S08.E09: The Battles, Part 4

[Tara Ariano]

The battle round continues. Ellie Goulding, Lionel Richie, Meghan Trainor and Nick Jonas serve as advisers.

[adhoc]

Watching tonight, I'm ambivalent about Sawyer Fredericks. Farm boy's got an adorable look and mien. Angelic smile. But my question is... if you could not see him, but were just listening to him on the radio, would he really stand out? Is his voice really all that?  

[Diana Berry]

I actually thought the girl singing with Sawyer had such a beautiful sweet singing voice. I was listening more to her than him.

[lyric]

Watching tonight, I'm ambivalent about Sawyer Fredericks. Farm boy's got an adorable look and mien. Angelic smile. But my question is... if you could not see him, but were just listening to him on the radio, would he really stand out? Is his voice really all that?  

I gotta say, the whole package certainly adds to his appeal - his look, his composure, his unassuming demeanor and the whole 'artistic beyond-his-years' thing, but setting all that aside, I think he's got a hell of a voice - strong & clear, dead-on pitch and most of all, interesting.  

[jjjmoss]

WGWG/teen boy Sawyer ready to win.

 

#32 on iTunes, with the next-highest song from tonight at #689.

The 3rd-highest Voice song overall right now is his audition too.

[car54]

I think compared to his audition, he was managing his performance per the feedback from the coach/mentor and trying to make his singing fit with hers. 

He was a much bigger presence when he sang on his own and I think he will continue to do that if he gets to sing just for himself and not to produce a duet.

If he had sung full out as he did in his audition, he would not have fit with her at all.

[picklesprite]

I do think Sawyer's got a lot of appeal, and I like his voice a lot. I thought his opponent was very sweet, with a nice voice, but, personally, I didn't hear anything special in it. She did remind me of how much courage it takes for some of them to get up there and perform.

 

I wouldn't underestimate the male country singer, even though I've already forgotten his name. Meghan Trainor gave a hint of his potential for sex appeal, and he has that very masculine tone that so many successful male country singers have.

[rollerblade]

"Unbelivable steal" blah blah blah.... really? These editors can't even be bothered anymore.

 

Wish I know which pair was the actual final battle, cause Corey/Jacob wasn't it.

[apollonia666]

I am such a sucker for the times when there's a steal and the winner gets really excited and happy for the singer he or she just beat.  It's just so cute.

[NewRadical]

I actually thought the girl singing with Sawyer had such a beautiful sweet singing voice. I was listening more to her than him.

 

I really liked her! It was unfortunate that Sawyer did not go closer to the beginning. i feel like if anyone was a lock, it was Sawyer for the sole fact that he has had the iTunes numbers

[anonymiss]

That "Animals" battle was great. Awesome energy and I love love love Rob. He's legitimately talented beyond his sob story but it also connects with me.

 

Damn Christina, she sounds so great not trying, sometimes better than when she is!

 

I wish Pharrell had given Sawyer a different song that would have showcased the grittier parts of his voice, like his audition song, which slayed me. He has the voice and natural conviction well beyond his years. I do wonder if Adam would've been the best coach for him.

[Padma]

I liked the Sawyer - Nicole (?) battle, because even though it was not a very good song choice for Sawyer, it still showcased him as a person. Her voice was very pretty and the song was pretty to listen to, but what I liked best was how generous his singing was--accompanying her with the guitar, holding back his vocals throughout so as not to overshadow her (except his one little solo part)--he just has such an unusually cool, confident yet, as Adam said, also humble and nice, vibe. Seems like a perfect pairing temperament-wise with Pharrell.

 

As for Corey and Jacob, Blake continues to choose songs that are not very catchy as duets and do nothing to showcase his singers. I think Xtina was trying to say that Corey seemed like a younger version of Blake (looks-wise and his vibe, although his singing is just so bland). I thought Jacob was far better (and, yes, Blake, Hunter Hayes is much more country than you think, the arrangement sounded more country than pop and it seemed more suited for Corey than Jacob). I don't think he'll make it to the lives, but Pharrell's team will be a good experience for him.

