Idol Chatter & Voice Views

The teams are all set. Now it’s time to start whittling them down on The Voice.

The battles begin tonight and, by the end of tomorrow night, as many as 12 of the singers might be out of the competition.

For a look at the singers on The Voice and clips of their pre-Voice music, head here.

If I haven’t posted a bio for your favorite, I will soon.

Meanwhile, you have to think Adam Levine’s team is stacked, with the likes of Judith Hill, Midas Whale and Sasha Allen.

Battle 1:

Amber Carrington vs. Sasha Allen (Team Adam): Amber sounded great singing “Good Girl” just last week. She landed on Team Adam partly because Blake didn’t have any spots left on his team. Sasha is the former Broadway star who blew the judges away with her big voice back on night five of the blind auditions. She prompted all four judges to turn around. They’ll be singing Pink’s “Try.” Amber starts off very strong. Very nice tone. Sasha’s doing a good job of controlling that big voice of hers. Wow, nice battle to open the night. Amber just did a wonderful job on a non-country song. But, man, Sasha has such a big voice. And, on the basis of that: I’d give the edge to Sasha.

Garrett Gardner vs. J’Sun (Team Shakira): Garrett is the guy who made a team this season after failing to find a team on Season 3. J’Sun’s blind audition wasn’t shown, so we don’t know a whole lot about him. But J’Sun shows very nice range during the rehearsal for their performance of “How You Like Me Now.” Shakira says Garrett reminds her of a young James Morrison. J’Sun admits he thought he might have the edge, but isn’t so certain anymore. Really sharp opening by J’Sun. Where has The Voice been hiding him? Interesting, the guys are taking the song literally, singing it as a challenge to one another. And Garrett is holding his own, showing off a bit of a rock vibe. But J’Sun is pulling out all sorts of impressive vocal tricks, including a really impressive high note near the end. He also showed really impressive stage presence. Because of that I’d give the win to J’Sun.

Michelle Raitzin vs. Holly Tucker (Team Blake): Holly Tucker is an impressive country singer who got all four judges to turn around during the blind auditions. Michelle is more of a pop singer. Blake was the only judge to turn around for her. They will be singing Carrie Underwood’s “Blown Away.” Holly figures to have the edge, but Blake is encouraging her to be angrier during the rehearsal, reminding her of the lyrics to the song. He compliments Michelle on being pitch perfect. Michelle says she feels like she has a lot to prove. I guess no one is going to fall flat tonight, huh? These gals are both belting it out. Holly probably benefits because it’s a country song and her voice seems to fit it better. And Michelle might be doing just a wee bit too much. But both hit one heck of a glory note during that song. I’d give the edge to Holly, by a slim margin. Of course, I haven’t gotten one right tonight.

And Blake selects Holly. Michelle does not get stolen, meaning her run on The Voice is over.

Battle 4:

Jess Kellner vs. Taylor Beckham (Team Usher): Taylor is the former gymnast; Jess auditioned with “Can’t Help Falling in Love.” Both got two chairs to spin during the live audition. Usher is trying to get both singers to step up their performance game, encouraging them to bring attitude to the performance. He’s got them singing Amy Winehouse’s “You Know I’m No Good.” So far, this is the weakest battle of the night. The song just doesn’t suit Taylor’s voice very well. Jess is doing a bit better. Of course, she’s 21 to Taylor’s 17, which is a pretty big edge in experience. And Jess is showing more ability to belt. I’m not a big fan of them singing together. Two of the three judges who don’t have a say in the matter say they preferred Taylor. And I’d give the win to Jess.

Usher names Jess the winner. At the very last moment, Blake steals Taylor.

Battle 5:

The Swon Brothers vs. Christian Porter (Team Blake): Christian is a bar singer who got three coaches to turn around for his rendition of “Sexy and I Know It.” The Swon Brothers are trying to break the duet jinx on The Voice. A duet has never advanced past the battle rounds. Blake has given them Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down,” saying he thinks it’s a song that will fit all three singers. Christian has doubts about hitting some of the notes, but seems to have bounced back by rehearsals. He wants to prove he’s not just a novelty act. Blake says the Swon Brothers need to tighten up their performance and get serious before the battle. And, guess what, everyone sounds really good. I probably prefer the Swon Brothers, because they seem to have more grittiness in their voices, something needed to sell this song. Really like the way all three of them are performing more as a group than battling musicians. And I’d award the win to the Swon Brothers.

Blake picks the Swon Brothers. And a duet survives a battle round match! And Christian is not stolen.

Battle 6:

Judith Hill vs. Karina Iglesias (Team Adam): Judith, who once worked with Michael Jackson, got four chairs to turn around in one of the early blind audition episodes. Karina is the voice teacher who sang a Melissa Etheridge tune and got two chairs to spin for her blind audition. Adam calls Karina “a freight train of power.” He says Judith has the ability to be precise and powerful at the same time. They’ll be singing “It’s a Man’s, Man’s, Man’s World.” This has the potential to be a great battle. I’m telling you, Adam’s team is absolutely brimming with talent. Dang, talk about two powerful singers. Karina is holding her own in what some might have suspected to be a lopsided matchup. But how in the world could a coach send Judith home after that performance? The ladies get a standing ovation. And Adam is taking a lot of crap for pairing such talented singers against one another. Shakira even says she’d pick Karina. I’d give the win to Judith by the narrowest of margins.

Adam awards the win to Judith. And Karina is stolen by Shakira, who says she was haunted by not turning her chair for Karina in the blind auditions.

Check back tomorrow night for another live battle round blog.

For profiles and pre-Voice music from artists who advanced tonight, follow these links:

Amber Carrington
Garrett Gardner
Holly Tucker
Jess Kellner
Taylor Beckham
The Swon Brothers
Karina Iglesias