Idol Chatter & Voice Views

The battle rounds begin tonight. By the time they end, The Voice Season 9 cast of 48 will be whittled to 32.

For those who haven’t watched before, in this round two team members are pitted against one another and asked to sing a duet.

The contestants’ coach will determine the winner, who will advance to the next phase of the competition.

The loser will be pushed to the brink of elimination.

But there are steals: two per coach. And that means battle round losers can be awarded a second chance.

This round also marks the return of guest advisers. Gwen Stefani’s team will be assisted by Selena Gomez, Pharrell William’s by Missy Elliott, Blake Shelton’s by Brad Paisley and Adam Levine’s by John Fogerty.

Tonight’s battle round matches have already been revealed on iTunes. Among them, a battle between a pair of four-chair turn recipients — Barrett Baber and Dustin Christensen — from Team Blake.

Also see:
* Meet all of the Season 9 contestants
* A team by team breakdown of The Voice, Season 9
* The Voice Season 9 cast is one of the youngest ever
* Which blind audition songs did the best on iTunes

Follow the links below, and you’ll find a profile blog on the singer.

Team Adam:

Jordan Smith vs. Regina Love: Jordan Smith 21, of Harlan, Ken., has been the most hyped contestant of Season 9, which could be bad news for Regina Love. I just can’t see Adam parting with a singer he called the most important person to ever audition for the show, though that might have been a wee bit of an overstate. Jordan turned all four chairs with his blind audition cover of “Chandelier.” Regina, 51 and a radio personality in Atlanta, Ga., turned two when she auditioned with “Rock Steady.” Tonight, they’ll be singing “Like I Can” by Sam Smith.

The battle: Adam says he matched them because they’re both powerful singers. Adam is already predicting one of the best battles ever on The Voice. John Fogerty says the two of them together “is magic.” Well, that was very good. Adam is right: Jordan’s range is special. Regina turned in the more emotional, passionate performance. Jordan was technically “masterful” as Pharrell pointed out. Adam will give the win to Jordan. The question is whether Regina did enough to be saved. I’d say “yes.” The outcome: Jordan wins. And Regina is stolen by Gwen, who says she “deserves to be on the show.”

James Dupre vs. Dustin Monk: James Dupre, 30, of Bayou Chicot, La., is one of two talented country singers Adam lured away from Team Blake. He turned four chairs in the blind auditions with his version of “Let Her Cry” by Hootie and the Blowfish.” That makes him the favorite over Dustin Monk, 27, of Jacksonville, Fla. He auditioned with “Bright Lights” by Gary Clark Jr.
and turned two chairs.

The outcome: Tonight, they’ll sing “Fortunate Son.” Adam says these guys are “very different vocally,” but thinks the song has elements that works with both guys’ voices. It’s a song that was written, of course, by his team’s adviser, John Fogerty. OK, I thought Dustin showed more grit in the performance. And it was pretty clear to me that James had a little trouble cutting loose with that song. That said, he’s a really good singer and Adam might be reluctant to part with one of his country singers. Wow, I’d call it a toss-up. Outcome: Adam gives the win to James. Dustin is eliminated.

Team Blake

Zach Seabaugh vs. Tyler Dickerson: We’re likely to see more than one country showdown from Team Blake in the battle round. Here’s the first. Zach Seabaugh, 16, of Marietta, Ga., auditioned with Sam Hunt’s “Take Your Time.” He turned three chairs. Tyler Dickerson, 21, of Denham Springs, La., is the guy looking for a second chance in country music after enjoying success at a very young age. He auditioned with “Hard to Handle;” only Blake turned for the performance.

The battle: They’ll sing “I’m Gonna Be Somebody” by Travis Tritt. Brad Paisley says the song is a really good fit for Tyler. He likes Zach’s charisma. Tyler displayed a nice, distinctive tone and turned in a really nice performance. Zach has a really nice country tone, but his inexperience showed from time to time. I’d give the win to Tyler. Zach, however, might have more potential to catch fire as the show progresses. The outcome: Blake awards the win to Zach. Tyler is eliminated.

Dustin Christensen vs. Barrett Baber: Blake pits two of his four-chair turn singers against one another, even if that doesn’t make a lot of sense. Oh, well, don’t be surprised if the person on the short end of this match-up gets stolen. Barrett Baber, 35, of Fayetteville, Ark., auditioned with “Angel Eyes” by the Jeff Healey Band. We just met Dustin Christensen, 35, of Orem, Utah, last week when auditioned with Rod Stewart’s “Downtown Train.”

The battle: In this round, they’ll sing “Walking in Memphis.” Blake says he wants to see which singer can “destroy” the song. He also predicts it “may be the ultimate four-chair turn battle.” Very strong battle. Personally, I prefer Dustin’s voice just a little bit more. That said, Barrett was the more charismatic and added a few more frills to his vocal. If I was Blake, I’d be reluctant to let Barrett, one of my better country singers, go. Adam has already indicated he’ll steal the loser. Outcome: Blake gives the win to Barrett. But both Adam and Gwen want to steal Dustin. And Dustin decides to join Team Adam.

Team Gwen:

Ellie Lawrence vs. Tim Atlas: Ellie Lawrence, 26, of Calhoun, Ga., is the gal with the blue hair and one of the most successful songs of the blind auditions. Her cover of “We Don’t Have to Take Our Clothes Off” turned three chairs. She’s the favorite her. Her opponent is Tim Atlas, 26, of San Jose, Calif., covered Ed Sheeran’s “Give Me Love” in a blind audition that was part of a montage package. He turned one chair.

The battle: Tonight, they’ll be singing “Sweater Weather.” Gwen says the put them together because they both have that “indie-alternative singer-songwriter” thing going on. Tim got off to a bit of a slow start. He sounded best during the chorus. Ellie has a really neat tone to her voice. Honestly, I wasn’t crazy about the song choice. Adam says he’d give the battle to Tim. Blake agrees. Pharrell won’t commit. I’d give the win to Ellie. Gwen suspects Adam and Blake are trying to steal Ellie. The outcome: Gwen gives the win to Ellie. And, here’s a surprise, Pharrell steals Tim.

Team Pharrell:

Mark Hood vs. Celeste Betton: Mark Hood, 24, of Chicago, Ill., was the very first contestant we met in Season 9. Mr. Charisma turned four chairs with his blind audition rendition of Bill Withers’ “Use Me.” He figures to be the favorite here. Celeste Betton, 27, of Hinesville, Ga., turned one chair covering Jennifer Hudson’s “Love You, I Do” in a performance that was part of a montage package.

The battle: Tonight, they’ll be singing “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.” Pharrell says they’re a good match because they’re “super soulful.” That’s also why he selected this tune. Their rehearsal has Missy Elliott in tears it goes so well. Mark Hood is a bundle of energy, isn’t he? But Celeste, who we didn’t get to see in the blind auditions, is turning in a great vocal. Tough decision coming up for Pharrell. Here’s why. Celeste just turned in a great vocal. But Mark is so charismatic on stage, you can hardly take your eyes away from him. I’d give the win to Mark. Blake says either one of them could be a star. Pharrell praises them both and says he made a mistake putting them together. The outcome: Pharrell gives the win to Mark Hood.