The Voice 5 Battle Rounds are over! Which 32 contestants are moving on to next week’s Knockout Rounds? Here’s a handy dandy guide to get you through the round. Read on.
Team Adam Levine
Ashley DuBose St. Paul, MN @AshleyDuBose – – “Diamonds” – Computer programer by day, fabulous pop singer by night! A potential star – Audition – Battle
Grey Jacksonville, FL @MusicbyGrey – “Catch My Breath” – Wedding singer.She grew up singing country. Attended Berklee College of Music. Her battle round performance was a significant improvement over her audition. Girl gots pipes – Audition – Battle
James Irwin St. Louis, MO @jameskirwinstl – “Losing My Religion” – He auditioned last year, didn’t get any chairs to turn. This time, all 4 judges turn for this soulful rocker. – Audition – Battle
James Wolpert Strasburg, PA @jamespwolpert – “Love Interruption” – He studied art at Carnegie Mellon. He quit school to pursue music. He worked at an Apple store to make ends meet. A compelling performer, he can really tell a story with his voice. He fought a tough battle with Will Champlin, but managed to prevail. He’s one to watch. James competed on the ABC High School Musical series, Get In The Picture in 2008. Watch him perform. He earned a spot in the chorus. Youtube channel. Audition – Battle
Preston Pohl St. Augustine, TX @prestonpohl – “Electric Feel” – Played guitar in a popular Christian rock band, Storyside: B. Singer with a raspy, soulful voice. He effectively channeled David Ruffin singing The Temptations in the Battles. Here’s the Christian band Preston was a member of is StorySide:B (Music Video) (Cover of Pumped Up Kicks) – Audition – Battle
Tessanne Chin Kingston, Jamaica @Tessanne – “Try” – She’s from Kingston Jamaica. She lived in England when she was younger. She toured with Jimmy Cliff, She’s got a great, contemporary sounding voice. She reminds me a little of Emeli Sande. – Her solo song “Hideaway” was a hit in Jamaica. – Audition – Battle
Juhi Franklin, TN @Juhix3 – “Mercy” – Quirky 16 year old has a love for Nirvana and Sublime . Her dad has a PhD in electrical engineering. Her mom sings classical Indian music. Inexplicably, she lost her battle, but Cee Lo played hero and saved her. Good thing, the girl does her own thing, awesomely – Check out her YouTube channel and Website. – Audition – Battle – Stolen From Team Cee Lo
Lina Gaudenzi – “Landslide” – Miami, FL @LinaGaudenzi – Professional model. She studied opera, but performs in a folk style. – Audition – Battle – Stolen from Team Christine
Team Cee Lo Green
Monika Leigh Houston, TX @monikaleigh1 – – “The Thrill is Gone” – Super, sultry alto, with a sexy vibe. She lost a battle with the uber-talented Ray Boudreaux, but caught the ear of Cee Lo. Personally, I love her sultry tone and am glad she was stolen. – Check her out on on YouTube, Facebook, Tumblr – Audition – Battle – Stolen from Team Blake
Caroline Pennell Saddle River, NJ @carolinepennell – “Anything Could Happen” – Adorable, giggly, 17 year old singer has that quirky girl singer thing The Voice loves so much. She’s going to sell a TON of iTunes – Caroline released an independent CD. A cover of The Lumineers Hey Ho. Audition – Battle
Cole Vosbury Shreveport, LA @colevosbury – “Movin on Up” – His grandmother was a backup singer for Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis and more. Yes, he sang the theme to the Jefferson’s TV show in his audition. – Check out Cole’s Facebook. He wrote a song, “Caylee’s Eyes” for Caylee Anthony, the little girl whose mother was acquitted of her murder. – Audition – Battle
George Horga Jr. Portland @Georgehorgajr – “Treasure” – Parents came to America from Romania. Eye candy. The girls loved his performance – George was an American Idol season 11 Hollywood contestant. Cee Lo chose him in battle over Juhi, which had me scratching my head. I suspect he’ll be sacrificed in the knockouts – Audition – Battle
