The Voice Recap: As the Battles Begin, So Do the Head-Scratching Decisions

Here we go again. As The Voice began Season 27’s Battles Monday, with Cynthia Erivo, Coco Jones, Little Big Town and Kate Hudson aboard as advisers to Michael Bublé, John Legend, Kelsea Ballerini and Adam Levine, respectively, the coaches’ questionable decisions started, too. One in particular left my jaw on the floor. Read on, and we’ll discuss all of the Battles — and, for better or worse, their outcomes.

Team Adam: Britton Moore (Grade: A-) defeated Darius J (Grade: B+) on “Creep” — Darius saved by Adam | At first I was too distracted by the excess of runs that were thrown into the duo’s Radiohead cover to notice much else. But when my ears adjusted to the liberties that were being taken, I was really taken with the purity of Britton’s voice and the power of his big note. Darius was also quite good but went a little too over the top with his gesticulations to come off sincere.

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Team Legend: Kolby Cordell (Grade: B+) defeated Pablo Herrera (Grade: B-) on “Tacones Rojos” | I probably would have loved insta-fave Pablo on their coach’s duet with Sebastián Yatra… had the contestant not been up against Kolby. His lower, raspier voice was 100 percent the one that you wanna hear on the other end of the phone when receiving a 2 am booty call. Pablo was fine — light and energetic — Kolby was just a zillion times more compelling.

Team Michael: Jadyn Cree (Grade: C+) defeated Braxton Garza (Grade: B+) on “Danny’s Song” | Loggins & Messina’s classic fit Braxton like a well-worn catcher’s mitt; it suited his weathered vocal to a tee even if it didn’t allow him to show off much. Jadyn worked well as sort of a background singer, but when she was on lead… Well, she wasn’t bad per se. She has a nice, sunny tone. It’s just that her performance seemed sorta like it had been beamed in from a different planet.

Team Kelsea: Angie Rey (Grade: B) defeated Tatum Scott (Grade: C+) on “Girl” — Tatum stolen by John | This one was no contest in my ears: Angie all the way. Obviously, Tatum can sing, she just never really came alive here. On the flip side, Angie used the clarity and oomph in her voice to great effect, ending up standing cowgirl hat and shoulders above her opponent. Nonetheless, John was quick to swoop in and save Tatum, whom he’d wanted on his team since the Blinds.

Team Adam: Ethan Eckenroad (Grade: A-) defeated Fran Posla (Grade: A) on “July” | Tackling Noah Cyrus and Leon Bridges’ ballad, Ethan and Fran sounded like a million bucks. For a while there, I was worried that his vocal was going to be too whispery to make an impression, but (whew) he did eventually get to go bigger. Fran was the real surprise for me. Her warm, tangy voice was laced with the kind of emotion that sneaks up on you and really packs a punch when it gets there. Gutted that she wasn’t stolen (especially when Tatum was)!

Team Legend: Olivia Kuper Harris (Grade: B+) defeated Nell Simmons (Grade: A) on “Feel Like Makin’ Love” — Nell saved by John | What a study in contrast these two were. Olivia’s voice was as soothing as chamomile tea (in Coco’s estimation), whereas Nell served up a vocal that was less airy but no less appealing. In the final analysis, I’d have to have given the win to Nell, whose control was so breathtaking, it felt like she was sending notes soaring and plummeting like so many sparrows in the sky.

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Any decisions make you facepalm Monday? Sound off in the comments after voting in the poll below for the singer who most impressed you.