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S11.E10: The Battles, Part 3


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Miley has come up with some atypical song choices, I'll give her that. No sympathy for Joan Jett, who could at least try to stay awake in exchange for the pay check she'll be cashing. Has anyone ever looked less like they want to be on this show?

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I notice that the battles that tend to get montaged are the female/female ones. Subtle bias on their part I think. There were some male/male battles tonight that were real snoozefests and should probably have been chosen over them.

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Team rosters/cheat sheets thus far:

Team Adam
Riley Elmore (defeated Natasha Bure)
Billy Gilman (defeated Andrew DeMuro)
Ponciano Seoane (defeated Elia Esparza)*
Nolan Neal (defeated Johnny Rez)
Simone Gundy (defeated JSOUL)*

Jason Warrior (stolen from Team Alicia)
Dave Moisan (stolen from Team Alicia)

(Still Waiting)
Brendan Fletcher
Bindi Liebowitz

Team Miley
Ali Caldwell (defeated Courtnie Ramirez)
Sophia Urista (defeated Lane Mack)
Josette Diaz (defeated Charity Bowden)*
Maye Thomas (defeated Khaliya Kimberlie)*
Darby Walker (defeated Karlee Metzger)
Aaron Gibson (defeated Sa'Rayah)

Lauren Diaz (stolen from Team Alicia)
Josh Halverson (stolen from Team Alicia)

Team Alicia
Christian Cuevas (defeated Jason Warrior)
Wé McDonald (defeated Lauren Diaz)
Michael Sanchez (defeated Dave Moisan)
Belle Jewel (defeated Halle Tomlinson)*
Kylie Rothfield (defeated Josh Halverson)

Courtnie Ramirez (stolen from Team Miley)
Sa'Rayah (stolen from Team Miley)

(Still Waiting)
Gabriel Violett
Whitney & Shannon

Team Blake
Sundance Head (defeated Dan Shafer)
Courtney Harrell (defeated Ethan Tucker)
Josh Gallagher (defeated Blaine Long)
Dana Harper (defeated Tarra Layne)*
Gabe Broussard (defeated Christian Fermin)
Karlee Metzger (stolen from Team Miley)

(Still Waiting)
Austin Allsup
Preston James

Names in bold indicate an artist who has either newly Battled and stayed on his or her team or has been stolen by another coach.  An asterisk indicates that this artist's Battle was montaged.

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So this was a pretty decent night.  There were some yawners of Battles, but a couple that I enjoyed.

Johnny vs. Nolan: I mostly ignored this Battle.  Adam wasn't gonna toss one of his four-chair turns, so I knew Nolan would get through.  Poor Johnny, but at the same time . . . he picked Adam, the coach who'll promise the moon to the artists he wants and then dump them when he no longer needs them.  He reaped what he sowed.

Darby vs. Karlee: I actually liked their voices together.  And they managed to have a Battle that didn't involving belting, yelling, or shouting!  What a concept, huh?  I actually disagreed with Miley on this one.  No doubt Adam, Alicia, and Blake had it right that Karlee took this from a vocal standpoint.  But I can also see what Miley meant by a performance standpoint.  Darby's little scamper over to Karlee during the Battle reminded me fondly of Hannah Kirby's scamper over to Sarah Potenza in their "Gimme Shelter" Battle back in season eight.  And it was clear that Miley was eating Darby's performance up, as much as she might've loved Karlee's voice.  So looking at the way Miley thinks, I can see why Darby won.  But I'm glad that Karlee was stolen.  I think Blake is a good match for her.  But on a more shallow note, I loved Karlee's Battle outfit!  But what in the name of all that's holy was Darby wearing?!  In what world did she think that would be a good look on her?!

Blaine vs. Josh G.: When Blake kept fawning over Josh's "contemporary" country voice, I knew he'd have to screw up massively for Blaine to win.  Even Blaine knew he had no chance.  And even then, the Battle was pretty boring.  I had to watch it twice to keep my attention on it the whole way through.  I guess Josh won, but I might've gone with Blaine, anyway, since he turned three chairs to Josh's two.  But Blake almost never goes against his country roots, so Blaine was toast.

Josh H. vs. Kylie: Yes, yes, I know.  "House of the Rising Sun" has been done to death.  But I still think they both did an amazing job with it, and it was the first time it's been done in a Battle setting.  I liked the way their voices went so well together.  But I think Alicia made the right choice by going with Kylie.  She showcased her voice and her range a lot better than Josh did.  Still, Josh did well enough that I think he deserved Miley's steal.

