Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Three battle rounds into Season 8, only one contestant has gone home on The Voice.

Mia Z, Brian Johnson and Tonya Boyd-Cannon won the season’s first battle rounds.

And Ashley Morgan and Joshua Davis earned steals Monday night. Only James McNeiese was sent packing.

Trust me, there aren’t enough steals for The Voice to continue at that pace.

TEAM CHRISTINA

Sonic vs. Ameera Delandro: Sonic, 23, of San Francisco, Calif., sang Sam Smith’s “Money on My Mind” for her blind audition and turned two chairs. Ameera Delandro, 26, of Richmond, Va., sang “I’d Rather Go Blind” in a blind audition that was part of a montage. Only Christina turned for her. Christina is asking them to sing “Masterpiece” by Jessie J. Christina is trying to help Ameera overcome her nerves. Sonic says she’s not used to singing a duet and is struggling with the harmonies. Hey, but in spite of whatever problems they’re having, Nick Jonas says they have the best hair on the show.

Like Ameera’s attitude at the start of this song. And Sonic mastered a mouthful of words when she cut in. Hey, for all the problems they were having in rehearsals, these young ladies are turning in a solid performance. Ameera shows off some really nice range as the song winds down. But I have to say, Sonic seemed just a little bit more in control of her performance from start to finish. She also has a really nice tone to her voice. I’d give the battle to Sonic. Adam thinks they were very even, but would give a slight edge to Sonic. Blake compliments both, but also says he’d give Sonic a narrow edge. Christina awards the victory to Sonic. Ameera does not get stolen.

TEAM BLAKE

Hannah Kirby vs. Sarah Potenza: Hannah Kirby, 20, of Sulphur Springs, Texas, sang “The Letter” in an audition we heard just last night on The Voice. She captured the very final spot in Season 8, and she’s being pitted against the very first singer we met in Season 8. Sarah Potenza, 34, of Nashville, Tenn., auditioned with the classic rock hit, “Stay With Me” and turned all four chairs. Since they’re the two “rock chicks” on his team, Blake is going to ask them to perform “Gimme Shelter” by the Rolling Stones. Hannah shows off really nice range during the audition. Sarah has one of the most powerful voices on the show. Hannah also says she’s stepping up her stage performance to match Sarah. Blake says the winner will likely be the one who shows the most control in the battle.

Hannah opens the song pretty well. Then they sing the chorus together. And they sound very good together. Sarah’s quite the polished performer. But you have to love the way Hannah charged across the stage toward her when it came her turn to sing again. Sarah just showed some of that control Blake was looking for, before cutting loose again. As advertised, that was one heck of a battle round. And the ladies worked out a really nice twist at the ending. I think it’s safe to say neither one is going anywhere but on to the knockout round. I’d give the win to Sarah. But Hannah deserves a save. Pharrell calls that the best duel he’s seen. He says Hannah came out “swinging her purse like a southern church lady. Adam actually says he’d give the battle to Hannah. Blake declares Sarah the winner.

Adam and Pharrell both want to steal Hannah. Adam says she can go very far on the show. Pharrell says he just wants the opportunity to work with someone as talented as Hannah. And Hannah is now a member of Team Pharrell. She says she felt a spiritual connection to him.

Cody Wickline vs. Matt Snook: Cody Wickline, 20, of Beckley, W.Va., auditioned with a tender and spot-on performance of George Jones’ “He Stopped Loving Her Today.” He turned all four chairs. Matt Snook, 41, of St. Joseph, Missouri, sang Brooks and Dunn’s “Red Dirt Road.” Only Blake turned around for his performance. Blake likes the idea of pairing a veteran country singer against a younger one. He’s going to have them singing Randy Houser’s “How Country Feels.” Meghan Trainor is trying to get Cody to come out of his shell while he sings. Matt is having a bit of a problem with the higher parts of the song. Here’s betting they pull it together just fine come battle time. Blake’s just looking for a solid country male singer to take into the live rounds.

Yep, both guys come out and deliver strong performances. Cody’s having no problem with stage presence now. In fact, both guys seem to be singing to Christina. Dang, good luck, Blake, this is a really even match. Both guys hit big notes there toward the end. One might have turned four chairs and one might have turned one, but that was very evenly matched. I’d give the battle to Cody. Christina liked Matt’s energy, and thinks Cody is cute. Pharrell likes the rebellious side to Cody’s art. Adam says Matt delivered the better vocal. Blake awards the battle to Cody. Matt does not get stolen.

