Some creative headwear spiced up night one of Season 6’s second round of battles, where Coldplay’s Chris Martin also made his mentoring debut.
The most important matter to discuss about round two of The Voice battles at this point is what in the world Usher is wearing on his head. It’s like a coonskin cap and a Russian fur hat had a baby and left it on Usher’s doorstep. Most notably, NO ONE SAID ANYTHING ABOUT IT. Cee Lo had his pets on his lap or his shoulder, apparently Usher wears his on his head.
Anyway, there was also some singing.
The Battles
Audra McLaughlin vs. Megan Ruger
The first pairing for round two of the battles was Team Blake’s Audra McLaughlin and Megan Ruger. Though Audra is a country girl and Megan is a rocker, Blake felt both strong female performers occupied the same spot on his team. The girls chose Miley Cyrus’ “The Climb” from the options Blake gave them because they liked the message and felt they could both add their own style to it.
In rehearsals, Audra’s voice impressed Blake, but she had some trouble staying in the pocket. In the battle, Audra sounded a little unsure at the start of the song, but quickly gained momentum and had some great moments near the end. Megan was consistent all the way through, and looked very confident, but just didn’t have the same stand-out moments Audra did. Blake chose Audra as the winner, because he really likes her unique style.
Cierra Mickens vs. T.J. Wilkens
Usher paired teammates Cierra Mickens and T.J. Wilkins for a soul singer battle. They chose Oleta Adams’ “Get Here” for their battle song, (Remember when Justin Guarini sang that on Idol? Anyone?), because they felt it was the best choice to showcase the best of both of their voices. Usher felt both artists not only had what it took to handle the song, but also to make this performance a memorable moment on the show.
In rehearsal, T.J. needed to work on his transitions, and Cierra needed to allow her voice to fill the room. Chris Martin also advised them to try to connect with each other a little more during the performance. Their battle was practically perfect, and Cierra and T.J. made a beautiful pairing. It was a tough decision, but in the end Usher chose T.J. as the winner.
Jake Worthington vs. Tess Boyer
In a battle of second chances, Blake paired Jake Worthington, who auditioned last season, and Tess Boyer, who he stole from Team Usher after she lost to Bria Kelly. The pair chose John Hiatt’s “Have a Little Faith in Me,” which is a perfect blend of what Tess does, and just country enough for Jake. In rehearsals, their vocals impressed both Blake and Chris, but they had a hard time hitting some of the notes.
The battle itself was a killer, with both Tess and Jake having their best performances yet. In the end, Blake cast his vote “for loyalty,” and went with country boy Jake. However, as soon as Tess was open to steal, all three other coaches hit their buttons. They all argued admirably, but Shakira was practically frothing at the mouth to get Tess on her team, also mentioning that she would kill for her. Tess wisely chose not to cross a desperate Shakira, and joined her team.
Sam Behymer vs. Christina Grimmie
Adam paired Sam Behymer and Christina Grimmie, which came as a surprise to Sam because she felt Christina had a much more powerful voice than hers. After Christina fangirled over Chris Martin, the girls revealed that they had chosen One Republic’s “Counting Stars” for their battle song. The choice surprised Adam, as they would be taking on a male vocal, but he liked the decision all the same.
Both girls were a little all over the place in rehearsals, struggling with the rhythm and over-singing, but they took their notes to heart for the battle, and their rhythm was much better. Adam chose Christina as the winner because she just seemed more comfortable and confident onstage.
Josh Murley vs. Patrick Thomson
Shakira paired former Team Adam contestants Josh Murley and Patrick Thomson for their similar singing styles. The guys chose Bryan Adams’ “Run To You,” which is a little bit more in Josh’s wheelhouse, but Patrick attacked it without hesitation. Both performers sounded great, but were a little awkward in their stage presence. Chris decided they might do better with a prop, and had them try using mic stands to center themselves. It made a world of difference for Patrick, while Josh still could use a little loosening up.
The battle was pretty evenly matched, with both men rising to the occasion in their own way. The coaches were pretty split, but Shakira chose Patrick as the winner, because she felt she would be able to coach him better.
Delvin Choice vs. Josh Kaufman
Adam paired two of the strongest male voices in the competition, Delvin Choice and Josh Kaufman, for the final battle of the night. He paired them because they are “soul brothers,” and as different as they are, there’s still a thread that ties them together as performers. They chose the Stevie Wonder classic “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” for their battle song, which Adam thought would be a perfect choice for them because of their big beautiful voices.
Both performers were very strong in rehearsals, eliciting a “brilliant” from Chris, and a “super good” from Adam. The battle was just as amazing as you would have expected, and left Adam with an impossible decision to make. He chose Delvin as the winner, but Usher was quick to steal Josh, who he feels had “one of the most incredible vocal performances in the competition.”
Round two of The Voice battle rounds continues tonight at 8 p.m. on NBC.