On the second night of the Battle Round for The Voice’s ninth season, Selena Gomez, Missy Elliott, John Fogerty and Brad Paisley returned to advise artists for coaches Gwen Stefani, Pharrell Williams, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton, respectively.
First up was Team Adam, with Irish rocker and family man Keith Semple facing fashion photographer Manny Cabo. Levine gave the two rockers “Baba O’Riley” by The Who to test out their ranges. Cabo still was struggling with the high note in the final rehearsal, but by the time of the performance, he had it. They kicked off the night with a high-energy performance that highlighted both of their strengths as powerhouse rock vocalists. They gave a huge, arenaworthy performance, leaving Levine with a tough decision to make. He chose Semple, and Cabo was not stolen by the other coaches.
Read more ‘The Voice’: Season 9 Battles Begin With Mentor Selena Gomez
Over on Team Blake, Shelton paired Chris Crump and Krista Hughes for the second battle of the night. Crump and Hughes both got four-chair turns in the Blind Auditions, so the competition was tight. Shelton gave them “When I Get Where I’m Going” by Paisley and Dolly Parton. The genre favored Hughes, but Crump connected emotionally with the song. In the final rehearsal, Paisley rewrote the melody so that it could be better suited for Hughes’ voice than the original part that he sang. It wasn’t quite as strong as the first performance of the night, but it was an emotional battle. Stefani and Pharrell advised Shelton to choose Crump, and he listened, crowning Crump the champion.
In battles that didn’t air in full, Stefani kept Jeffery Austin and Kota Wade on her team, and Pharrell kept Madi Davis.
For the last battle of the night, Pharrell paired the two youngest artists from his team: Ivonne Acero and Siahna Im. Pharrell gave them “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” by The Supremes, and Missy Elliott pushed Acero to loosen up in rehearsals. In their final rehearsal, Pharrell told Im to strengthen up her vibrato some more. By the performance, both of the artists were in top form, giving the vocals and the energy levels their all. They put on a real show, and it was definitely the strongest battle of the night. Acero finally found her groove onstage, and both of them sounded great. Pharrell faced another tough call. He chose Im as the champion, and fortunately, the other coaches were ready to swoop in for the steal.
Stefani and Shelton both made bids for Acero, who definitely deserves another chance in the Knockouts. “You were always meant to be on my team,” said Stefani. She had a solid point. Acero’s voice and style just didn’t fit on Team Blake, and Stefani is the kind of producer who will know how to bring Acero out of her shell. In an unexpected move, Acero chose Shelton as her new coach. Hopefully that decision doesn’t hurt her later on in the competition.
The Battle Round continues next week, and each of the coaches still have one steal left each. What did you think of tonight’s battles?
More from The Hollywood Reporter
-
RuPaul
‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Producers on Queer Representation, Activism: “It’s Become a Mission For Us”
![]()
-
![]()
-
![]()
-
saturday night live
‘Awards Chatter’ Podcast — Martin Short (‘Only Murders in the Building’ and ‘Saturday Night Live’)
![]()
-
![]()
-
THR Presents
“Let’s Swing Big”: ‘THR Presents’ Q&A With the Creative Team Behind ‘Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies’
![]()
