Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Team John Legend in the live playoffs will include Katie Kadan, Alex Guthrie, Marybeth Byrd, Khalea Lynee and Will Breman (NBC Photo)

Twenty artists are performing in the live playoffs for The Voice in Season 17.

Thirteen will advance to next week’s competition.

That will include the top two vote-getters from Team Legend and one singer John saves tomorrow night.

Here are song by song grades for the members of Team Legend.

Khalea Lynee: She’s singing “Love Like This.” Another mid-tempo pop song choice I really don’t get. The chance for creating a Voice moment with it seems minimal. Sure enough, Khalea turns in a solid, fine performance and shows off nice stage presence. But it’s not a performance that screams: I must be in the Top 13. Grade: B

Alex Guthrie: He’s singing “If I Ain’t Got You.” Alex is the dark horse on Team Legend since he’s the stolen artist on a team loaded with four-chair turns. Alex is delivering a solid, soulful performance. He was especially impressive when he hit the chorus. Again, didn’t love the song choice. Kelly’s bummed because she let Alex slip away. John calls it “so well done.” Grade: B–

Marybeth Byrd: She’s singing “Love Me Like You Do.” I keep forgetting Marybeth’s just 18. Hmm, she sounded lovely on that opening. Oh, yes, she’s delivering one of tonight’s better vocals. She actually sounds better when she’s singing softly than when she’s belting. No way she shouldn’t advance after that performance. Very well done. She gets a standing ovation from the coaches. Blake calls it one of his favorite performances of the night. John says Marybeth “shocked” him. Grade: A–

Will Breman: He’s singing “Style” by Taylor Swift. Interesting take on the song, which I honestly didn’t recognize until Will hit the chorus. He’s playing guitar tonight, which is an interesting decision after coaches raved over his stage presence during the last two rounds. Not loving this version of “Style.” But he gets a strong response from the audience and the coaches. Kelly calls it “amazing.” John applauds him on his inventiveness and charisma. I’ll stick by my initial take. Grade: C

Katie Kadan: She was the first artist we met this year. Now she gets the pimp spot in the live playoffs. I don’t think we have to look any farther to find the show’s “chosen one.” She’s performing “Always Remember Us This Way.” Okay, she just showed why she’s the chosen one. That was that best performance of the night and heads and tails above most of what we saw and heard. Katie not only delivered the power tonight, but emotion as well, which is something I was waiting for. Grade: A