The Voice-Battle Rounds Night One Recap!

Let's welcome guest writer Esther Kao, who is reporting on the first battle rounds of Season 5!

And the battle rounds start off with a BANG! Let's go baby!

Tonight we're serving:

Donna Allen vs. Tessanne Chin

Briana Cuoco vs. Jacquie Lee

Anthony Paul vs. Caroline Pennell

Shelbie Z vs. Justin Chain

Gray vs. Nic Hawk

Amber Nicole vs. Timyra-Joi

Donna Allen vs. Tessanne Chin

While this was definitely a stellar battle round, I have to admit that I was completely unsurprised by how it went. It made a lot of sense—Tessanne = great singer + Donna = great singer equals great battle round. And it was. Adam picked Tessanne, which I do concur with, because her vocals are just a little more polished and controlled. What did surprise me, though, is the fact that no one. Stole. Donna. She has this awesome rasp and was clearly up to par with Tessanne, who is in her own little level. So I’m a bit baffled as how this one played out.

Briana Cuoco vs. Jacquie Lee

Before I watched this battle, I was completely unimpressed with Briana Cuoco’s voice, albeit having a soft side for her, since she’s Mary Bennet in Lizzie Bennet Diaries, and had a high opinion Jacquie Lee, since her cover of Back to Black during the blinds was extremely interesting. This song, however, brought out an entirely new, sultry side to Ms. Cuoco, which only has me further convinced that song choice is key. Jacquie started out a bit nervous, but by the end of the song she’d won me over. I agreed with Christina’s choice to keep her, because although Briana impressed me, I can see Jacquie going so much further in the long run.

And by the way, Briana made a terrible choice by choosing Blake over CeeLo. Not only does CeeLo seem better equipped for a singer like Briana, Blake has a history of sending deserving artists home in favor of his boring, original team (think MarissaAnn vs Julio Cesar Chavez and Luke Edgemon vs Holly Tucker). Hopefully the coaches are going to be using those knockout steals, because Briana faces a very high chance of going home during the Knockouts. Oh, and is it just me, or does Briana sound like Team Blake’s Michelle Raitzin from Season 4?

Anthony Paul vs. Caroline Pennell

First of all, Caroline is one of the most adorable things I have seen in my life. Secondly, I loved her interpretation, and the way she scoops and dives and just the stunning simplicity in her voice. The only thing I can see becoming an issue is her becoming another Melanie Martinez—where everything she sings sounds exactly. The. Same. Hopefully she’ll learn the key to being interestingly and consistently unique. Meanwhile, Mr. Anthony Paul was pulling some heartstrings of his own. He reminded me a bit of a cello, actually, pulling and pushing—pardon my analogy. And is it just me, or does he look a bit like a mannequin? Or an alien.

As for Christina’s steal—she must have really liked his falsetto. But I am reasonably pleased with this battle round.

Shelbie Z vs. Justin Chain

I really do like country. And I thought that these two country singers did a great job. But it was just so expected. I was pleasantly surprised by Shelbie Z’s belting powers, but also agreed a lot with CeeLo—Justin Chain wasn’t really given a lot of room to shine. And they were really pleasant to listen to, but it isn’t the kind of performance that has me on my feet. Shelbie Z was the obvious choice, so I wasn’t surprised when Blake went for it.

Gray vs. Nic Hawk

I wasn’t sure what I was expecting from this pairing, especially since the song they were singing was Domino by Jessie J. But Grey really, really impressed me. Her vocals remind me a bit of Danielle Bradbury’s (yes, I’m still bitter), and the way she took control over the song was electrifying. Looking back at it, there was nothing hugely special about the battle, but for some reason it managed to hook me. I agree with Adam’s statement—Grey’s potential is limitless. She’s like a pop Danielle Bradbury. I’m excited to see her grow emotionally as a singer, because technically she’s almost 100% there. Nic, on the other hand, brought a sense of fun to the song. While the style of the song was definitely more up Grey’s alley, I thought that the overall vibe was something that fit Nic’s quirky personality pretty well. I was a little surprised that Blake stole him, though—Blake tends to steal girls because he doesn’t want them to cry. So perhaps he’s going to actually take Nic through to the lives. We’ll see.

Amber Nicole vs. Timyra-Joi

This was such an expected battle. I feel like ever since Amanda and Trevin’s battle, the coaches have constantly been trying to meet that same bar. So I came to this battle knowing exactly what I was going to hear—a lot of big notes and vocal acrobatics. And I wasn’t surprised. I have to admit, though, that I was pleasantly surprised by Amber, because her voice was interestingly nuanced, while Timyra seemed a bit delayed at times, which is the same issue I had with her during her Blind. So I was pleased when Christina handed Amber Nicole the win, although I had guessed that she would pick Timyra. What shocked me, though, was the fact that no one stole Miss Joi, because I’d thought that the coaches loved her. But whatever, I wish her luck.

That's it folks! Esther will hop in once in a while to give her opinions on...life...and TV shows.

Thank you :) Have an amazing day