‘The Voice’ Knockouts, Pt. 2: Jewel of Denial

The Voice Knockouts continued apace this Tuesday, and finally, my girl Belle Jewel, the belle of the Season 11 ball, got the screentime she has so long been denied. Belle and her baby bangs and her probably-not-on-her-birth-certificate stage name have intrigued me ever since she auditioned with a Postmodern Jukebox-style version of Simple Minds’ “Don’t You (Forget About Me).” But then producers ironically did forget about Belle: Both her Blind Audition and her Battle Round were montaged! Oh, the shade. The shade of it all.

[IMPORTANT UPDATE! Belle’s mother has confirmed that this is indeed Belle’s real name. The full name on her birth certificate is Belle Jewel Lyon, which is even more awesome because that makes her sound like a member of the Empire family.]

This week, Team Alicia’s Belle at long last got her close-up, warbling her uniquely jazzy take on another sentimental ‘80s classic, Crowded House’s “Don’t Dream It’s Over.” And while she did not win her Knockout, thankfully the tune did not prove prophetic, as it did when Madi Davis sang it as her “Save Me” song in Season 9 and ended up going home.

Belle was an absolute dream with her Rachel-in-Blade Runner hair-buns and bedazzled LBD — an exquisite creature from another era, her voice as creamy as her alabaster complexion. Her performance was subdued, but quietly captivating. I was girl-crushing hard. However, I feared she was about to get crushed by season-long frontrunner Christian Cuevas — until Carson Daly spoiled the outcome, as he often does, and revealed that there would be a Steal at the end of the night. So I didn’t have to dream it was over for Belle, after all. Phew.

Next up, Christian was giving me some Ruben Studdard, if not actual Luther Vandross, realness, with his soulful take on “Superstar.” As he dramatically crooned the heartstring-yanking ballad in a dark suit on a darkened soundstage, it was clear he was feeling it. And so were the coaches; Alicia Keys appeared on the verge of tears as she listened to what advisor Tim McGraw described as the “velvet smoothness” of Christian’s voice. By the time Christian reached his big, belty finish, it seemed her mind was already made up.

And it was. Alicia chose Christian. But then the coach that probably should have been with Belle all along, fellow quirky girl Miley Cyrus, swooped in for the Steal. And Miley wasted no time — Carson in fact noted that this was the fastest Steal in Voice history. “I’ve loved you since I saw them bangs,” Miley told Belle, as Belle cupped a black-fingernailed hand over her painted rosebud mouth and cried happy tears.

I’m extremely excited for these two to work together; Miley has come up with some impressive leftfield song choices this season (Odetta, Pink Floyd, Melanie, Patsy Cline), and I think she’ll truly get what Belle is all about. And if The Voice doesn’t work out for Belle and she gets cut in the top 20 Live Playoffs? Well, then, there’s always Postmodern Jukebox. Scott Bradlee, I hope you were watching this week.

These were the other two Knockouts shown during Tuesday’s hour-long episode:

TEAM BLAKE: Bindi Liebowitz vs. Courtney Harrell

Courtney swung for the fences with the ambitious, Spectorian rocker “River Deep, Mountain High,” blithely ignoring the fact that this is the song that ruined Pia Toscano’s chances on American Idol all those years ago. (Though some people argued it was that unflattering, diaper-shaped L.A.M.B. onesie, designed by Blake Shelton’s girlfriend Gwen Stefani, that really felled Pia that night. But I digress!) Anyway, Courtney came out in a decidedly more flattering onesie and slayed. After spending years behind the scenes raising her child and writing songs for other, much more famous singers, she seemed more than ready for her much-deserved moment. She exploded onstage. “You are a beautiful, shining, superstar maniac soul queen, all of a sudden. Wow. This girl is one of the best we have,” raved Adam Levine.

After a momentum-killing commercial break, Bindi appeared onstage to sing another pop-soul classic, “Son of a Preacher Man” — and the energy in the studio instantly sagged. Bindi seemed like a total amateur next to Courtney. Though she was admittedly in a disadvantaged position, singing second, really, she should not have been singing this week — in any order, at all. Last week, she pretty much skated through her Battle based on “potential” and the goodwill she amassed with her strong first audition; all of the coaches admitted that her actual Battle performance had been underwhelming. And this week, Adam continued to be hard on Bindi, telling her, “There were some struggles. There were.”

Yep, there sure were. Blake Shelton’s decision was clear. The superstar maniac soul queen advanced to the Playoffs, while Bindi and her collection of Stefani-circa-’95 rhinestone bindis went home.

WINNER: Courtney Harrell

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TEAM ADAM: Billy Gilman vs. Ponciano Seoane

Billy was at an advantage in this round, and not just because he’s been a frontrunner from week one (while poor Ponciano was montaged during the Battles). Billy, a former Nashville child star with gold and platinum records to his credit, practically grew up on Music Row with key advisors Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, so this Knockout’s rehearsal almost seemed like a family reunion of sorts. Tim and Faith were supportive and seemingly impartial, giving Ponciano equal attention, but surely their friendship with Billy must have made him feel especially comfortable and in his element.

Ponciano, a singer-songwriter who first auditioned with Phillip Phillips’s “Home,” went with an oft-covered singing-show staple artist, Ed Sheeran, doing “I See Fire.” This wasn’t a particularly adventurous choice, but it suited his stoic strengths. Ponciano was giving me a Lee DeWyze vibe (that’s a compliment, haters), with his grizzled exterior, workmanlike demeanor, and gruff, raw vocals. Adam said this was the best he’d ever heard Ponciano sing, and both Blake and Miley said Ponciano made the Sheeran song sound like his own original. But would this performance, solid as it was, be enough to beat golden boy Billy? Eh, probably not.

Billy then came out fighting — almost literally, singing Rachel Platten’s “Fight Song.” He certainly wasn’t taking his frontrunner status for granted. While his performance lacked Ponciano’s edge, his voice was just so damn pretty, as pretty as his pinup-worthy, ex-teen-idol image, and this was a statement song. “I’ve still got a lot of fight left in me,” sang the man who’d previously struggled with a post-puberty voice change and coming out as gay in conservative Nashville. I felt like high-fiving Billy through the TV screen. “Maybe because I know more of the backstory, I know this guy has so much that he wants to prove. I felt it in your performance, man, and it was almost undeniable,” said another one of Billy’s old Nashville colleagues, Blake.

This was a close call, but of course Billy won this round; this season had already been indelibly scripted in his favor. I was hoping someone might steal Ponciano, but it was not meant to be.

WINNER: Billy Gilman

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Come back Monday, when the Knockouts wrap up, the top 20 are revealed, and Miley Cyrus hopefully wears something really amazing for Halloween. (I suggest she dust off her purple-pastie’d Lil’ Kim costume, if it passes muster with NBC’s censors.) See you then!

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