Idol Chatter & Voice Views

steals remain as we head into tonight’s battle round on The Voice.

Each coach used one steal last week, when Ivonne Acero wound up on Team Blake, Tim Atlas wound up on Team Pharrell and Regina Love wound up on Team Gwen.

Team Adam, already an embarrassment of riches, made the biggest picking, stealing Dustin Christensen after he lost to Barrett Baber in a battle round match featuring two guys who turned four chairs in the blind auditions.

Speaking of four chairs, we’ve yet to see the battles featuring Andi & Alex, Shelby Brown and Viktor Kiraly of Team Adam, Lindsey Elm of Team Gwen, Blind Joe of Team Blake and Evan McKeel of Team Pharrell.

We’ll see Andi & Alex tonight. In fact, The Voice has already leaked their Team Adam performance of “Wherever You Will Go” with Chance Pena.

Wow! Love the approach by those two ladies because they sing harmonies throughout. The battle round has proved troublesome for duos in the past. One reason: Past pairs have tried to let each singer sing, when it’s the harmonies that make the duo special.

Will Chance be saved? Perhaps. He’s very, very good in that performance as well. But Adam Levine would have to be crazy to let the twins go as talented and unique as they are.

All of tonight’s pairings. Following the links attached to each performer’s name will take you to a profile blog for that artist or duo.

Team Adam

Andi & Alex vs. Chance Pena: Andi and Alex, both 23 and from Green Bay, Wisc. not only turned all four chairs with their blind audition performance, it turned into the top-performing cover from the blinds on iTunes. You might not have been aware, but they previously fronted a band called She the Monster that has an EP available on Amazon.com. Chance, 15, Tyler, Texas, auditioned with Ed Sheeran’s “I See Fire.” Only Adam turned around. Judging from the battle round performance, the other coaches made a mistake.

The battle: As I noted, they’ll be singing “Wherever You Will Go.” Team Adam adviser John Fogerty says the three of them sound wonderful together. He’s correct. Having already watched this, I already know it’s the best we’ll hear tonight. Like I said earlier, I love that Andi and Alex decided to sing all their parts together. But Chance also sounds very good on this. Credit to Adam for a really nice song choice. I can see this doing really well on iTunes. My pick: Andi and Alex. Blake says he’d pick Chance. All three coaches use magic and magical to describe that performance. Gwen says Chance needs to stay on the show. Adam’s pick: He gives the win to Andi and Alex. And Blake steals Chance, meaning everyone survives.

Viktor Kiraly vs. Cassandra Robertson: Viktor is the 31-year-old from Budapest, Hungary, who’s trying to crack the U.S. music scene. He auditioned with “What’s Going On” by Marvin Gaye and turned all four chairs. Cassandra, 48, of Dallas, Texas, auditioned with Ella Henderson’s “Ghost.” Only Adam turned around for a performance we didn’t get to see because it was part of a montage package. She’s worked as a background singer, vocal coach and worship leader. Viktor is going to be very interesting to watch because he’s got a mega-following overseas.

The battle: They’ll be performing “Nobody Knows.” Adam says he paired them because they’re both soulful singers. Viktor says he’s familiar with the song, but Cassandra says she’s confident in her ability. Adam calls Viktor very polished, but says one chair versus four doesn’t mean a whole lot. Hmm, let’s see a few minutes from now when it’s time for him to make a decision. John Fogerty calls them both “scary good.” Dang, we didn’t see Cassandra’s blind audition, but she has a great voice. And Viktor is delivering this with lots of feeling. Really nice performance by those two. My pick: Gotta say, I thought Cassandra delivered the better vocal. Blake says he’d go with Viktor. Pharrell would give the nod to Cassandra. Adam’s decision: Yep, four chairs makes a difference, doesn’t it Adam? He goes with Viktor. Cassandra is eliminated.

Team Pharrell:

Evan McKeel vs. Riley Biederer: Evan McKeel, 20, of Richmond, Va., auditioned with MUTEMATH’s “Typical,” and is one of only two four-chair-turn recipients on Team Pharrell. (The other being Mark Hood, who advanced last week). Don’t remember Evan? He’s the guy who delivered a pretty remarkable version of Stevie Wonder’s “Overjoyed” — after his blind audition ended. Riley’s a big of a mystery woman because she turned just one chair in a blind audition that wasn’t aired, singing Kelly Clarkson’s “Invincible.” But clearly she’s no mystery to lots of people. She had more than 26.5 million views on her YouTube page before The Voice Season 9 premiere. I’m glad we’ll get to hear her sing this time around.