 

I don't understand how the three way battle (two-way elimination?) will work--or why it seems like a good idea. Are they in a hurry this year for some reason?

Edited March 18, 2015 by Padma

[hks]

I am such a sucker for the times when there's a steal and the winner gets really excited and happy for the singer he or she just beat.  It's just so cute.

Oh me too! This is actually what I came here to post. I LOVE when the winner gets super excited for their battle partner. I am sure they work together quite a bit to sound good - and they get to know each other well. In the best battles, you can tell, and then you see the winner so excited. I love them more every time I see that.

 

The only other thing I came to post about is BOY did Megan fall in love with Hunter. She wasn't even hiding it. As soon as she got him to open his eyes when he sang - and then he did that look directly AT her - she was gone. (I don't blame her, he's a cutie and that look would have done me in).  I kind of had hopes for them.  [ETA: Is the dude's name Hunter or Corey? And if it is Corey, where the hell did I get Hunter??]

 

Otherwise, an incredibly boring episode. I was not into any battle. At all.

Edited March 18, 2015 by hks

[rollerblade]

I don't understand how the three way battle (two-way elimination?) will work--or why it seems like a good idea. Are they in a hurry this year for some reason?

 

I would like it much more if it's an 8-way Knockout. (a Sing-off?) Seems more fair that way, rather than leaving some luck on who you get paired with. That said, the ones that judges wanted to put through Live will still make it regardless of pairings, especially on Team P lol.

 

Not sure how they are gonna 3-way KO with 8 people though. VoiceMath stumped me.

 

Am I reading the Wiki right... none of Team Adam's battle losers were stolen? Man, his team had a lot of dead weight.

[poppy-]

Man that Animals performance was cringe-worthy. That is what montages are made for.

Taylor sounded great to me. The girl he sang against reminds me of the singer from ..... I don't know the name of the band but they did "Cool Kids."

[jjjmoss]

Hmm, looking through idolforums and itunescharts, Sawyer's battle may become the highest-charting non-live-round song on The Voice ever. It's currently at #19 and still gaining.

 

Others that went T20: Javier's audition Time After Time 17

Cole's knockout Let Her Go 19

Sarah's audition One of Us 20

 

Of course, Cole and Sarah both missed the finals. But Sawyer seems like the kind of person The Voice producers would want to push for the win, especially as his coach hasn't won. 

[burntheflaws]

I may be a sucker, but that last battle was absolutely adorable. It was clear how close Corey and Jacob had gotten, and they were genuine in rooting for each other. I thought the battle was really fun and I wouldn't mind watching it again. It would never make my "top battles" list, but I just felt happy watching it. Probably because they worked together and wanted to have a good time instead of trying to outdo one another. And when Corey was so thrilled that Jacob was stolen, and they were hugging each other in the back, I "awww"-ed out loud.

 

That being said, Jacob was the winner in my opinion. Corey's definitely cute, no doubt about it, but take that away and his voice is average. But I guess you have to factor in the looks to get that overall package.

 

As for the other battles, I vaguely remember "Animals" and preferring the soldier to the guy who won, but I'm not invested enough in either to really care. I also knew Sawyer was a lock for the knockouts, and probably the lives, no matter who he was against. On a superficial note, I don't understand how his hair can look so beautiful and shiny and salon fresh. I'm jealous.

[ryan227]

Not sure how they are gonna 3-way KO with 8 people though. VoiceMath stumped me.

 

Yeah I'm really curious about this.  I don't follow the spoilers for this show or anything and googling didn't help me.  I thought maybe someone had to drop out?

