The Voice Final Battle Round Performances

This week concluded the last batch of the Battle Rounds on NBC's The Voice.  Coaches Christina Aguilera, Cee-Lo Green, Blake Shelton and Adam Levine paired up singers in their teams to battle against each other to secure the coveted spots for the show's live performances. Yet again, I agreed with 50% of the coaches' decisions:

1- James Massone vs WADE singing Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors"

James has a perfect boy band voice- great tone, great intonation and wonderful potential. He honestly just needs a little bit of training and he'd be a lot better. WADE has more vocal agility-- his tone quality is smooth and velvety with a nice falsetto. Although he took a lot more melodic risks, his pitch fell flat a couple of times. James, however, was very straightforward and delivered a solid albeit basic performance.

• My Choice: WADE - for overall vocal ability and style
• Cee-Lo's Choice: James- better consistency and uniqueness of tone

2- Nicole Gallyon vs Mathai singing "Love Song" by Sara Bareilles 

This battle showcased an obvious winner. Nicole has a beautiful voice and is a very talented pianist. Mathai however is the full package. She has a lot of spunk, character and style. She is a young singer and clearly not as experienced as Nicole, but her natural ability outshone Nicole's cerebral delivery. Also, Nicole needs to learn how to support her high notes a little bit better.

• My Choice: Mathai - curious to see how she will grow
• Adam's Choice: Mathai - stage presence, style and uniqueness

3- The Line vs Moses Stone sing "(Can't Get No) Satisfaction" by The Rolling Stones

The Line are extremely talented and very marketable. They come across very professional, polished and vocally strong. Moses demonstrated exceptional growth, versatility and swagger. He is truly a wonderful artist. The Line however can very well be the next big thing in country music. Hands down the best performance of the night!

• My Choice: The Line- for their strong vocals and marketability
• Christina's Choice: Moses- for his potential, style and versatility

4- Jordan Rager vs Naia Kete sing "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz

Naia has a cool vibe in her vocal stylings. Jordan is very clean, consistent and kind of stiff. Some of Naia's ornamentations showcased some of her pitch issues and lack of control. Although some of her notes were off, Jordan's solid straightforwardness was kind of boring. This was my least favorite performance of the night.

• My Choice: Naia - I've never seen or heard anything like her!
• Blake's Choice: Naia- for her cool vocal style

5- Orlando Napier vs Karla Davis singing Lionel Richie's "Easy"

Orlando is a clear artist with a distinct vision and style. Karla is an undiscovered gem. Her voice has a lot of character, beauty and flexibility. Orlando's stylings are more developed, his phrasing/adlib is incredible and overall is an excellent vocal artist. Karla however has amazing potential.

• My Choice: Orlando- clearly more professional and very marketable
• Adam's Choice: Karla- curious to see how far she can grow, great voice

6- Justin Hopkins vs Tony Vincent sing "Faithfully" by Journey

During their coaching sessions, I was almost positive that Justin was going to be my favorite. However, Tony's performance really sold it to me. His passion resonated with every single lyric and inflection. Justin's voice has an awesome raw element that is powerful and beautiful. Although Tony is somewhat theatrical, his technique, range and ability are just phenomenal. 

• My Choice: Tony- solid technique and professional delivery
• CeeLo's Choice: Tony- stronger connection to song and performance

This week concluded The Voice's Battle Rounds and next week America will get to watch the finalists in each team compete against one another in a live setting. I wonder how the change in dynamics will affect each singer. One important thing that I learned from tonight's episode is to make each and every single note count. Use every single inflection in your voice to resonate your passion behind every single lyric in the song. 

You never know.. you might just make CeeLo cry. I loved CeeLo tonight- he was such a teddy bear!

Tune in next week for my first vocal review of the season's live performances!

The Voice Battle Performances: Week 2

Tonight I had the pleasure of really dissecting the second week of The Voice's Battle Performances. Singers from each team competed against each other to prove that they were worthy enough to stay. They were given the opportunity to be mentored by some of the music industry's greatest talents, such as Kelly Clarkson, Miranda Lambert, Babyface, Ne-Yo, Jewel, Alanis Morisette, Robin Thicke and Lionel Richie. Two singers from each team were chosen by their respective coaches to prepare a song and "battle" against each other.

