‘The Voice’ season 23 episode 8 recap: Who advanced in ‘The Battles Part 2’? [UPDATING LIVE BLOG]

John Benutty and Denton Davidson
·5 min read
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

“The Voice” Season 23 continues on Tuesday, March 28 with part two of the Battles. Coaches Blake Shelton, Niall Horan, Chance the Rapper and Kelly Clarkson prepare their artists to go head-to-head in hopes of advancing to the Knockouts or straight to playoffs with the coveted, brand-new Playoff Pass. Each coach has one steal and one Playoff Pass.

The show’s innovative format features five stages of competition: Blind Auditions, Battle Rounds, Knockouts, Playoffs and Live Performance Shows. Shelton announced last year that this season would be his last. Can the nine-time champ make it an even 10 before signing off for good?

More from GoldDerby

SEE ‘The Voice’: All 9 Team Blake Shelton winners ranked worst to best

Below, read our minute-by-minute “The Voice” recap of Season 23, Episode 8 to find out what happened Tuesday, March 28 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT. Then be sure to sound off in the comments section about your favorite artists on NBC’s long-running reality TV show, which coach you’re rooting for and who you think will ultimately join “The Voice” winners list for this 23rd season. Carson Daly hosts the Emmy-winning program.

TEAM BLAKE: Neil Salsich, Tasha Jessen, Alex Whalen, Carlos Rising, Walker Wilson, Mary Kate Connor, Kylee Dayne, Grace West

TEAM NIALL: Ross Clayton, Michael B., Ryley Tate Wilson, Jerome Godwin III, Laura Littleton, Kate Cosentino, Tiana Goss, Gina Miles, Talia Smith, EJ Michels

TEAM CHANCE: Sorelle, Noivas, Magnus, Jamar Langley, Manasseh Samone, Chloe Abbott, Ray Uriel, Alyssa Lazar, NariYella

TEAM KELLY: Holly Brand, D.Smooth, Sheer Element, ALI, Marcos Covos, JB Somers, Rachel Christine, Cait Martin, Katie Beth Forakis, Kala Banham

SEE Everything to know about ‘The Voice’ Season 23: Mega Mentor announced

Keep refreshing/reloading this “The Voice” live blog for the most recent updates.

9:00 p.m. – “Previously on ‘The Voice’!” In Episode 7, the Battles began with nine artists advancing. Six won their contest, while Niall and Kelly both utilized their only steals of the round and Chance used his playoff pass. Who will move on tonight?

9:02 p.m. – Niall paired Ross Clayton and Laura Littleton together for a Battle to “Stop Dragging My Heart Around” because of their shared country influence that could be utilized on a non-country song. In the rehearsal, Niall asked Ross to hold back from some of the grit to his voice at the beginning so that it could roll in later. With Laura, he wanted her to watch her pitch at the end of the song because her excitement was coming through in her voice and breaking the note.

9:11 p.m. – Chance called it an awesome performance and noted their harmonies as really strong. Kelly thought Ross’s voice cut through and the song was perfect for him while Laura has an “intoxicating” vibrato. Blake agreed with Kelly’s assessment and also chose Ross as the winner because of his “rock solid” style. Niall appreciated that both artists were able to make their parts their own and said his choice to keep Ross came down to an “in the moment” and “gut” decision.

9:19 p.m. – Team Chance’s pairing of the night was between Magnus and Alyssa Lazar on “Your Song.” Chance thought they’d go well together because it’s a blending of different musical styles and tones. Because they’re so differently stylistically, Chance advised them to “stay in your texture” because it was the balance of their differences that he wanted to shine through in their performance.

9:28 p.m. – Kelly thought the duet worked perfectly with Alyssa piercing through and Magnus showing off a well-bodied, “cozy” voice. She did note that their use of vibrato the whole time was distracting, but she gave the edge to Magnus. Blake thought Alyssa had a “slower, more dominant” vibrato and Niall leaned toward her because of her storytelling character. Chance said that Alyssa got better every time she performed the song and noticed that Magnus switched out some of his intentional runs to vibrato in the performance. Despite those changes, Chance chose Magnus as the winner because of he had his own take on the song.

9:31 p.m. – Kelly had a pairing between Marcos Covos and Sheer Element to “I Could Fall in Love” where Marcos came out on top because he showed “passion not just power.”

9:37 p.m. – Blake’s pairing of Mary Kate Connor with Kylee Dayne was one they were both excited about, but as close friends in the competition realized it was bittersweet because one of them might go home. In rehearsal to “Anti-Hero,” he wanted Kylee to be mindful of her breath switching between falsetto and full voice, but overall found it to be one of the easiest rehearsal experiences he’s had on the show because of how prepared they were.

9:49 p.m. – Niall called it one of his favorite battles so far and thinks they had a tough task making a current song their own. He told Kylee that she seemed comfortable in the song and noted a part in the song where Mary Kate gave him goosebumps. Chance said they matched so well, but that Kylee was able to identify herself in the song with her voice and thinks she could win the whole competition. Kelly said Kylee has a voice that singers get jealous of because her voice is so versatile, but Mary Kate has a passion that is beautiful. Blake said this was the pairing he was dreading because of how close they are, but he’s proud of what they achieved together. Between the equally matched singer songwriters, Blake decided that Kylee was the winner of the battle to remain on Team Blake. He wasn’t willing to let Mary Kate go though so Blake decided to hit his Playoff Pass button in order to send her through to the playoffs rather than compete in the Knockouts.

SIGN UP for Gold Derby’s free newsletter with latest predictions

Best of GoldDerby

Sign up for Gold Derby's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Click here to read the full article.