The Voice 7 - Live Blog and Recap - The Battles, Part 4 (VIDEO)
Welcome to the live blog and recap of The Voice 2014 Season 7, "The Battles, Part 4"!
Coaches Blake Shelton, Adam Levine, Pharrell Williams, and Gwen Stefani complete their teams with a dramatic episode that will feature a Voice first, as one contestant misses rehearsal and puts their entire battle in jeopardy! Which artist may have blown their chance at the Knockouts? Will the matter be straightened out in time, or could we have a forfeit on our hands?
Also, Gwen has the last steal of the Battle Round. Which artist will be the lucky recipient of that final steal? And which singers will prevail in the battles? So many questions, but only an hour to answer them!
Add your thoughts in the comments below, and keep refreshing for analysis, thoughts, and videos of the night's battles.
Rickey will be posting individual videos as the night rolls on. So let's get this show on the road!
Credit: NBC
Credit: Trae Patton/NBC
RECAP
-Welcome to the show! Tonight's pairings are...
Brittany Butler vs. Ricky Manning
Beth Spangler vs. Mia Pfirrman
Bryana Salaz vs. Gianna Salvato
Anita Antoinette vs. Mayra Alvarez
Kensington Moore vs. Reagan James
Allison Bray vs. Fernanda Bosch
-The coaches talk with Gwen about who she's going to steal, since she's the only coach with a steal left. She has no idea what she's going to do, and frankly, neither do I.
TEAM PHARRELL: BRITTANY BUTLER VS. RICKY MANNING
-I kind of wish we could just skip over the part where the contestants gush over the guest mentor, since it doesn't always come across as authentic. Of course, I say that, yet this was one of the few cases where it absolutely does come across as authentic, as Brittany is speechless. They're singing "On Broadway" by George Benson, and they're both having trouble connecting with the song...at least until Ricky realizes that the song perfectly describes his situation as an artist working the streets of New York.
-In rehearsal, Pharrell gives Brittany the nickname "Skittles" since that's what her scatting sounds like. Ricky, despite feeling the meaning behind the song, has trouble conveying the emotion behind it. He realizes that it's going to be a tall order to defeat Brittany, but he feels a victory here will justify his decision to take that year to try and make a music career happen.
-For this battle, I prefer Brittany just from how well her voice meshes with the song, in addition to the smooth, old-fashioned-but-also-modern tone of her voice. But Ricky is really impressive here. He's just on-point throughout the entire song, hitting every note and nailing some really awesome runs. I'm torn.
-Gwen thought it was great, particularly the expressions from both artists. She thinks Brittany kicked it up at the end though. Adam and Blake are similarly enthused by the performances. Pharrell, however, doesn't waste a whole lot of time making his decision, even though he's torn...
RICKY MANNING WINS THIS BATTLE!
-No one steals Brittany, and she breaks down into sobs backstage. This is actually really sad. Pharrell goes to comfort her, and encourages her to keep going, and have I mentioned how much I love Pharrell? If he were a doctor, he'd have amazing bedside manner. Just the way he is with his contestants is delightful to watch. On the subject of the battle though, I'm not surprised that Ricky won, although I thought Brittany had the better voice. Ricky just feels like more of a complete artist.
WATCH: Brittany Butler And Ricky Manning Sing ‘On Broadway’ (VIDEO)
KENSINGTON MOORE VS. REAGAN JAMES
-Kensington flips out when she sees Little Big Town, explaining that she grew up listening to "Boondocks". Is the song THAT old? Or is Kensington THAT young? Either way, these girls are making me feel like Father Time, and I'm not even 30. But back to the battle, as they're going to be singing "Team" by Lorde, which should be REALLY interesting. Reagan is stoked to be singing a Lorde song, since she considers Lorde a huge influence. Kensington, however, is having trouble with the song.
-So it turns out the contestant who misses rehearsal is Kensington, making this the first time in Voice history that an artist didn't make it to rehearsal. She's extremely sick, so she had to skip. Although Blake plans to work with her the next day. Of course, this is nowhere near as scandalous as the promos made it seem. I really ought to have known better though. Reagan sings with Kimberly from Little Big Town, and she's loving it. But the next day, it's Kensington's turn to rehearse with Blake and Reagan, since she's recovered enough to go through the song. She explains that she had kidney stones and was gutted to miss working with Little Big Town, but she's glad to have this time with Blake. Blake is unsure about the battle -- he initially gave the edge to Reagan, but he's really impressed with how Kensington tackled the song.
-This may have been my favorite battle of the entire Battle Rounds. It wasn't perfect, but the song fit both girls' voices, and the arrangement made the song feel different and completely new. I just loved it, although I would give the edge to Reagan. Her voice is like a cross between Fiona Apple and...well, Lorde, actually. That said, Kensington acquitted herself quite well here. Her upper register is very nice. She sounds ready-made for the studio.
-Pharrell has no idea how Blake is going to choose, praising both girls. Gwen thinks Reagan did a great job, and noted that Kensington has some really great dynamics in her voice. Adam and Pharrell then get into a disagreement on a word that was missed in the song, but Blake is ready to get to the result, and so am I.
