Idol Chatter & Voice Views

The battle rounds begin tonight on The Voice.

By the time the dust settles two weeks from now, the Season 7 cast of 48 will have been whittled to 32.

Half of the contestants will be in jeopardy of going home in this round. But eight will be saved and find themselves under the tutelage of a new coach as the competition moves to its next phase, the knockout round.

The goal, of course, is to make it to the live rounds. Twenty contestants — five from each team — will advance to that point, when viewers at home start getting a say in who goes and who stays.

Among those still alive — York County’s DaNica Shirey, the first local resident to earn a spot on the show.

I’ll be live blogging throughout tonight’s show. Follow the links attached to singers’ names below, and you’ll be taken to a profile of that contestant. For links to profiles for all 48 remaining singers, head here.

TEAM PHARRELL

Maiya Sykes vs. Elyjuh Rene: Maiya Sykes, 36, of Los Angeles, auditioned with Sam Smith’s “Stay With Me” and had all four coaches facing in her direction within the first line of the song. Elyjuh Rene, 18, of Long Beach, Calif., auditioned with Beyonce’s “XO” and turned a pair of chairs. Pharrell explains that he has paired them because they’re both soul singers. And they’ll have them sing “If I Ain’t Got You” by Alicia Keys, who just happens to be Pharrell’s assistant mentor during this phase of the competition. Pharrell likes the creative license Elyjuh is taking with the song, but you have to think Maiya is the favorite in this matchup. Elyjuh admits he’s a little worried about being matched against Maiya because she’s such a powerful singer.

Maiya starts with a great run, and you have to love the tone of her voice. But if Elyjuh is nervous it isn’t showing. Wow, they’re both pulling out all the stops on this song. Not sure Elyjuh quite nailed that high note, but he came darn close. I could do with a little less vocal gymnastics from him. Still, that was an overall standout performance from both of the singers. Gwen calls it “unbelievable.” She likes the “theater” Elyjuh brought to the performance. She says Maiya’s voice was “shooting through her.” Adam Levine says Maroon 5 covered that song, but that Elyjuh and Maiya did it better. Adam and Blake say they’d give the match to Elyjuh. My choice would be Maiya. And Pharrell advances Elyjuh. Wow. And no one steals Maiya. Very surprised by that.

TEAM ADAM

Chris Jamison vs. Jonathan Wyndham: Chris Jamison, 20, of Pittsburgh, Pa., auditioned with John Mayer’s “Gravity.” He’s one of six Team Adam members who got all four coaches to turn for his performance. Jonathan Wyndham, 22, of Lexington, S.C., auditioned with an emotional performance of A Great Big World’s “Say Something.” All four coaches turned for his performance. Interesting pairing of a pair of guys who impressed all the judges during the blind auditions. Adam is giving them “Young Girls” by Bruno Mars as their battle round song. Chris admits he’s intimidated singing in front of Adam and Stevie Nicks, Adam’s assistant mentor. On the other hand, Adam is encouraging Jonathan to pull it back a bit. During the pre-performance rehearsal, both guys are still trying to find their footing with the song.

Really like both of these guys’ voices. Gotta say, I find Jonathan’s a bit more distinctive. He also comes across as just a tad more experienced as a performer. Another solid performance by both singers, though I’m not sure why they were singing to one another there near the end. Blake can’t decide who should win that battle. Pharrell liked the conviction in Jonathan’s performance, but he liked Chris’ vocals just a tad more. Gwen compliments the way they worked together and compliments Chris on his stage presence. My pick: Jonathan. I just think he’s the more accomplished performer at this point. Adam’s pick: He picks Chris, saying there’s a “superstar locked inside this dude.” And Jonathan does not get stolen. That’s two four-chair turn recipients who have already been eliminated from the show.

TEAM GWEN

Jean Kelley vs. Sugar Joans: Jean Kelley, 29, of Nashville, Tenn., auditioned with the Kelly Clarkson hit “Already Gone.” She turned a pair of chairs very late in that performance. Sugar Joans, 24, of Los Angeles, auditioned with “Chain of Fools,” displaying a nice rasp in her voice. She also turned two chairs. Gwen has them singing “Survivor” by Destiny’s Child. She says Sugar is more of a soul singer and Jean is more of a pop singer, but she picked the song because it includes a little of both. Gwen predicts this will be one of the most “bam” performances because they’re both experienced singers. Jean says singing “Survivor” brings out a fighting spirit in her. Sugar says she’s determined to make her father proud; he has enjoyed a long career, mostly as a background singer. Gwen’s hubby, Gavin Rossdale, is particularly impressed with Sugar’s voice.

Hey, look at Jean Kelley excelling with a song that wouldn’t seem to be in her wheelhouse. That said, Sugar is displaying more attitude and more vocal prowess than I recall from her blind audition. Oh, my, and Sugar just hit one heck of a prolonged glory note. And we just witnessed some wonderful interplay between the two as they traded lines back and forth. It was just the precursor to a fantastic end to the song. Gwen’s right, that was a tough song to sing. Adam, Pharrell and Blake say they can’t decide who should win that match. My pick: Sugar, just because she provided a couple of the best vocal moments we’ve seen so far tonight. Gwen’s pick: She awards the win to Sugar.

