S10.E07: The Battles Premiere, Part 2

[Tara Ariano]

The battle round continues. The advisers are Sean "Diddy" Combs, Tori Kelly, Patti LaBelle and Gwen Stefani.

[PhD-Purgatory15]

Well then, the fact that I'm the first post pretty much tells you everything you need to know about this episode. The paint-by-numbers nature of battles every season seems to suck all the drama out of the show. The inevitability factor is crushing at times.

 

Shalyah and Tamar: Again, why are these two paired up again? Shalyah and Malik probably had the most "upside" out of everyone on Xtina's team (of course, Alisan is the supernova who probably won't be touched till the finale if then. Yawn). And now both are gone to Pharrell. Tamar is one of these solid industry insiders (as a back up singer and actress in her case) that show up on the Voice every season. I do think Xtina went strategic with her pick and kept Tamar, because she was more confident that Shalyah would tempt one of the other three coaches into using a steal.

 

Justin and Mary Sarah: This is when I think Blake is possibly the dumbest coach. On what planet are both Mary Sarah and Justin vintage country? Justin was the epitome of modern/current country radio.....and now he's gone. In part because all of these old country songs that Blake loves are more pure duets. They don't give his artists the chance to wail and show off their vocal gymnastics (which I generally hate), which doesn't bode well when you are trying to coax a steal. I thought Mary Sarah won the actual battle pretty comfortably and have to believe she's on track to make Blake's team for the live shows.

 

Nick and Jessica: No surprise that Pharrell went with Nick. Mild surprise that Adam stole Jessica. There's always a couple of undeserving steals, and this was one for me. I'll be annoyed next week when a few of my favorites like Moushumi, Owen, Angie, and Emily are battling and pretty much have no shot at a steal to save them even if they contribute to a killer battle. Still didn't quite live up to Preston Pohl's epic blind audition of Electric Feel....

 

Kata and Chelsea: If you had not watched any of the blinds, and just watched the package with Patti and then the performance you would've thought that Chelsea won that in a TKO. But......knowing that Kata had the ridiculous interactions with the judges and the kiss w/ Xtina, and Chelsea got 6 seconds of screen time, you knew that Xtina would pick the undeserving and wildly pitchy Kata. Because....The Voice.

 

Natalie and Nate: Missed due to the all important Ohio election results (At least we didn't vote Trump lol). Both would be near the bottom of my personal rankings so I'm happy a steal wasn't used. Sad that we won't see Natalie's cute daughter again though.

 

Maya and Hannah: Amazingly, Diddy acquitted himself pretty well as a coach mentor. I prefer Hannah's vocal style to Maya's slightly so I'm happy that Pharrell kept her and I don't really have too many issues with Maya ending up on Team Xtina. I also think the streak of final battle of the night steals pretty much stays in tact.

Edited March 16, 2016 by PhD-Purgatory15

[kathyk24]

I don't like country music very much but I love Mary Sarah. I don't know what Christina sees in Kata I think Kata yells rather than sings.

[Oscirus]

Well then, the fact that I'm the first post pretty much tells you everything you need to know about this episode

 

To be fair, I would've posted sooner but I don't watch these till late.

 

That Blake Christina moment that y'all spent the whole episode setting up wasn't nearly as clever as you guys thought it was. It was worth a giggle at best. After repeated showings it was just meh. onto the performances.

 

Shaylah vs Tamara- They did good on that song and they both have a set of pipes on them, but I wonder how far they'll make it in this. It was a good battle and an excellent way to showcase the singer's talent. No idea why Pharell needed to steal two singers of the same type, but I can't really complain about the steal. xtina picked the right winner.

 

Jessica vs Nick- Felt more like the battle to be fodder in the next round. Nick did ok and probably deserved the win a bit too much falsetto for my taste but  sure.  I don't get why Adam used a steal. Especially when his reason for the steal had nothing to do with her current performance.

