Some big talents emerged on Night 1 of the battle rounds of The Voice.
Coach Adam Levine stole himself a prize with YouTube sensation and virtual stage virgin Jake Barker, but there were other juicy gets to be had.
One of the best battles of the night came from two one-chair turners, which just goes to show that three and four-chair turners don’t have the monopoly on talent.
Some battles were no-brainers, like Jake Worthington vs. Lexi Luca, and Sisaundra Lewis vs. Paula DeAnda. Others were heartbreakers like the single chair-turners I mentioned, Dani Moz and DeShawn Washington.
Somebody explain to me how Biff Gore got stolen and DeShawn didn’t.
I know for some, The Voice loses part of its appeal once the blind auditions are over, but there’s something to be said for seeing blind-audition favourites outdo themselves in battle or getting surprised by singers who weren’t on your radar.
On that note, let’s look at the battle pairs.
Biff Gore vs. T.J. Wilkins, Team Usher: Maybe I’m just too picky six seasons into the series, but I thought both pastor and father of six Biff and college grad T.J. brought it a little harder in rehearsals on The Temptations’ “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg,” particularly when they were singing directly to Usher’s helper, Jill Scott. Biff had a pleasing old-school R&B groove to his voice, but T.J. was the more polished performer and had some good stuff going on with the higher notes, especially when he dialled back the runs. It was no big surprise that Usher picked T.J. as the battle winner, but I didn’t see Biff’s steal by coach Blake Shelton coming. Shelton called Biff “a great entertainer,” although I think the high kicks and the squat move that Levine named “the Biff” could get old fast.
Jake Worthington vs. Lexi Luca, Team Blake: Lexi was the underdog going into the battle, having turned just one chair to the three that returning contestant Jake spun. Still she might have stood a chance if she’d conquered the nerves that had her going off pitch in rehearsals (having three coach’s helpers to impress in The Band Perry instead of just one couldn’t have helped). Jake managed to overcome his marble mouth and deliver a surprisingly tender rendition of Thomas Rhett’s “It Goes Like This.” Lexi had the emotion right (in fact, she and Jake made a believable stage couple), but pitch sometimes escaped her and you could hear her nerves in her vibrato. Shelton pretended it was a hard decision, but Jake was the clear victor and there was no steal for Lexi. The best part of the whole thing was the pep talk that Jake gave a tearful Lexi after: “Don’t worry about everything. You did a hell of a job, they all saw that. Your family loves you, your friends love you, that’s all that matters.” Awww, I just became a Jake fan.
Dani Moz vs. DeShawn Washington, Team Shakira: Shakira was the only coach who pushed her button for public-relations employee Dani and small-town boy DeShawn in the blind auditions, but Dani turned out to be a powerhouse while DeShawn had a really appealing rough-edged tone to his voice that Shakira described as gritty (although when she said it, it sounded like “greedy”). I thought they were both excellent on Emeli Sandé’s “My Kind of Love,” although Dani had greater range and vocal control. But colour me surprised that nobody stole DeShawn, particularly since Shelton and Usher both declared him the winner of the battle and Usher had threatened to steal him during the blinds. “I have someone else on my team who’s so similar,” was Usher’s excuse.
Kat Perkins vs. Patrick Thomson, Team Adam: Both three-chair turner Kat and two-chair spinner Patrick had powerful voices although pairing them was a bit like making Pat Benatar and Joe Cocker duet partners. They made the most of Levine’s odd song choice, mouldy oldie “Whenever I Call You ‘Friend,’” performed by Kenny Loggins and Stevie Nicks in 1978, with the aid of Levine’s helper, Aloe Blacc. There was an effortlessness to the way Kat hit the notes, whereas Patrick’s strength was his gravelly tone. Once Shelton had got through making adolescent jokes about the song’s reference to “doing it,” Levine chose Kat as the winner. But Shakira made a surprise steal of Patrick, telling him, “I’m just a sucker for voices like yours.”
Paula DeAnda and Sisaundra Lewis, Team Blake: This was another uneven match, despite the fact Paula had been signed by Clive Davis as a teen and had once opened for Rihanna; Sisaundra had been vocal director for Céline Dion, had turned four chairs in the blinds and had a voice that could blow out windows. When battle night came, Paula did well on Lady Gaga’s “Do What U Want” (the song Gaga and Christina Aguilera shared on the Season 5 finale) but was no match for Sisaundra’s fierce vocal attack (not to mention the fact the 44-year-old mother of three looked sizzling hot). That attack included a sustained note on the bridge that had Usher and Shelton grinning in delight. Sisaundra was the clear winner and no one stole Paula.
Jake Barker and Stevie Jo, Team Usher: Jake and Stevie might have seemed an odd choice for final battle of the night: two blue-eyed soul singers doing the 1986 Steve Winwood hit “Higher Love,” but it hit the spot. Stevie was the former metal singer who turned Usher’s chair in the blinds by singing Usher, and Jake turned three chairs with his first ever live stage performance. Despite some rough moments in rehearsal, both guys had smoothed it all out by show time. Between Stevie’s meaty, perfectly placed notes and Jake’s softer tone and gorgeous falsetto it was near impossible to pick a winner. Turns out it didn’t matter: Levine declared that he’d be stealing whomever Usher discarded. As soon as Usher picked Stevie, Levine and Shakira began whacking their unactivated steal buttons while Stevie was still making his way offstage. With the steal finally in play, Shelton joined in and the competition was on. Levine tried to bond with Jake over music taste and tattoos; Shakira compared him to Justin Timberlake and said she’d introduce him to Rihanna; Shelton promised to help him win the season. Jake, who humbly said he was thrilled “just to get another day to keep getting better,” chose Levine. The payoff for us, the viewers, was to see how genuinely touched and surprised Jake was by all the praise.
News Source:
www.thestar.com
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