And we have our first steal. Adam and Pharrell are both trying to steal Jean Kelley. Adam likes the break in her voice and called her performance incredible, but says there are things she can do to get even better. Pharrell calls her “awesome” and “one of those voices that make this show what it is.” Jean Kelley joins Team Pharrell.

TEAM BLAKE

James David Carter vs. Craig Wayne Boyd: James David Carter, 34, of Atlanta, Ga., auditioned with Kevin Sharp’s hit, “Nobody Knows,” and earned a quick four-chair turn with his stellar vocals. He wound up being the only four-chair turn on Team Blake. Craig Wayne Boyd, 35, of Nashville, Tenn., auditioned with Travis Tritt’s “The Whiskey Ain’t Workin’.” He turned a pair of chairs. Blake says he paired these two because he says he only has room for one male country artist on his team. Honestly, I don’t understand that logic at all. As well as country singers have done on this show, I’d try to get them both to the live rounds and let viewers decide. Oh, well. He’s given them “Wave on Wave” by Pat Green, saying the song is a mix of southern, outlaw rock and contemporary country. Blake says James voice is like a knife and Craig’s is like a fist “that just hits you.”

You know what, I like both of these guys more than Jake Worthington, who wound up finishing second in Season 6. They’re more accomplished performers and more distinctive singers. There’s a bit of a rock star in Craig, not surprising since that’s what he started singing. Jonathan is solid throughout. Another excellent match on The Voice, where we’ve witnessed four great battles already. Pharrell doesn’t know who to choose, nor does Gwen. Adam says they achieved on the battle round what “we all shoot for.” He, too, calls it a draw. My pick: James. I think Craig provided the biggest vocal fireworks during that performance, but I think James is more likely to become a fan favorite. Blake’s pick: James.

Wow, and Craig is walking off the stage, headed for elimination when Gwen pushes her steal button at the last minute. “I know it seems like a weird pairing. But you’re so natural and your voice is so strong … As soon as you started singing, I thought, ‘I’m going to steal him. He’s so good.”

TEAM GWEN

Amanda Lee Peers vs. Taylor John Williams:

Amanda Lee Peers, 29, of Rochester, N.Y., auditioned with an edgy performance of ZZ Ward’s “Put the Gun Down.” Only Gwen turned for her song. Taylor John Williams, 23, of Portland, Oregon, auditioned with a stripped-down version of “Heartless.” Two coaches turned around for his performances, which did very well on iTunes. Gwen matches them because she says they’re both alternative artists. And she’s going to give them Dolly Parton’s too-often-performed “Jolene.” Taylor says Amanda has a “haunting voice.” Gwen and Gavin compliment Taylor on the emotion in his voice. Gwen says it’s clear that “he’s an artist.” Gavin calls Amanda’s voice “ageless.” But Gwen says the two of them are having trouble connecting as they perform.

Interesting a cappella opening from Amanda and Taylor. Not sure I loved it, but it was interesting. Really, really like Amanda’s voice. That said, Taylor had the more impressive blind audition performance of the two. Amanda is performing like she was born to sing this song. It’s not quite as good a fit for Taylor, but he’s doing a decent job. Adam says he’d given the win to Taylor. Blake would give the victory to Amanda. My pick: Amanda. The special vocal moments in that performance were all hers. And she sold the song better. Gwen’s pick: She gives the win to Taylor. Really disagree with that one, but Gwen indicates it had a lot to do with Taylor’s potential.

TEAM PHARRELL

Luke Wade vs. Griffin: Luke Wade, 31, of Dublin, Texas, performed Otis Redding’s “That’s How Strong Love Is” for his audition and turned four chairs way back in the season premiere. Griffin, 23, of Greenville, S.C., auditioned with a fun, upbeat version of Michael Buble’s “It’s a Beautiful Day.” He turned three chairs. Pharrell has them singing “Maybe I’m Amazed.” Not that song again. Griffin actually says he doesn’t know the song very well. Luke is struggling hitting the high notes. Alicia has them trying a blues version of the song. Which has Griffin going just a little bit crazy.

Really strong opening by Luke. And he gets to sing an entire verse before turning the song over to Griffin. And he shows off some pretty remarkable range. And they finish the song going head to head. OK, that was better than your run-of-the-mill cover of that song. Griffin provided more vocal highlights, but Luke was solid as well. Gwen says she was shocked by Griffin’s voice. Adam thinks Luke is one of the best singers on the show. Blake calls it one of the greatest battles “we’ve had on the show.” Blake says Griffin won the battle. My pick: Luke. I liked his overall performance better. Pharrell’s pick: Luke.

And Blake Shelton steals Griffin. That’s if Gwen doesn’t lure him away. Gwen says Griffin surprised “me so much” and calls him a fighter. Blake says Griffin occupies a spot on the show no one else occupies. Griffin decides to join Team Blake.