[Donny Ketchum]

Current team roster/cheat sheet:

 

Team Adam

Tonya Boyd-Cannon (defeated James McNeiece)
Deanna Johnson (defeated Nicolette Maré)*
Nathan Hermida (defeated Josh Batstone)*
Blaze Johnson (defeated Michael Leier)
Barry Minniefield (defeated Jack Gregori)

Lexi Dávila (defeated Bren'nae DeBarge)*
Joshua Davis (stolen from Team Blake)
Clinton Washington (stolen from Team Christina)

 

Team Pharrell

Mia Z. (defeated Ashley Morgan)

Anthony Riley (defeated Travis Ewing)

Paul Pfau (defeated Meghan Linsey)

Caitlin Caporale (defeated Briar Jonnee)

Lowell Oakley (defeated Kimberly Nichole)

Sawyer Fredericks (defeated Noelle Bybee)

Hannah Kirby (stolen from Team Blake)

Jacob Rummell (stolen from Team Blake)

 

Team Christina

Sonic (defeated Ameera Delandro)

Joe Tolo (defeated Gabriel Wolfchild)*

Treeva Gibson (defeated Katelyn Read)

India Carney (defeated Clinton Washington)

Rob Taylor (defeated Jeremy Gaynor)

Koryn Hawthorne (defeated Vance Smith)*

Ashley Morgan (stolen from Team Pharrell)

Kimberly Nichole (stolen from Team Pharrell)

 

Team Blake

Brian Johnson (defeated Joshua Davis)

Sarah Potenza (defeated Hannah Kirby)

Cody Wickline (defeated Matt Snook)

Kelsie May (defeated Brenna Yaeger)

Brooke Adee (defeated Bay Brooks)*

Corey Kent White (defeated Jacob Rummell)

Travis Ewing (stolen from Team Pharrell)

Meghan Linsey (stolen from Team Pharrell)

 

Names in bold indicate those who have either freshly won and stayed on their teams, or been freshly stolen by another coach.  An asterisk indicates that the contestant was montaged.

 

So most of my predictions were right.  Lexi was shown in her audition, Bren'nae was not.  Easy choice that Lexi would win, though sucks for her that it was in a montage.  Koryn and Vance were both shown in their auditions, but they got montaged since this turns out to be an hour-long show.  Still, Koryn won like I thought she would.  Brooke was shown in her audition, while Bay was montaged.  So I'm not surprised that Brooke won, too.

 

On a side note, it has to suck that Bren'nae, part of a family with strong ties to music, got montaged her entire time on the show.

 

As for the shown battles, I'd predicted Jeremy would get picked, so I was surprised when Christina went with Rob.  But Rob put more of himself out there than Jeremy did.  Sawyer was a shown, four-chair audition, while Noelle (to clarify for @Padma: not Nicole) was a montaged, one-chair audition.  No-brainer.  Bye-bye, Bybee!  I was wrong about Jacob.  I guess Blake really did wanna stay loyal to country, so he went with Corey.  But I'm glad Jacob got stolen.  I really thought Jeremy would be, though.

 

Let's hope this ends the montages, though.  I want to see ALL of the Knockouts next week.

 

Finally, I find it delicious that NONE of the steals were from Adam's team.  Shows how weak his team is.  Seven of the steals came from either Blake or Pharrell's teams, and the last one from Christina's.

Edited March 20, 2015 by Donny Ketchum

[tobysmom]

.

 

On a side note, it has to suck for Bren'nae, part of a family with strong ties to music, got montaged her entire time on the show.

 

 

 

 

Thank you!  Last night was my first night watching and when I heard the last name DeBarge, I wondered if she was from that family. 

 

Have to say that from what I saw last night - it was okay.  I too thought that Jacob won over Corey; glad that Pharrell stole him.  Also, when hearing Nicole I thought right away she was a country singer; but after they sang Blake said "I thought I heard country in your voice" so that surprised me.

[Amy Beth]

Regarding the 3 way KO, there are rumors circulating that Anthony Riley did not participate.

I will speculate that Pharrell was planning on KO pairs of Sawyer/Paul and Mia/Anthony.

Based on that, I'd say Mia caught a break and Paul will be the odd man out.

