Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Monday night, The Voice unveiled an interesting new twist that will be coming up in the knockout round.

Each coach gets to save one artist during the battle round that opened Monday.

This season, the four saved contestants will compete in a four-way knockout round match, with fans voting to determine which singer advances.

And after that first night of battles, we already know the identity of two artists who will be vying for fans votes: Todd Michael Hall of Team Blake and Michael Williams of Team Nick.

They were saved and Joanna Serenko was stolen, meaning just three singers were eliminated during the six battles that aired Monday night.

Battle winners included Joei Fulco and Levi Watkins of Team Blake, Roderick Chambers and Allegra Miles of Team Nick; Mike Jerel of Team Legend and Anaya Cheyenne of Team Kelly.

Here’s a recap.

WELL-DESERVED SAVES

TEAM BLAKE

The match: Todd Michael Hall vs. Joei Fulco
The background: Todd, 50, of Saginaw, Mich., turned two chairs in the blinds singing “Juke Box Hero” by Foreigner. Joei, 22, of Lancaster, Calif, also turned two performing Cher’s “Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves.”
The song: “The Best” by Tina Turner
The feedback: Nick Jonas called their performance “10 shots of caffeine” and “technically perfect” and the other coaches also had high praise for a truly polished duet.
The outcome: Blake awarded the win to Joei, then saved Todd. Kelly tried to steal Todd, but hit her button too late to do so, thinking she had to wait until he left the stage when the opposite was true.
My take: I’m pretty sure I would not have paired these two. Joei has a deep tone unusual for an upcoming female singer, one so impressive that Nick felt gave her a slight edge in the battle. But Todd was predictably solid, given his wealth of experience and again showed off the range that caught the judges’ attention during the blinds.

TEAM NICK

The match: Allegra Miles vs. Michael Williams
The background: Allegra, 17, from St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands performed “Use Somebody” and turned two chairs in the blinds. Michael, 18, of Mason, Ohio, performed “You Say” by Lauren Daigle to earn a chair turn from Nick.
The song: “How Will You Know” by Whitney Houston
The feedback: Blake called it a “killer” duet, and he meant it in the best possible way. He also praised the artist for their obvious connection and for clearly rooting for one another. Every coach seemed fascinated with Allegra’s vocals.
The outcome: Nick awarded the win to Allegra. He then saved Michael.
My take: First, Michael performed like anything but a one-chair turn, showing off great range and a nearly flawless vocal. But there’s a reason the coaches were raving over Allegra. Her vocals are special, and sure sounded live show special. During the harmonies, it’s that unique tone Allegra has that cut through.

THE COACH GOT IT RIGHT

TEAM BLAKE

The match: Jamal Corrie vs. Levi Watkins
The background: Both turned one chair in the blinds. Levi, 14, of Birminghan, Ala., performed “Hey, Soul Sister” by Train and was the youngest singer to make Season 18. Jamal, 26, of San Francisco, Calif., performed “Be Alright” by Dean Lewis.
The song: “Counting Stars” by One Republic
The feedback: The judges complicated Jamal on the energy he brought to the performance; Levi for turning in such a composed performance, especially for someone just 14.
The outcome: Blake named Levi the winner; Jamal was eliminated.
My take: Levi was the more consistent singer during that performance. I was left wondering whether the song was a good match for Jamal’s voice.

TEAM KELLY

The match: Anaya Chevenne vs. Chelle
The background: Anaya, 16, of Atlanta, Ga., performed “I’ll Never Love Again” by Lady Gaga, and turned two chairs. Chelle, 18, of Bargersville, Indiana, turned three, singing “idontwanttobeyouanymore” by Billie Eilish.
The song: “Scared to be Lonely” by Martin Garrix & Dua Lipa
The feedback: Kelly complimented them both on their range and their stage presence. Blake and John thought Anaya had the edge.
The outcome: Kelly awarded the win to Anaya, calling her the “perfect coachable artist.” Chelle was eliminated.
My take: Chelle has an enticing growl, but Anaya hit a big glory note, then followed it up with an impressive run approaching the two-minute mark that was probably the highlight of the duet.

TEAM LEGEND

The match: Mike Jerel and Zach Day
The background: Mike, 31, of Ashburn, Ga., turned four chairs, singing “It’s a Man’s, Man’s, Man’s World” by James Brown. Zach, 26, of Stearns, Kentucky, turned two, performing “Weak” by SVW.
The song: “Adorn” by Miguel
The feedback: Nick called them “shockingly confident” during an “exilarating” performance. Kelly complimented them on having an “incredible gift.”
The outcome: John proclaimed Mike the winner; Zach was eliminated.
My take: Zach turned in a strong performance, but faced a tough obstacle going up against Mike, a four-chair turn from the blinds who turned in a flawless performance. The song probably fell closer to Mike’s wheelhouse.

THE COACH GOT IT WRONG

TEAM NICK

The match: Joanna Serenko vs. Roderick Chambers
The background: Joanna, 18, of St. Louis, Missouri, is the only Team Nick member to turn four chairs in the blinds, doing it with “All My Loving” by The Beatles. Roderick, 38, of Miami, Fla., performed “Back at One” by Brian McKnight and turned just Nick’s chair in the blinds.
The song: “when the party’s over” by Billie Eilish
The feedback: Kelly called the performance “beautiful,” “passionate” and “flawless.” Blake said he’d give the edge to Roderick; John said he’d go with Joanna.
The outcome: Nick awarded the win to Roderick; John Legend stole Joanna.
My take: As the coaches noted, that did not play out like a four-chair turn vs. a one-chair turn. But Joanna won me over with that wonderful lilting tone the second time she went solo. Then there’s the fact that she’s showing all that potential at age 18. Oh, well, John’s loaded team just got even better.