'The Voice' Battle Rounds 1 recap
Amanda Brown watches "The Voice" host Carson Daly name Trevin Hunte the winner of their battle round in the show's third season. Credit: Tyler Golden / NBC
“The Voice” entered the Battle Rounds phase last night, generating a few surprises. The biggest surprise, though, is the show's new twist called “The Steal,” which lets the other three coaches pick up the player from another team that lost his or her battle round.
Here's how the night shook out:
TEAM BLAKE: Casey Muessigmann vs. Terry McDermott
The country guy and the Scottish rocker both went hard on Kansas' “Carry on Wayward Son,” using their powerful voices and wide ranges to keep it close. The classic rocker was in Terry's wheelhouse, though, and Casey couldn't quite overcome that.
BLAKE'S PICK: Terry
SHOULD'VE WON: Terry
TEAM ADAM: Bryan Keith vs. Collin McLoughlin
Even though they both had good voices, they both had some issues with Sublime's “Santeria” — Bryan with pitch and Collin with tempo. It was geared toward Bryan and he delivered, though Collin seemed to have a better energy and a more sellable sound.
ADAM'S PICK: Bryan
SHOULD'VE WON: Collin
BLAKE STEALS: Collin
TEAM CEE LO: JR Aquino vs. Diego Val
Diego looks like a star and he's got the right attitude, but he couldn't catch up to the song. He was off key, off tempo and sang the wrong lyrics. JR did everything right, but couldn't quite match the spark. In the end, that wasn't enough.
CEE LO'S PICK: Diego
SHOULD'VE WON: Diego
TEAM CHRISTINA: De'Borah vs. Nelly's Echo
Nelly's Echo was very familiar with The Police's “Message in a Bottle” and that made him a little too overconfident. He oversang the song, with too many runs and too much power. De'Borah was cool all the way through, building it into something powerful. She'll be a force to reckon with on a song she actually knows.
CHRISTINA'S PICK: De'Borah
SHOULD'VE WON: De'Borah
TEAM BLAKE: Gracia Harrison vs. 2 Steel Girls
This was uncomfortable. Gracia Harrison was likable enough and her country voice was certainly potent during Dixie Chicks' “Sin Wagon.” The 2 Steel Girls were a little too far over the top and didn't really gel well together or with Harrison.
BLAKE'S PICK: Gracia
SHOULD'VE WON: Gracia
TEAM CEE LO: Amanda Brown vs. Trevin Hunte
I really don't know what Cee Lo was thinking pairing these two up in a battle. Each one could win the show. They blew out Mariah Carey's “Vision of Love,” with an amazing mix of power and control that showed off their strengths while still staying true to the song. Amanda Brown's experience gave her the slight edge, but the Queens teenager Trevin Hunte is still learning and growing and could eventually surpass her.
CEE LO'S PICK: Trevin
SHOULD'VE WON: Amanda
ADAM STEALS: Amanda
