Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Austin Gilbert with Reba McEntire after being stolen on The Voice. (NBC Photo)[/caption

]The Voice opened its Season 28 battle round with six matches Monday night.

And those six matches included two saves and one steal, meaning only three artists went home.

Natalia Albertini and Trinity earned well-deserved saves from Snoop Dogg and Michael Buble, respectively.

Then Austin Gilbert was stolen by Reba McEntire following a Team Buble country showdown with Rob Cole.

In addition to Rob, battle round victories were scored by Yoshihanaa, Kenny Iko, Aaron Nichols, Jazz McKenzie and Dustin Dale Gaspard.

Eliminated during Monday’s show were a trio of R&B guys — Revel Day, Kanard Thomas and Daron Lameek.

Oh, and in a nice new wrinkle — as opposed to one of The Voice’s silly gimmicks — contestants are picking their own battle round partners in Season 28.

Here’s a recap:

WELL-DESERVED SAVES

TEAM SNOOP DOGG

The match: Yoshihanaa vs. Natalia Albertini
The song: “You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman” by Aretha Franklin
The background: Yoshi, 36, of Sanford, Fla., performed “Nobody’s Supposed to Be Here” by Deborah Cox, turning three chairs in the blinds. Natalia, 24, of Cherry Hill, N.J., performed “Out Here On My Own” by Irene Cara, turning two chairs.
The feedback: Niall praised both singers and didn’t voice a preferance. Reba said she would award the win to Yoshi. Michael said he would have given Natalia the edge.
The outcome: Snoop declared Yoshia the winner, saying she delivered the most powerful performance. Then he saved Natalia, saying she’s too good to wind up on another team or go home.
My take: Yoshi has undeniable vocal firepower, and this duo turned in a fabulous performance. I would have leaned toward Natalia because of her performance skills and a wonderfully pleasing vocal tone. Great to see them both advance.

TEAM MICHAEL:

The match: Jazz Makenzie vs. Trinity
The song: “Virtual Insanity” by Jamiroquai’
The background: Jazz, 31, of Birmingham, Ala., performed Tina Turner’s “What’s Love Got to Do with It” in the blinds and turned four chairs. Trinity, 25, from Connecticut, performed “Don’t Let Go (Love)” by En Vogue and also earned a four-chair turn.
The feedback: Snoop Dogg complimented them on their great showmanship. Niall said they brought a different league of performance to the show. He said neither should leave the competition. Reba also praised both artists. Michael complimented Jazz on a wonderful, powerful voice. He called Trinity’s vocal superb and effortless.
The outcome: Michael awarded the win to Jazz, saying he thinks she’s a potential finalist. Then Michael hit the save button for Tinity and all three other coaches tried to steal her. Trinity opted to stay with Team Michael.
My take: The song seemed tailored a bit more toward Trinity and she certainly turned in an impressive performance. I was a bit more taken with Jazz, both in terms of showwomanship and the versatility she displayed with her vocal. Given the right song, my guess is she could bring the roof down at The Voice.

A QUESTIONABLE STEAL

TEAM MICHAEL

The match: Austin Gilbert vs. Rob Cole
The song: “Honey Bee” by Blake Shelton
The background: Austin, 25, of Eugene, Oregon, performed ”The Kind of Love We Make” by Luke Combs and turned two chairs in the blinds. Rob, 34, Pembroke, N.C., performed “Joy of My Life” by Chris Stapleton and also turned two chairs. He landed on Team Michael because Michael blocked Reba McEntire.
The feedback: Reba gave the edge to Austin. Snoop gave Austin the edge on showmanship, Rob the edge on vocals. Niall gave the edge to Rob. Michael complimented both singers.
The outcome: Michael awarded the win to Rob saying he loves his versatility and calling him his country superstar. Reba saved Austin based on his enthusiasm and his gorgeous voice.
My take: Rob was solid from the word go and playing guitar might have helped him stay more grounded vocally. Knowing all the talent yet to come, especially from Team Niall, I would have been reluctant to use a steal on Austin. Yes, he was solid. But his vocal didn’t scream: I must be stolen. And Season 28 is loaded with wonderful female singer-songwriter types who would be a great fit for Team Reba.

THE COACH GOT IT RIGHT

TEAM NIALL

The match: Revel Day vs. Dustin Dale Gaspard
The song: “Too Sweet” by Hozier
The background: Dustin, 33, of Cow Island, Louisiana, sang “Bring It On Home to Me” by Sam Cooke, turning four chairs in the blinds. Revel, 31, of Calif., performed “Somewhere Only We Know” by Keane. turning three chairs.
The feedback: Reba gave the edge to Dustin, saying she’s been intrigued by him since the blinds. Michael gave the edge to Revel how well he handled a song outside his wheelhouse. Snoop gave an edge to Dustin.
The outcome: Niall named Dustin the winner, saying he’s one of the most unique artists on the show and a potential finalist. Revel was eliminated.
My take: The singers hugged in triumph at the end of the performance and deserved to celebrate a high-quality duet. Dustin was a bit difficult to hear over the backing music on the first voice. But he truly is one of the more unique vocalists on Season 28, so I’d agree with Niall’s decision.

TEAM REBA

The match: Aaron Nichols vs. Daron LaMeek
The song: “Fooled Around and Fell in Love” by Elvin Bishop
The background: Aaron, 37, of Bakersfield, Calif., performed “Cold” by Chris Stapleton in the blinds, turning three chairs. Daron, 35, of Queens, N.Y., performed “All Night Long” by Lionel Richie and turned two.
The feedback: Niall Horan and Michael Buble gave the edge to Daron. Snoop Dogg didn’t voice a preference, praising both singers.
The outcome: Reba awarded the win to Aaron, saying she was won over by a high raspy note he delivered near the end of the performance that carried the day. Daron was eliminated.
My take: Reba got this one absolutely right. Aaron’s raspy growl could make his a standout on the show. He’s certainly the type of performer Voice voters rally behind. And I, too, noticed that shriek he unleashed, showing he knows he needs to deliver vocal moments in a performance. That said, both singers deserved the praise. So different in style, they came together for a standout performance.

TEAM SNOOP DOGG

The match: Kenny Iko vs. Kanard Thomas
The song: “All the Things (Your Man Won’t Do” by Joe
The background: Kenny, 35, of Washington, D.C., performed “Versace on the Floor” by Bruno Mars and turned two chairs in the blinds.. Kanard, 35, of Columbus, Ga., performed “Whip Appeal” by Babyface and turned just Snoop’s chair.
The feedback: Niall, Reba and Michael provided praise for both singers. But not one of the three expressed a preference. Snoop said both singers followed the advice from the auditions.
The outcome: Snoop awarded the win to Kenny based on his vocal improvement since the blinds and based on his showmanship. Kanard was eliminated.
My take: Kanard showed off the same silky smooth vocals that took him so far on The Voice comeback stage several seasons back. But Kenny was the standout in terms of showmanship, and that deservingly carried the day. Nice choice by Snoop Dogg.

[caption id="attachment_120815" align="aligncenter" width="775"] Natalia Albertini and Yoshihanaa both advanced for Team Snoop Dogg on The Voice. (NBC Photo)