 

Justin vs Mary- Mary did just what she was supposed to do and slaughtered Justin. I can see why she's a front runner for Team Blake.  Justin was competent on the song but not much else.

 

Chelsea vs Kata- I would comment on the travesty of justice that occurred in this battle, but since I doubt either would've made it past the next round anyway, the pick didn't really matter.

 

Natalie vs Nate- I loved Natalie's voice here. I can see why he picked Nate, but I actually saw more upside with Natalie.  That daughter is way too cute. I loved their last scene.

 

Hannah vs Maya- Once Pharell got those two steals, the winner of this contest was all but a foregone conclusion. That being said, Hannah more then held her own against Maya and definitely deserved the win. I agree with the other coaches that she was friggin intense. Even when she was just standing there listening to the coaches. Maya can go far in the comp, but she's going to have to get over her nerves. I loved that part at the end where they congratulated each other. Also P diddy did a great job coaching the ladies.

[kj4ever]

i guessed all the outcomes before they even happened and was right.  I thought for sure I'd be wrong about Kata after they performed, but GOD why did Christina pick her?  She is getting up there in the top annoying Voice contestants ever, and she's only been on the screen twice.  She's awful and to my ears she totally lost that battle.

 

I was pleasantly surprised just how good Diddy/Puff/Sean Combs was.  He was really good.  Tori Kelly was pretty good too.  She didn't bug me when she sang like it does when Christina does, which is probably just my personal prejudice against Christina.  It seemed like she was helping not showing off/making it about her like it always seems (to me) when Christina does it.

[PepperMonkey]

I don't get the Kata thing at all. I guess they need more fodder as they move forward???

 

Otherwise, I just don't get it.

[Keekski]

Kata can go home now. I can't believe (well, I can) Xtina picked her!

[Primetimer]

Some come to play, but most come to earn their spots, as the second night of Battles forces artists to prove their worth.

Read the story

[realdancemom]

I haven't watched yesterday's show yet but Kata bugged me the first time. 

[kj4ever]

Question....The Voice has always been pretty good about montaging bad battles/knock outs.  Why on Earth did they not montage Kata/Chelsea???  Kata is getting tons and tons of hate over it on The Voice facebook page.  I mean being montaged probably would have helped her more than showing it.  She's annoying and IMHO shouldn't have won but God would it suck to have a bunch of haters after you.

[Duke Silver]

I won't be bugged about Kata unless she makes it past the Knock-Outs (or whatever they're calling it this season).  I can't get worked-up about her being kept as I don't see either of that battle pairing as contenders.

 

I kinda get the love Ryan gets in some quarters, but he seems so....sterile/antiseptic to me.  Dude can sing high, though, for sure.

 

I am totally all-in when it comes to Mary Sarah, in terms of her talent.  I think she has it all.  Unfortunately, she sings music I just don't/can't enjoy.  If Blake doesn't have her do something at least more modern, my support for her will be a slow burn and in spirit only.

 

I think Hannah can do some damage until Pharrell inevitably exclusively throws '70's/'80's songs at her.

 

The rest of the contestants from this night just didn't really register for me.

 

Disclaimer:  about the only genre of music I can say I do not like is country; I tend to lean towards R&B (when it is done exceptionally well, that is; when not done well, especially on these reality shows, that genre induces more train-wrecks than any other, IMO)

[DownTheShore]

I was laughing to myself when Christina chose "Lady Marmalade".

I happen to like that song, but I read an article about Patti LaBelle several years ago in which she was either a judge for some singing contest or was auditioning singers for something, and the point was gently made about how tired she was of hearing people choose that song as their audition song when they knew that they were going to be singing before her. She's heard it sung, badly, to her hundreds of times but has had to act like it was a completely novel idea on the singers' part so as to not discourage them.

[Oscirus]

Question....The Voice has always been pretty good about montaging bad battles/knock outs.  Why on Earth did they not montage Kata/Chelsea???  Kata is getting tons and tons of hate over it on The Voice facebook page.  I mean being montaged probably would have helped her more than showing it.  She's annoying and IMHO shouldn't have won but God would it suck to have a bunch of haters after you.