Christian vs. Gabe: So can we now stop the complaints of Asians being montaged?  I'm actually gonna eat crow to @Kromm and admit that Gabe . . . just isn't that good.  I actually don't know what Adam, Miley, and Alicia were smoking when they said they'd have chosen him.  Christian knocked my socks off in that Battle, while Gabe was . . . just okay.  I have a very sick feeling that Blake is planning on making Gabe his Jake Worthington (who was even more useless, and he even looks like him) and take him farther than he deserves.

Aaron vs. Sa'Rayah: They truly did save Miley's best Battle for last.  I loved this Battle!  They both had excellent voices that actually blended shockingly well together!  Sa'Rayah, I think, performed better, but I think Miley did the right thing by going with pure vocals this time and picking Aaron.  Besides, I think Sa'Rayah will do much better with Alicia.  I just hope Alicia passes her through the Knockouts.

Montages:

Surprised to see montages in a Monday episode.  They usually happen in Tuesday ones.  That said, I was shocked to see Dana montaged.  She'd been presented as one of Blake's contenders, so I'd have thought that her Battle would've been shown.  But since she was a three-chair, shown Blind going up against a one-chair, montaged Blind, it was obvious that she was going through and Tarra was going home.  I was very surprised that Alicia passed Belle, a one-chair, montaged Blind, to the Knockouts over Halle, a two-chair, shown audition.  But I fear that Belle's on her way to getting the Rebekah Samarin/Katherine Ho treatment and going out on a montaged, losing Knockout.  And finally, Simone was a two-chair, shown audition up against JSOUL, a one-chair, montaged audition.  Of course Adam would keep her.  Too bad.  I love fat guys, and as much as I hated his stage name/alias, JSOUL's big body was pretty at which to look.

Well, there was a benefit to montages on a Monday.  It saved any doubt about Tuesday truly having the last three Battles with no question of who'll be shown and who'll be montaged.  Now we just have three simple Battles -- Bindi vs. Brendan from Team Adam, Gabriel vs. Whitney & Shannon from Team Alicia, and Austin vs. Preston from Team Blake.  Team Miley's Battles are complete, as is her team for the Knockouts.  And Blake has the last steal.  I'm interested in seeing how it goes down tomorrow!

Edited by Michel
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33 minutes ago, Michel said:

But Blake almost never goes against his country roots, so Blaine was toast.

I don't think that was the reason. Blaine didn't push himself while Josh did. Blake has had a few singers before with great  voices that don't push themselves and they always fizzled out. I think he realized that a few seasons ago that having the better voice is not always the way to go. One thing I give Blake credit for is that he is the best in knowing how the industry work. He is limited by the people who pick him as their coach but he usually got an shot at winning. This year is doesn't have much to work with.

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If ever a battle needed to be montaged, I give you Gabe vs. Christian. Yeesh.....on a Hoobastank song to boot. Anyway on Team Blake country-ish beats non-country (particularly in a guy/guy battle or KO) almost all the time so no surprise there. Nolan over Johnny Rez had just as little drama. They could've montaged this battle for a more competitive one had they wanted to...

I cannot stand that style of weird over emoting Aaron and SaRayah were doing. I would've cut both of them, and yet they are still here and people with legimately pleasant and interesting voices to listen to like Ethan and Halle are not. Eh. I was hoping Miley would be an anecdote to some of this vocal over-the-topness that infects the Voice every season not an enabler of it :-(

Josh is more current than Blaine which was always going to give him the advantage, I agree with the upthread notion that Blaine didn't really stretch at all with this song, he kept it too much in the pocket whereas Josh went for it in spots and deservedly got the win. Too bad, as I thought Blaine had one of the 5-7 best blinds of the whole season.

Generally dislike that Brand New Key song but Karlee and Darby did a pretty decent job with it. Karlee is at least country-adjacent with that yodel thing she does, so she might have a fighting chance on Team Blake (although he tends to not keep his battle steals around very long). Darby reminds me a little of Korinne, post-Gwen makeover.

So obviously Blake can't steal his Austin/Preston loser (which will be Preston, I'd bet money on it) so that leaves just two battles left. If Alicia is crazy and lets her sister duo go Blake will be all over that in a heartbeat. IMO I don't think that'll happen. Which more than likely leaves him the loser of Brendan/Bindi on Team Adam. I'll say Adam keeps Brendan, and gives Blake Bindi to go up against (and probably lose to) either Dana or Courtney in a KO...

