The Voice Recap: Three More Singers Get the Chop as the Battles Rage On
As The Voice’s Season 23 Battles continued Monday, another trio of contestants said goodbye to their chance to follow in the bootsteps of Season 22 winner Bryce Leatherwood, and another twosome said hello to the Playoff Pass (which allows them to skip the Knockouts). Who got good news, who got bad? Read on, and we’ll discuss.
Team Kelly: ALI (Grade: C+) defeated D. Smooth (Grade: B+) on “Unaware” — D. Smooth awarded the Playoff Pass by Kelly | After rehearsal, Kelly anticipated her decision coming down to which of her team members seemed more comfortable on stage. I, on the other hand, didn’t think that there was any comfort level that ALI could have reached that would have made me prefer her singing, impressive as it was (especially considering that she was born deaf), to her opponent’s. D. Smooth did a magnificent job of emphasizing the “Smooth” in his name and demonstrated the charisma and presence of a seasoned pro. “I haven’t heard a dude sing like that since the ’90s,” marveled his coach.
Team Blake: Grace West (Grade: B+) defeated Carlos Rising (Grade: C) on “I Told You So” | Oh, Carlos. He went into this Battle at a serious disadvantage, what with never having sung country before. But he didn’t let it hold him back. Before rehearsal was through, he and Nashvillian Grace were harmonizing like they’d been doing it together for years. On stage, though, there was no competition. While he reminded us of the appealingly lived-in quality of his voice, Grace sang like an absolute dream. Listening to her felt like my ears were reading a love note. Not hard to imagine her scoring a win for her coach in his last season.
Team Niall: Kate Cosentino (Grade: C) defeated Tiana Goss (Grade: C+) on “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” — Tiana stolen by Chance | Oof. The duo’s rehearsal of Cyndi Lauper’s ’80s classic set off my karaoke alarm in a big way. And once the spotlight fell on them, oof again. Same. The super-chill intro showed both Tiana and Kate off to great effect — they sounded beautiful. But as soon as the song turned peppy, it also turned into a pretty mediocre vocal showcase for them. If one of the two came off better than the other, it was Tiana, whose tone has a richness that frankly her teammate’s does not. Not for nothin’, but Blake added that whenever he heard a part of the number that was in the pocket and on pitch, it was Tiana.
Team Kelly: Holly Brand (Grade: B+) defeated Katie Beth Forakis (Grade: B-) on “Lady Like” | From the start of Holly and Katie Beth’s rendition of Ingrid Andress’ smash, the former Miss Mississippi seemed to have it in the bag. Katie Beth has a super-pretty, ethereal voice. But Holly has a really memorable tone and the ability to not only go big but also to make a big impression when she goes small. The coaches went on and on about Katie Beth, but c’mon. The Voice is (supposed to be) a singing contest, and Kelly set up a David and Goliath scenario that David was never going to win.
Team Chance: NariYella (Grade: A) defeated Chloe Abbott (Grade: A) on “I Want You Around” | Speaking of David-and-Goliath sitches… this Battle pitted a one-chair turn (Chloe) against a four-chair turn (NariYella). But although the Blinds gave the impression that Chloe was a much softer singer, she absolutely rose to the challenge of matching NariYella’s intensity on their Snoh Aalegra cover. (Well-selected, Chance!) I always hate it when the coaches insist that they can’t pick a winner, but in this instance, I couldn’t. NariYella is a showstopper, for sure, but Chloe demonstrated pretty breathtaking control of her instrument. And both of them served stage presence for days.
Team Niall: Michael B. (Grade: A) defeated Ryley Tate Wilson (Grade: B+) on “Heartbreak Anniversary” — Ryley awarded the Playoff Pass by Niall | Though Michael was intimidated to be going up against a four-chair turn, especially having only inspired one himself, he needn’t have been. Michael didn’t so much sing notes as hurl them across the room — big, rich, round ones. And he was mega-engaged. Maybe kinda smiley for a sad song, but… still. He was in it. There was a lot to like about Ryley’s performance, too, but there were also moments that his developing voice let him down a little.