 

 

I think she's supposed to be the new Cody. Getting by more on her attitude then on her talent.  Which means they have to highlight it.  While I agree that Chelsea should've won, I don't see the big deal. it wasn't like Chelsea was going to set this contest on fire.

[Padma]

I feel bad for Kata, too. She was the only person I took a dislike to during the blinds, but watching her this week, I think she's being honest about the ADD and that she just comes across, as a person, as trying too hard. That probably seems very different in person--maybe even likable and charismatic, as Christina (of all people) said. The editors probably didn't realize how anti-Kata feelings would grow and snowball. Watching and listening to her this week, really, she didn't do or say anything at all to earn the hate. (Also not anything to make her seem like Cody on tv--maybe in person. He was kind of a lovable underdog). She can sing, of course, but I'll be surprised if she survives a knockout.

 

I get the feeling this season that Xtina really -can- be a bit bitchy, as charged, off camera. But she's putting so much more energy and fun into her coaching and judging than ever before that I really don't care. (And I totally agree with the person who said the Blake v. Christina "battles" for someone are mostly just to make her look genuinely competitive when in reality she's probably just getting a lot of one chair turns. It's working, though.)  Also, I appreciate that she actually criticizes the singers and there are times (with others' teams) where you can see her basically saying she didn't think they were very good and is reluctantly trying to find something positive to say..

 

I don't know if that's sincere or gamesmanship, but I like that she actually talks to them about their pitch and tone and dynamics and performance and criticizes things. As for her style, I hate that she always gets her women shouting and screaming, but I have to admit, I really enjoyed (all the) performances of Lady Marmalade and also seeing how much having Patti there meant to some on the team, even moving them to tears. I'd cry, too, being coached in a singing competition not only by Xtina by Patti La Belle! .So much better as a lifetime memory than AI where they are still stuck with Scott Borchetta.

[realdancemom]

I didn't think Kata was that bad on Tuesday.  She was too much for me during the blinds.  I didn't think Chelsea or Kata were good during the battle.  If I had to choose, I would say Chelsea because her pitch was better.  However, her voice needed to be more edgier for their song.

[DarkRaichu]

I feel bad for Kata, too. She was the only person I took a dislike to during the blinds, but watching her this week, I think she's being honest about the ADD and that she just comes across, as a person, as trying too hard. That probably seems very different in person--maybe even likable and charismatic, as Christina (of all people) said. The editors probably didn't realize how anti-Kata feelings would grow and snowball. Watching and listening to her this week, really, she didn't do or say anything at all to earn the hate. (Also not anything to make her seem like Cody on tv--maybe in person. He was kind of a lovable underdog). She can sing, of course, but I'll be surprised if she survives a knockout.

 

I get the feeling this season that Xtina really -can- be a bit bitchy, as charged, off camera. But she's putting so much more energy and fun into her coaching and judging than ever before that I really don't care. (And I totally agree with the person who said the Blake v. Christina "battles" for someone are mostly just to make her look genuinely competitive when in reality she's probably just getting a lot of one chair turns. It's working, though.)  Also, I appreciate that she actually criticizes the singers and there are times (with others' teams) where you can see her basically saying she didn't think they were very good and is reluctantly trying to find something positive to say..

 

I don't know if that's sincere or gamesmanship, but I like that she actually talks to them about their pitch and tone and dynamics and performance and criticizes things. As for her style, I hate that she always gets her women shouting and screaming, but I have to admit, I really enjoyed (all the) performances of Lady Marmalade and also seeing how much having Patti there meant to some on the team, even moving them to tears. I'd cry, too, being coached in a singing competition not only by Xtina by Patti La Belle! .So much better as a lifetime memory than AI where they are still stuck with Scott Borchetta.

