The Voice Season 3: The Battle Rounds Begin with an Awesome New Twist

First impressions from the battle rounds of season three: ridiculously impressive. There were contestants that had skills that I did not know they had. Those who I did know had skills rose to the occasion. Truthfully, there were not that many people who deserved to go home or were easy to say goodbye to.

The steal was also introduced. I think this is a great new nuance to the game that's been added. Each judge can get up to two steals. How can a steal happen you ask? When a judge eliminates a contestant in the battle round, that contestant is available to be stolen by the three remaining judges. If more than one judge elects to steal, the contestant can choose which team they want to be on. 

Team Blake had the first battle and Blake enlisted the help of Michael Buble to help him with his team.

The first battle was between Scottish rocker Terry McDermott and Country man Casey Muessigmann. The song chosen was Carry on Wayward Son by Kansas-- Although Casey did step up, he sounded better than his blind audition; Terry came out with tons of confidence. The judges were thoroughly impressed by both men, but ultimately this battle went to Terry and I couldn't agree more. Blake said, the thing about you Terry is that you just know who you are as an artist.

Battle goes to: Terry McDermott

Battle two was between soulful Bryan Keith and College drop-out with tons of talent Collin McLoughlin from Team Adam who chose the song Santeria by Sublime and asked Mary J. Blige to sit in-- First thing is first, I did not thing this song did either one of these young men justice. This was an off song choice by Adam, I like the song, and I like Sublime, but this wasn't the right sound for either one of them. These two could not be more different from one another; Collin came out with tons of energy and eagerness, Bryan was more relaxed and more confident. Adam ended up choosing Bryan, but Collin received two steals from Cee Lo and Blake and chose to join Team Blake.

Battle goes to: Bryan Keith

Collin McLoughlin stolen by Blake

Cee Lo's Team had battle three between Peruvian rocker Diego Val and Youtube sensation JR Aquino. Cee Lo chose a great rock song in Jesse's Girl by Rick Springfield and had Matchbox 20 frontman Rob Thomas to advise the contestants; this song highlighted both singers in a great way--  Cee Lo chose Diego, and I was one of those people who initially doubted Diego; I didn't even think he would know the words. He showed so much potential though, and JR who was labeled as strong came across as boring in this performance.

Battle goes to: Diego Val

Christina Aguilera's team had the expertise of Billy Jo Armstrong from Green Day to help them with their battle. The first battle of Team X-Tina was between African refugee Nelly's Echo and former church singer and misfit De'Borah--  At first I thought Christina's song choice of Message in a Bottle by Sting was a little bit off, but when I heard what both of these artists brought to the song in terms of interpreting it in their own style, I was impressed. I actually liked the sound that Nelly's Echo brought to the song, but De'borah took it to another level with her style. I will say I am surprised that once De'borah was chosen by Christina that Nelly's Echo was not picked up by another judge because I do believe there was potential there. All the judges felt though that De'borah was the clear winner, and I must agree.

Battle goes to: De'borah

Blake had an all country battle with mother/ daughter duo 2 Steel Girls and yodeler Gracia Harrison. It's something that hadn't been done on The Voice before and I loved it because both artists came out strong and ready, especially being that the song choice was Sin Wagon by The Dixie Chicks-- Christina said it was entertaining and it definitely was! Both sides battled and battled well, but Gracia brought this sexy level of confidence that was unmatched by the mother/ daughter duo, and as a result Blake said goodbye to 2 Steel Girls. Gracia is someone that I think has a serious untapped talent, and I hope Blake is able to take her to the country charts because her voice is like a lost piece of art. 