As I watched each singer get coached and perform their songs, I realized that I agreed with 2/3 of the decisions that were made by the coaches. This is how it all went down:

Battle #1: Geoff McBride vs Sera Hill from Team Christina sing "Chain of Fools" by Aretha Franklin

Overall, Sera and Geoff are both stellar vocalists. Sera lacked the control and support that Geoff consistently delivered. Geoff overcame the range and style choice of the song and showcased great versatility. However, Sera's style fit this song like a glove; she was able to shine her excellent r&b chops and rifftastic abilities.

• My choice: Geoff- because of overall consistency, ability and power
• Christina's Choice: Sera - because of her marketability and vocal style

Battle #2: Lex Land vs Charlotte Sometimes from Team Blake perform"Pumped Up Kicks" by Foster the People

Both singers have excellent unique vocal qualities and textures in their voices. They possess a naturally indie kind of sound. Charlotte's voice was slightly affected, in my opinion, with elements of Katy Perry and Lady Gaga. However, her stage presence was really strong. Lex has an unbelievable tone to her lower register; its breathy, sexy and undeniably special. Overall, I felt both singers are on the lower end of talent throughout the entire competition.

• My choice:  Charlotte - because of her level of vocal control and confidence
• Blake's Choice: Charlotte - because of her presence and versatility

Battle #3: Sarah Golden vs Juliet Simms from Team Cee Lo sing "Stay With Me" by Rod Stewart

In this battle round, there was a clear and obvious winner for me. Sarah has a solid acoustic folk singer vibe and really did a great job stretching out of her comfort zone during her performance. Juliet however has an impressive combo of beauty and ugliness in her voice. She can croon and she can growl. Unlike Sarah who is an excellent underground Ani DiFranco type, Juliet is already packaged and ready to go.

• My Choice: Juliet - solid and natural
• Cee-Lo: Juliet - marketability and vocal versatility

Battle #4: Kim Yarbrough vs Whitney Myer from Team Adam sing "No More Drama" by Mary J. Blige

This was a tough battle round because both singers were so strong and so talented. Kim's vocal performance was naturally more intense and showcased more soul, richness and depth. Her years of experience propelled the song's believability. Whitney's voice was solid, unique and demonstrated great potential and range. I was so impressed by her ability to push the envelope in such a short amount of time.

• My Choice: Whitney- her potential, style and ability to grow
• Adam's Choice: Kim- her maturity and extremely high level of talent

Battle #5: Lee Koch vs Lindsey Pavao from Team Christina sing "Heart-Shaped Box" by Nirvana

This was quite possibly the most boring performance of the night. Both singers exposed pitch problems and nervous energy. Lee grew very nicely and opened his voice as the song progressed. Lindsey showed off her lovely seamless connection between registers and chose beautiful alternate melodies. 

• My Choice: Lindsey- most believable and least boring
• Christina's Choice: Lindsey- her unique style and vocal ability

Battle #6: Jamar Rogers vs Jamie Lono sing "I Want To Know What Love Is" by Foreigner

This song showcased an obvious superstar...Jamar. His opening phrase captured me more than anyone else did the entire night. They both blended really well and created a beautiful harmony. Jamie pushed the limits of his vocal abilities and failed to deliver the song as necessary; his style is adorable and slightly kitschy. Jamar was simply believable and visceral. I loved his sustained notes.. they simply soared.

• My Choice: Jamar- for being raw and passionate
• CeeLo's Choice: Jamar- power and emotional delivery

If we were to learn anything from tonight's battle round performances, its that power will only get you so far. As singers, we must be able to emotionally connect through our songs to convey a captivating message and tell a story. Getting out of our heads and tapping into our hearts is the key to enticing those who are listening to us. 

Don't be afraid to be vulnerable!

Looking forward to next week's episode!