Week two of The Voice season 6 battle rounds kicked off last night with some early favorites taking the battle stage and forcing their coaches to make some tough decisions.
The Battles
Austin Ellis vs. Josh Kaufman
Adam chose Pharrell’s “Happy” for teammates Austin Ellis and Josh Kaufman to perform in their battle, because it’s a modern song, but he thought it would be a great tune for the two soul singers to dig into. In rehearsal, Austin was outshining Josh in the personality department, but Josh’s voice was a force to be reckoned with.
Josh needed to work on coming out of his shell and engaging the audience a little more, while Austin had to make sure he hit all his notes. All the coaches praised the energy that both of them brought to the battle, but none of them could get over how amazing Josh’s voice was. Adam chose Josh as the winner.
Alaska and Madi vs. Audra McLaughlin
Blake paired country artists Alaska and Madi with Audra McLaughlin, because they are all country singers. He chose Linda Ronstadt’s classic “When Will I Be Loved” for their battle, because the song would allow them to show personality, and give them the opportunity to convey a country lyric in a believable way. In rehearsal, Audra needed to map out an exact plan of what she wanted to do in the performance, and she needed to try to avoid scooping into every note. Alaska and Madi needed to work out some solo parts, and to both be at the peak of their game to beat an artist as talented as Audra.
The battle was one of the best so far, and put Blake in a really tough spot, with the other coaches feeling just as undecided as he was. In the end, Blake chose to keep Audra on his team, because he felt her voice comes out of an older era of country music that’s missing from country music today. None of the other coaches turned their chairs to steal Alaska and Madi, and Adam was furious, but unfortunately had no steals left to use on them.
Deja Hall vs. Music Box
Shakira paired contestants Deja Hall and Music Box to perform The Bangles’ “Eternal Flame,” because she wanted to see what the diverse artists would do with it, as Music Box is so aggressive and Deja is so sweet. While Deja seemed a little nervous in rehearsals, she rocked it in the performance, proving just how powerful her voice is at such a young age. Music Box has more experience, and a more unique sound to her voice, and was able to hit a big note at the end.
Shakira was charmed by Deja’s sweetness and powerful potential and chose to keep her on Team Shakira, but all was not lost for Music Box, as Usher was quick to steal her, even hinting at it before Shakira made her decision.
Madilyn Paige vs. Tanner James
Usher paired his youngest contestants, Madilyn Paige and Tanner James, who happened to be Provo, UT-natives who both went to the same school but had never met before. He assigned them “Everything Has Changed” by Taylor Swift and (The Voice season 5 Team Christina mentor) Ed Sheeran because he felt the teenagers would be able to nail the sweet love song. Their performance was pretty awkward in rehearsals, so Usher pulled out some different techniques to get Madilyn and Tanner out of their comfort zones.
When they took the stage for their battle, the performance was very sweet. So sweet, in fact, that Adam said it was “like watching golden retriever puppies frolic through fields of wheat at sunset.” In the end, Usher felt Madilyn had “arrived” in that performance, and chose her as the winner.
Dawn & Hawkes vs. Josh Murley
In the second three-person battle of the night, Adam paired Dawn & Hawkes with Josh Murley. He chose the song “Stuck in the Middle with You” by Stealers Wheel for their battle, because it’s such a fun sing-along that would likely shed the inherent awkwardness of a two-on-one battle.
Josh found himself in an uphill battle to outshine Dawn & Hawkes’ captivatingly beautiful and perfect romance, but his unique sound really made him stand out vocally. Dawn & Hawkes struggled a little bit in rehearsals to nail the three-part harmony, and Adam advised all three of them to loosen up to suit the song’s “loose sloppy drunk cool” vibe. After their fun performance, Adam chose Dawn and Hawkes as the winners, and Shakira waited until Josh had already walked offstage before she hit her button to steal him for her team.
Bria Kelly vs. Tess Boyer
In the night’s final pairing, Team Usher contestants Bria Kelly and Tess Boyer were paired to sing the Janis Joplin classic “Piece of My Heart.” Usher chose this song because it would give both women the opportunity to come up with their own unique interpretation of the song. They are very different vocalists, Tess having a more sultry, mature sound, and Bria with the wilder, grittier style.
While Bria struggled with a few off notes in rehearsal, Tess’s challenge was to loosen up and get lost in the song. While the song was obviously much more in Bria’s wheelhouse than Tess’s, the latter still managed to “come outta nowhere,” according to Blake, and have her own moment in the performance. The coaches were pretty torn about this performance, but Usher unsurprisingly went with rocker Bria. However, Blake used his last steal to grab Tess for his team.
The Voice battle rounds continue with another episode tonight at 8 p.m. on NBC.