As The Voice Season 25 Battle Rounds continued apace Monday, Team Legend's Olivia Rubini — a '70s-obsessed, Klute-coiffed music producer's daughter who grew up on Laurel Canyon folk-rock and auditioned with Linda Ronstadt's "Long Long Time" — let out a squeal of delight when she learned that her Battle song assignment was "Edge of Seventeen" by her idol, Stevie Nicks.
Meanwhile, Olivia's opponent, pop balladeer Jackie Romeo, had a more amusingly muted reaction: "I'm so excited to... um, learn this song?"
Yep, that's right. Jackie didn't know "Edge of Seventeen." In fact, the 20-year-old was entirely unfamiliar with the classic catalogs of both solo Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mac. ("Oh, that's gotta be Stevie Nicks, right?" Jackie asked innocently when presented with a photo of the famous witchy woman in all her shawl-swathed glory.) Olivia was understandably aghast, and Jackie admitted it was "definitely scary to have someone as your Battle partner where like, rock is their whole thing."
But then Olivia decided to have some fun with it and become Jackie's classic-rock sherpa or rock 'n' roll Henry Higgins of sorts — enthusiastically giving Jackie a crash course in all things rock and all the "lowdown and tea" on Fleetwood Mac's scandalously partner-swapping, in-fighting, bandmate-firing history. (Side note: That is a class I'd totally enroll in.)
Jackie's adult education wasn't going so swimmingly at first. In Olivia's beginner-level multiple-choice quiz, Jackie misidentified Robert Plant as Keith Richards, then face-palmingly guessed that Plant used to be the lead singer of the Police. But Jackie was a fast and eager learner, and once she spent some time in rehearsal with "Edge of Seventeen," she started to develop some of her own edge. "OK, I can find myself in there," Jackie (who, it should be noted, covered Stevie superfan Miley Cyrus's "Flowers" for her Voice audition) said of the song. "I really relate to the emotional release in these lyrics."
Perhaps Olivia taught her pupil/rival a little too well.
Once onstage, Jackie committed to the bit and really went for it, even looking the part with her wild Pre-Raphaelite curls and gold-dust-woman caftan. She sounded the part, too, with her Nicks-ish vibrato that her coach John Legend described as "crispy and crackling, like the best Southern-fried chicken." There was one magical moment during the performance when Jackie seemed to be surprising her own self, realizing in real time that she might win this Battle by (pun intended) a landslide... that the student had become the master, and that she was actually kind of schooling Olivia.
While John appreciated Olivia's "stylized, softer approach" and all of the coaches thought this Battle was pretty evenly matched, John said Jackie's voice "cut through to the core in this powerful way" — and he picked Jackie over Olivia. "I really think Jackie's a threat. I think Jackie can sing anything," he explained. Given the fact that just 24 hours earlier Jackie couldn't even pick Stevie Nicks out of a lineup, I think John could be right about her. Could she cover "Tusk" next?
Olivia was probably filled with regret at this point, but just as she was about to walk off into the Voice sunset in her black cowgirl hat, new coaches Dan + Shay swooped in to "lure her to the country-side" and stole her. (They claimed they would've turned for Olivia in the Blinds, but since she gave the final audition of the season, their team was already full.)
And so, Olivia will live to rock another day, in the Knockout Rounds ... however, if she gets pitted against another naïve pop crooner who can't tell the difference between Robert Plant and Sting or the Stones and Zeppelin, she might not want to help that opponent with any rock 'n' roll high school lessons.
In the meantime, allow me to educate you on what else went down on night three of The Voice Season 25's Battle Rounds.
TEAM REBA: Josh Sanders vs. Donny Van Slee, "When It Rains It Pours"
During rehearsals, Reba McEntire bonded with both Josh and Donny (who'd become pals themselves during the Blinds), and she teared up over that "really, really special" experience, how it felt like they'd "known each other forever," and how tough her dreaded decision would be. Reba also said she could "see them being a duo" in the future, and Josh and Donny did complement each other with their easy rapport and similar growls. They performed so well together, in fact, that Chance the Rapper quipped, "I don't even listen to country music — and I might download that song!"
The winking and grinning Donny was a more vibrant and likable performer. Everyone loved his little spin at the beginning, Reba called him "cute as a button," and John could tell that Donnie was having a blast. But Josh made Luke Combs's song heavier and harder-hitting. Rocker Josh not only had that recordably reedy tone, with more twang and attack, but he tapped into his grief over his preemie-baby son's death to find deeper meaning in the lightweight party tune's title. In the end, Reba realized that "vocally, Josh stepped up to the plate," so she had to let Donny go despite his "huge talent."
WINNER: Josh Sanders
TEAM LEGEND: Ronnie Wilson vs. Gene Taylor, "When I Was Your Man"
Initially, I thought this Battle was going go the same way as Josh-vs.-Donnie had, with it all coming down to the singer who felt a more profound personal connection to the lyrics. The openly gay Ronnie, who grew up in a religious small town with no LBGTQ+ role models and therefore "made a lot of errors" during his first same-sex relationship, channeled all that regret and remorse into his dedication of Bruno Mars's torchy ballad to his lost first love. The effect was intense.
Conversely, Gene, a four-chair contestant (or five-chair, if you count Dan Myers and Shay Mooney as separate sentient entities) was technically superior, but it was hard for him to undo his theater training and all of his crowd-pleasing habits from years of being a cruise-ship entertainer. John actually chastised Gene during rehearsals for sounding "too happy" and not having enough "darkness." But like Jackie, Gene was willing to be "teachable," so he vowed to "push the technical stuff aside" and "bare his soul more."