Edited by PhD-Purgatory15
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10 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

The final duet reminded me of Mylie with Robin Thicke doing "Blurred Lines," only classier.

This is the second time I've moved this comment into the correct thread. Please don't make me do it a third!

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I liked Brand New Key, thought Karlee was better vocally so glad Blake saved her. I knew Miley would choose Darby though for "attractiveness + quirky look/performance".  And I don't disagree because, God knows, that's a big part of the business.

No, I'm not going to stop whining about Asians being montaged on this show. Not that that was much of a battle (I would have, however, chosen Christian), but it was a no-brainer that Blake would advance the cute 15 year old instead (which is why it was shown at all, imo. I agree that he may see him as another Jake Worthington.) 

I didn't like much of anything about "...Rising Sun"  I thought there was no reason to push Kylie for stress her voice by singing much higher than she was--it added nothing, imo.  I kind of hated Josh's vocal affectations, but I thought he'd advance over her. I was glad Alicia saved, but not surprised when Miley saved him.  Not sure what Adam meant by "it's the most difficult song in the world" or whatever he said. Other than being done to death, I don't see why.

I enjoyed Blaine, but at 40, didn't expect him to beat Josh. (Hopefully Blake will get rid of that baseball cap. Really, Bette? You picked on Blaine over his jeans, but that cap was fine to you? Ugh.) Josh's "sound that could be on the radio now" translated to me as "fine, but very generic."

And speaking of Bette, I was getting major bitch vibes from her and, to my great surprise (as I thought she'd be more like Cher) did not like her at all.  Even as edited, you could see her playing favorites, and making personal comments that could undermine the confidence of the non-favorite. (Picking on Blaine for his jeans in kind of a nasty way, and another rude comment that I've forgotten.  Likewise with Gabe and Christian. I thought telling Gabe, in front of his competition, "You're just the most adorable thing ever!" was not nice, it was mean. Also, not true. Things like that aren't anything you can change, they boost confidence for one but undermine it for another. You never see the regular coaches playing those mind games--they're careful and balanced with both praise and criticism probably knowing how easy it is, under that pressure, to undermine confidence and throw off a performance.  She's the only person I've seen who I didn't think had good chemistry with Blake.  I know she has an ascerbic sense of humor, but I didn't like her at all.)

We didn't hear a lot of big voice, vocal straining with runs" which I always think of as "Christina style", although maybe it's the Voice vocal coaches who are responsible. Anyway, "restraint" is welcome with all that.

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That Aaron vs. Sa'Rayah battle was a whole different level. It was more like a duet and a real performance than a battle, and I think Alicia chose the exactly right word when she said the performance was well "crafted". I'm impressed by Miley as a coach, especially if she had a hand in the choreography and staging choices. Fanbase, +1, success.

Edited by Gel
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1 hour ago, huahaha said:

This is my first season watching the voice. Basically, the battle round consists of weeding out the older contestants, yes?

Yes but not exclusively.  You know when several or all turn around and not one coach pleads to be chosen?  The one who gets that singer usually puts them up in the first battle round against a stunner.   Mistakes are made and those go up against a strong contender.  

Edited by wings707
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14 minutes ago, wings707 said:

Yes but not exclusively.  You know when several or all turn around and not one coach pleads to be chosen?  The one who gets that singer usually puts them up in the first battle round against a stunner.   Mistakes are made and those go up against a strong contender.  

Makes me sad. I thought the blinds were a nice thing. This is kind of like removing name and gender from resumes, then only hiring the young white guys who come in.

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9 minutes ago, huahaha said:

Makes me sad. I thought the blinds were a nice thing. This is kind of like removing name and gender from resumes, then only hiring the young white guys who come in.

The blinds are a nice thing.  Google past contestants and you will see a good cross section in appearance.  They don't only choose pretty white boys.  

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I thought that Christian vs. Gabe was a giant snooze fest between two bland singers, and I can't believe that some of the montaged battles weren't more entertaining.

13 hours ago, PhD-Purgatory15 said:

I cannot stand that style of weird over emoting Aaron and SaRayah were doing.