REAGAN JAMES WINS THIS BATTLE!
-Blake hates sending home kids, and Kensington's elimination leaves him feeling no different, since Gwen doesn't steal her. But ya can't take'em all, unfortunately.
WATCH: Kensington Moore And Reagan James Sing ‘Team’ (VIDEO)
AND IT'S MONTAGE TIME!
-We get a montage of all the battles we didn't see: Allison Bray defeated Fernanda Bosch (Team Blake), Anita Antoinette defeated Mayra Alvarez (Team Gwen), Bryana Salaz defeated Gianna Salvato (Team Gwen). No surprises here. I mean, I guess I thought Mayra Alvarez would go farther, but other than that, I thought these were the expected results. That said, I'll be interested to see the full versions of these battles, since I doubt any of these battles were pushovers for the winner.
WATCH: Allison Bray And Fernanda Bosch Sing ‘Sparks Fly’ (VIDEO)
WATCH: Anita Antoinette And Mayra Alvarez Sing ‘I Can See Clearly Now’ (VIDEO)
WATCH: Bryana Salaz And Gianna Salvato Sing ‘Boom Clap’ (VIDEO)
BETH SPANGLER VS. MIA PFIRRMAN
-Beth is "shocked" to meet Stevie Nicks, and is eager to "learn from a legend like her." Her enthusiasm is subdued, but palpable. They're singing "I Turn To You" by Christina Aguilera, and this is a huge song for both girls. And you can kind of see that, from how fiercely they tackle it in the initial run-through. Beth, in particular, absolutely laces into the song with runs. Stevie warns the girls against trying to sing it like Christina Aguilera.
-In rehearsal, Adam thinks the girls need to scale it back a bit. He feels confident they can get the work done and blow everyone away. Backstage, before the battle, Adam tells them to be "subtle, beautiful, and passionate," which is good advice, but also distressingly vague advice. But I think the girls took his meaning. They have to be emotionally connected, but not lose themselves so totally in the song that they can't control what their voice is doing. At least, I think that's what he meant. It's admittedly a lot to infer from what little Adam said.
-I hate the karaoke arrangement, but there's not much they could have really done with it without just giving them an altogether different song, since this is one of those antiquated, Whitney Houston-style throwback ballads. That said, the girls absolutely SLAY it. I give Beth the edge, due to her tone, although I wish she'd chill with all the runs, especially since she only hits about half of them anyway. Mia has incredible power in her voice and holds some really long notes that sound just gorgeous. By the end of it, I was Team Mia.
-Blake has no idea whom to choose, but goes with his gut and gives it to Mia. Pharrell, meanwhile, backs Beth. Gwen is surprised by Beth and her technique, but ultimately feels Mia won the battle. Adam thought both girls really delivered on the vocal, which is huge since it's a Christina Aguilera song. He calls his decision a "coin flip," since he'd lose his mind if he decided any other way...
MIA PFIRRMAN WINS THIS BATTLE!
-Of course, because this is the last battle of the Battle Rounds, and we know Gwen has one steal left, and the promos have revealed that someone gets stolen ...
GWEN STEFANI STEALS BETH SPANGLER!
-Gwen milks the drama though, waiting until Beth comes in for the goodbye hug to reach behind her own back to hit her button for Beth. A great choice on Gwen's part since Beth not only has a great voice, she's got great style. Seriously, let's hear it for that black dress and adorable hairstyle.
WATCH: Beth Spangler And Mia Pfirrman Sing ‘I Turn To You’ (VIDEO)
-And that's a wrap for tonight's show! To recap, here are the results of the final battles...
FINAL RESULTS
TEAM PHARRELL: Ricky Manning def. Brittany Butler
TEAM GWEN: Anita Antoinette def. Mayra Alvarez
TEAM GWEN: Bryana Salaz def. Gianna Salvato
TEAM BLAKE: Reagan James def. Kensington Moore
TEAM BLAKE: Allison Bray def. Fernanda Bosch
TEAM ADAM: Mia Pfirrman def. Beth Spangler (Beth Spangler STOLEN by Gwen Stefani!)
CURRENT TEAM STANDINGS
TEAM ADAM: Alessandra Castronovo, Chris Jamison, Damien, Matt McAndrew, Mia Pfirrman, Blessing Offor, Toia Jones, Rebekah Samarin
TEAM GWEN: Anita Antoinette, Bryana Salaz, Ryan Sill, Sugar Joans, Troy Ritchie, Taylor John Williams, Craig Wayne Boyd, Beth Spangler
TEAM PHARRELL: DaNica Shirey, Elyjuh Rene, Jean Kelley, Katriz Trinidad, Luke Wade, Menlik Zergabachew, Ricky Manning, Taylor Phelan
TEAM BLAKE: Allison Bray, Grant Ganzer, Griffin, James David Carter, Jessie Pitts, Reagan James, Tanner Linford, Taylor Brashears
What did you think of tonight's battles? Did the right acts advance? And what do you think of the teams? Who has the best team? And whose team has the winner? Sound off in the comments! And join us next week for the Knockout Rounds! Until then, thanks for hanging out. It's been a blast.