The second installment of the Battle Rounds on The Voice aired last night, and the performances were once again fantastic. The Voice > American Idol for me right now, you know? So without further ado, let’s talk about those duel-ets!
Team Christina: Geoff McBride vs. Sera Hill singing “Chain of Fools”
Well this sure was a match, wasn’t it? I don’t think there’s any denying that both Sera and Geoff can sing. Geoff is likely the better singer – that was evidenced during the rehearsals – but Sera really brought charisma and stage presence as well as a good voice. I didn’t think it would happen, but I think Sera outperformed Geoff. The coaches were split on who to choose, but Christina chose Sera and I’m happy with that choice.
Team Blake: Charlotte Sometimes vs. Lex Land singing “Pumped Up Kicks”
Charlotte was a favorite early on in The Voice, but I couldn’t really remember much about Lex from the blind auditions. “Pumped Up Kicks” was a strange choice because it doesn’t seem to be that challenging of a song. Despite their differences, these gals seemed pretty evenly matched and I wasn’t sure who’d come out on top. The performance proved that this wasn’t a great song for either of these singers, but I thought Charlotte did a better job of making the most of it. She had more confidence, and Blake made the right choice in choosing Charlotte.
Team Cee-Lo: Sarah Golden vs. Juliet Simms singing “Stay With Me”
While Juliet was a favorite of mine from the blind auditions, Sarah’s early cover of “You and I” didn’t really do it for me. Juliet is just a tough, cool, gritty, badass singer. It felt like Sarah gave up before she even began – the song didn’t suit her as well as it didn’t Juliet, but she did nothing to compensate with energy. Juliet sang her under the boxing ring. Cee Lo didn’t surprise me by choosing Juliet.
Team Adam: Kim Yarbrough vs. Whitney Myer singing “No More Drama”
This was a tough one, because Whitney was instantly intimidated at the thought of going up against Kim. “We’re both ‘powerhouse singers, though her house is bigger than my house,” Whitney joked. The experience Kim brings to the table was really getting to young Whitney. In some ways, I actually preferred Whitney’s edgier voice to Kim’s lower, smooth range, but both ladies sang well. Unfortunately for Whitney, Kim probably did out-sing her. Adam chose Kim.
**Sidenote: Both Whitney and Sarah were very gracious losers. Kudos, young ladies!
Team Christina: Lindsey Pavao vs. Lee Koch singing “Heart-Shaped Box“
I like both of these singers, but I knew from the beginning that Lindsey showed more potential in her blind audition than Lee did. Plus, Lindsey loves Nirvana and Lee said he hadn’t heard “Heart-Shaped Box” in more than ten years. From the opening notes, you could tell that Lee wasn’t comfortable while Lindsey’s haunting voice suited the song. I honestly didn’t love the performance, but the choice was clear – Christina put Lindsey through.
Team Cee Lo: Jamie Lono vs. Jamar Rogers singing “I Want To Know What Love Is”
Poor Jamie Lono. I liked his weird glasses and funny sweaters, but did he ever really stand a chance against Jamar? He seemed in over his head just in rehearsals, while Jamar flourished. And god, how could you not root for Jamar? Once the performance started, it wasn’t even a competition. Jamar is someone who will, as Adam said, go really far. Obviously, Cee Lo chose Jamar. The guys are such good friends, Jamie was the most gracious loser of the night. It was touching.
This episode didn’t have my favorite performances, but I think we saw some singers – Sera, Charlotte, Juliet, Lindsey and Jamar are all contenders – that could do really well with the right material. Who were your favorites?