SaRayah especially for me. Was it Alicia who actually said that "she held back," or something to that effect, because I thought it was one of the worst examples of over-singing and over-emoting I've seen on this show, and that's saying something. I also don't ever remember one singer actually touching another one's face, which she did more than once. I give a lot credit to Aaron, because that could've easily thrown him off but it didn't. If it wasn't an actual tactic she was using, I do think it was an attempt to upstage him. So I'm glad Aaron one.

9 hours ago, Padma said:

I liked Brand New Key, thought Karlee was better vocally so glad Blake saved her. I knew Miley would choose Darby though for "attractiveness + quirky look/performance". 

I enjoyed Blaine, but at 40, didn't expect him to beat Josh. (Hopefully Blake will get rid of that baseball cap. Really, Bette? You picked on Blaine over his jeans, but that cap was fine to you? Ugh.) Josh's "sound that could be on the radio now" translated to me as "fine, but very generic."

Yes, Darby is cute as a button, and I actually liked her singing on "Key," as well as Karlee's.  But I think that Miley was probably seeing Darby as someone who could be a protégé, and that factored into her choice. (And what is it with all the teen girls and those hats? I would say it's the Annie Hall look, but these girls are probably much too young to know that movie.

I enjoyed Blaine's blinds performance a lot, and his humble personality, so I'm sad he's gone. He was obviously toast against a guy who Blake says, "could be on the radio now," which he means as a huge compliment. To my ears he also sounded completely generic. But generic country is Blake's meat and potatoes.

I also thought Bette Midler's comment about Blaine's pants was uncalled for. It was only a rehearsal. And I've seen guys wear uglier outfits over the years, even on stage. Bette's been a disappointment to me. My favorite mentor has turned out to be Charlie, who I never even heard of before.

Edited by bluepiano
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Johnny vs. Nolan: I feel like this was obviously going to go to Nolan as he was a 4 chair turn. Johnny did try his best though. And I overall enjoyed their preformance.

Darby vs. Karlee:  They both did great and was my favorite of the episode. I feel like Karlee was the better singer and Darby was the better performer. I am glad they are both are going on :).

Blaine vs. Josh G.:  I was bored to tears and got distracted through their intro and performance.

Josh H. vs. Kylie: I liked this one and liked Josh's creepy expressions, some how it fits with the song lol. I actually would have said he won, but oh well at least he is staying on.

Christian vs. Gabe: Christan totally should have one this. I'm sorry I don't what was so great with Gabe's preformance. I feel that Christan was the better singer and held my attention a lot more.

Aaron vs. Sa'Rayah: Not really my style of music but I'm sure they were good.

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Wow, I guess I watched a different show - I thought it was a great episode.

It's funny to me that people complain about over-singing and contestants being too dramatic, but then they call the 'subdued' battles "boring".

I really dig Gabe - I love his voice and I like his shy, awkward stage presence, which just reads as being sincere to me. Christian had a nice voice, but there was very little character there. Contrast with Johnny, who also had a nice voice in that it was pure and on the thin side, but his had more distinction and character. If I heard Christian sing, I couldn't pick it out of any other thousands of nice, pleasant voices.

I'm ecstatic that Alicia picked Kylie (Kylee?) over Josh. IMO, Josh has style but little substance, whereas Kylie is a solid vocalist who can probably do a lot with her voice, and fit into many styles (even though the blues sound great on her). But I do think that Josh will be good with Miley - I just hope she can coach him on actual vocal technique. I think he needs to learn how to open up and not pinch/cut off his notes.

I very strongly dislike Darby and her affectations - I couldn't discern any of the lyrics she was singing. Karlee is the kind of young indie female artist that I could get behind though - she has the quirky affectations but the vocal power to back them up. Really lovely and pure voice that could also turn into a belt, as seen in her blind. I think that Blake will be great for her, as he loves the quirky type singers, and country would suit her sound well.

I LOVED Aaron and Sa'Rayah. LOVED. I've never heard that song, but I'm going to go download it ASAP, which I've never felt compelled to do while watching this show. Aaron is the kind of artist I'd want to listen to, and I think that Miley is the right person to work with him on his stage presence - plus I think she can get him to do some interesting songs with that bluesy/Tom Waits sound of his. Actually, I'd love for him to do a TW song - think that would be killer. Also, I didn't find Sa'Rayah to be too hammy - I thought she sold the song perfectly, and her voice is so beautiful. That was a tough battle to call.

Finally, I'm really loving the coaches this season. I think they finally got the chemistry right, and I love how supportive Alicia and Miley are of one another. Christina is my favorite vocalist of all time, but I don't know that her personality was right for the show. Alicia and Miley seem really into it, and I've been impressed with the quality of their coaching so far.

