Idol Chatter & Voice Views

We’re only entering Night 2 of the blind auditions, and three of the eight available steals have already been used.

Tim Atlas, Regina Love and Dustin Christensen earned those last night, leaving Blake Shelton as the only coach with both steals still in his pocket.

In my opinion, tonight’s episode features even more intriguing match-ups than Monday’s show.

Unfortunately, tonight’s is also only an hour long, meaning two or three of these pairings will likely be montaged.

Come on, Voice producers. Can’t you at least post the montaged battles online, so we can watch them in their entirety?

I mean, for crying out loud, you have the footage. Let us see it.

Tonight’s matches. As always, follow the link attached to each singer’s name, and you’ll find a profile blog on that artist.

Team Adam

Keith Semple and Manny Cabo: And this is a pairing of male rockers. Manny says he’s been in more bands than he can remember. Keith fronts Semple and used to be lead singer for 7th Heaven. The 33-year-old from Chicago, Ill., auditioned with “I’ll be There for You” by Bon Jovi. He turned two chairs and later admitted to getting more nervous than he thought he was capable of getting at this stage in his career. Manny, 45, of Elizabeth, N.J., auditioned with Whitesnake’s “Here I Go Again” and turned all four chairs.

The battle: They will perform “Baba O’Riley.” John Fogerty wants to see Manny and Keith rock at 11 on the volume scale as they rehearse this Who classic. I have a feeling we’re in for a really solid performance from these music veterans. Wow, Keith is reaching those high notes with unbelievable ease. But Manny sounded great on the chorus. Both guys look perfectly at home on stage. And they pulled off a really great ending. My take: The song was really suited to Keith’s voice, and I’d give him the win. Adam isn’t getting much help from the other coaches in terms of who should win. He calls the performance very polished. The outcome: Adam awards the win to Keith.

Team Blake

Krista Hughes vs. Chris Crump: Is Blake purposely sabotaging his team? I jest, in part, but this is the second straight episode in which he’ll pit four-chair turns against one another. And, in this case, the singers wouldn’t seem a natural match, other than the similarity in their first names. Krista Hughes, 22, of Coal City, W.Va., is a country gal who auditioned with John Prine’s “Angel from Montgomery.” Chris Crump, 31, of Baytown, Texas, auditioned with Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud” and has sang pop and Christian pop on two already released albums. He’s the guy whose wife agreed to leave their wedding reception early so Chris could audition for the show. Tonight,

The battle: Krista and Chris will sing “When I Get Where I’m Going.” Blake has given them a country song, but says both of these singers are storytellers, so they should do fine with it. Brad Paisley is reworking part of the song to better fit Krista’s voice. Wow, excellent opening by Chris. And Krista has a really nice country tone to her voice. For a guy given a country song who’s not a country singer, Chris is doing remarkably well. He’s also doing a very good job of conveying the emotion of the song. My take: I’d give the win to Chris. Pharrell says he’d go with Chris. So would Gwen. The outcome: Blake awards the win to Chris. And Krista is eliminated.

Team Pharrell

Ivonne Acero and Siahna Im: Pharrell Williams pits two of his teens against one another. We met Siahna, 15, of Auburn, Wash., in the season premiere, when she enticed three judges to turn their chairs for a truly enticing cover of “Fever.” Ivonne, 17, of Aguila, Ariz., auditioned with Taylor Swift’s “Style” and turned two chairs after failing to win a chair turn when she auditioned in Season 8.

The battle: Tonight, they’ll sing “You Keep Me Hangin’ On,” a great tune that seems a little dated for such young singers. Pharrell says he paired them up because they’re the youngest on his team. Missy Elliott is trying to convince Ivonne to be more confident. Pharrell is pushing Siahna to be more vocally explosive. OK, I’m not thrilled with the arrangement of this song. Siahna looks very comfortable on stage. And Ivonne seems to have gained some confidence. My take: I’d give the win to Siahna. Adam says both have a world of potential. He also calls that battle “a cute overload. The outcome: Pharrell advances Siahna. And Blake and Gwen both attempt to steal Ivonne. And after some hilarious pitches, Ivonne decides to join Team Blake. What! I thought for sure she’d go with Gwen.

Madi Davis vs. Sydney Rhame: A showdown between female singer-songwriters who are more experienced musicians than their age would indicate. Each has released a pair of EPs already. Sydney, 16, of Atlanta, Ga., auditioned with Ed Sheeran’s “Photograph” and nabbed the very last spot available on Season 9. Madi, 16, of McKinney, Texas, performed Carole King’s “It’s Too Late” for her blind audition and turned a pair of chairs. Tonight, they will sing “Riptide.” Madi gets the win in a performance we don’t get to see.

Team Gwen

Jeffery Austin vs. Noah Jackson: Jeffery Austin, 24, of Chicago, Ill., auditioned with Sam Smith’s “Lay Me Down.” Noah Jackson, 19, of Sunderland, Mass., auditioned with Sia’s “Elastic Heart.” His performance was part of a montage package, so we get to hear just the smallest snippet. In both cases, Gwen was the only coach to turn around. For the battle round, she’ll have the two guys singing “Can’t Feel My Face.” Gwen awards the win to Jeffery in a battle we don’t get to see. That means Noah performed twice on the show and both performances were montaged.

Kota Wade vs. Alex Kandel: A battle of rocker gals. Kota fronts Bad Wolf. Alex used to front Sleeper Agent. The 22-year-old, of Nashville, Tenn., auditioned with Echosmith’s “Bright” and turned two chairs. Kota, 23, of Hollywood, Calif., turned three when she auditioned with “Bring it on Home to Me” by Sam Cooke way back in the Season 9 premiere. In the battle round, they’ll be performing “It’s My Life.” Gwen awards the win to Kota in a performance we don’t get to see.