Once both rangy tenors were onstage, my eyes still went to Ronnie (how could they not, with his killer superstar style?), but my ears slightly favored Gene. Shay joked that Gene sang "notes that I don't think are legal in California" and said Gene had "one of the most perfect vibratos" he'd ever heard, and the always-meddling Chance semi-joked that John should keep Gene just so he'd "have the ability to steal him later" in the Knockout Rounds.
Well... Chance might get his wish, so John better watch out. But for now, Gene is still on Team Legend. While John loved Ronnie's personality and thought Ronnie's performance was "honest and authentic and full of love and full of heart," he ultimately went with the singer with more "range, precision, tone, and texture." (This show is called The Voice, after all.) I'm just sad Chance didn't have a Steal still in play during this round, so that Ronnie might've the opportunity to stay as well.
WINNER: Gene Taylor
TEAM DAN + SHAY: Madison Curbelo vs. Kyle Schuesler, "Lucky (Suerte)"
I would've thought this bilingual version of Jason Mraz's frothy hit would be a disaster for such seemingly mismatched artists. (Kyle had never sung in Spanish before, and he hadn't even spoken Spanish since high school.) But somehow this "insane pairing," as Shay put it, came across like a perfectly curated, opposites-attract Latin Grammys performance. The ditty worked with Kyle's Huntington Beach surfer-bro vibe (and his Spanish was actually decent enough that John told him, "I believed you!"); Madison sparkled in the duet's Ximena Sariñana role; and they were just adorable together. Shay declared this the "most cohesive" Battle of the season, but also the "worst decision" that he and Dan had faced thus far.
Well, we all knew this was going. During rehearsals, Madison had actually "put it into the universe" that she hoped to receive her team's Playoff Pass — which fast-tracks a contestant directly to the competitive shows — and Chance even advised Dan + Shay to use the Playoff Pass so that his new frenemy John couldn't poach either Madison or Kyle. (The Playoff Pass overrides the Steal, preventing any keen rival coaches from stealing that contestant.) So, when Dan + Shay chose Kyle and John expectedly tried to steal Madison... Dan + Shay whacked their red Playoff Pass button straight away.
While John admitted that this was "the most obvious Playoff Pass of all time," he was still displeased, if not surprised. "This Playoff Pass is really annoying me. I don't like it," he grumbled. (The same thing happened to poor John last week, during a Battle between Team Chance's Maddi Jane and Nadége.) Everyone else, however, just seemed delighted that both singers, who Dan said both "deserved to win the whole show," were still in the running.
WINNER: Kyle Schuesler / PLAYOFF PASS: Madison Curbelo
TEAM CHANCE: Serenity Arce vs. Bri Fletcher, "Someone You Loved"
Serenity turned four chairs (or five chairs) in the Blind Auditions, while Bri almost turned no chairs because her montaged audition went off the rails due to her nerves. Chance heard some faint potential during the Blinds and instinctively turned for Bri at the last minute, but even he was surprised by Bri's "night-and-day" transformation between then and now. It seemed like Bri was being set up for a Davey/Goliath story arc and getting a winner's edit, as a suddenly flummoxed Chance moaned he didn't want to lose her and that this Battle could go either way. "And I'm not just saying for the camera," Chance insisted.
Onstage, Bri exhibited a certain brittleness and world-weariness that worked with Lewis Capaldi's defeated breakup ballad, providing an interesting contrast to 16-year-old Serenity's teenage angst. Both vocalists were absolutely in their feels, and this combination absolutely worked. Shay blurted that he was "trying not to tear up," while Serenity was actually openly sobbing by the performance's end.
Serenity explained that she was crying because she realized she'd soon have to say goodbye to new Voice friends like Bri — which seemed premature and almost like shade. But the new-and-improved Bri did such a stellar job that maybe the weepy Serenity was simply expecting to go home instead. As it turned out, Bri was still this Battle's underdog. Shay said Serenity "lived in that song" and Dan said Serenity was "buried in the DNA of the song," and she was the technically better singer. So, although it broke Chance's heart, he too had to say goodbye to Bri. "I don't want to cry, so I'm gonna just keep smiling," Chance muttered.
WINNER: Serenity Arce
TEAM CHANCE: Dani Stacy vs. Corey Curtis, "Best Part"
This Battle was ruthlessly montaged, so we only heard a snippet of mostly unison singing, but according to Chance, Dani had a "better grasp of the song and more control of her voice." I am going to assume that he was correct, since Dani was not only a five-chair turn and the hyped contestant whose audition kicked off this entire season, but the singer that inspired Chance to use his one Block (on queen Reba). So, I don't think the decision to say goodbye to one-chair fodder contestant Corey broke Chance's heart too much.
WINNER: Dani Stacy
TEAM DAN + SHAY: Ryan Coleman vs. Ducote Talmadge, "Rock and a Hard Place"
Dan + Shay were convinced that these two Village People-esque male archetypes, the farmer and the firefighter, could "sing the heck out of a mainstream country song" — so much so that they had Ryan and Ducote ditch their guitars to focus on serenading each other (much like Dan + Shay do onstage themselves). Both guys gave it a good try, but I thought there were more levels to Ryan's performance. Ducote just seemed to be shouting the heck out of the song, with a vexed, almost constipated expression, and Dan even pointed out Ducote's nerves and pitchiness at the beginning. But surprisingly, Dan + Shay picked the supposedly "magnetic" Ducote, claiming he gave "5 percent more." I only think Ducote was 5 percent louder, but maybe his magnetism was more palpable in the room.
WINNER: Ducote Talmadge
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