Idol Chatter & Voice Views

The Voice aired its first three battle round matches Tuesday night.

And two coaches have already used their lone battle round save.

John Legend used his to rescue impressive 16-year-old Zoe Upkins from elimination.

Kelly Clarkson used hers to keep Melinda Rodriguez after her impressive battle with Shane Q.

Here’s a recap of Monday’s battles on The Voice.

TEAM JOHN LEGEND

The matchup: Khalea Lynee vs. Zoe Upkins
In the blinds: Khalea, 36, of Clearwater, Fla., turned four chairs, performing “Best Part” by Daniel Caesar. Zoe, 16, of Nashville, Tenn., turned three chairs performing Monica’s “Angel of Mine.”
The song: “The Boy is Mine” by Brandy and Monica
The feedback: Blake proclaimed Khalea “ready for this moment. Gwen was taken by Zoe, but would have given her the edge. Kelly vowed to steal is someone is left up for grabs.
The outcome: John awarded the win to Khalea, praising her versatility. But he also immediately used his save on Zoe, while Kelly and Gwen both tried to steal her. John praised the improvement she made in just a short period of time. Zoe decided to stay with Team Legend.
My take: I love Khalea’s tone and think she was the vocal victor of that battle. But Zoe certainly didn’t back down and she was going up against a much more experienced four-chair-turn singer. I would have given the winner to Khalea, but it was great to see Zoe survive.

TEAM BLAKE SHELTON

The matchup: Kat Hammock vs. Josie Jones
In the blinds: Kat, 18, of Encinitas, Calif., turned two chairs with Billy Joel’s “Vienna.” Josie, 16, of Hamilton, Alabama, turned two chairs with “Men and Mascara” by Julia Roberts.
The song: “Take Me Home Country Roads” by John Denver
The feedback: Gwen is intrigued by Kat’s voice. So was John and Kelly, but John gave Josie the edge. Blake praised Josie on her performance, but also gave kudos to Kat for sounding so “unique.”
The outcome: Blake awarded the win to Kat, which surprised me a bit, because that arrangement certainly played to Josie’s strengths.
My take: Josie probably turned in the better vocal on that song. But I loved Kat’s tone in the blinds. And I was thrilled to see the coaches appreciate her vocals during the battle even though the song was probably far from her sweet spot.

TEAM KELLY CLARKSON

The matchup: Shane Q. vs. Melinda Rodriguez
The blinds: Melinda, 23, of Miami, Fla., turned two chairs with “What a Wonderful World.” Shane Q, 28, of Sacramento, Calif., turned four chairs with Chris Stapleton’s “Tennessee Whiskey.”
The song: “Too Good at Goodbyes” by Sam Smith
The feedback: Blake called them great vocalists. He gave Shane a slight edge. So did John. Kelly called them “both incredibly gifted.”
The outcome: Kelly awarded the win to Shane. Not surprising. He’s her only four-chair turn. But she also immediately save Melinda. And John tried to steal her as well, saying it was clear they both deserved to remain on the show. Melinda decided to stay with Team Kelly. Strategically, that was a smart move.
My take: Dang. Melinda very first line screamed “you’d better pay attention.” Then she unleashed an impressive rasp later in the song. Shane Q expressed concern about some of the song’s high notes, theen went out and nailed those very high notes. A great battle.