[Cramps]

Which one was Anthony?

[xfuse]

 

Which one was Anthony?

He is the street performer that said he could sing anything.

Edited March 18, 2015 by xfuse

[Primetimer]

This round ends on more of a meh note.

Read the story

[blueray]

I am such a sucker for the times when there's a steal and the winner gets really excited and happy for the singer he or she just beat.  It's just so cute.

I like that too. Its nice to see that they care about the other person. I imagine they saw a lot of each other practicing the song.

 

I am still annoyed that they spoil themselves. Obviously the "last" group was both going through since they were the last performance of the episode and Pharrell still had a steal. But they had to also remind us by showing a preview saying that he was going to use it.

 

They also clearly didn't air them in order. The two that they monaloged were obviously after he used his last steal. But that doesn't mean that they should get a chance to have their performances heard.

[basiltherat]

That Sawyer is a real cutie who you might expect, from looking at him, that he would sing high-pitched, boy-bandy fluff, but he has this 'old soul' gritty and very mature voice.  Appealing to all generations, so Show should continue to love him.  He could be the next Voice-r to do shampoo commercials that Grimme is doing now!  Or sell hats from the Pharell Collection (soon to be coming to Kohl's, maybe).

[Padma]

If I had to choose a frontrunner from each team at this point it would be Cody from Blake's, Sawyer from Pharrell's, India from Christina and ... Adam's is difficult...maybe Deanna or even Nathan (but neither to win).  Interesting there were no steals from Adam which really does confirm the weakness of his team this season (as does the thoughtfully posted team lists above. A huge help for people like me who have trouble remembering most of these people's names at this point.)

 

Anyway, oddly, even though watching the battles it seemed the women were stronger, when I look at the teams to go to the end, I'm not seeing a woman winning (nice as that would be), not even India who is possibly the strongest. But there's a lot of talent, and so much depends on song selection ...so...maybe it will all switch up in the knockouts.

[ennui]

Watching tonight, I'm ambivalent about Sawyer Fredericks. Farm boy's got an adorable look and mien. Angelic smile. But my question is... if you could not see him, but were just listening to him on the radio, would he really stand out? Is his voice really all that?  

I feel that way about all of the contestants. I haven't heard a standout yet.

RE Corey and Jacob, I think Corey has the better voice. Jacob sounds young and undeveloped, to me. I'm glad Pharrell rescued him, I think Pharrell is a better match as a coach and would have gotten Jacob in the blinds if his team weren't already full.

 

I suspect the Sawyer battle is trending because it's a good song, and not so much for the performance.

[rab01]

The only other thing I came to post about is BOY did Megan fall in love with Hunter. She wasn't even hiding it. As soon as she got him to open his eyes when he sang - and then he did that look directly AT her - she was gone. (I don't blame her, he's a cutie and that look would have done me in).  I kind of had hopes for them. 

I think she was 90% joking around to make him believe her about opening his eyes -- she did add that joke about "any questions for me? like my number?"  She was being very cute with them. But I do agree that at least 10% of it was her really thinking he was attractive.

 

I sooooo agree with Blueray about the Voice's constant spoiling away any moment of tension.  WHY DO THEY ALWAYS DO THIS???? It's just irritating.

 

Finally, I think it's atrocious that an hour-long music competition only show 3 songs. There's no reason why they can't get in at least one performance every 15 minutes. 

[burntheflaws]

Finally, I think it's atrocious that an hour-long music competition only show 3 songs. There's no reason why they can't get in at least one performance every 15 minutes. 

 

Technically they do. Once you take away the commercials it's a little less than 45 minutes. What's really atrocious to me is that they could definitely fit in more if they cut some of the rehearsal footage and the backstage pre-battle blathering. Instead we get a bunch of montages, meaning those poor contestants will either A) get eliminated or B) make it to the lives but everyone will be like "Who the hell is that?"

