Idol Chatter & Voice Views

one steal remains as we head into the final night of the battles on The Voice.

And it won’t come from the match-up you can watch in the sneak peek video at right.

That’s because Amy Vachal and Jubal and Amanda sing for Team Pharrell.

And Pharrell Williams is the only Voice coach with a steal remaining heading into the six battles that haven’t aired.

My hunch: Shelby Brown or Amanda Ayala gets a steal. They’re young with big voices and they’ve been served up a song that will allow them to flex their vocal muscles.

Unfortunately, three of tonight’s battles are going to be montaged, which means we’ll miss the performances.

One of these days The Voice will wise up and put those online.

At least I keep hoping that happens.

In the meantime, here’s a look ahead to tonight’s pairings. Follow the link attached to the singers’ name, and you’ll find a profile blog on that artist.

How did last night’s songs do on iTunes? Find out here.

Team Adam:

Shelby Brown vs. Amanda Ayala: I’ll be a little surprised if this isn’t one of the most highly-touted battles of the evening, because it pits two talented young singers with big voices against one another. Shelby, 16, of Elberta, Ala., auditioned with “Stars” by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals and turned four chairs in the blind audition, then became the second country singer to choose Team Adam over Team Blake. Amanda, 17, of Mahopac, New York, auditioned with Mountain’s “Mississippi Queen” and turned three chairs. In terms of experience, though, she would seem to have the edge. She’s been performing in rock bands since she was 12 years old.

The battle: They’ll sing “The Edge of Seventeen,” the Stevie Nick’s hit. Love the song, and it’s an interesting song choice that should let both singers shine. Adam says it takes a powerful singer to make this song work, and since they’re both 17, the song is perfect. Shelby notes the song is more in Amanda’s genre than hers. She’s also a bit worried because Amanda is used to performing with a band. And so it begins. The young ladies are delivering a high-energy, fun performance. But in trying to out-belt one another, a bit of it is coming across as shouting. But they pull it together in the end and deliver a neat ending. My pick: Wow, that was like a dead draw. Shelby has a little more rasp, and I’ll be surprised if Adam lets his country singer go. Blake and Pharrell are just as torn as I am. Adam’s pick: He awards the win to Shelby. And Amanda is eliminated.

Team Pharrell:

Amy Vachal vs. Jubal and Amanda: Three battles tonight will be montaged. I’m hoping this isn’t one of them. Amy, with two EPs to her credit, turned in one of the most highly praised performances of the blind auditions and turned all three chairs she possibily could (Adam’s team was already full). The 26-year-old from Brooklyn, N.Y., auditioned with “Dream a Little Dream” and her cover of the song also did very well on iTunes. Jubal and Amanda, of course, got engaged during the blind audition, which sort of overshadowed their performance of “Seven Bridges Road,” an Eagles hit written by Jubal’s dad. They turned two chairs. Jubal Lee Young has been performing as a solo singer — and releasing lots of music — for far longer than this duo has been performing together.

The battle: They will sing the Bee Gees’ hit “To Love Somebody.” Given that they just got engaged, Jubal and Amanda like the relevancy of the song. Pharrell is encouraging them to sing more harmonies. Missy Elliott and Pharrell are pushing for Amy for be a little more vocally aggressive. Missy is having them ditch the guitar, and think that’s helping them to project more. Amy opens with a really sweet tone. Jubal and Amanda are swapping lines, something Andi and Alex didn’t do last night en route to a battle round win. They are carrying the chorus with their powerful voices. Dang, that one is going to be tough to call too. My pick: Andi and Alex are the duo of the year. For that reason only, I’d go with Amy. Pharrell’s decision: Pharrell awards the win to Amy.

Team Blake:

Morgan Frazier vs. Emily Ann Roberts: One of the night’s most interesting battles. With Krista Hughes eliminated, these are the two remaining female country singers on Team Blake. Emily Ann Roberts, 16, of Knoxville, Tenn., auditioned with Lee Ann Womack’s “I Hope You Dance.” She prefers singing classic country. Morgan Frazier, 22, of Nashville, Tenn., auditioned with a country version of the Cheap Trick hit “I Want You to Want Me,” earning praise for her creativity. She has a bit more experience, having already released an EP and a couple of videos. Both turned two chairs in the blind auditions.

The battle: They’ll sing Patty Loveless’ “That Kind of Girl.” Emily Ann says her first concert ever was to watch Brad Paisley, Blake’s adviser. Blake notes both of these singers prefer throw-back country, so that’s why he paired them together. Blake is looking for a little more attitude from Emily Ann and a little more control from Morgan. By the second rehearsal, both are doing much better, Blake says. Emily Ann seemed a touch affected by nerves on the opening lines. But she quickly gains her footing. Morgan looks and sounds lke a pro. And that young lady has some power as a singer. My pick: Morgan. She’s just more polished at this point. Both young ladies are getting high praise from the coaches. Blake likes the way Emily Ann came out of her shell. And he compares part of Morgan’s performance to Carrie Underwood. Blake’s decision: Blake declares Emily Ann the winner. And Morgan nabs the last steal of Season 9 courtesy of Pharrell Williams.

Nadjah Nicole vs. Cole Criske: Two non-country singers who opted for Team Blake square off. Nadjah is the young woman who had to put her musical aspirations on hold for a bit when she got pregnant in college. The 23-year-old from New Castle, Del., auditioned with “Tightrope” by Janelle Monae, handling the rapid-fire lyrics in fine fashion and turning two chairs in the process. Cole, 16, of Temecula, Calif., is the guy who hails from the same town as Season 1 finalist Xenia, who sang for Team Blake. He auditioned with John Mayer’s “Dreaming with a Broken Heart,” turning three chairs.

The battle: They’ll sing “Baby One More Time.” Yep, the Britney Spears’ hit. But judging from the iTunes version, they make it much less of a cutesy pop tune. The win goes to Nadjah.

Team Pharrell:

Darius Scott vs. Daria Jazmin: A showdown between a pair of singers who turned three chairs in the blind auditions. Darius, 23, of Dallas, Texas, auditioned with Usher’s “You Make Me Wanna.” About a year ago, he released a Christian/gospel album called “Masterpiece.” Daria has been performing with real sisters Nadia, Felicia and Celia as The Jazmin sisters; they’ve released pre-show music as well, but more along the lines of R&B/pop. We didn’t get to meet Daria in the blind audition round because her performance was included in a montage package. The 27-year-old from Los Angeles, Calif., auditioned with Meghan Trainor’s “Dear Future Husband.”

The battle: They’ll sing “Lean on Me,” by Bill Withers, which would seem to fall a little more into Darius’ wheelhouse. The win goes to Darius.

Team Gwen:

Summer Schappell vs. Hanna Ashbrook: Summer, 21, of Redding, Calif., is the country singer Gwen snagged — after Team Blake was already full. She auditioned with“Strawberry Wine” and turned the only two chairs possible. She’s the young woman who was raised by her grandparents, and she’s been pushing for a career in country music since she released at album at age 14. Hanna, 24, of Mount Prospect, Ill., auditioned with Tegan and Sara’s “Closer” in a blind audition that was part of a montage package, meaning we really didn’t get a chance to meet her. A graduate of Columbia College Chicago, she describes herself as an indie, pop, folk singer-songwriter.

The battle: They’ll sing “Leave the Pieces” by The Wreckers. The win goes to Summer.