The second set of Battle Rounds on “The Voice,” instituted for what Carson Daly breathlessly declares is “the first time in ‘Voice’ history” actually look suspiciously like the first round.
Two from each team face off; their judge picks who wins and loses; other judges can steal one castoff.
What began Monday continued Tuesday in such a truncated fashion that there were only three battles in a full hour (and a fourth mentioned only in passing).
Shakira and Usher have already used up their one allotted steal from the round; Blake Shelton and Adam Levine were yet to do so when the Tuesday show started, but the teaser at the top of the show indicated that one of them had.
Here’s how it unfolded Tuesday:
Team Blake
Biff Gore vs. Sisaundra Lewis.
- Tale of the tape: He’s a 45 year old from Denver, Colo., who looks like Cedric the Entertainer; She’s a 44 year old former backup singer for Peabo Bryson and Celine Dion from Orlando.
- Theme of the battle: Super soul showdown
- Song: Given a choice of Otis Redding’s “Knock on Wood,” “I Can’t Stand theRain” and “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World,” they choose the latter in deference to James Brown, Godfather of Soul.
- Reaction to having Chris Martin as mentor: “Seeing Chris Martin was like: Are you serious? I love Chris Martin,” Sisaundra says.
- The view from Coldplay: “Sisaundra’s voice might be too good,” Martin says inexplicably.
- Final thoughts: Biff says “I want to show you can be relevant no matter how old you can be.” “My Play B is My Plan A: To win,” says Sisaundra, who clearly is unfamiliar with the terms Plan A and Plan B.
- The battle: Pretty spectacular from two assured soul powerhouses, though she steps on his lines a couple of times.
- Judges’ reaction: Usher showed that he got goosebumps (in a clip shown at least three times). Shakira tells Sisaundra “your register is sick!” (She means it in a good way). Usher is for Biff, if only because he was originally on his team before Blake stole him.
- Winner: Blake says he “can’t miss out on working with a one in a trillion performer like Sisaundra;” she wins.
- Steal: Despite all their praise for Biff, nobody steals him. Adam, who would have been the only one who could have stolen him, says he already has an R&B singer.
Team Shakira
Ddendyl vs. Deja Hall
- Tale of the tape: Ddendyl (that name!) is a 25 year old singer in coffeehouses from Washington D.C. Deja (another great name) is a 16 year old student from San Antonio.
- Theme of the battle: War of the waifs.
- Song: We don’t see all three choices they could choose from, but they pick “Say Something” by a Great Big World, a song that Adam claims was introduced on The Voice, but is one that is all over singing competitions this season.
- Reaction to Chris Martin: “Coldplay is one of my go-tos,” Ddendyl says. “I was so excited to learn from him.”
- The View from Coldplay: Deja needs to connect with the song, though she’s too young to have been in love.
- Final thoughts: Ddendl says “If I lose this battle I’ll end up being a lounge singer in D.C. That’s not where I want to be.” If she loses, Deja says “I go back to playing music in choir and school.”
- The battle: Though their tones are very different (Ddendyl is smoky; Deja clear and smooth), they both fail to create much fire on stage.
- Judges’ reaction: Adam says they couldn’t be more different; says it’s crazy how young Deja is.
- Winner: Shakira says she’s choosing the one she’s more curious to hear going forward. That’s Deja.
- Steal: Adam or Blake could have stolen, but do not. And Ddendyl is right: She goes back to playing Ebenezers Coffeehouse in D.C. April 24.
Mini Battle:
Team Shakira
Emily B. vs. Kristen Merlin
- Song: “I Can Love You Better” by the Dixie Chick.
- The battle: They only showed seconds of it, but it seemed Kristen had the advantage since she was the country singer of the two.
- Winner: Kristen, whose last two battles have been truncated.
- Steal: None. Emily B. Gone.
Team Usher
Stevie Jo vs. Morgan Wallen
- Tale of the Tape: Stevie Jo, 19, is from Tyler, Texas; Morgan, 20, is a landscaper and unexperienced singer from Knoxville, Tenn.
- Theme of the Battle: Young long-haired pals duke it out.
- Song: They put aside The Script’s “Hall of Fame” and Collective Soul’s “Shine,” opting for OneDirection’s “Story of My Life.”
- Reaction to Chris Martin: “I never thought at this point in my career I’d be mentored by Usher and Chris Martin,” Morgan marvels.
- The View from Coldplay: Stevie Jo has to make sure he has enough air to make that last big note.
- Final thoughts: “If I lose this battle, I go back home to landscaping,” Morgan mopes.
- The battle: Morgan has a raspy, young Bob Seger voice and unveils a falsetto he didn’t know he had; Stevie Jo does some interesting things and shows strength.
- Judges’ reaction: Shakira didn’t know Morgan had a raspy voice; Usher didn’t know he had a falsetto.
- Winner: Usher picks Stevie Jo has having more experience, while “Morgan is still finding out a lot of things about his voice.”
- Steal: Promised that there would be one during the episode, here it is: Morgan is picked up by Adam. Backstage Stevie Jo recoils sharply: Is he shaking with happiness or rage?
The final night of Battle Rounds part two is Monday, with Blake the only one still to execute a steal. Tuesday, the Top 20 start performing in something called the Playoffs. At least they’re not calling it Madness.