Battle goes to: Gracia Harrison

The final battle of the show was a battle for all ages and featured two amazing soul singers from New York from Team Cee Lo. It was between sophisticated club singer Amanda Brown and 18 year old phenom Trevin Hunte. They sang Vision of Love by Mariah Carey-- The judges were wondering at the end, just why did Cee Lo pit two amazing singers against one another, and Cee Lo had the same explanation I did. He had no idea how good Amanda Brown was, he underestimated her experience and her voice. Obviously, he saw some potential being that he was the only judge to turn his chair in the blind auditions; he discovered a diamond in the rough. Following the well fought, well matched battle, Adam said the whole thing was just crazy and that whoever did not get chosen by Cee Lo, he was going to try and steal for his team. Blake said Amanda was hot when she walked out onto the stage and remained that way throughout the performance, but by the end, he found himself attracted to Trevin as well, because, he took a woman's song and just performed it amazingly well. Christina said, this battle proved there was just too much talent for one team. Cee Lo said he wanted to continue with Trevin and be there for his journey. All three judges pushed the "steal button" and made their case to Amanda Brown. Amanda said she needed to take a risk, go against the grain, and she decided to choose Adam. I think this will be a good for her, and although I chose Trevin, I will try and steal Amanda for my personal team as well. Both of them are complete stars!

Battle goes to: Trevin Hunte

Amanda Brown stolen by Adam

The Voice Season 3: The First Week of Blind Auditions was "A Can't Miss"

Week one of the blind auditions on Season 3 of The Voice was nothing short of impressive. Overall, the male singers were stronger than the female singers, but I am keeping in mind that there are more blind audition shows left. When I started playing along creating my own team, it was difficult for me to pick a strong female vocalist out.

Up first was Scottish Rocker Terry McDermott who sang Baba O'Riley by The Who. This guy has a clear rock voice, and I think he's going to do well.
Who did he choose? Blake
Would I choose him for my team? Absolutely, he may not look the part, but he sure sounds it.

De'borah grew up in the church, but slowly became an outcast after she changed her look. She sang Hey Soul Sister by Train. You can certainly hear the gospel influence in her voice, and I appreciate her being herself.
Who did she choose? Christina
Would I choose her for my team? She's different, but different is good, and her voice is strong. In a word, yes!

Gracia Harrison sang I Want to be a Cowboy's Sweetheart by Patsy Montana and got the attention of the three men on the panel. I love the fact that she just went out there and sang and yodeled; it's not something that many people can do, so it sets her apart.
Who did she choose? Blake
Would I choose her for my team? I'm pretty sure I would. She gives us something that's missing in country music.

When you come out and sing a song from one of the artists who is potentially going to mentor you, you'd better have the goods. Devyn Deloera came out singing Christina's Ain't No Other Man, and her voice was somewhat weak.
Who did she choose? Christina
Would I choose her for my team? Afraid not at this point. I'd like to hear her again so I could judge it better.

Bryan Keith received the first four chair turnaround of the season when he sang It Will Main by Bruno Mars. The soulful singer said his dad Latin jazz singer Ray de la Pazz is his inspiration and influence when he sings. This is one of the people who could ultimately win this thing.
Who did he choose? Adam
Would I choose him for my team? Need we even ask? Bryan Keith definitely sounds like a superstar name to me.

Daniel Rosa auditioned last season, but was not chosen; before leaving the stage, he asked the judges what he could do to improve and he went home and did just that. Rosa came back better than ever, singing Somebody That I Used to Know by Goethe. I really loved his rendition of the song.
Who did he choose? CeeLo
Would I choose him for my team? There's a good chance I would, he shows dedication and that he is serious about singing. He takes direction well.

Texas rocker Joe Kirkland sang Gives You Hell by The All American Rejects. Although I liked this performance, there was nothing about it that blew me away.
Who did he choose? Adam
Would I choose him for my team? No, there was something about the performance that didn't impress me.

18 year old Trevin Hunte was robbed of a four chair turnaround, what's wrong with you Adam? Hunte sang Listen from the movie Dreamgirls, and this entire performance was just a dream from beginning to end. Hunte said that his eighth grade teacher told him he would never make anything of himself; I guess I want to know where she is now, and I hope she saw that performance.
Who did he choose? CeeLo
Would I choose him for my team? A team without him wouldn't be a team at all. Trevin has the natural ability that those who want to sing wish that they had.

