and Mikaela are two of the youngest singers on the show; both auditioned at age 16. Torre was 30 when her audition was taped.
The feedback: Reba called them “all so good,” but thought ChrisDeo was the best. Gwen personally preferred Torre’s performance, but declined from making the choice. Snoop was so proud of the three performances they brought him to tears.
The outcome: Snoop named Mikalea the winner, loving the potential of her big voice. ChrisDeo and Torre were eliminated.
My take: ChrisDeo and Mikaela both auditioned at 16 and their youth showed in their performances. While ChrisDeo is absolutely loveable, Mikaela is probably a bit more vocally advanced at this point. Their inexperienced meant a great opportunity for Torre. While technically fine, her song choice wasn’t ideal for a knockout where the goal is to make a very big vocal or emotional impact. “Slow Burn” sorta says it all in that regard.

WHO KNOWS?

TEAM SNOOP DOGG

The match: Aliyah Khaylyn (“Angel”) vs. Georgia Starnes (“Parachute” by Chris Stapleton) vs. Mary McAvoy (“High and Dry” by Radiohead)
The background: Georgia, 21, turned four chairs in the blind; Mary, 35, turned two. Both then won Team Snoop battles. Aliyah, 23, turned three chairs in the blinds, landed on Team Michael, then was stolen by Snoop in the battles.
The feedback: Snoop is the only coach we heard from. He had compliments from all three singers, but said he felt Aliyah has the most potential on the show.
The outcome: Aliyah was named the winner by Snoop. Georgia and Mary were eliminated.
My take: Tough to tell since the show only aired snippets of the performances. Again, folks, that’s inexcusable given the amount of time The Voice invests in gab, gab and more gab. Mary sounded solid on the snippet we heard. Aliyah showed impressive stage presence and lights up the stage. A stolen contestant, she bested two Team Snoop originals.

Sydney Sterlace performs for Team Gwen during the knockouts on The Voice. (NBC Photo)