Idol Chatter & Voice Views

When you think about it, the battle rounds on The Voice put singers in a truly unusual position.

They’re competing against their battle-round partner. At the same time, they’re expected to harmonize and put on a good show as a duet.

Jacquie Lee, the 16-year-old from New Jersey who won a battle round over Briana Cuoco singing “House of the Rising Sun” during Monday’s show, explained the strategy they took into the competition Tuesday afternoon.

She called it a “tricky situation.” But she said she and Briana talked it over once they learned they’d be battling one another and came up with a simple plan.

“We said we were going to help each other out and our goal was to get one of us stolen so we could both stay in the competition,” Jacquie explained.

The strategy worked. Jacquie Lee was Christina Aguilera’s pick as battle round winner, but Briana was stolen by Blake Shelton.

Anthony Paul and Nic Hawk were also recipients of steals on the first battle-round episode, leaving just five steals left with 18 battles remaining.

On to tonight’s show …

BATTLE 1 — TEAM CHRISTINA

Matthew Schuler

Jacob Poole

Matthew Schuler, 20, of Yardley, Pa., turned four chairs singing Young the Giant’s “Cough Syrup.” He’ll go up against Jacob Poole, 30, of Water Robins, Ga., who got only Christina to turn for his rendition of “Marry Me.” Matthew is the West Chester University student who got his start singing in his parents’ church. Jacob is a pop/rock inspirational artist who has released music as a solo act and with a Christian group called Love24.

Christina says she paired them because they both have rock influences. Her song choice — “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark” by Fall Out Boy. Christina is surprised by how good a fit the song is for Jacob; she worries Matthew might enter the battle a little too enthusiastic. Matthew, of course, is the heavy favorite based on chair turns. The battle begins. Wow, difficult song to sing, and these guys are both doing a great job. Matthew is an absolute ball of energy. But vocally, Jacob is holding his own. He hit a heck of a glory note in the middle of that song. And both are showing off some remarkable range. Talk about a high-energy, high-quality performance. We just saw one. Dang. The loser deserves the save. Shame one of the judges already wasted two saves (that would be Blake Shelton, for those wondering.)

My pick: Matthew, only because he’s the more charismatic performer.

Christina chooses Matthew. And Jacob doesn’t get stolen. Now Blake wishes he had a steal left. No joke.

BATTLE 2 — TEAM CEE LO

R. Anthony

Kat Robichaud

Kat Robichaud kicked off Season 5 with a spirited version of “I Got the Music in Me,” and the 29-year-old from Raleigh, N.C., got three judges to turn their chairs. She was the front-woman for an alternative rock band called The Design that released a pair of albums. Cee Lo was the only judge to turn around during R. Anthony’s performance of “Hall of Fame” by The Script. He’s a former member of a gospel trio who stepped away from music to provide for his family.

Cee Lo is going to have them sing Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing.” And he says he wants to see the two artists dig deep to find the meaning in the song. The singers are opposites, but Cee Lo says he thinks they both have the power to pull off the performance. Kat released some great pre-Voice songs with The Design, so I’ll be rooting for her. And it’s time for the battle. Really nice opening by Kat. R. Anthony stumbles on his opening. He’s clearly struggling more on the rock song than Kat, who finds herself in her element. Dang. Check out that tip-toe dance across the stage that Kat just did. She’s not only a heck of a singer, she’s a heck of a performer.

My choice: Kat Robichaud. This gal needs to make the voting rounds.

And Cee Lo picks Kat. R. Anthony does not get saved.

BATTLE 3 — TEAM CEE LO

Cole Vosbury

Lupe Carroll

This battle will match up two singers who had only Cee Lo spin for their blind auditions. Lupe Carroll, 26, of Bouddonnais, Ill., sang “If I Were a Carpenter.” He’s the guy who has a part-time job delivering flowers. And Cole Vosbury, 22, of Shreveport, La., is the guy who auditioned with “Movin’ On Up,” the theme song from “The Jeffersons” TV show. He’s also the guy who draws a lot of inspiration from his grandmother, who performed as Nita Lynn and toured with Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis.

We see just a snippet. Cole Vosbury advances; Lupe Carroll goes home. They sang Toto’s “Africa.”

BATTLE 4 — TEAM BLAKE

Sam Cerniglia

E.G. Daily

E.G. Daily, 51, of Hollywood, is best known as an actress (“Pee Wee’s Big Adventure”) and voice-over performer (Tommy Pickles in “Rugrats”). But she’s also released a good deal of music and turned a pair of chairs when she auditioned with Faith Hill’s “Breathe.” Sam Cerniglia, 25, of Chicago, Ill., turned two chairs when he sang Michael Buble’s “It’s a Beautiful Day” for his audition. He’s the guy separated from his family because he’s pursuing his career in Chicago; that family includes one sister battling cystic fibrosis and another battling Batten’s disease.

We see just a snippet. E.G. Daily advances; Sam Cerniglia heads home. They sang “Something to Talk About.”

BATTLE 5 — TEAM ADAM

Ashley Dubose

Justin Blake

Ashley Dubose, 23, of St. Paul, Minn., got four coaches to turn around for her version of Rihanna’s “Diamonds.” She’ll be up against Justin Blake, 20, of Savannah, Texas, who had just Adam turn when he performed “Sure Be Cool If You Did.” Ashley is the young woman a bit frustrated because she’s juggling being a single mother with a full-time job and music. Justin’s trying to earn a better-paying job for his family; pre-Voice he worked as an escort driver for trucks hauling over-sized loads.

We see just a snippet. Ashley advances; Justin heads home. They sang “Just a Fool.”

BATTLE 6 — TEAM BLAKE

Ray Boudreaux

Monika Leigh

Monika Leigh, 28, of Boulder, Colo., enticed three judges to turn their chairs when she performed B.B. King’s “The Thrill is Gone” in the blinds. She’s being pitted against Ray Boudreaux, 25, of Lafayette, La., who got two judges to turn around when he sang Bill Wither’s “Use Me.” Monika is the young woman who stepped away from music for four years and became an administrative assistant at a hotel in Boulder. Ray dialed back on his involvement in music when his daughter was born and has a side job mowing lawns, something he’s hoping The Voice will get him away from.

Blake has them singing “Some Kind of Wonderful” and says he paired them because they both have a bluesy sound. Ray has the bigger voice, so Cher and Blake are encouraging Monika to boost her volume as well. Meanwhile, they say Ray needs to work on his range. The battle begins. Well, Ray shows off his range early in the song. Monika has a really nice bluesy tone to her voice. She’s also digging deep to match Ray’s big voice. Wow, there sure weren’t many flaws in that performance. In fact, that twosome made for a wonderful duet. They sounded really good together.

My choice: Ray, who seems to have the more distinctive voice of the two.

Blake’s pick: Ray Boudreaux

But, hold it, Cee Lo is stealing Monika Leigh.