Idol Chatter & Voice Views

The Voice is always looking for new little twists to keep the show fresh.

Hence the block. Hence the Comeback Stage.

I’ve got a very simple suggestion: Change the episode format during the battle and knockout rounds.

When Tuesday’s show began, I could predict precisely what was going to happen.

Someone was going to go home from the first televised battle. Someone was going to go home from the second televised battle.

And the third battle — the night’s last — was going to result in a save, meaning both contestants survived.

It’s like there’s a golden rule on The Voice that cannot be broken. Every battle and knockout round episode must end in a steal.

Which, of course, saps any drama out of the proceedings.

And, remember, this is the show that pretty much throws out the overnight voting results during the live shows for a few minutes of Twitter save drama.

Even though the Twitter save has proven blatantly unfair to West Coast contestants.

Anyway, just a little suggestion.

And with that out of the way, on to Tuesday night’s recap.

THE COACH GOT IT WRONG

Team Kelly Clarkson

The matchup: Sarah Grace vs. Erika Zade
The song: “No Roots” by Alice Merton
The background: Sarah is the teenager who fronts her own blues band, Sarah Grace and the Soul. Erika is the young lady from Florida who was into country music at one point. She’s also the Berklee student who shared the story of giving a demo CD to Blake Shelton at a concert, only to have him sign it and give it to another fan. Kelly says she’s looking for sass and vibe from these two singers.
The outcome: Kelly advances Sarah; Erika is eliminated.
Voice Views take: Sarah is so young and talented, it’s easy to understand her decision here. But if Kelly was looking for the singer who brought the most sass, I’d have to say it was Erika. She’s the one who kept my attention throughout the song. She looked and sounded like a star. That said, both Adam and Blake also thought Sarah won the battle.

THE COACHES GOT IT RIGHT

Team Blake Shelton

The matchup: Kayley Hill vs. Kameron Marlowe
The song: “I Only Want to Be With You” by Hootie and the Blowfish
The background: Kayley is a Berklee grad who headed to Nashville and has released an album and single since. Kameron is a car parts salesman and this isn’t his first time auditioning for the show. Blake says he paired them because they’re his current country singers and says he’s trying to pull them out of their comfort zone with this song choice.
The outcome: Blake advanced Kameron; Kayley was eliminated.
Voice Views take: I really liked the way they switched up this song. I think Kameron really benefitted from losing the guitar. Love the lilt in Kayley’s voice, but if Blake was looking for passion, I think Kameron delivered a bit more of that and sounded great too.

Team Adam Levine

The matchup: Deandre Nico vs. Funsho
The song: “Can You Stand the Rain”
The background: Deandre is the guy whose family lost everything in Hurricane Harvey. He’s only released one single, but has worked as a worship leader. Funsho’s family hails from Nigeria. He’s the former federal government employee who left his job and base in the D.C. area to pursue music in L.A.
The outcome: Adam advanced Deandre; Blake swooped in and stole Funsho.
Voice Views take: Both guys showed off nice range and stage presence. But Deandre reminded us why he turned four chairs with that powerful voice of his. It would be nice if he learned to hit those big notes with his eyes open for maximum audience connection.

THE MONTAGED

TEAM KELLY CLARKSON

The matchup: Claire Dejean vs. Josh Davis
The song: “All This Love” by JP Cooper
The outcome: Kelly declared Claire the winner; Josh was eliminated

TEAM BLAKE SHELTON

The matchup: Caeland Garner vs. Kirk Jay
The song: “Let It Rain” by David Nail
The outcome: Blake declared Kirk the winner; he had turned four chairs in the blinds. Caeland was eliminated.

TEAM JENNIFER HUDSON

The matchup: Kennedy Holmes vs. Lela
The song: “Battlefield” by Jordin Sparks
The outcome: Jennifer declared Kennedy the winner; she had turned four chairs during the blind auditions. Lela was eliminated.