Adriana Louise was the first female singer to impress me this season, and she got the four chair turnaround, so that means something. She sang a spirited version of Domino by Jessie J.; what I loved about this was that the vocal was so strong yet controlled.
Who did she choose? Christina
Would I choose her for my team? Absolutely, Adriana is special without question.

Country singer Casey Muessigmann (sounds like musicman) did his best at Sweet Home Alabama. I like Casey's personality, but the vocals are pretty mediocre.
Who did he choose? Blake
Would I choose him for my team? The vocal just wasn't strong enough. I look forward to hearing him again though because he does have potential.

I enjoyed the smooth voice of Aquile who sang Your Song by Elton John. I don't really think this was the best song choice for Aquile's voice but I was able to see through the song and see his talent for what it really was. I think he needs to make more contemporary song choices going forward.
Who did he choose? Christina
Would I choose him for my team? Yes, there's never anything wrong with a smooth voice that has control.

When I first heard Mackenzie Bourg's voice, I knew he was special. I love the inflections in his voice, the way he puts emphasis on certain words. He has soul and his voice is so unique. Pumped Up Kicks by Foster the People showed all of that so perfectly.
Who did he choose? CeeLo
Would I choose him for my team? I love Mackenzie, so I would absolutely need him on my team for the all reasons I stated above.

Julio Castillo did something on The Voice that no other contestant has ever done; he sang completely in Spanish, and wow was it the right song. In his rendition of La Bamba, his voice sounded like Richie Valens at times. This guy has definite talent, and I think he will work hard.  
Who did he choose? Blake
Would I choose him for my team? I would choose Julio because his voice is strong; I am interested to hear how he will sound in English. He also sounded amazing when he sang that Mariachi song El Rey in Spanish.

It's not every day that you find a singer who has a deep understanding for music. Samuel Mouton has that, and it was made all the more obvious when he sang Redemption Song by Bob Marley. His voice is authentic, and I was most surprised that Christina did not turn around and make this a four chair turnaround.
Who did he choose? Adam
Would I choose him for my team? I would because he's a singer's singer, and this kid is the real deal.

The first duo chosen on this season was 2 Steel Girls, a mother and daughter duo. They were good, they sang Before He Cheats by Carrie Underwood, but I am still not completely convinced.
Who did they choose? Blake
Would I choose them for my team? I'd pass on these ladies, but I do want to see what they can do.

Nelly's Echo is a refugee from Nigeria, so he has a story, and that story is in his voice every time he sings. He sang Ain't no Sunshine, and I loved the way he made it his own, and added his own flavor to the song.
Who did he choose? Christina
Would I choose him for my team? I loved his voice, I loved the person, I would choose Nelly's Echo for my team

D to the O to the M to the O ........ Domo was a trip! The song she chose, Don't Cha by the Pussycat Dolls, definitely matched her big personality. She danced around a lot and her voice was good, but it wasn't great.
Who did she choose? CeeLo
Would I choose her for my team? No, Domo is more of a performer than a singer, and in some cases, this is good, if the voice is strong enough, but in this case, it's not.

For the first time this season, the judge's were really impressed with a vocal that I wasn't all that impressed with. Nicole Nelson sang Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley, and I feel like whenever anyone tackles this lyrically special song, they get a pass, and it shouldn't be so. I would like to hear her sing something else, and if she sings it well, I will be impressed.
Who did she choose? Adam
Would I choose her for my team? At the moment, no, but that could change.

The last three contestants were shown rather quickly so I can write about what they sang and who they chose. From the small clip I heard, I would choose one of them, but that could change when I see all three of them sing through a complete performance going forward. 

Loren Allred sang When Love Takes Over by Kelly Rowland and David Guetta
Who did she choose? Adam
Would I choose her for my team? This is the one of the three that I would choose

Lisa Seinta sang Teenage Dream by Katy Perry
Who did she choose? Christina
Would I choose her for my team? Not now, but would consider it later

Marissa Ann sang Part of Me by Katy Perry
Who did she choose? Christina
Would I choose her for my team? Not now, but would consider it later