‘The Voice’ season 23 episode 9 recap: Who advanced in ‘The Battles Part 3’? [UPDATING LIVE BLOG]

John Benutty and Denton Davidson
·9 min read
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“The Voice” Season 23 continues on Monday, April 3 with part three 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?

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Below, read our minute-by-minute “The Voice” recap of Season 23, Episode 9 to find out what happened Monday, April 3 at 8:00 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, Kate Cosentino, Tiana Goss, Gina Miles, Talia Smith, EJ Michels

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

TEAM KELLY: Holly Brand, D.Smooth, 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.

8:00 p.m. – “Previously on ‘The Voice’!” In Episode 8, the Battles continued with five artists advancing. Four won their contest, while Blake utilized his playoff pass. Up to this point, Kelly and Niall have used their steals but still each have a playoff pass. Blake and Chance have used their playoff passes, but they both still have a steal. Who will move on tonight?

8:01 p.m. – Team Kelly artists D.Smooth and ALI kicked off the night with “Unaware.” Kelly paired them together because they’re both soulful singers and, as she’s said many times before, she wants her artists to have their own lane when it comes time for the live shows. At the rehearsal session, Kelly had some notes for them in the bridge and then admitted that it’ll be a tough decision that comes down to who is more comfortable with it on stage.

8:11 p.m. – Blake gave ALI props for the confidence, but said he’d go with D.Smooth between the two. Niall called it an “unbelievable duet” because they gave each other room to “do their own thing” and then gave the edge to ALI. Chance liked the harmonies and the control both artists had, noting to Kelly that she could win with either, but he would “absolutely pick ALI.” Kelly compared D.Smooth to artists from the 90s that don’t come around that often anymore and said that ALI’s strengths are in the runs and pitch. Kelly went with the majority of the other coaches and chose to keep ALI on her team.

8:15 p.m. – Before D.Smooth could leave the stage, Chance went in for the steal and then Kelly answered back with hitting her button for the playoff pass. Kelly’s decision was an overwrite of Chance’s, keeping D.Smooth on Team Kelly and sending him straight to the playoffs.

8:17 p.m. – For Blake’s first match-up of the night, he paired together Carlos Rising and Grace West for “I Told You So” because he thinks they’re both capable of “delivering a message.” Carlos was worried that he’s never done a country song before, but Blake pointed out that when you’re a singer songwriter, country is always in your wheelhouse and he believes he could sing anything. Blake noticed that there wasn’t an even split of the lead melody in their rehearsal and urged Carlos to take on more of it.

8:31 p.m. – Niall highlighted Carlos’ husky tone against Grace’s more piercing tone and then lamented not being able to bring Grace over to his own team during the blind auditions. Chance called the match even and didn’t push Blake in either direction while Kelly leaned a little toward Grace, but thinks Carlos would be an exciting choice. Blake gave Carlos credit for making the jump to a country song and to Grace for doing what she does very well. Blake decided go with Grace, noting her authenticity as an artist and a belief that she could have a strong career in Nashville.

8:41 p.m. – Returning artist Tiana Goss was paired with Kate Cosentino for “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” because Niall wanted to give them the opportunity to have fun with a chance to dance. Niall likes Kate because she “knows the type of artist she wants to be” and Tiana because she “has one of the most beautiful tones” in the competition. During rehearsal, he warned them about over-singing and reminded them that performing for TV is very different from in person at a gig.

8:49 p.m. – Chance thought the arrangement of the song was really cool and that they “smashed the choreography” which hinted at their star quality, but gave the edge to Kate based on the battle itself. Kelly said Kate is entertaining to watch and enjoyed the moments where Tiana got to sing on her own without the harmony, calling it “an even playing field.” Blake said that it was Tiana who was always on pitch and in the pocket. Niall said it was “an amazing performance” from both of them that doesn’t occur often on competition shows, but based on “sass and willingness,” Niall decided that the winner was Kate. Chance once again opted in for the steal, this time winning the fight (no one challenged him) to bring Tiana over to his team.

8:57 p.m. – Team Kelly returned to the rehearsal studio with Holly Brand and Katie Beth Forakis on the mics to “Lady Like.” Kelly chose the song because it leans both pop and country, like them as artists, and called their rehearsal her favorite she’s ever sat in on. In their session, Kelly offered to Katie Beth that she can take a breath and reserve some of her air in the approach to the song and worked with Holly on adding some vibrato to help slow down from using all her power when approaching a riff.

9:10 p.m. – Blake said that Holly has a classic country singer voice that sounded “really good,” but thinks Katie Beth is able to hit notes that he didn’t think she’d be able to. Niall acknowledged that the song was more in Holly’s comfort zone and appreciated that Katie Beth attacked it in her own way. Chance said Holly’s confidence carried the performance and he enjoyed her interpretation of the song more. Kelly agreed that Holly has a big voice, but Katie Beth was able to hang in there with her. Kelly said that both artists “offer something completely different” to her team, but it’s Holly that she wants to keep around for the next phase.

9:19 p.m. – Team Chance got their first chance of the night with the battle between Chloe Abbott and Nariyella for “I Want You Around,” which he chose in order to see what they could do with a song that’s never been performed on the show before. Chance liked that they worked on the melody of the song to create something that is their own. He worked with them on some ideas to include more “responding lines” in to their performance to make it a more effective performance. That came into play again later when they did a dress rehearsal on stage and Chance was concerned with what he was seeing from them.

9:32 p.m. – Kelly called it one of her favorite battles, pointing out Chloe’s range and Nariyella’s smooth tone. She thought Nariyella had a slight edge over Chloe in this round. Blake based his impression on feel and said that Nariyella had control over the song throughout. Niall agreed that Nariyella creates a “continuous storyline” in her tone, but said it’s a tough choice because Chloe is like a “full-time pop star.” Chance likes the contemporary jazz influence of Chloe’s voice, but sees Nariyella as a “vocalist’s vocalist.” Admitting that it’s a hard choice for him, Chance went with his gut based on the battle alone and declared Nariyella the winner.

9:40 p.m. – Niall chose “Heartbreak Anniversary” for Ryley Tate Wilson and Michael B.‘s battle because they’re both powerhouse vocalists that will create a good battle with artist commonality. In the rehearsal space, Niall encouraged them to increase the harmonies because it is a duet and he wants to hear them together a little more. Niall will be looking for which of the two of them takes his notes best and is able to make him feel the song in their performance.

9:53 p.m. – Chance opened up comments by calling it one of the best battles he’s seen, highlighting the arrangement and the lyric splits that they did. He enjoyed Ryley Tate’s breaking voice, but it was Michael’s control that gave him the edge. Kelly liked the airy falsetto that Ryley Tate used and called Michael’s runs “effortless,” but refused to help Niall in his choice. Blake thought Michael won the battle because of how comfortable he was on stage. Niall thought they sang beautifully as a pair and made the song their own. He didn’t like having to make a choice on this one, but decided that this battle went to Michael because he brought the song to another level. Before letting Ryley Tate go, Niall stood up to hit his playoff pass so that he didn’t lose him either and gave him the power to skip the next round.

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