We’re up to night four of the Battle Rounds in season 7 of The Voice. For the next hour, we’ll be watching the artists battle it out for the coaches’ love and affection. They’ve actually really been surprising me on some of them so far, though.
I think the hardest battles to judge are when the coaches pit two artists who have completely different styles against each other. For example, I thought that the battle between Menlik and Troy was a particularly hard performance to judge. They’re both talented, yes, but they had such distinct and unique styles.
There have been some great battles in season 7 of The Voice so far, so let’s see how the next pairs of artists compare.
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Gwen’s Steal
Gwen’s the only coach with a steal left and she is stressing out about it. She doesn’t want to use it too soon, but she doesn’t want to miss an opportunity either. Life’s hard that way. Blake tells her not to stress out about it too much. Who will Gwen end up stealing?
Brittany Butler and Ricky Manning Perform “On Broadway”
Brittany, the jazz singer with a full tuition scholarship, is battling New York street musician Ricky. They each got two chairs to turn when they auditioned and went with Pharrell and now they’re battling it out for Pharrell’s love. He put them together because Ricky’s “major R&B, soul scary” and Brittany’s “major jazz scary.”
Brittany’s a little out of her element with this song and needs to infuse her jazz elements into it, but she does have her schooling in her corner. Brittany’s doing really well with the scatting part, though, while Ricky’s actually having some problems with it. His major problem is letting loose and Pharrell’s looking for the artist who can really let go.
Ricky had mentioned that he could relate to this song, and you can totally tell that he’s trying to use that emotion. Brittany, meanwhile, really is adding her jazzy elements to it. They have completely different takes on the song, which I really like.
Adam says that he saw a huge improvement from Ricky. He also looks like Joaquin Phoenix, which is a definite plus. Blake agrees with Adam, while Gwen just liked both of them. In the end, Pharrell has to go with Ricky because he’s improved so much. Gwen and Pharrell then go to comfort Brittany, which is really sweet.
Result: Pharrell Chooses Ricky Manning
Kensington Moore and Reagan James Perform “Team”
Kensington and Reagan from Team Blake are the next two artists to battle it out. Blake is having them sing a Lorde song, which I think is actually perfect for both of them. Kensington’s having some trouble with her confidence during rehearsals, but things just keep getting harder for her. She gets sick and can’t make it to the next day of rehearsals. This is the first time this has happened for Blake. Reagan gets to practice with someone from Little Big Town, which is not a bad deal. Kensington comes back and she really goes for it. She’s not letting a little thing like kidney stones get in the way of this battle.
They both do well. Kensington keeps going into the falsetto, which they had talked about in rehearsals, but I think Reagan has more of a stage presence. They sound amazing together too. It’s a beautiful performance. I think this is going to be a really tough decision for Blake.
Pharrell has no idea what to say, while Gwen and Adam loved them both. Adam says that Blake’s going to suffer, which he loves. He and Pharrell talk about a time when Reagan missed a word, but she completely made it up. This is such a tough decision. They both have such strong voices. “This is a dramatic moment, man,” Pharrell says. Blake keeps changing his mind, but he goes with his gut and chooses Reagan. Gwen, meanwhile, is still holding onto that steal.
Result: Blake Chooses Reagan James
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Fernanda Bosch and Allison Bray Perform
Blake also pits Fernanda and Allison against each other, but there’s not much time to show it. In the end, he goes with Allison.
Result: Blake Chooses Allison Bray
Anita Antoinette and Mayra Alvarez Perform
Gwen pits Anita and Mayra against each other. She picks Anita.
Result: Gwen Chooses Anita Antoinette
Bryana Salaz and Gianna Salvato Perform
Gwen also pits Bryana and Gianna against each other. She picks Bryana.
Result: Gwen Chooses Bryana Salaz
Beth Spangler and Mia Pfirrman Perform “I Turn To You”
Adam’s last pair to battle it out is Beth and Mia. Adam says that there’s only room for one belter on his team, so he’s putting them together to see which one he needs to eliminate. And he has the same advice for both of them: “Less is definitely more.” He and Stevie Nicks both tell them not to try to be Christina Aguilera. Mia has more of a “sweet, pure” voice, while Beth has a “raw grit.” They both have such powerful voices, but they need to learn how to control them. This is also a really difficult song for them to perform. I’m excited to see how it all comes out.
They both have such strong, powerful voices, but they are clearly taking Adam’s advice to control their voices to heart. They sound absolutely fantastic. And they look like they’re having such a good time together. I honestly have no clue who Adam’s going to choose. This is such a beautiful performance.
Blake calls them a couple of divas, but would have to go with Mia. Pharrell loves the pairing, but he, of course, would go with Beth. Gwen thinks the song was suited for Mia, but Beth was really surprising. She would choose Mia in the end. But it’s ultimately Adam’s decision. He has a really hard time, but he goes with Mia.
Result: Adam Chooses Mia Pfirrman
Gwen’s Final Steal
Of course, Gwen has to steal Beth! Pharrell says he would steal her if he had one left, but he doesn’t. Beth’s on her way out, and as she hugs Gwen goodbye, Gwen pushes her button.
Result: Gwen Steals Beth Spangler
Taylor Swift’s Big Entrance
The Battle Rounds are over and now we’re moving on to the Knockouts. And none other than Taylor Swift will be coming by for the Knockout Rounds next week. It’s a big deal. She’s won seven Grammys, so she probably knows what she’s doing. Plus, she has such a big personality, so it should be really fun.
The Voice airs Mondays and Tuesdays at 8pm on NBC.
(Image and videos courtesy of NBC)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