The battle: They’ll sing “Higher Ground.” Pharrell says he put them together because they have soulful voices. And Pharrell has served up a Stevie Wonder song for Evan, who’s a big Stevie Wonder fan. Missy Elliott likes Riley’s confidence, but says Evan might have a bit of an edge. Evan could use some of that keeping-his-eyes open advice, but this duo is putting on a really energetic show. Forget chair turns — Riley’s one to Evan’s four — they are about dead even. My pick: I actually liked Riley a bit better. She tore up the stage. Adam says he’d give the edge to Evan. So does Blake, though he thinks Riley has the most unique sound. Pharrell’s decision: He awards the win to Evan. And Gwen steals Riley.

Team Gwen:

Lyndsey Elm vs. Braiden Sunshine: This is an intriguing matchup. Lyndsey is the only singer on Team Gwen to turn all four chairs during the blinds, something her coach is unlikely to forget as she tries to become the first female coach to win The Voice. Braiden is perhaps the most experienced of the younger singers on The Voice having played in bands since he was about 9. He’s also the show’s very youngest contestant. The 15-year-old from Lyme, Ct., auditioned with “The Mountains Win Again” and turned two chairs. Lyndsey Elm, 22, of Vacaville, Calif., did that memorable twist to Meghan Trainor’s “Lips Are Movin’,” which became one of the most popular Voice covers from the blind auditions.

The battle: They’ll be singing “No One is to Blame” by Howard Jones. Selena Gomez likes Lyndsey’s spark. And both coaches are impressed by Braiden’s voice at age 15. Selena says he’s the type of artist you “root for.” Much more impressed with Braiden’s voice during the actual battle. Lyndsey just has a really unique tone — the same one she displayed so effectively during the blind audition. She’s also showing a remarkable amount of control, and seems more natural on stage. My pick: Lyndsey. Braiden shows lots of potential, but Lyndsey comes off as really, really polished. The three other coaches give Gwen very little help, but I don’t think this one is that close. Gwen’s decision: She picks Braiden as the winner.

Chase Kerby vs. Korin Bukowski: Chase Kerby, 30, of Oklahoma City, Okla., auditioned with “The Scientist” by Coldplay, enticing a chair turn from Gwen, but only Gwen. He’s the guy who’s working in his mother’s candy shop and trying to break out as a solo artist after performing in a number of bands. Among them: Meg & Dia, the pre-Voice band of Season 1 Voice finalist Dia Frampton. Korin, 20, of Miami, Fla., auditioned with “Cecilia and the Satellite” and got just Gwen to turn around. A virtual novice as a solo performer, she’s the memorable young woman who talked about being bullied in school and began her Voice intro package with “hello, earthlings.” Oh, and judging from her Twitter account, today is Korin’s birthday. The Voice wouldn’t televise her being eliminated on her birthday, would it? Remember, these battles are all pre-taped.

The battle: They’ll be singing “Samson” by Regina Spektor. Gwen said this song will play to the artistry and sensativity in their voices. Gwen praises the tenderness in Korin’s voice. And both of the singers are getting praise during the second rehearsal for the vunerability they’re delivering. Korin has a really unique voice. This is the type of song that could do very well on iTunes. Wow, tough decision for Gwen. Don’t know which way she should go. My pick: I’d pick Korin just because I believe there’s something especially endearing about her. Adam and Pharrell seem to be leaning toward Korin. Gwen’s pick: Gwen picks Korin. Chase is eliminated.

Team Blake:

Blind Joe vs. Blaine Mitchell: What? Blake couldn’t find a four-chair-turn recipient to pit Blind Joe against? Ah, that’s because he ran out of four-chair turn recipients after pitting four against one another last week. And you should note that he’s been the only coach to do that in the battles. Blind Joe, 32, of Fargo, N.D., auditioned with a cover of The SteelDrivers “If It Hadn’t Been for Love.” He’s already released lots of music you can learn about by following that link. Blaine, 24, of Fort Worth, Texas, auditioned with Train’s “Drops of Jupiter.” He’s the guy who sang country music at a honky-tonk bar to make ends meet but prefers alternative rock.

The battle: They’ll be singing “Old Time Rock and Roll” by Bob Seger. Check back at 8 p.m. for a live blog. Blake said he paired them because they’ve both got big, powerful voices, and he said he’s served them up a universal rock song that all kinds of singers perform. Blake is encouraging Blaine to rock out and put on a good show on stage, even though Blind Joe won’t be able to. Look at that, the guys have worked out a couple of neat wrinkles to encourage one another and enliven the performance. Very nice performance considering one of the singers was pretty much locked on one spot. Blind Joe was doing his best to get the crowd into it. I liked Blaine’s voice on the song just a little more. My pick: Blaine. Pharrell says he’d give the edge to Blind Joe. Adam says he was really impressed with Blaine. Blake’s pick: Blake declares Blind Joe the winner. And Adam Levine steals Blaine.