Idol Chatter & Voice Views

The first four artists advanced to the live playoffs on The Voice Season 17 as a result of knockout round matches that aired Monday night.

That includes Cali Wilson of Team Blake Shelton, Katie Kadan of Team John Legend and Jack Hoot of Team Kelly Clarkson.

But Max Boyle of Team Legend turned in what turned out to be the most surprising performance of the night and wound up advancing as well after being stolen by Kelly.

Here’s a recap.

THE ONLY FAIR OUTCOME

Team John Legend

The matchup: Katie Kadan versus Max Boyle
The songs: “Piece of My Heart” by Janis Joplin for Katie; “When the Party’s Over” by Billie Eilish for Max
The feeback: Both Gwen and Kelly said they felt bad for Max about having to follow Katie to the stage, until he delivered his impressive version of the Billie Eilish hit. “I expected her to be Wonder Woman,” Kelly said. “I didn’t expect you to be Superman.” Blake said he’d give the win to Katie.
The outcome: John named Katie the winner. No surprise there. John says he sees her going extremely far on the show. Kelly and Gwen both tried to steal Max. Max opted to join Team Kelly.
My take: Both deserved to stay. Katie’s one of the biggest voices on Season 17 and picked an excellent song to show off her vocal firepower. But I didn’t get much emotion from her performance. Max served up an excellent vocal — wow, what range — with emotion. And put a different sort of spin on his song choice. For that reason, his performance was actually my favorite of the two.

HOPEFULLY SHE’LL BE BACK

Team Blake Shelton

The match: Cali Wilson and Marina Chello
The background: Cali, a three-chair turn, defeated EllieMae in a montaged battle. Marina, a two-chair turn, was Blake’s battle round save.
The songs: Cali performed “Wicked Game” by Chris Isaac; Marina performed “I Who Have Nothing”
The feedback: Blake didn’t get much help from the other coaches, who praised both performances. Gwen called them both “stunning.” Blake said they both deserve to be on the radio.
The outcome: Blake declared Cali the winner based on her growth in conveying the emotion in her performance. Marina was eliminated.
My take: Dang, Marina certainly proved she was deserving of Blake’s save with that powerful vocal, full of glory notes. I actually preferred her vocal over Katie’s Monday night. Then Cali turned around and flipped a guy’s song in impressive fashion, showing off her own unique vocals. Her style is a better fit for Team Blake. But, hopefully, Season 17 will feature comeback artists and Marina will be back, because neither deserved to go home following those performances.

WATCH OUT FOR JAKE HOOT

Team Kelly Clarkson

The match: Jake Hoot and Melinda Rodriguez
The background: Jake, a one-chair turn, won a battle round match over Steve Knill. Melinda was Kelly’s save following her battle round match with Shane Q. She turned two chairs in the blinds.
The songs: Jake performed “Cover Me Up” by Jason Isbell; Melinda performed “Always Be My Baby” by Mariah Carey.
The feedback: Blake called Jake a classic great country singer. Gwen called him one of her favorites from the whole season. But Melinda got praise for her performance as well.
The outcome: Kelly picked Jake, calling him one of the best male country singers she’s heard on the show. Melinda was eliminated, but says her brother is doing well following his heart transplant surgery.
My take: Blake had three male country singers in last year’s finals, and I don’t recall any of them delivering a performance better than this one from Jake. I can see him in the finale. Meanwhile, I’m not sure that was the right song choice for Melinda. But this was a clear Jake Hoot victory.