Edited March 18, 2015 by burntheflaws

[Steph619]

I think that Sawyer is a very strong contender for the win. I hope Pharrell doesn't let him go. I'm also glad Pharrell used his last steal on Jacob. I thought he won that last battle against Corey.

I'm not surprised that none of the other coaches stole someone from Team Adam. His team is pretty weak this season.

[Noreaster]

Watched the videos on Hulu.  This was opposite episode for me.  For all the full battles shown and even a couple of the montaged battles, I preferred the losers.  

[Wings]

Current team roster/cheat sheet:

 

Team Adam

Tonya Boyd-Cannon (defeated James McNeiece)

Deanna Johnson (defeated Nicolette Maré)*

Nathan Hermida (defeated Josh Batstone)*

Blaze Johnson (defeated Michael Leier)

Barry Minniefield (defeated Jack Gregori)

Lexi Dávila (defeated Bren'nae DeBarge)*

Joshua Davis (stolen from Team Blake)

Clinton Washington (stolen from Team Christina)

 

Team Pharrell

Mia Z. (defeated Ashley Morgan)

Anthony Riley (defeated Travis Ewing)

Paul Pfau (defeated Meghan Linsey)

Caitlin Caporale (defeated Briar Jonnee)

Lowell Oakley (defeated Kimberly Nichole)

Sawyer Fredericks (defeated Noelle Bybee)

Hannah Kirby (stolen from Team Blake)

Jacob Rummell (stolen from Team Blake)

 

Team Christina

Sonic (defeated Ameera Delandro)

Joe Tolo (defeated Gabriel Wolfchild)*

Treeva Gibson (defeated Katelyn Read)

India Carney (defeated Clinton Washington)

Rob Taylor (defeated Jeremy Gaynor)

Koryn Hawthorne (defeated Vance Smith)*

Ashley Morgan (stolen from Team Pharrell)

Kimberly Nichole (stolen from Team Pharrell)

 

Team Blake

Brian Johnson (defeated Joshua Davis)

Sarah Potenza (defeated Hannah Kirby)

Cody Wickline (defeated Matt Snook)

Kelsie May (defeated Brenna Yaeger)

Brooke Adee (defeated Bay Brooks)*

Corey Kent White (defeated Jacob Rummell)

Travis Ewing (stolen from Team Pharrell)

Meghan Linsey (stolen from Team Pharrell)

 

Names in bold indicate those who have either freshly won and stayed on their teams, or been freshly stolen by another coach.  An asterisk indicates that the contestant was montaged.

 

So most of my predictions were right.  Lexi was shown in her audition, Bren'nae was not.  Easy choice that Lexi would win, though sucks for her that it was in a montage.  Koryn and Vance were both shown in their auditions, but they got montaged since this turns out to be an hour-long show.  Still, Koryn won like I thought she would.  Brooke was shown in her audition, while Bay was montaged.  So I'm not surprised that Brooke won, too.

 

On a side note, it has to suck for Bren'nae, part of a family with strong ties to music, got montaged her entire time on the show.

 

As for the shown battles, I'd protected Jeremy would get picked, so I was surprised when Christina went with Rob.  But Rob put more of himself out there than Jeremy did.  Sawyer was a shown, four-chair audition, while Noelle (to clarify for @Padma: not Nicole) was a montaged, one-chair audition.  No-brainer.  Bye-bye, Bybee!  I was wrong about Jacob.  I guess Blake really wanna stay loyal to country, so he went with Corey.  But I'm glad Jacob got stolen.  I really thought Jeremy would be, though.

 

Let's hope this ends the montages, though.  I want to see ALL of the Knockouts next week.

 

Finally, I find it delicious that NONE of the steals were from Adam's team.  Shows how weak his team is.  Seven of the steals cmae from either Blake or Pharrell's teams, and the last one from Christina's.

 

 

I appreciate you doing this Donny.  clap clap clap clap clap clap!