Who gave your favorite performance of the night? Vote in the poll below, then hit the comments with your observations and reviews.
Ali (B-)Vs D. Smooth (B): Both of these singers left me relatively unimpressed during the blinds, so I wasn’t thrilled going into the battle. Ali had some neat tricks in her bag, but I feel like D. Smooth’s vocal kind of swallowed her up at times. It was a solid battle on an cool song choice, but I still don’t know if I see either of them as anything truly unique quite yet.
Carlos (B-) vs Grace (B+): Poor Carlos. He did the best he could with a song that was CLEARLY picked for Grace. he held his own, but that being said, I can understand why Grace is one of Blake’s favs on the show. Her tone is downright lovely. I’ve never thought this song was super riveting, though, so I’m still waiting for her to sing a song that I think is really interesting.
Kate (C-) vs Tiana (C-): I was really excited about this battle. Kate had one of my top 5 favorite blinds, but when I first learned what song these girls were singing, I was afraid of getting our 100th slowed-down, acoustic rendition of this song on the show. Instead, I was surprised by something arguably worse…? The entire performance kinda devolved into karaoke. I’d still have picked Kate based on the promise of her blind, but this wasn’t great.
Holly (B+) vs Katie (B): THIS was an interesting song choice. I think it was picked for Ms. Mississippi, but I think the outcome would have been the same even with a poppier song. Katie actually has a really pleasant voice and I would have rather seen her stolen than Tiana, but I can’t deny that at certain parts of the song, Holly’s voice swallowed up Katie’s what that shark at the beginning of Jaws did to that one lady.
NariYella (B+) vs Chloe (A-): If there was an accolade for most improved, I think we can all agree it would go to Chloe. NariYella certainly is the more proficient vocalist, but I found Chloe to be more interesting in this instance. She was giving me flashbacks to LiBianca from a few seasons ago (who absolutely deserved to make it past the Playoffs), and if I have to pick between vocals and artistry, I would personally pick artistry ten times out of ten times out of ten.
Michael (B-) vs Ryley (B): Out of the blinds, Ryley was in my top 2 favorites, so I expected Ryley to completely mop the floor with Michael. That being said, things were more evenly matched than I thought they’d be. Honestly, I’d always found this song to be a bit of a snooze, but I didn’t hate this. Michael was good. Better than his blind, I think, but even if he were to win the entire show, I don’t think I could see anyone purchasing his music. I’d have picked Ryley. Sure, there were a few moments where Michael drowned him out, but I think he’s better for the show (and better for after the show as well). I think amateur pop singers do this thing where they affect their vowels cuz they think it makes them fun and quirky. Ryley aaaaalmost did this a few times, but I think he managed to reel it in just in time. He’s still my pick to win, and I’m REALLY bummed we don’t get to see a knockout from him. SO many contestants have their break out moment in the knockouts (Kyla Jade, Kique, Jershika Maple, Corey Ward, etc.) I’m really worried that it’ll jeopardize his chances of making finale.
100% agree! Came here to say this. Artistry is the most important thing and it’s truly the one reason I miss Adam as a coach – he recognized that more than the rest of the coaches, but it’s also not typically what America votes through. Chloe was the more engaging performer and way more interesting. Her tone and control were impressive.
I love the show all the singers are great glad I’m not a judge. And I hope Blake retires a winner good luck Blake love ya gonna miss ya. Wishing you and Gwen the best.
When Blake said “I can’t get fired” I understood why he picked that song for Carlos and Grace. Carlos did not want to sing it – it was obvious and really not fair. But Blake wants to win his final season with a country singer. Even though Blake is my guy, I felt really sorry for Carlos. He didn’t stand a chance.
My faves were NariYella and Ryley.
A bit shocked to see Holly atop the poll here. Good voice but generic. Grace is much more interesting in the country lane and a syrupy voice one can enjoy on tone alone. I get Michael, fine performance and great chops. My vote went to NariYella. Not my style of music but tone and control mix was the best combo tonight.
NariYella
Grace
Michael
Carlos (too bad he was cut)
Kate (great performer, curious to see what she can do with better material)