Oh, and to the person upthread who maligned Bette Middler - how dare you?!?!

I kid, I kid. I get that her humor isn't for everyone, but I love her style. We don't know what she said to the other contestants that wasn't shown....plus, how awkward and forced to feel like you have to give the other guy a compliment every time you say something nice to someone!

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Oh man, the song choices this week...a lot of 70s and 80s, so boring.  I don't think the montages were any better either based on the clips that we saw.  Actually, the one with the two young women looked pretty horrible.  I guess it's good that the coaches/producers/whoever are choosing songs that haven't been done that much on this show, but maybe there's a reason why those songs haven't been done before?  A couple of my favorite performances this week were songs that have been done multiple times: "House of the Rising Sun" and "Home".   

Edited by Noreaster
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16 hours ago, huahaha said:

This is my first season watching the voice. Basically, the battle round consists of weeding out the older contestants, yes?

It's always a mix.  They also get rid of some really young contestants who generally don't perform as well due to inexperience.  But yeah, it's rare for coaches to advance contestants over 40 (also not many are invited to the blind auditions to begin with).  Marketability matters.  

13 hours ago, bluepiano said:

SaRayah especially for me. Was it Alicia who actually said that "she held back," or something to that effect, because I thought it was one of the worst examples of over-singing and over-emoting I've seen on this show, and that's saying something. I also don't ever remember one singer actually touching another one's face, which she did more than once. I give a lot credit to Aaron, because that could've easily thrown him off but it didn't. If it wasn't an actual tactic she was using, I do think it was an attempt to upstage him. So I'm glad Aaron one.

I bet Sa'rayah touching Aaron's face was choreographed.  There has also been some physical contact on some other performances this season (the Bindi/Brendan one and the piano player one).  

Edited by Noreaster
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I am always amused by complaints about “over singing” versus the “flat line” singing that seems to be in vogue today.

I have no illusions any “Belter” will ever win this show (Aretha would not win).    I enjoy them while they are there and move on when the last have been eliminated.

There really should be two shows:  The Voice Pre-1990 and The Voice Post-1989.

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2 hours ago, Tony Williams said:

I am always amused by complaints about “over singing” versus the “flat line” singing that seems to be in vogue today.

I have no illusions any “Belter” will ever win this show (Aretha would not win).    I enjoy them while they are there and move on when the last have been eliminated.

There really should be two shows:  The Voice Pre-1990 and The Voice Post-1989.

I don't know what "flat line" singing is. But I do agree with Blake that I like it when a singer attacks the note cleanly, doesn't sneak up on it from a lower note or over-extend it once s/he hits it.  Dynamics are also important to not overdo, imo. That was one thing I hated about Christina's singers (others had this too, but hers stood out because she took so many whose style I liked in the blinds and "transformed" them into belters--not good imo.)  The idea that "louder is better" and "runs are always good" (no one actually said these things on the show--just seems like it!) is really, really annoying.  I thought this week's songs were generally more restrained than usual. Hope it continues in the knockouts!

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1 hour ago, Padma said:

I don't know what "flat line" singing is. But I do agree with Blake that I like it when a singer attacks the note cleanly, doesn't sneak up on it from a lower note or over-extend it once s/he hits it.  Dynamics are also important to not overdo, imo. That was one thing I hated about Christina's singers (others had this too, but hers stood out because she took so many whose style I liked in the blinds and "transformed" them into belters--not good imo.)  The idea that "louder is better" and "runs are always good" (no one actually said these things on the show--just seems like it!) is really, really annoying.  I thought this week's songs were generally more restrained than usual. Hope it continues in the knockouts!

No peaks and valleys, variations or emotion!  Like a cardiac flatline!  If you do not sing the song like you feel it, how can you make me feel it?  Granted not all songs are written or arranged to be sung in an R&B or Soulful manner.  And yes, not every singer should be made to sing in a style not suited for them.  Let’s just say that a traditional soul style maybe considered screaming in this day and age, but for me, it is great singing (If the singer has the chops).

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I think it's hard to bring variety and changes in emotion to a 90 second snippet.  I can't say any of these singers remind me of a cardiac flatline.  Usually I think they pick overly showy songs and then overly dramatize them with runs and production effects.  I like a clean, restrained performance that just showcases a singer's nice tone and pitch and timing. 

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