TEAM ADAM

Michael Leier vs. Blaze Johnson: Blaze Johnson, 23, of Columbus, Ohio, auditioned with The Fray’s “How to Save a Life.” His performance prompted two chair turns. Michael Leier, 20, of Fargo, N.D., auditioned with Wayne Cochran’s 1960s song “Last Kiss.” He also turned a pair of chairs. Adam is going to ask them to sing “Rude.” He says it’s the perfect song for them because Blaze has an island vibe and Michael delivers a lot of soul in his vocals. Ellie Goulding says she thinks Blaze has the edge on this song, but also thinks Michael has something special that could take him far in the competition.

Michael starts very strong. Actually, I liked him better on the start of this song. Blaze’s “island” tone works really well on this song though. But Michael is bringing a lot of energy to the performance. In fact, I think he seemed to want it more. This will be an interesting decision for Adam. I’d give the battle to Michael. Christina thinks the two of them could have relaxed a little more. Pharrell thought Blaze opened up more as a performer. Adam says both singers seem on an upward trajectory. Adam declares Blaze the winner.

TEAM PHARRELL

Travis Ewing vs. Anthony Riley: Anthony Riley, 27, Philadelphia, Pa., auditioned with an energetic performance of “I Got You (I Feel Good)” by James Brown. All four coaches turned around. Travis Ewing, 23, of Lafayette, La., auditioned with a slowed-down version of Destiny Child’s “Say My Name” that earned a trio of chair turns. Pharrell is going to have them sing “Get Ready” by The Temptations, saying they both have dynamic voices and he wants a song that can illustrate that. Plus, he’s says they’re both soulful. Anthony is very used to performing the song as a street performer. Travis says he hopes that means he won’t work quite as hard. Pharrell calls Anthony’s voice crazy and he likes the vulnerability in Travis’ voice.

From the word go, you can tell Anthony is totally comfortable performing this song. Travis is stepping up his energy level though. Ah, but Anthony is tearing up the stage. And I loved that ab lib line: “Look out, Travis, here I come.” Every time Travis soars, Anthony soars just a little higher. That was a really good battle. Fine performances by both guys. But, I’d give the battle to Anthony. Adam compliments Travis for doing a good job seeing as how the song was in Anthony’s wheelhouse. But he would give the battle to Anthony. Blake compliments Travis for making it a battle and says it would be hard not to award him for his progress. Christina liked the guys’ high energy. She’d give the battle to Anthony, too. Pharrell declares Anthony the winner.

Travis is stolen by Blake Shelton.

Paul Pfau vs. Meghan Linsey: Paul Pfau, 26, of Washington, D.C., sang “Fly Me to the Moon” for his blind audition, turned two chairs and snagged one of the last spots in Season 8. Meghan Linsey, 28, of Nashville and a former member of country duet Steel Magnolia, sang “Love Hurts” and turned three chairs in her audition. The lone exception: Blake Shelton. Pharrell says he put them together because they both experiment with different styles of music. He’s going to ask them to sing “Don’t Let Me Down.” He calls it the 50-yard line between both singers’ ambitions. Pharrell is trying to get Meghan to open up emotionally when she sings. That said, she should have the advantage because she performed in a duet for years.

Hmm, the two start off harmonizing and sound really good together. Dang, Meghan has a really good voice. I hadn’t recalled her sounding that good in the blind audition. Tons of power, too. Then again, Paul has a really nice tone, and he’s pouring lots of emotion into this performance. In terms of opening up — yep, both of them are. Wow, very nice battle round match. I’d give a slight edge to Meghan. Adam calls it a great battle. Blake says Meghan sounded better than she ever has. Christina says she’d give the battle to Meghan as well. Pharrell says they both showed they deserve to stay on the show. Pharrell declares Paul the winner.

And Blake and Adam are both trying to steal Meghan. OK, Christina wants to steal her, too. Meghan decides to join Team Blake, the guy she once toured with

In battles we don’t get to see.

Joe Tolo is named the winner over Gabriel Wolfchild on Team Christina.
DeAnna Johnson is named the winner over Nicolette Mare on Team Adam.
Nathan Hermida is named the winner over Josh Batstone on Team Adam.