Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Angie Rey and Tatum Scott both advanced to the knockout round on The Voice. Angie won their battle round match; Tatum was Monday’s only stolen contestant. (NBC Photo)

The Voice aired the first six matches from the Season 27 battle round Monday night and only three singers were eliminated.

That’s because Darius J. and Nell Simmons were saved by their respective coaches, Adam Levine and John Legend.

And that’s because John stole Tatum Scott from Team Kelsea Ballerini.

Winning battles on Monday were Britton Moore, Ethan Eckenroad, Jaydn Cree, Angie Rey, Kolby Cordell and Olivia Kuper-Harris.

Here’s Voice Views’ recap. Follow the links to learn more about each singer, including music they’ve already released.

THE COACH GOT IT VERY, VERY WRONG

Team Adam

The match: Ethan Eckenroad vs. Fran Posla
The song: “July” by Noah Cyrus and Leon Bridges
The background: Ethan, 27, from Roaring Spring, Pa., turned 4 chairs in the blinds singing “Northern Attitude” to close out the season premiere. Fran, 25, of New York by way of Costa Rica, turned 2 singing “What the World Needs Now.”
The feedback: Kelsea loved the last 20 to 30 seconds of the performance. Michael called it his favorite duet of the day. He said he’d lean toward Ethan. John gave the edge to Fran. Adam said Fran thrived on the song while Ethan took a while settle into the performance.
The outcome: Adam declared Ethan the winner. Fran was eliminated.
My take: Wow, I guess Ethan’s 4-chair turn pedigree paid off because Fran was the clear — and I mean clear — winner in this battle. Her soulful opening was brilliant. Her voice was the one that cut through on the harmonies. And Ethan, frankly, didn’t find his vocal footing until the last 30 seconds of the song. Even then, he executed a nice solo, and Fran promptly topped it.

THE COACH GOT IT WRONG

Team Michael:

The match: Braxton Garza vs. Jadyn Cree
The song: “Danny’s Song” by Loggins & Messina
The background: Braxton, 28, of Adrian, Mich., turned 2 chairs in the blinds, singing “Pretty Little Poison.” Jadyn, 23, of Lincoln, Neb., turned 2, singing “Still Into You” in the season premiere.
The feedback: John called it “awesome” and complimented both of their tones. Adam called Jaydn’s performance “intoxicating” and gave him the edge. Michael called the battle flawless. He said Jaydn could win the show. He said Braxton has a “fantastic” voice.
The outcome: Michael declares Cree the winner. Braxton is eliminated.
My take: I really liked Braxton’s raspy vocals on this and thought he had a much better grasp of the song. On the harmonies, his was the voice that cut through. I could barely hear Jaydn when they sang together.

THE COACHES GOT IT RIGHT

Team Kelsea

The match: Angie Rey vs. Tatum Scott
The song: “Girl” by Maren Morris
The background: Tatum, 22, of High Point, N.C., turned 2 chairs, singing “Vampire” in the blinds. Angie, 25, of Seminole, Fla, turned Kelsea’s, singing “Penthouse.”
The feeback: Michael called it “great” and “so much fun.” John liked the energy they brought to the stage. Adam liked the power in Angie’s performance and the control Tatum showed. None of the three voiced a preference.
The outcome: Kelsea declares Angie the winner, calling her a dark horse and the biggest surprise on her team. John then swooped in and stole Tatum.
My take: That was about as even as a battle gets. Both singers showed off interesting tones. Angie proved she should have been more than a one-chair turn in the blinds, belting impressively throughout. Tatum delivered a wonderful moment near the end of the song. Nice to see both of them advance.

The match: Kolby Cordell vs. Pablo Herrera
The song: Tacones Rojo by John Legend and Sebastián Yatra
The background: Herrera, 31, of San Diego, Calif., turned 3 chairs, singing “Jealouo.” Kolby, 32, of Ontario, Canada, turned 2, singing “Never Too Much.”
The feedback: Kelsea liked the warmth in Kolby’s tone and said she’d give him the edge. Adam said it was a close match and they were both fantastic. John said Pablo did very well with the rap section of the song. He complimented Kolby on doing a great job too.
The outcome: John declared Kolby the winner; Pablo was eliminated.
My take: Loved Kolby silky smooth soulful opening. Pablo showed off more dynamics and range, but his parts seemed way too frill filled. I would have understood the opposite outcome, but I preferred Kolby’s vocal.

TWO WELL-DESERVED SAVES

Team Adam

The match: Britton Moore vs. Darius J.
The song: “Creep” by Radiohead.
The background: Britton, 21, of San Antonio, Texas, turned 4 chairs singing Coldplay’s “Yellow.” Darius, 35, of Pahokee, Fla., turned 3 in the season premiere, singing “Caught Up.”
The feedback: Kelsea called the performance “magic.” Like Kelsea. Michael hinted at a steal. Calling Britton’s voice “so powerful,” John gave Britton the edge. Adam said they executed the song “so beautifully.”
The outcome: Adam declared Britton the winner. As they had hinted, Kelsea and Michael tried to steal Darius J. But Adam then pushed his save button, keeping him on Team Adam. Smart move on Adam’s part.
My take: Darius J.’s opening was brilliant, capturing the mood of the song perfectly. The two guys sounded great on the harmonies. And both showed off powerful voices. I would have given Darius J. a slight edge for his combination of voice and showmanship. An outcome in which both advance is hard to dispute.

Team Legend

The match: Nell Simmons vs. Olivia Kuper-Harris
The song: “Feel Like Making Love” by Roberta Flack
The background: Olivia, 34, of Dallas, Texas, turned 3 chairs in the blinds, singing “Dream a Little Dream of Me.” Nell, 40, of New Orleans, turned just John’s, singing “Love Hangover.”
The feedback: Adam called them “so strong.” He suggested both should advance. Kelsea called the performance “hot, hot, hot.” Michael said he loved the duet. He gave Nell the edge. John complimented both singers.
The outcome: John named Olivia the winner. Adam tried to steal Nell. But John pushed his save button as well. Nell decided to stick with Team Legend.
My take: Both singers delivered nice vocal moments. Olivia showed off really impressive range at one point. Immediately, after Nell nailed an impressive glory note. I would have given Nell a slight edge for being slightly more connected to the song’s vibe.

Britton Moore and Darius J. listen to Adam Levine’s feedback with Carson Daly following their battle round match on The Voice. (NBC Photo)