Idol Chatter & Voice Views

The members of Team Blake and Team Christina vie for our votes again Monday night on The Voice (8 p.m. EST).

Two will advance to the next round, including the top vote-getter and the singer who wins a judges save on Tuesday night.

Two will go home, including one who will be booted from the competition by their mentor after Monday’s performances. In Voice lingo, that’s the “shocking instant elimination.”

Here’s my take on how the remaining contestants from the teams stack up. The links take you to a profile of each contestant and some of their pre-Voice music.

And check back tonight. I’ll be live blogging during the show and grading each performance as it occurs.

Team Blake

1. Jermaine Paul: The former background singer for Alicia Keys is the best of the bunch on the weakest team in the competition. He opened the first live show with “Living On a Prayer” and it turned out to be one of the best performances of the night. He advanced from the battle rounds by defeating ALyX with a rock solid performance of “Get Out of My Dreams, Get Into My Car.”

2. RaeLynn: The teen with the unique twang was voted through two weeks ago after performing Maroon 5’s “Wake Up Call,” which was exuberant, if a bit difficult on the ears. Stage fright won’t be a problem for RaeLynn. During the battle rounds, she sang “Free Fallin'” and was chosen over Adley Stump, though Adley was more impressive.

3. Erin Willett: She has one of the best background stories, having persevered even though her dad died of cancer over the course of the show. Vocally, she was spot-on two weeks ago singing “Living in the City,” but I didn’t like the song choice. She was better in the battle round, defeating Gwen Sebastian while performing Pat Benetar’s “We Belong.”

4. Jordis Unga: She’s a female rocker lacking the style or vocal power of Team Cee Lo’s Juliet Simms. She was not impressive two weeks ago when she took on Heart’s “Alone,” but did better on “Wild Horses” the next night in a performance that earned her a save. During the battle rounds, Jordis sang “Ironic” and bested Brian Fuente.

Team Christina:

1. Lindsey Pavao: Once upon a time, there were several unique female vocalists on The Voice. They’ve been whittled down to a precious few including Lindsey, whose rendition of “Somebody That I Used to Know” was the most downloaded single from the show two weeks ago. She sang Nirvana’s “Heart-Shaped Box” in what Adam called “a creepy performance,” defeating Lee Koch in the battle round.

2. Ashley De La Rosa: This is totally wishful, delusional thinking on my part, but I’ll be rooting for the gal who blistered the stage not once, but twice two weeks ago. During the battle round against Jonathas, I thought Ashley looked nervous performing Jordin Sparks’ “No Air.” But she won, and there was no hint of nerves during the opening night of the live performances on “Right Through You” or the next night when she earned a save with “Paris Oh La La.”

3. Jesse Campbell: Yes, he was once homeless for a brief period, as we’ve been reminded over and over. He also seems to be a show favorite, especially after his performance of “What a Wonderful World” to close the first live show. Cee Lo said he’d like to see Jesse win if someone on his team doesn’t. Adam went a step further, calling Jesse “the dube to beat.” In a battle round match-up of R&B singers, he defeated Anthony Evans on “If I Ain’t Got You.”

4. Chris Mann: The guy has a brilliant voice, but he also has an operatic approach and the misfortune of being on the competition’s most talented team. Put him on Team Blake and he should, without doubt, advance. His “Bridge Over Troubled Water” was a highlight in the live opener. He displayed his vocal power on “Power of Love” in the battle round, defeating Monique Benabou.