Idol Chatter & Voice Views

The likelihood of being stolen drops dramatically during the second week of battles on The Voice.

Five of the eight available steals were used last week.

In fact, Pharrell already used both of his steals, leaving the other three coaches with one apiece.

The Voice plans to end the battle round this week. With 30 contestants yet to sing, that means some artist are going to get the dreaded montage treatment.

Now, look, I understand The Voice might not be able to show every blind audition, every battle round duo and every knockout round match.

But I will never understand why they can’t at least post them to the show’s website. I’m pretty sure they don’t turn the cameras off when those performances are happening.

On with tonight’s battles.

Team Blake

Adam Wakefield versus Jared Harder

Background: Adam, who sings with a bluegrass band in Nashville, turned two chairs with his blind audition. Jared, who has played guitar backing a number of artists, is also a former worship leader who put music on hold after a tornado hit his hometown of Joplin. He landed the final spot on Team Blake.

The battle: They’ll sing “Can’t You See” by the Marshall Tucker Band. Adam seems far more familiar with the song than Jared is, but Blake warns Adam not to lean on that advantage. Jared vows to work on developing his stage presence to stay on the show. Jared actually starts the song and sounds very good. Adam is delivering some soul when he gets his chance to sing solo; he’s also showing off nice range. There’s less interaction than normal in this battle, with Adam sitting on one side of the stage behind his keys and Jared on the other playing guitar. But they deliver a worthy vocal. Christina and Pharrell say she would go with Adam.

My pick: Adam because he had a slightly more distinctive sound.

Blake’s pick: He declares Adam the winner.

The steal: There isn’t one, so Jared is eliminated.

Team Pharrell

Emily Keener versus Jonathan Bach

The background: Emily is one of the six artists who turned all four chairs in the blind audition. At just 16, she’s also released excellent pre-show music. Jonathan turned one chair with his version of Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way.” Pharrell says he paired them because they’re both very eclectic.

The battle: They’ll sing “Explosions” by Ellie Goulding. Jonathan is surprised by the power Emily can sing with. Emily says Jonathan has the edge in experience. Sean “Diddy” Combs is encouraging them to pour emotion into the performance. Not crazy about this song choice, but Emily is absolutely one of the best singers among the Season 10 cast. I don’t think it’s the stretch to compare her to Sawyer Fredericks from Season 9. She and Jonathan found their stride as the song went on. Blake says he’d give the edge to Emily. Christina says she’d go with Jonathan.

My pick: Emily. Sorry, but her pre-Voice music is just too good for her to go home yet.

Pharrell’s pick: He awards the win to Emily.

The steal: There isn’t one, so Jonathan is eliminated.

Team Christina

Daniel Passino versus Kristen Marie

The background: Daniel is the college student who studies opera and performs with singing groups at school, but aspires to be a pop singer. Kristen Marie lives in Oklahoma, but isn’t a country singer. She prefers indie jazz, not exactly the most popular genre in the small town she’s from.

The battle: Christina will have them sing Adele’s “Turning Tables.” Her adviser, Patti Labelle, praises Daniel’s range and says Kristen has a beautiful tone. Christina is predicting a great battle. Daniel opens the song and you can immediately hear the classical training. Kristen shows off a really, really nice tone on her opening lines. Gotta tell you, vocally, this might be the best battle so far tonight. Both of these singers are doing an excellent job. Patti talked about how soft Kristen’s voice was during rehearsals. Not in that performance. All three of the other coaches say they’d give the edge to Daniel.

My pick: Kristen Marie. Just love the tone of her voice.

Christina’s pick: She declares Daniel the winner.

The steal: There isn’t one, so Kristen is eliminated.

Okay, here come those montaged battles.

Team Pharrell: Jonathan Hutcherson versus Moushumi. They sing “Photograph” by Ed Sheeran. Moushumi is declared the winner.

Team Blake: Angie Keilhauer versus Teresa Guidry. They’ll sing “Backseat of a Greyhound Bus” by Sara Evans. Angie wins, which means Teresa sang on the show twice and we didn’t get to see either performance. That shouldn’t happen.

Team Adam: Katherine Ho versus Lily Green. They’ll sing “Lovefoot” by The Cardigans. Katherine wins. You know what I just wrote about Teresa. Ditto for Lily.

Team Pharrell

Abby Celso versus Brian Nhira

The background: Abby turned two chairs during the blind audition after telling The Voice how music helped her overcome her mother’s death from caner. Brian auditioned with Pharrell’s “Happy” and has already released a Christian album. He also led worship in college.

The battle: They’ll sing “Sugar” by Maroon 5. Pharrell says these two singes are a good match because they both have a pop-soul vibe. Once again, Diddy is pushing for emotion that matches the lyrics in the song. Pharrell is encouraging Abby and Brian to present the song in a way that one of them will be stolen. The battle begins, and Brian opens in fantastic fashion. I didn’t recall being quite that impressed with his vocals in the blind audition. Abby and Brian turn it into a very entertaining performance, loaded with stage presence. The other coaches says they’d award the win to Brian.

My pick: Brian. He just turned in one of the better battle round vocals we’ve seen.

Pharrell’s pick: He selects Abby because she has such a wide range vocally.

The steal: Adam and Christina try to steal Brian. Adam likes his charisma. Christina says “there’s no reason on this planet” he can’t win the show. Brian joins Team Adam.

Team Adam

Caroline Burns versus Mike Schiavo

The background: Caroline is the teen who returned to The Voice one inch taller than in Season 9, when she failed to turn a chair. Michael is the guy who left New Jersey and moved to L.A. to pursue music. A Maroon 5 fan, he even got to sing with Adam following his blind audition.

The battle: They’ll sing “Like I’m Gonna Lose You” by Meghan Trainor and John Legend, meaning it’s a made-to-order to duet, though Adam admits this pairing doesn’t make a lot of sense. Mike’s worried about performing without his guitar. Caroline says she has to remain confident because Mike is older and more experienced. You know what, for her age, Caroline is doing a very nice job with this. But Michael is showing just a little more flair with his vocals and with his performance. In other words, his experience is showing. Another very nice battle round duet. Blake says he’d give the edge to Caroline. Christina says she’d award the win to Michael.

My pick: Michael. I think he’s just more prepared for this competition.

Adam’s pick: Caroline. He says she’s “too interesting” to send home so soon.

The steal: There isn’t one, meaning Michael is eliminated.

Team Christina

Alisan Porter versus Lacy Mandigo

The background: Alisan is the former Curly Sue actress who says her real passion is singing. She’s already released great original music and turned four chairs as the final singer we met in the Season 10 premiere. We didn’t get to see Lacy’s blind audition, but the teen beauty has also done some modeling and sings with her father’s rock band.

The battle: They’ll sing “California Dreamin'” by the Mamas and the Papas. Alisan says Patti Labelle is her mother’s favorite singer. Lacy says she really wasn’t familiar with the song until she found out they’d be singing it for the battle and calls the song “a little out of her comfort zone.” Alisan says she’s never wanted something the way she’s wanted to excel on The Voice. Dang, ladies. Lacy is going to be the surprise of the night because we didn’t get to hear her in the blind auditions. But Alisan quickly shows why she’s the early favorite to win Season 10. Both ladies delivered some fabulous glory notes near the end of that performance. That, folks, was clearly the best battle round performance of the night. Both singers get high praise from the coaches, though they agree Alisan is better prepared at this point.

My pick: Alisan. No way a coach can cut her loose.

Christina’s pick: Alisan, of course.

The steal: Lacy is stolen by Blake Shelton. Well deserved. And he’ll probably feel right at home with her southern accent.