[Noreaster]

Donny Ketchum's list is indeed helpful.  But just as an fyi, the wikipedia page also keeps pretty good track and is fairly accurate (as far as I can tell). I often use it to double-check things when I post.  

[CajunGirl]

I really loved Noelle's voice in the duet with Sawyer. Her voice has a very ethereal quality (guess that's why Christina, in her critique, called it an "angel voice") and had their battle round been scheduled earlier in the competition when the coaches still had "steals" left, I have no doubt Blake would have snatched her right up. She does have that little "break" in her voice that's like catnip to Blake and of course he thinks "country." But I would love to hear her sing something like "Summertime" by The Sundays (or anything by The Sundays, for that matter) or "Bright as Yellow" by Innocence Mission (with vocalist Karen Peris). She has the perfect voice for that early 90s alt-indie sound.

I've read several recaps and comments comparing Sawyer to John Denver. I hear it, for sure. But I also hear some Jim Croce in there. I'm not sure how many people here remember him, but my Dad had all his albums and "Time in a Bottle" was the first song that ever moved me to tears as a child (I don't even think I knew what I was crying about...LOL.! But something about his voice just hit me in the feels).

So glad Pharrell saved his last steal for Jacob (who clearly won the battle with Corey), but it felt a little too perfect - like this was the *wink, wink* plan between Blake and Pharrell all along. I'm sure the coaches have been doing it since the steal was first implemented, but Pharrell is the first coach to make it so obvious (or maybe I just wasn't paying close enough attention?). Does anybody remember De'Borah from Season 3? She had such a unique voice and an infectiously happy disposition. Corey has that same uniqueness and positivity (is the kid ever NOT flashing those gorgeous teeth?) that makes me just want to root hard for him... or give him a motherly hug... or both.

It seems like there's plenty of talent in this group, but for some reason, this is the first season that I don't have a clear-cut favorite coming out of the battle rounds. Not sure yet if that means everyone is really good or everyone is kinda "meh." No matter what, I think the producers want a coach not named Blake or Adam to win this year, so I expect Christina and Pharrell to have the far superior teams heading into the live performances. The only things keeping one of them from winning would be terrible song choices (looking at you, Pharrell) or over-encouragement of over-singing (looking at you, Christina).

[loveoutloud]

Heard rumors about Anthony a few days ago, and some are speculating that he either refused to duet with the partner he was given OR hated the song and refused to sing it. Both seem like viable scenarios. I'm guessing Pharell may have given him a song outside his wheelhouse and instead of trying, he gave up. But you know, dude can sing anything, right? 

 

Again last night was a letdown for me. Maybe it's that most of the time is spent talking rather than hearing the contestants SING. I do love Trainor though, she can stay as a mentor for as long as she wants. I don't like her music lol, but her judgments have been spot on. 

[Donny Ketchum]

He is the street performer that said he could sing anything.

That sucks.  I liked Anthony a lot and would hate to find out he dropped out over something stupid or trivial.

 

Also, looking at my list again, the producers must like Pharrell's team or think it's a strong one if they could show all of his battles.  Every other team got at least one montaged pair (Blake got exactly one, Christina got two, and Adam got a whopping three!).

Edited March 19, 2015 by Donny Ketchum

[viajero]

I’m upset that they montaged Brooke and Koryn’s battles.  Those were two of my favorites coming out of the blinds.

 

Of the battles we did see, my favorite was Sawyer-Noelle.  I felt their voices perfectly complemented each other’s.  The other two battles were okay, but nothing special.  I do agree with those who thought Jacob was better than Corey.

