The Voice Recap: The Battles Round 2, Part 3 [Season 6, Ep 16]

 

Back again!!! Up front, I’m going to say that I wasn’t overly thrilled with Part 3 the way I enjoyed part 1 and 2 of the second Battle Round. But I’m interested to see how the Playoffs o starting Tuesday night!! So let’s just jump right in!

Shakira’s Team Dani vs. Clarissa – “Perfect” by Pink

During rehearsal, Shakira cautions the ladies about going too far overboard. Chris Martin’s suggestion was to add to the performance of the thing. There wasn’t much to it as they were starting out. Personally, since this is one of my favorite songs of all time, I had a hard time listening to their version of it. I didn’t have high hopes listening to rehearsal.

 

During the performance, the parts where the ladies sang together were much better than when they were singing separately.

• Adam – He saw major improvements on both sides but said he could see how nervous they were and that they both need to hide those nerves.
• Usher – He’d give the battle to Dani.
• Blake – Clarissa has poise and Dani has range, he’d give the battle to Dani.
• Shakira – Dani is always in command and is amazed with Dani’s register.
• My two cents – I don’t like Dani. I think she over performed the song and that bothered me. I would have preferred just to listen to Clarissa….although I didn’t love her performance either.

And the winner is: Dani

Adam’s Team Kat vs. Dawn & Hawkes “Suddenly I See” by KT Tunstall

Adam cautions Kat to hold back a bit and not over-sing. Chris helped them all arrange the song so that it worked better for three people. It ended up a lovely, stripped down, more acoustic version and was much better suited for them.

 

The performance turned out much better than I’d originally expected it to. Really solid.

• Blake – It seemed that Dawn & Hawkes were backup singers for Kat.
• Usher – Thinks Dawn and Hawkes should take command of the stage a little more. Gives the battle to Kat.
• Shakira – Thinks the duo sounds like one but that Kat looked like a star.
• Adam – He thinks Dawn & Hawkes haven’t had the chance to show their greatness since the blind auditions. He also thinks Kat is underrated in the competition.
• My two cents: I preferred Dawn & Hawkes just because they’re more my style. But Kat can sing. I just don’t think she’s going to go far compared to some of the other competitors.

And the winner is: Kat

Team Usher Musicbox vs. Melissa “Girl on Fire” by Alicia Keyes

Chris tells Melissa to inhabit the lyrics (can I build a nice little house in this song, too?) while Usher suggests individuality for both ladies rather than creating a copy of the original version.

 

Personally, I think both ladies need to have a conversation with their stylists sine I found myself seriously distracted by their outfits. Between the shoulders of Melissa’s dress and Musicbox’s sequins, I could barely concentrate on the singing. However, Musicbox’s son is just PRECIOUS!

• Shakira – She’d give the battle to Musicbox.
• Blake – Musicbox has a great energy and Melissa is smooth. But he’s more curious about Musicbox so he’d give her the battle.
• Adam – Melissa had more good moments.
• Usher – He’s happy they both took the song and made it their own.
• My two cents: I call it for Melissa. I just like the tone of her voice better.

And the winner is: Melissa

Team Blake Kaleigh vs. Ryan White Maloney “Easy” by Rascal Flatts

I have to say that every single time they said Ryan’s name, all I heard was “Ryan likes baloney”. I couldn’t help it! Chris coaches them to try to feel the song more. But I was still stuck on the baloney!

 

Ryan’s voice seems like it was just made for this song. The parts they sing together are really great. I almost wish they could just keep singing together, maybe give Lady Antebellum a run for their money.

• Adam – He’s seen nothing but improvement from Kaleigh but would stick with Ryan.
• Usher – He felt them supporting one another but felt Kaleigh was a bit nervous. Gives the battle to Ryan.
• Shakira – Felt Kaleigh’s comfort on the upper register. Gives the battle to Ryan.
• Blake – Finds them both powerful with good range and loves that they chose this song.
• My two cents: Keep them together and turn them into a country duo!! But I’d choose Ryan.

And the winner is: Ryan.

Team Adam Britnee vs. Jake “Climax” by Usher

They ended up choosing between “Climax” and “Beautiful Soul” by Jesse McCartney. I personally love “Beautiful Soul” so I would have enjoyed seeing that. I don’t know “Climax” so it’s new to me. During rehearsal Chris and Adam push confidence for Jake who is plagued by nerves.

 

I’m glad to see Jake looking rather at home on the stage during the performance. I kind of hate that Adam put these two against each other because they both sound fabulous.

• Usher – He feels weird judging this battle since they were both on his team and they’re singing one of his songs. But… he thinks they have great futures.
• Shakira – Jake gave her much more than she was expecting. Gives the battle to Jake.
• Blake – Loves Jake’s rasp while still in the falsetto. Gives the battle to Jake.
• Adam – He’s blown away by the fact that this is only the third of fourth time on stage for Jake.
• My two cents: I don’t like the song. But I like the singers. Both of them.

And the winner is: Jake

Team Usher Bria vs. Madilyn “I’ll Stand By You” by The Pretenders

Rehearsal turned into a yoga session to calm the girls’ nerves first. Usher amuses me. The coaches seem concerned about Madilyn’s excessive nerves and whether Bria can hold back a bit. These two are just adorable. Really adorable. And they have fantastic voices. What a lot of pressure for a 16 year old girl.

 

During the performance I find myself really wishing Bria would hold a note steady without the vibrato. But both girls have really fabulous voices and the performance is just fantastic. (I’m distracted by Bria’s shiny Olivia Newton-John headband.)

• Adam – Great performance but he was left wanting when it ended.
• Shakira – Madilyn surprised her by being so in command.
• Blake – He doesn’t think either girl really stood out.
• Usher – Madilyn came out and gave it her all. Bria got control of it even though it started rough.
• My two cents: I’d pick Madilyn.

And the winner is: Bria

And the STEAL! Blake steals Madilyn! He thinks they can make a performer out of her since her confidence is growing with each performance.

And that’s it for me. I’m off to watch the Playoffs!! What do you think? Did the judges get it right? See you tomorrow!