The coaches had some tough decisions to make as we closed out the first week of battles with some excellent, and easily matched, performances.
These battles are not letting up, and it’s shaping up to be one of the most talented seasons The Voice has seen. Check out night 2’s awesome battles!
Battles
Jordy Searcy vs. Taylor Phelan
The first battle pairing of night 2 was Team Pharrell’s Jordy Searcy and Taylor Phelan. Pharrell paired these two artists because he thought it would be interesting to hear Taylor’s indie rock voice paired with Jordy’s pop voice. He chose The Script’s “Breakeven” for them to perform, which would allow them to dig in to the emotion of the lyrics. In rehearsals, Jordy was lacking power, and Taylor was struggling with his falsetto. Neither singer was really connecting to the song, so they slowed the tempo and that did the trick. They both played guitar for the battle, which seemed to make them both much more comfortable. After the battle, Pharrell chose Taylor (and his happy feet!) to stick around.
Alessandra Castronovo vs. Joe Kirk
Adam paired Alessandra Castronovo and Joe Kirk for Team Adam’s first battle of the night, and assigned them Rihanna’s “Stay.” The stripped-down tune would reveal any faults in their vocals, and they had a few issues in rehearsals. Alessandra was a little stiff, and needed to add a little flavor to her vocals, while Joe needed to lose his nerves and sing more powerfully. In the battle, Joe stepped up to the plate and gave a perfect vocal, but Alessandra just edged him out, like a true diva, and won her place on Team Adam. Even though Joe didn’t get a steal, he did get a very sweet pep talk from Pharrell.
Menlik Zergabachew vs. Troy Richie
Team Gwen’s Menlik Zergabachew and Troy Richie were paired for their unique vocal styles. Gwen chose “Maneater” by Hall and Oates to bring out the best in both of them. The song quickly proved that Menlik’s talents lie in more than just reggae, and that Troy has a unique style and grasp of dynamics. However, Menlik wasn’t very familiar with the song, and Troy was holding back a little bit. They also struggled to play off of each other a little bit, but they did much better in the battle. They both came out of their shells, but maintained the seriousness of the lyrics. Both guys did a great job, and Gwen was torn, but she chose Troy. However, Adam and Pharrell wasted no time in hitting their buttons to steal. Menlik will be hopping right over to Team Pharrell.
Odds and Ends
In other battles that were apparently not exciting enough to air in their entirety: Rebekah Samarin defeated Clara Hong to remain on Team Adam, Grant Ganzer defeated John Martin to stay on Team Blake, and Tanner Linford defeated Justin Johnes to stay on Team Blake.
The Voice battles continue next Monday and Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. on NBC.