Idol Chatter & Voice Views

J. Paul and Kamila Kiehne listen to the feedback following a highly praised battle round performance on The Voice. (NBC Photo)

Tanner Frick and Cassidy Lee earned the final steals as the battle round concluded on The Voice Monday night.

Tanner was stolen by Michael Buble after Reba McEntire declared Tate Renner the winner of their battle.

Michael returned the favor later in the show, choosing to advance Cameron Wright after his duet with Cassidy Lee. Reba swooped in and stole Cassidy.

Also advancing to the knockouts from Monday’s show were Camryn Brooks, J. Paul, Mary McAvoy and Katie O.

Here’s a recap.

THE COACHES GOT IT WRONG

Team Reba

The match: Tanner Frick vs. Tate Renner
The song: “Need a Favor” by Jellyroll
The background: Tate, 24, turned three chairs in the blinds, performing “Hurricane” by Leon Everette. Tanner, 26, earned four chair turns in the blinds, singing “Thought You Should Know” by Morgan Wallen.
The feedback: Gwen said both singers stood out and felt confident in Reba’s ability to sort it out. Michael reminded everyone that he still has a steal. Snoop said they “pulled off a great performance.” Reba said both of them did very well.
The outcome: Reba named Tate the winner. But Michael swooped in and stole Tanner.
My take: Really nice performance. It’s clear why Reba matched up those two country singers. And I appreciated the fact that they kept the harmonizing to a minimum to accent their distinct tones. Tate might have a bit more grit to his vocals. But Tanner’s deep soothing rasp is the voice I prefer of the two. At least that was the case on this song.

Team Michael

The match: Cameron Wright vs. Cassidy Lee
The song: “Hero” by Mariah Carey
The background: Cmaeron, 34, got all four coaches chairs to turn in the blinds for his cover of “The Way We Were.: Cassidy, 28, turned just Michael’s chair with her cover of Linda Rondstadt’s “You’re No Good.”
The feedback: Snoop praised both singers. Reba gave Cassidy the edge, saying her performance seemed “safe and comforting.” Gwen thought Cameron had the edge thanks to his vocals. Michael said Cassidy crushed it. Michael called Cameron’s performance beautiful.
The outcome: Michael decided to advance Cameron. But Cassidy made the knockout round as well, thanks to a Reba McEntire steal.
My take: Cameron has incredible range, but Cassidy was the real revelation here. Remember, she’s a female rocker who turned one chair in the blinds. She sounded fabulous on this and delivered lots of emotion. Cameron delivered lots of frills. I’ll take emotion over frills any day of the week. She richly deserved that steal.

WHERE WAS THE STEAL

Team Michael

The match: J. Paul vs. Kamila Kiehne
The song: “Toxic” by Britney Spears
The background: Kamila, 17, turned three chairs in the blinds, performing “Black Velvet” by Alannah Myles. J. Paul, 37, also turned three, performing “I Keep Forgettin'” by Michael McDonald.
The feedback: Snoop Dogg praised both performers, noting Kamila’s just 17. Reba echoed those sentiments, giving a slight edge to Kamila. Gwen applauded Kamila’s potential; she declared J. Paul “is already there,” calling his voice “insane.” She gave the edge to J. Paul. Michael said he felt like a proud dad after that performance.
The outcome: Michael awarded the win to J. Paul. Kamila was eliminated.
My take: Both singers delivered some great vocal moments during a fun performance. Kamila won hands down when it came to stage presence. She was into that performance. J. Paul provided more of the vocal highlights, showing off fabulous range in the process. Since we’re looking for the best voice, I also would have given a slight edge to J. Paul. I’m left to wonder if any saves were available when Kamila performed. Remember, The Voice DOES NOT show us the battles in the order they occurred. And coaches typically RUN OUT of saves long before the battles end.

THE COACHES GOT IT RIGHT

Team Gwen

The match: Camryn Brooks vs. Rowdy Shea
The song: “I Remember Everything” by Kacey Musgraves and Zach Bryan.
The background: Camryn, 24, turned four chairs in the blinds, covering “Light On” by Maggie Roger, Rowdy, 23, turned two, singing “You Shouldn’t Kiss Me Like That” by Toby Keith.
The feedback: Michael gave the edge to Camryn. Snoop loved their chemistry. He preferred Camryn as well. Reba praised Rowdy’s tone and Camryn for the way she handled a country song. Gwen loved the way Rowdy broke out of his shell. She said Camryn sounded beautiful.
The outcome: Gwen named Camryn the winner. Rowdy was eliminated.
My take: Remembering how great Camryn was during the blinds, I didn’t expect this to be as close as it was. Rowdy showed off a really nice tone and surprising power. But Camryn won me over midway through the performance with the cry and the emotion in her vocal.

Team Reba

The match: 323 (the vocal trio of Jonathan Perry, Jacob Sumpter, Kinsley Treadwell) vs. Katie O.
The song: “Lonesome Loser” by the Little River Band
The background: Katie O, 18, turned four chairs in the blinds, singing LeAnn Rimes’ “One Way Ticket.” 323 turned two chairs, singing “(You Drive Me) Crazy” by Britney Spears.
The feedback: Gwen calls 323 the favorite trio she’s seen on the show. She calls Katie “perfect.” Michael congratulated all four singers on “killing it.” Snoop loved hearing the four singers harmonizing. He gave the edge to Katie O, calling her “the young phenom.” Reba called the performance seamless.
The outcome: Reba named Katie O the victory. 323 was eliminated.
My take: First off, I wasn’t thrilled by the song choice. Or that arrangement of the song. Second, it’s tough to groups to stand out in The Voice battles and that happened again here. Katie’s belting out glory notes while the members of 323 are singing harmony. That said, Katie has an undeniable star quality that would have made her my choice to advance as well. She’s a young lady who just lights up the stage with her personality.

Team Snoop

The match: Mary McAvoy vs. Michael Alexandersson
The song: “I Only Have Eyes for You” by Flamingo
The background: Mary, 35, turned two chairs in the blinds with her performance of “Say You Love Me” by Jessie Ware. Michael, 26, also turned two, singing “Ain’t That a Kick in the Head” by Dean Martin.
The feedback:
Reba called Mary’s vocal “incredible.” She enjoyed Michael’s move and hair toss. She gave Mary the edge. Gwen called Mary’s voice “shockingly beautiful.” She loved the duet. Michael gave Michael a slight edge. Snoop praised both singers for their star potential.
The outcome: Snoop awarded the win to Mary. Michael was eliminated.
My take: That was a little sleepy, no? The song seemed more in Michael’s wheelhouse, and he started strong. But Mary delivered the better performance thanks to her full rich tone. It was also her voice that cut through when they were harmonizing.

 

Cameron Wright and Cassidy Lee share a laugh after their battle round match on The Voice. (NBC Photo)