Jonny Gray Austin, TX @jonnygraymusic – “All These Things I’ve Done” – Military vet and well-known Austin singer. Beautiful tone and interesting phrasing. A standout. – He released an EP called “Sail it Away.” Check out his ReverbNation, Facebook and Twitter. Performing “I’d Still.” – Audition – Battle
Kat Robichaud Raleigh, NC @katrowbeeshow – “I Got The Music In Me” – She loves 70?s glam rock. Her dad raised her on musicals. He passed away in February. Rock singer and a charismatic performer. Like a female Mick Jagger. She’ll go far. – Audition – Battle
Tamara Chauniece Wharton, TX @TamaraChauniece – “1 + 1” – Gospel singer whose mom sold her CD out of the trunk of their car. She’s looking for a wider audience. Check out her YouTube Channel, Twitter, Facebook. Audition – Battle
Stephanie Anne Johnson Tacoma, WA @msstephaniesaid – “Black Horse and a Cherry Tree” – studied classical voice and Opera and worked for a cruise line. She’s got an acoustic soul/blues thing going, reminiscent of Tracy Chapman and Joan Armatrading. I hope she survives the knockouts. – Audition – Battle – Stolen from Team Christina
Team Christina Aguilera
Will Champlin Los Angeles, CA @willchamplin – “Not Over You” – Dad was a keyboardist for legendary 70s group, Chicago. This guy, who sings quirky Hot AC, is already a favorite. Not one of my favorites–I think there are better, more interesting male voices in the competition– but I expect his nerd self to go far. Audition – Battle – Stolen from Team Adam
Anthony Paul Twinsburg, OH @AnthonyCPaul – Paul has a passionate delivery, but I’m not convinced he’ll pull away from the pack. – Watch him perform the National Anthem. – Audition – Battle – Stolen from Team Cee Lo
Amber Nicole Houston, TX @theamberscott – She’s a sweet teen with a big voice. But I will be surprised if she makes it out of the Knockouts – Audition – Battle
Jacquie Lee Colts Neck, NJ @jacquieleemusic – “Back to Black” – Super sporty 16 year old with a big bluesy voice. – Audition – Battle
Josh Logan Manchester, NH @Josh_Logan – “Too Close” – 33 year old was a father at 16. He’s got an appealing, raspy voice. He was also a contestant on Rockstar: Supernova in 2006. Here he is covering “She Talks to Angels.” Yeah. That was a Mark Burnett production too. – Audition – Battle
Destinee Quinn Surprise, AZ @destineequinn – “Cowboy Take Me Away” – Country singer, works at a biker bar. Won Alice Cooper’s Christmas pudding competition. – Destinee also was Miss Arizona, USA and Miss Fiat of Scottsdale. Here’s an original song, Liar Liar. – Audition – Battle
Matthew Schuler Yardley, PA @MSchulerMusic – “Cough Syrup” –Rugby player. He works at a bagel shop in the college town where he lives. His dad is a pastor. He’s like a hip Burnell Taylor. Unique vocal tone – Audition – Battle
Olivia Henken @oliviahenken– “Two Black Cadillacs” – Blond pageant kid is a Carrie Underwood wanna be. Louisville, KY – Check out her pop country song, “Good in Your Goodbye” – Audition – Battle
Team Blake Shelton
Nic Hawk Dallas, TX @mrnichawk – “Hit em Up Style” – Flamboyant musical theater kid who flirted shamelessly, and hilariously, with Adam. Now, he can make the moves on Blake. I don’t think he’ll mind. – Audition – Battle – Stolen from Team Adam
Austin Jenckes Duvall, WA @austinjenckes – “Simple Man” – His dad committed suicide when he was 16. He played the guitar his father gave him. He performed a raspy, soulful version of the Allman Brothers classic. Dude sang “To Love Somebody” in the Battles with so much feeling, it hurt. – Audition – Battle
