Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Steve McMorran reacts to being stolen on The Voice. (NBC Photo)

Steve McMorran earned the first save of Season 22 and four other artists advanced at the battles began in earnest on The Voice Tuesday night.

Other advancing artists including Morgan Myles of Team Camilia Cabello, Austin Montgomery of Team Blake Shelton, Valarie Harding of Team John Legend and Rowan Grace of Team Gwen Stefani.

Steve earned his save after a performance of Miley Cyrus’s “Wrecking Ball” opposite Morgan Myles.

Morgan entered the match as a heavy favorite. She turned four chairs to Steven’s one in the blind auditions.

Each coach has one save and one steal to use during the battle round.

Here’s a recap of Tuesday’s battles. The Voice aired the performance by Austin and battle partner Tanner Fussell at the end of Monday’s show, but didn’t reveal the results until the opening of Tuesday’s episode.

Morgan Myles and Rowan Grace would be my picks as the evening’s top performers.

Follow the links below, and you’ll find profiles of each singer, complete with information about music they’ve already released.

See also …
Why The Voice battles are so unfair
Blake Shelton leaving The Voice after Season 23

NOT SURE ABOUT THAT SAVE

TEAM CAMILA

The match: Steve McMarron, 40, of Nashville, Tenn. vs. Morgan Myles, 35, of Nashville.
The background: Morgan turned four chairs in her blind audition, singing “Hallelujah.” Steven performed “Never Enough” from The Greatest Showman and got just Camila to turn.
The song: “Wreaking Ball” by Miley Cyrus
The feedback: Gwen Stefani said it was crazy how good they sounded together and called it a great duet. John Legend said Morgan sounds like a recording artist. Blake Shelton said he’d give Morgan the win.
The outcome: Camila declared Morgan the winner, saying she can definitely see her making the finale. She then rescued Steven from elimination with her only save of Season 22.
My take: Dang, Morgan sounded incredible. I’ll be shocked if she doesn’t make the voting rounds. Saving Steve though seemed a bit risky on Camila’s part. Remember, she has four four-chair turns on her team. She might wish she had that save back before these battles end.

THE FORMAT CHEATED TANNER

TEAM BLAKE

The match: Austin Montgomery, 19, of Hemet, Calif., vs. Tanner Fussell, 28, Nashville, Tenn.
The background: Tanner performed “Anymore” by Travis Tritt in the blinds, turning just Blake’s chair. Austin performed Hank William’s “I Can’t Help It” and turned three.
The song: “Folsom Prison Blues” by Johnny Cash.
The feedback: The coaches gave them a standing ovation, then raved over the performance. Gwen Stefani said she was blown away. John Legend called it “phenomenal.” Only John expressed a preference, saying he would award the win to Tanner.
The outcome: Blake awarded the win to Austin. Tanner was eliminated.
My take: This duo deserved the standing ovation, turning in a professional level performance. Given his dearth of experience, Austin was certainly impressive, both vocally and in terms of stage presence. But Tanner showed off the type of strong country vocals that have done very well on past seasons of The Voice. And if potential is going to regularly trump experience on The Voice … well, the cast is loaded with veterans singers.
Special note: No saves or steals remained when Austin and Tanner performed.

THE COACHES GOT IT RIGHT

TEAM GWEN

The match: Jillian Jordyn, 17 of Melville, N.Y., vs. Rowan Grace, 16 of Rapid City, S.D.
The background: Rowan turned three chairs in the blinds singing “Traitor” by Olivia Rodrigo; Jillian turned two, singing “Issues” by Julia Michaels.
The song: “Fingers Cross” by Lauren Spencer Smith, a contestant on American Idol Season 18.
The feedback: Gwen called it an “incredible performance,” noting that Jillian sounded a bit nervous at first, but quickly recovered. She complimented Rowan on a tasteful and heartfelt vocal. Of the other coaches, only Blake voiced a preference, saying he would award the match to Rowan.
The outcome: Gwen awarded the win to Rowan. Jillian was eliminated.
My take: Rowan’s ability to emote and deliver a stunning vocal at such a young age was certainly impressive. So too were the harmonies coming from these teens.
Special note: No saves or steals remained when Rowan and Jillian performed.

TEAM LEGEND

The match: Dia Malia vs. Valarie Collins-Harding, 41, of Tulsa, Okla.
The background: Valarie turned two chairs in the blinds with her performance of “Give Him Something He Can Feel” by Curtis Mayfield. Dia performed “Real Love” by Mary J. Blige. Only John Legend turned.
The song: “Bust Your Windows” by Jazmine Sullivan, the team’s adviser
The feedback: Camila Cabello called the performance sassy and explosive. Both she and Gwen Stefani leaned toward Dia because of her star power. Gwen called her “a budding entertainer.”
The outcome: John complimented Dia on embracing the character of the song. But he also noted that the show is called the voice and said Valarie has been the most consistent vocalist to this point. He awarded her the win; Dia was eliminated.
My take: John made the absolute right decision. Valarie was in control of her impressive vocal from the word “go.” And if that had been an original, I would have had a difficult time understanding Dia’s lyrics on a couple of occasions.