Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Gwen Stefani with five of her playoff contenders, Kara Tenae, Stee, RUDI, Bias and Tanner Massey. (NBC Photo)

Kara Tenae, Tanner Massey and Bias earned spots in The Voice Season 24 live shows Monday night.

The Voice aired pre-taped playoff performances of those three artists and three other members of Team Gwen.

At the end of those performances, Gwen opted to advance Kara, Bias and Tanner.

That meant the elimination of Stee, RUDI and Lennon Vanderdoes, Gwen’s recipient of the super save.

This marks just the second season in which coaches have hand-picked the show’s Top 12.

In previous seasons, fan voting determined eight of those artists, with each coach then saving one singer.

Here are Voice Views’ song by song grades for Team Gwen.

Stee, 34, Bluffton, S.C.
Song: “Shut Up and Dance” by Walk the Moon
Feedback: John praised the versatility Stee has shown in his Voice performances. Reba loves the way Stee makes her feel good when he performs. Gwen liked the edge he brought to the performance.
My take: No one can question Stee’s ability to put on a fun performance. He’s a heck of a performer. But on this night, he might have been better served by performing a song that delivered more of an emotional wallop. Grade: B

Bias, 23, Little Rock, Ark.
Song: “Where I Find God” by Harry Fleet
Feedback: Reba predicted country fans would love that performance. Niall says he keeps getting better every time he performs. John called it his favorite performance from Bias. Gwen called his originality “so pure.”
My take: Remember, Bias got montaged in the knockouts, so this is the first full performance we’ve gotten to see from him since the battles. Here, he delivered a nice combination of country twang and soul and did it with conviction. I’m not sure I would have advanced him. But strategically, given Voice fans’ love of males who can sing country, it was probably a wise move on Gwen’s part. Grade: B

RUDI, 28, San Antonio, Texas
Song: “My All” by Mariah Carey
Feedback: Niall called it “really, really special.” John loved the fact that she tackled such a challenging song. Reba loved her sensuous opening. Gwen thought she did a “beautiful job.”
My take: RUDI delivered this part in English, part in Spanish. And she sounded fine doing both. I just didn’t care for the song choice on a night when the goal should have been to make the biggest possible impact. Grade: B–

Tanner Massey, 19, Choctaw, Okla.
Song: “Impossible” by Chantel
Feedback: John said the opening was a bit rough, but added that he loved the passion in the performance. Reba loved the performance. Tanner said she was “super proud” of the performance. Niall called Tanner “amazing.”
My take: Okay, the opening did leave something to be desired. But once Tanner was center stage, he did a fine job. And the conviction in the performance for the second half of the song totally won me over. This is a young guy with huge potential. Grade: B+

Lennon Vanderdoes, 27, Wilmington, Del.
Song: “Falling Slowly” by Glen Hansard
Feedback: Niall called the performance “beautiful.” John praised the consistency in his Voice performances. Gwen called it an amazing, beautiful, artistic performance. Reba loved the recognizability of his vocals.
My take: Thrilled to see Lennon get the super save because I think he has one of the most intriguing male voices on the show. This song was a nice fit for that voice. And once again, he delivered it with emotion. I would have advanced him over Bias. Grade: B+

Kara Tenae. 33. Riverside, Calif.
Song: “Rain” by SWV
Feedback: Niall called it his favorite performance of hers to dae. John said she sounded magical and looked like a star. Gwen called it a pro performance.
My take: This performance marked a nice show of versatility for Kara, who went upbeat in the knockouts. This was a sultry, vocal showcase as Kara displayed her lovely tone as well as the power behind it, especially on that big note at the 1:30 mark. Grade: A–