Brandon Chase Arlington, TX @brandonjchase – “Wanted” – He almost died a few days after birth, but grew up to be a cute Hunter Hays wanna be! He’s got nice tone and a pretty falsetto. Also easy on the eyes. He was totally montaged in the Battles, but his rendition of “Tiny Dancer” sounded pretty good. Check out his Website, YouTube channel, Twitter and Facebook. Audition – Battle
E.G. Daily Hollywood, CA @Realegdaily – “Breathe” – She’s the plantiest plant that ever planted. Well known voice over artist is the voice of Tommy Pickles, Buttercup and more. She also starred in 80’s classics, Valley Girl and Pee Wee’s big adventure. She’s 51 years old and a pro singer. Interesting, after all the fuss of her audition, she was montaged in the Battles. – Check out EG’s Wikipedia. Comic Con Interview. Video for “Say it Say it” from 1986. Audition – Battle
Holly Henry Minneapolis, MN @hollymaehenry – “The Scientist” – 19 year old multi-instrumentalist. Her breathy, haunting vocals impressed the panel. She was montaged in the Battles. She seems like a timid little thing – Audition – Battle
Ray Boudreaux Lafayette, LA @RayBoudreaux – “Use Me” – Young single father, looks like a WGWG, but sings with an old soul. His Battle performance was fabulous. Expect him to go deep. – Audition – Battle
Shelbie Z. Jasper, AL @Shelbie_Z – “I’m Here for the Party” – Southern belle was a pageant kid, but she stopped at 10 when kids began teasing her about her weight. A brassy country singer with a ton of stage presence – Check out this Loretta Lynn cover she posted pre-Voice. – Audition – Battle
Briana Cuoco Los Angeles, CA @bricuoco – “You and I” – Sister of The Big Bang Theory actress, Kaley Cuoco. She was invited to be on the show. Briana guest starred on Big Bang. Cover of “Dock of the Bay”. There are better singers who were eliminated. But she could stick around if the Kaley Cuoco fans get behind her.- Audition – Battle – Stolen from Team Christina
Here are the Knockout pairings, via Entertainment Weekly
Each coach gets ONE steal. Each pairing does not necessarily contain a winner and a loser.
- James Wolpert vs. Juhi Pathak – Team Adam – Oh no. James will probably win the round. Hopefully Juhni benefits from ANOTHER steal.
- Ashley DuBose vs. Tessanne Chin – Team Adam – Damn. Tessanne will win this battle. Hopefully, Ashley will be stolen.
- Lina Gaudenzi vs. Preston Pohl – Team Adam – BYE LINA.
- Grey Paluszynski vs. James Irwin – Team Adam – Grey is turning into a dark horse. But could James be saved?
- Kat Robichaud vs. Monika Leigh – Team Cee Lo – Ditto. Bye Monika. –
- Caroline Pennell vs. George Horga Jr. – Team Cee Lo – Caroline up against obvious cannon fodder. Bye George.
- Cole Vosbury vs. Jonny Gray – Team Cee Lo – I’ll be upset if Jonny is sent home.
- Stephanie Anne Johnson vs. Tamara Chauniece – Team Cee Lo – Don’t be dumb, Cee Lo. Choose Stephanie!
- Matthew Schuler vs. Will Champlin – Team Christina – Hm. A possible steal scenario?
- Anthony Paul vs. Jacquie Lee – Team Christina – I think Jacquie will come out ahead in this battle
- Destinee Quinn vs. Olivia Henken – Team Christina – Olivia will prevail.
- Amber Nicole vs. Josh Logan – Team Christina – Unless Christina is on a girl power kick, it will be goodbye to young Amber. If she picks Amber, Josh will be stolen.
- Briana Cuoco vs. Shelbie Z. – Team Blake – Shelbie SHOULD win this contest, with Briana going bye bye. That is, unless the producers feel there’s more promo to wrest from the connection to her famous sister, Kaley.
- E.G. Daily vs. Ray Boudreaux – Team Blake – Bye EG. Tell Tommy I said hi.
- Holly Henry vs. Nic Hawk – Team Blake – Pitting a fantastic performer against someone who is chronically shy sounds like sabotage to me. Sorry Holly fans. I think she’s going home.
- Austin Jenckes vs. Brandon Chase – Team Blake – Austin will win this duel. But will Brandon be saved?