 

Going into the next round, by top 5 on each team are (in order of preference):

 

Team Pharrell: 1. Sawyer, 2. Caitlin, 3. Hanna, 4. Mia, and 5. Anthony (assuming the rumors aren’t true)

 

Team Christina: 1. India, 2. Kimberly, 3. Koryn, 4. Ashley and 5. Sonic (in other terms, Team Diva)

 

Team Blake: 1. Meghan, 2. Brooke, 3. Travis, 4. Sarah and 5. Brian

 

Team Adam: 1. Joshua, 2. Deanna, 3. Clinton, 4. Tonya and 5. Lexi or Nathan (this one was tough because they montaged so many of his singers, but none of them are going to win anyway)

 

Not that I expect these are necessarily the people who are going to actually get through the next round.  For one, we know Blake is going to take at least one or two country singers, even though I liked his non-country singers better.  I also suspect that Xtina will put through at least one guy, just to give some diversity to her team (unless she can steal one).

 

Overall, I think Sawyer has to be considered the big front runner.  But there are several woman who are really good singers who could take advantage should he falter.  Frankly none of the other guys looks like a potential winner at this point, though I can't discount whichever of Blake's young country singers he decides to push (probably Cody?).

 

Taylor sounded great to me. The girl he sang against reminds me of the singer from ..... I don't know the name of the band but they did "Cool Kids."

 

 

Sydney Sierota of Echosmith.  And I agree that Noelle's voice is somewhat similar.  But of course Sydney would never win this competition.  She's a decent vocalist, but she just doesn't have one of those big rangy voices that would get votes.

[Sharpie66]

Sawyer is still my favorite to win the whole thing. He has a great voice (and yes, I'm hearing a bit of Croce as well--love that man's songs, and yes, they make me cry all the time!), and even though he is still so young, he was smart enough to dial it back for his duet with Noelle. But, I cannot wait to hear him return to his audition-level of intensity and strength.

 

Every season, I keep saying to myself, "Why oh why do they keep getting these babies to audition?" Well, people like Sawyer answer my question.

[Amy Beth]

Heard rumors about Anthony a few days ago, and some are speculating that he either refused to duet with the partner he was given OR hated the song and refused to sing it. Both seem like viable scenarios. I'm guessing Pharell may have given him a song outside his wheelhouse and instead of trying, he gave up. But you know, dude can sing anything, right?

The Knockout round is the only time the singers get carte blanche to choice their own songs. And they don't duet, it's two separate songs.

[Donny Ketchum]

Thank you!  Last night was my first night watching and when I heard the last name DeBarge, I wondered if she was from that family.

During the blinds, her audition was montaged, but during it, Carson's voiceover said that Bren'nae was indeed a descendent of the De'Barge family, though I'm not sure which brother is her father.

[Diana Berry]

Just listened to Sawyer with Noelle on iTunes. While watching the show , I really didn't listen to him as much as Noelle. Now listening on ITunes, I realize he was pretty fantastic. I never downloaded a Voice performance but I'm tempted. Looking forward to future performances.

[Noreaster]

The Knockout round is the only time the singers get carte blanche to choice their own songs. And they don't duet, it's two separate songs.

FYI, I recall several contestants saying that they don't really pick their own songs in the knockouts.  Might vary by season and by contestant.  Will post the interview links if I remember who they are and I can find them.

 

During the blinds, her audition was montaged, but during it, Carson's voiceover said that Bren'nae was indeed a descendent of the De'Barge family, though I'm not sure which brother is her father.

Bren'nae said that she married into the DeBarge family.  It's in one of the conference call links.  

[Donny Ketchum]

Bren'nae said that she married into the DeBarge family.  It's in one of the conference call links.  

Oh, she married into it?  Ah.  Then I can see why she was montaged now.  She'd have had to be biologically tied to them to be seen in full.

Team Christina: 1. India, 2. Kimberly, 3. Koryn, 4. Ashley and 5. Sonic (in other terms, Team Diva)

Interesting that you don't see Joe or Rob as very high on the list, @viajero.  What brought that about?

[viajero]

Interesting that you don't see Joe or Rob as very high on the list, viajero.  What brought that about?

