The Voice recap: 'The Battles, Part 4'

Amanda Bell
Updated
The Voice recap: Season 13, Episode 10

The knockouts are nigh, but before we can get there, there’s one last battle round left on The Voice. With just a handful of contestants to go, the sole remaining steal belongs to Blake Shelton, and he’s not just going to throw it away in a moment of sympathy. Luckily for him, us, and the contestant who earns it, he saves it for just the right moment to save one formidable contestant from going home much too soon.

Let’s take a look at the last battles before we get gloved up for next week.

Team Blake: Adam Cunningham vs. Natalie Stovall
“Boondocks” by Little Big Town

The coaches always seem to play up the difficulty of picking a winner, but Blake really ramps up the drama tonight with this one. Is it because the artist he’s letting down has a lot of Nashville connections and he doesn’t want to burn any bridges? Perhaps, because Natalie Stovall — whose blind audition we didn’t get to hear in full thanks to the montage treatment — is miles behind her competitor in the singing department. But at the same time, she’s a total veteran of the country music circuit and actually performed with Team Blake’s advisory squad, Rascal Flatts.

That’s the only way his drawn-out routine about the lack of available steals makes any sense; otherwise, it’s not even close. While Adam Cunningham has some legitimate staying power, Natalie’s tone is too brassy, and she’s so loud she makes Katrina Rose sound like a shrinking violet. This would’ve been much more enjoyable as a solo performance.

Winner: Adam Cunningham
Steal: N/A

Team Jennifer: Eric Lyn vs. Ignatious Carmouche
“Unaware” by Allen Stone

This battle, on the other hand, is believable as a tough call. Ignatious Carmouche has a salt-of-the-earth kind of style that’s hard to overlook, and he rises to the occasion to try to match his opponent’s sky-high notes. The trouble for him is that Eric Lyn has a completely unique sound that’s only elevated by his training.

Where Ignatious’ voice is savory, Eric’s is sweet; where Ignatious seems to go with the flow and run where it’s fun, Eric is a little more methodical in his escalations. It’s just a matter of preference on Jennifer Hudson’s part, in the end, and she resorts to actually begging Blake Shelton to use his steal on her guy. But of all the other coaches, Blake is the only one willing to point out a flaw in Ignatious’ showcase — saying he lacked Eric’s control — so the chance of him spending his last steal on someone he wouldn’t even pick for Jennifer’s team is next to none. But either could have won, and it would have been fine; in fact, it might have even been more interesting if Ignatious had stayed, because Eric and Team Adam’s Anthony Alexander are probably going to cancel each other out down the line.

Winner: Eric Lyn
Steal: N/A

Team Miley: Ashland Craft vs. Megan Rose
“Good Hearted Woman” by Waylon Jennings

Last but certainly not least, we have two women who are remarkably similar in style, despite having very, very different backgrounds. While Ashland Craft seems positively built for this song selection — she’s a honky tonk singer in South Carolina and bakes her bread off of this kind of music — Megan Rose is no slouch with it either.

Miley Cyrus might’ve meant for this tune to make her decision easier, but it didn’t, because while Ashland has the requisite gritty Southern rock vibe to make this one work without much effort, Megan Rose comes out swinging in her half with an equally competent version. If Ashland has an edge thanks to being custom fit for this music, it’s very slight, so it makes a lot of sense that Blake would recognize Megan’s potential and offer her the last steal of the game. Yeehaw!

Winner: Ashland Craft
Steal: Megan Rose to Team Blake

TEAM STANDINGS:

  • Team Adam: Dylan Gerard, Hannah Mrozak, Adam Pearce, Anthony Alexander, Emily Luther, Jon Mero, Dennis Drummond, Addison Agen

  • Team Miley: Janice Freeman, Brooke Simpson, Ashland Craft, Moriah Formica, Karli Webster, Chloe Kohanski, Whitney Fenimore, Stephan Marcellus

  • Team Jennifer: Chris Weaver, Shi’Ann Jones, Lucas Holliday, Davon Fleming, Eric Lyn, Jeremiah Miller, Noah Mac, Katrina Rose

  • Team Blake: Mitchell Lee, Esera Tuaolo, Keisha Renee, Red Marlow, Adam Cunningham, Anna Catherine DeHart, Kathrina Feigh, Megan Rose