Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Nate Ruess and Christina Aguilera during knockout round rehearsals on The Voice. (NBC Photo)

All eyes will be on Christina Aguilera tonight.

That’s because she’s the only coach with a steal left in the Season 8 knockout round.

So far this round, Adam Levine has picked up Blaze Johnson, Blake Shelton has reclaimed Hannah Kirby and Pharrell Williams has saved Koryn Hawthorne from elimination.

Tonight, the final six knockout round matches will be aired, and Christina alone will determine which losing contestant advances to the live playoffs.

Who haven’t we heard from yet this round?

Kelsie May and Brooke Adee of Team Blake; Jacob Rummell and Lowell Oakley of Team Pharrell; and Lexi Davila, Tonya Boyd-Cannon, Joshua Davis and Barry Minniefield of Team Adam. Any one of the eight could claim that steal.

The stakes are a little higher for the members of Team Christina who haven’t performed in a knockout round match. Lose and there’s no chance of being stolen. That includes India Carney, Rob Taylor, Treeva Gibson and Joe Tolo. I’d consider India among the favorites to advance.

TEAM ADAM

Tonya Boyd-Cannon vs. Barry Minniefield: Tonya Boyd-Cannon, 35, of New Orleans, La., sang Pharrell’s own “Happy.” She turned three chairs. Tonya was pitted against James McNeiese in the battle round. They sang Michael Jackson’s “Pretty Young Thing.” Adam declared Tonya the winner; James was eliminated. Barry Minniefield, 52, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, sang Billy Pauls’ classic soul hit “Me and Mrs. Jones” in the blind. Only Adam turned around. In the battle round, he was matched with Jack Gregori. They sang Joe Cocker’s “Feelin’ Alright.” Adam declared Barry the winner; Jack was eliminated from the show.

Tonya is singing “I Wish” by Stevie Wonder, saying the song represents her wholeheartedly, allowing her to show off her range and her vocal skills. Adam wants her to be respectful to the original, but not imitate Stevie Wonder’s version of the song. He also wants her to add more “church” to her performance. At 53, Barry is the oldest singer in the competition. He’ll sing “What You Won’t Do for Love.” Tonya starts off fine, but I’m surprised she isn’t pouring more personality and performance into this so far. OK, there was some attitude, and a nice growl to her voice. And Tonya wound up turning in a spot-on vocal. Very nice. Barry takes the stage and launches into a very nice vocal of his own. Which is exactly what I would have expected, because he’s been solid throughout the competition. Folks, that knockout was remarkably even. My only complaint is that Barry sang with his eyes closed through most of the song. I’ve give the knockout win to Tonya. But Adam isn’t getting lots of help, because Blake and Pharrell say they have no idea who they’d give the win to. Adam names Tonya the winner.

Joshua Davis vs. Lexi Davila: Joshua Davis, 37, of Traverse City, Mich., performed Bob Dylan’s “I Shall be Released.” He turned two chairs. Joshua was pitted against Brian Johnson in the battle round. They sang “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door.” Blake declared Brian the winner; Joshua was stolen by Adam. Lexi Davila, 17, of Lorain, Ohio, performed Selena’s “Dreaming of You.” She turned two chairs. She was matched against Bren’nae DeBarge in a battle round that was part of a montage package. They performed “Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield. Adam declared Lexi the winner; Bren’nae was eliminated.

Josh is going to sing Amos Lee’s “In the Arms of a Woman” and is dedicating it to his wife, who has sacrificed a lot so he could pursue music. Adam loves the song choice, but says Josh needs to develop a surprise at the ending. Lexi is going to sing “Anything Can Happen” by Ellie Goulding. The guys are still encouraging Lexi to loosen up on stage, but love her potential. Adam predicts a tough knockout decision. Josh starts and immediately sounds like a seasoned musician. And he’s delivering a very tender, emotional performance. Very well done. That will be tough to beat. Or for Adam to reject. Lexi takes the stage and shows off nice range and a really unique tone, perhaps the most unique we’ve heard to night. And if this young lady struggled with nerves previously, it wasn’t the least bit evident during that performance. Great ending. Her voice soared. My pick: Josh. Christina called it the knockout that surprised her the most, largely because of the way Lexi came on. She’d give the win to Lexi; Blake would give it to Josh. Adam gives the win to Josh.

Christina swoops in and steals Lexi.

TEAM BLAKE

Brooke Adee vs. Kelsie May: Brooke Adee, 16, Tampa, Fla., sang “Skinny Love” by Birdy for her audition. She turned two chairs. In the battle round, she was matched against Bay Brooks. They sang Taylor Swift’s “Style.” Blake declared Brooke the winner; Bay was eliminated from the show. Kelsie May, 15, of Louisa, Ken., auditioned with Loretta Lynn’s “You’re Looking at Country.” She turned two chairs. In the battle round, she was matched with Brenna Yaeger. They sang Reba McEntire’s “Fancy.” Blake declared Kelsie the winner; Brenna was eliminated from the competition.