 

 

I really wasn't all that impressed with Joe's audition and his battle was montaged. I do think Rob is pretty good, but not to the point that would move him ahead of the 5 women I listed from Christina's team (though I was undecided between him and Sonic for that 5th spot and in the end it came down to the fact that I simply rated her battle performance slightly higher than his).  But as I also posted, I suspect Christina will put one of the two guys through (probably Rob) just to keep some diversity on her team.  This of course means that she can only put through 3 of those 5 women.  Actually, its even worse than that because I suspect Treeva is capable of coming up with a really good performance now that she can pick her own song again and isn't forced way out of her comfort zone.  In sum, I hope that at least one or two of the women on Xtina's team are stolen.  It even might be an advantage if stolen by Adam, because that woman would have an easier route to the live shows.

Edited March 20, 2015 by viajero

[ToxicUnicorn]

Sawyer seems like the kind of person The Voice producers would want to push for the win, especially as his coach hasn't won.

 

Yes and for once, I would be ok with the person they are pushing.  Sawyer is actually unique, and I am starting to look forward to see what he does.  I liked his duet partner a lot, too.  Very lovely.  Pharrell is doing a much, much better job choosing songs this season.  I've enjoyed his battle pairs the most.  (Using wiki, but inspired by Donny Ketchum):

 

PHARRELL'S BATTLES

 

Put the gun down (Mia v Ashley)

Get ready (Anthony v Travis)

Don't let me down (Paul v Meghan)

Fallin' (Caitlin v Briar)

Hound dog (Lowell v Kimberly Nichole)

Have you ever seen the rain (Sawyer v Noelle)

 

CHRISTINA'S BATTLES

 

Masterpiece (Sonic v Ameera)

For the first time (Joe v Gabriel)

Addicted to Love (Treeva v Katelyn)

Stay (India v Clinton)

Animals (Rob v Jeremy)

Love Me Harder (Brooke v Bay)

 

BLAKE'S BATTLES:

 

Knockin' on heaven's door (Brian v Joshua)

Gimme shelter (Sarah v Hannah)

How country feels (Cody v Matt)

Fancy (Kelsie v Brenna)

Style (Brooke v Bay)

I want crazy (Corey v Jacob)

 

ADAM'S BATTLES:

 

P.Y.T. (Tonya v James)

Love me like you do (Deanna v Nicolette)

Thinking out loud (Nathan v Josh)

Rude (Blaze v Michael)

Feelin alright (Barry v Jack)

Unwritten (Lexi v Bren'nae)

[DownTheShore]

Oh, she married into it?  Ah.  Then I can see why she was montaged now.  She'd have had to be biologically tied to them to be seen in full.

I was thinking the same thing, because I was initially surprised that they were montaging a De'Barge because it would have seemed to be a no-brainer audience hook to show her, otherwise.

No soup for you, Mrs. De'Barge! LOL

[realdancemom]

I'm rooting for Sawyer for the win too.  I was impressed with him from his audition and was looking forward to his battle.  He had to rein it in a little but he was still good.  I also really liked Lowell's and Kimberly's battle.  I'm glad both of them are still on a team.

[ToxicUnicorn]

Sawyer's battle may become the highest-charting non-live-round song on The Voice ever. It's currently at #19 and still gaining.

This surprises me.  His audition was really strong, I admit, and I thought he and his partner sounded lovely --- if you're only listening for their voices and you don't care about the song  If you do care about the song?  I  found it painfully slow.  No disrespect intended towards the contestants, at all, but I thought whoever chose the tempo butchered the song.

Edited March 21, 2015 by ToxicUnicorn

[mercfan3]

The studio is excellent. My guess is it got high enough on the charts for people to see, and some people who aren't show viewers bought it. Its one of the best studios I've heard from the show. 

 

I will say, Sawyer sounds fantastic in studio in general. Some of the younger contestants can struggle a bit there for various reasons, but he's as solid as he is live. 

 

I think some didn't notice how good he was in the battle because most of the battle was edited so that he was singing the harmony part as opposed to the melody. (It's likely that the whole song was performed when Pharrell chose as well.) It makes Noelle stick out more.