Idol Chatter & Voice Views

If you’ve lost track of any of the 48 remaining contestants on The Voice, here’s where we’re at.

Last week, Tony Lucca, Rae Lynn, Chris Mann, Cheesa, Jordis Unga and Jesse Campbell earned spots in the live shows.

Unfortunately, that meant saying goodbye to Chris Cauley, Adley Stump, Monique Benabou, Angie Johnson, Brian Fuente and Anthony Evans.

And I really mean unfortunately in the case of Chris and Adley because I remain convinced they should have won their battle round matchups with Tony and Rae Lynn, respectively.

Tonight, six more battles on The Voice, and we know one will include former Idol contestant Jamar Rogers. For a profile of Jamar, head here.

First up in episode two of the battle rounds …

Chain of Fools:  Christina pits Geoff McBride against Sera Hill, singing “Chain of Fools.”  Geoff says he thinks he has the advantage because he’s 51 and this is the music he grew up on.  Sera, surprised by his voice, says she needs to pull out the diva card.  Remember, Geoff wears those sunglasses, not because of the “cool factor” but because of a kickboxing injury in his youth.  These two are putting on quite the performance.  This is coming off as more of a true duet than two dueling singers, which didn’t happen all the time last week.  Brilliant way to kick off tonight’s show, and a heck of a tough decision for Christina.  If Sera gets the nod, it will be because she’s younger and more marketable.  Blake likes Sera; Adam and Cee Lo prefer Geoff.  And Christina declares Sera as the winner.

Pumped Up Kicks:  Blake pits Charlotte Sometimes, the gal who feared she’s never sing again, against music camp counselor Lex Land.  Charlotte’s the more experienced of the two and convinced all four judges to spin their chairs around during her audition.  Kelly Clarkson gets to coach Charlotte.  Charlotte has loads of personality; Lex is more introverted and needs to get over that quickly, Blake says.  OK, Carson said this is going to be an incredibly difficult decision for Blake.  I don’t see it that way.  Lex’s vocals were so low, I could barely make her out in spots.  Charlotte’s clearly the better performer and singer.  Blake declares Charlotte the winner.  Good choice.

Stay With Me:  Cee Lo is pitting rocker Juliet Simms against folk singer Sarah Golden, which seems like an odd pairing.  Sarah says she thinks Juliet has the edge because of the song choice, but that she intends to be herself and not try to outsing Juliet. This is like an odd couple pairing.  Juliet immediately takes charge.  It’s going to be tough to Sarah to hang with her in this battle round.  Juliet looks the part, acts the part, seems perfectly natural belting out this song.  Sarah looks like someone playing rock star at a karaoke bar.  Adam and Christina prefer Juliet; Blake prefers Sarah.  And Cee Lo decides to award the battle round to Juliet Simms.

No More Drama:  Adam pairs Whitney Myer against Kim Yarbrough.  Whitney says they’re both powerhouse singers, but that Kim’s “house is bigger than mine.” Whitney is clearly worried that the 51-year-old Kim has much more experience than she does.  Kim is coached to make sure the emotion shines through her big voice.  Really like the tone of Whitney’s vocals, though there’s no doubt Kim has the much bigger voice.  Very nice performance, ladies.  And Adam delares Kim Yarbrough as the winner.  Shame, I really liked Whitney, but I understand the decision.  That was a tough matchup for her to win.

Heart Shaped Box:  Christina is matching up Lee Koch and Lindsey Pavao.  She says she loves Nirvana; Lee says he hasn’t heard the song for 10 years.  Christina and Lionel Richie work with Lindsey on stage presence.  Jewel doesn’t seem to know exactly what to say to Lee, except that he needs to sing the words so she can understand them.  Lindsey seemed to have control of the song from start to end.  I’m not sure I can say the same for Lee.  Adam calls it a “delightfully creepy” performance.  Blake admits he’s never heard the song, and would have picked “Monster Mash” if he wanted creepy; Cee Lo tells him he needs to get out of Oklahoma occasionally.  And Christina declares Lindsey the winner. Wise choice.

I Want To Know What Love Is:  Cee Lo matches up sandwich maker Jamie Lono versus second-chance kid Jamar Rogers, a former contestant on American Idol.  Jamie used to perform in a rock band, but seems unsure of himself.  Jamar seems much more determined and shouldn’t be intimidated by The Voice stage.  Not thrilled by this version of the song, but Jamar is doing much, much better than Jamie, who sure could use a fashion consultant.  Where is Jessica Simpson when we need her?  Adam calls Jamar “ridiculously good” and predicts he’ll go a long way on the show.  Cee Lo picks Jamar.