Blake says he paired the teens together to see which one can handle the pressure. Kelsie admits her biggest outlet for music was YouTube videos prior to the show, but says she thinks she’s grown on the show. She’s going to sing “Tim McGraw” by Taylor Swift. After two fun, sassy songs, she says she wants to show she can be vulnerable as well. Brooke is going in the opposite direction, singing an upbeat song after a pair of ballads. She’ll sing “Electric Feel.” And Blake says Brooke blew him away in the rehearsal. Kelsie’s up first. Kelsie has a really nice country singing voice, but she also sounds very nervous as this song opens. But she did go with a nice, softer ending than during the rehearsal. Now it’s Brooke’s turn. We didn’t get to see her battle round. But she immediately shows off a big voice and an ability to nail a prolonged glory note. Given the song, I’d like to see a little more stage presence and attitude. But vocally, I think she’s making a convincing case for a chance to advance. My pick: Brooke. All three other coaches say it’s a tough call, but Adam says he’d got with Brooke. Blake awards the win to Brooke.

TEAM CHRISTINA

India Carney vs. Joe Tolo: India Carney, 21, of Brooklyn, N.Y., sang Billy Joel’s “New York State of Mind,” saying it’s a song that would make her “feel at home” on The Voice stage. She turned all four chairs. In the battle round, she was matched with Clinton Washington. They performed “Stay.” Christina declared India the winner; Clinton was stolen by Adam Levine. Joe Tolo, 21, Sacramento, Calif., sang the Bee Gees’ “To Love Somebody” in an audition that turned two chairs. He was pitted against Gabriel Wolfchild in the battle round. They sang “For the First Time” in a performance that was part of a montage. Christina declared Joe the winner; Gabriel was eliminated.

Wow, Joe draws a tough matchup. India, who aspires to be an R&B/pop singer, is going to sing “Big White Room” by Jessie J. This is the same song Yorker DaNica Shirey auditioned with in Season 7. Joe is going to sing “One of Us” by John Osborne. He says the song could bring out the church singer in him. Christina is impressed with the way he made the song his own. Joe’s voice isn’t cutting through like you’d expect on this first voice. Like Kelsie, he sounds a little nervous. He finds his footing on the chorus though, and his voice soars toward a very nice ending. India’s turn. One line in, give her the win. Sorry, Joe, that voice of hers is just tough to beat. I’ll be surprised if this doesn’t turn out to be the vocal of the night. She might be doing just a bit too much with it, but there’s no denying her vocal skills. And there’s no way Christina is sending her home. My pick: India. Pharrell calls India the winner, but compliments Joe on a superb performance as well. Blake would pick India, too. Christina gives the win to India.

Rob Taylor vs. Treeva Gibson: Rob Taylor, 22, of Donaldson, La., sang Luke James “I Want You,” turning three chairs in the blind audition. In the battle round, he was matched against Jeremy Gaynor, who turned four chairs during the blind auditions. They sang “Animals” by Maroon 5. Christina declared Rob the winner; Jeremy was eliminated from the show. Treeva Gibson, 16, of Frederick, Md., auditioned with Lana Del Rey’s “Young and Beautiful,” turning a pair of chairs. In the battle round, she was matched with Katelyn Reed. They sang “Addicted to Love.” Christina declared Treeva the winner; Katelyn was eliminated from the show.

Rob is going to sing “Love and Happiness” by Al Green. He says the song is perfect for him because he considers himself an R&B/soul artist and the song is all soul. Christina wants Rob to put his own flavor on the performance. Treeva is going to sing “Chasing Pavements” by Adele. Christina and Nate are trying to get her to loosen up and let her guard down on stage. Rob goes first and shows off his range from the word “go.” Rob clearly feels comfortable on the stage. And he winds up turning in a very solid vocal and a very solid performance. Treeva’s turn. Nice opening, and she shows off a big voice as the song progresses. But there are also some vocal stumbles. And, at this stage, Rob is clearly the better performer. My pick: Rob. All three of the other coaches compliment both singers. Christina likes the progress Treeva made with her stage presence. Christina picks Rob.

TEAM PHARRELL

Jacob Rummell vs. Lowell Oakley: Jacob Rummell, 18, of Hartville, Ohio, sang Bruno Mars’ “Count on Me” and turned two chairs with his blind audition. In the battle round, he was matched with Corey Kent White. They sang Hunter Hayes’ “I Want Crazy.” Blake declared Corey the winner; Jacob was stolen by Pharrell. Lowell Oakley, 19, of Durham, N.C., auditioned with Duke Ellington’s “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore.” He turned two chairs. In the battle round, he was matched against Kimberly Nichole. They performed “Hound Dog” by Elvis Presley. Pharrell declared Lowell the winner. Kimberly was stolen by Christina Aguilera.

Pharrell says they’re both unique and he wants to see who cuts loose on stage. Lowell’s going to sing “My Girl” by The Temptations” and he’s going to remember his own girl when he performs it. Pharrell wants him to show off an element of soul and likes his unique touch on the song. Jacob’s going to sing “Life of the Party.” He likes the “we don’t have to be ordinary” message in the lyrics. Nate Ruess is encouraging him to pour more emotion and feeling into the song. Jacob sounds really good as this begins. And he is opening up more on stage. Jacob turned that into a pretty solid performance. Not a whole lot of razzle, dazzle, but more than we were seeing from Jacob during rehearsals. Lowell’s turn: I wasn’t crazy about the ab lib at the opening, but this guy shows a nice command of the stage and a willingness to take all sorts of risks during the course of the performance, many of which work. He did a nice job of making a classic his own. My pick: Lowell. Christina says she’d give the win to Jacob. Pharrell declares Lowell the winner.