Lol I thought Xtina toned down her bitchy-ness and criticism this season. IIRC she was more critical in earlier seasons

 

As for Kata, the song was suited better for her type of voice, yet Chelsea still performed the song better (IMHO) than her.  And yes, I know even in a show called "the Voice", "personality" is still an important part of the "package"

[bluepiano]

The talent is fairly impressive this year. As deep if not deeper than any season I remember. It's definitely showing up American Idol, in its final season, as the travesty it's become. Even the more generic singers on The Voice this year are better than anyone in Idol's top 12. In large part because they're older and more emotionally and musically mature. Even the one 15 year old on The Voice (Shalyah) is a lot better than any of the teens that Idol foisted on America.

 

The only issue for me tonight is that I just didn't like many of the songs picked for battles. Some of them actually didn't play to the strengths of either singer.

 

I do like Mary Sarah, and think she's got the ability to do a lot more country. Her blinds choice of "Where the Boys Are" showed that. (Still wondering how she came up with a Connie Francis song from 1961. What an interesting choice). I actually thought Justin did well in that battle too, though no way Blake wasn't going with MS. I thought he deserved a steal as much as some of the people who got them.

Edited March 17, 2016 by bluepiano

[PamelaMaeSnap]

I do like Mary Sarah, and think she's got the ability to do a lot more country. Her blinds choice of "Where the Boys Are" showed that. (Still wondering how she came up with a Connie Francis song from 1961. What an interesting choice). 

 

While this may have NOTHING to do with why/how she chose "WTBA," I can say that for at least the last 40 years or so, this has been a surprisingly popular audition song for those lucky individuals (like Mary Sarah) who have the pipes to pull it off ... while it has not gotten a lot of radio play and isn't in the public domain as much as many other songs from that era, it's a not-so-secret weapon for singers with the chops for it ... probably because it somehow straddles the line between being pure pop, country and kitschy retro. 

 

And personally, speaking as someone who did musical theatre back in the day (and did NOT have the chops for this), I got goosebumps listening to her blind ... I'm not a big country fan (okay, I'm not a country fan at all) but I am all in on her after hearing that. She may have done the best rendition I have EVER heard of it and I've heard a lot of them (that said, I was meh on the battle round song but that's more because I think she could have been juggling flaming buzzsaws and tying cherry stems with her tongue while singing it and it STILL would have been a boring song). 

[viajero]

I don't dispute that Mary Sarah has a great voice and is an accomplished performer, but she's now 2 for 2 doing songs that I really don't like.  While I recognized that WTBA may be great for auditions, I guess i just can't get past my strong dislike for that song going all the way back to when I was a kid and my father used to play it way too often (Connie Francis was his favorite female vocalist back in those days.  Fortunately, his favorite male vocalist at the time was Rodger Daltrey, about whom I had no complaints). I also don't think that this Mississippi Boys song did much to show off her vocal talents.

 

The contestant who most intrigued me most in this episode was Hannah Huston, who did a great job on a much more difficult song.  Her blind audition had already impressed me, particularly after watching it again.  I also kind of like the dorky intensity with which she sings.  It helps that she's now 2 for 2 doing songs that I do like.  I just wish she had a better fashion sense.  I rarely notice such things, but the contrast to Maya was pretty stark. Blake was right that Maya looked like a star. I just hope Pharrell keeps giving Hannah songs that are more contemporary.

 

The other contestant who really impressed me was Tamar Davis.  I thought she gave us one of the best all around performances of the season so far.  She got pretty much everything right.  It was so much better than her blind audition.

 

Biggest disappointment was Nick, who basically ruined Electric Feel by seemingly trying to the whole thing in falsetto. Not that Jessica was much better.  For me, she's the only questionable steal so far.

 

While I agree with many that Chelsea outsung Kata, I can sort of understand Christina's decision.  Kata did a better job of delivering the grit and conviction that the song requires.  I guess it helps that I find Kata to be more entertaining than annoying, at least in small doses.  In any case, given the strength of Christina's team, she should be fodder in the next round.