As The Voice Season 25 Battle Rounds wrapped Tuesday, Reba McEntire had only two apple/oranges contestants remaining: quiet-stormy R&B diva Elyscia Jefferson, and spunky pop-country belter Ashley Bryant. Finding music that would work for both women was not going to be easy, but Reba came up with the perfect cover song — one from her own discography, with personal meaning.
Back in 2010, Reba, a proud card-carrying member of the Beyhive, recorded Beyoncé's gender-flipping and genre-busting "If I Were a Boy" for a CMT Unplugged special, and she released a studio version later that year. The folked-up soul ballad, an examination of how wonderful it might be to live life as a privileged man, resonated with the now 68-year-old country music trailblazer, who told Elyscia and Ashley during Voice rehearsals Tuesday: "I came from a man's world. I started in the '70s. Before me, there was Loretta [Lynn] and Tammy [Wynette] and Dolly [Parton], and they helped pave the way for me and females in my decade. Demanding respect is a huge part of it: Know that God gave me this gift, God gave me this body, and you respect it. I will respect you, and you respect me. So, that's what this song is about."
Speaking with me last year about, among other things, sexism in Nashville, the respected Reba — who released her self-titled debut album in 1977 and went on to sell 75 million records in an industry that's still male-dominated in 2024 — insisted that "things have changed so much for women in the music business." And she said one lesson she'd learned from her decades of performing and recording was "a song will make a difference for anybody. That great song, it don't care what gender, race, color, creed you are. It's a great song. If you can sing it, it'll take you where you need to go. So, I think if talent wins out, that's the most important thing."
Well, Reba assigning a song by Beyoncé (who, ironically, is now officially going country herself) to two talented but very different Voice contestants this week certainly proved her point. The adaptable Bey ballad even allowed the presumed underdog of Team Reba's final Battle to win out in an unexpected way. Read on for what happened when Elyscia and Ashley tapped into their inner Sasha Fierces, along with how other final Battles of The Voice Season 25 panned out.
TEAM REBA: Elyscia Jefferson vs. Ashley Bryant, "If I Were a Boy"
Ashley was a last-minute one-chair turn; she almost broke into tears during the Blind Auditions when she thought she was about to be rejected. And this week, she initially seemed outclassed by three-chair standout Elyscia, a singer so sublime that John Legend once compared her to Brandy "The Vocal Bible" Norwood. Ashley even tried to modify "If I Were a Boy's" melody (a move that surely would've had the out-for-blood Beyhive crying blasphemy) because it started too low to sit comfortably in her range. Reba, a self-described "stickler" when it comes to songs' original melodies, actually questioned if she'd picked the right tune for these two. But after Reba wisely raised the arrangement by half a step so that Ashley wouldn't have to "half-sing" it, everything fell into place.
Reba was impressed by Ashley's pitch — it should be noted that Ashley is 30 percent deaf in her right ear due to a car accident — and by how Ashley figured out to harmonize with Elyscia despite that hearing impairment by practicing for two hours in a stairwell. Chance the Rapper, who revealed that "If I Were a Boy" is one of his favorite songs of all time, was genuinely shocked by how well Ashley "did it such justice," and John called Ashley a "wonderful, wonderful singer" whose sustained big notes were "ringing throughout the room."
And so, Ashley pulled off a surprise upset. And no one was more surprised than Ashley herself. But I think the equally big shocker was the fact that John — the only coach with a Steal left in play who'd been holding out for a "special artist" — didn't use that Steal on Elyscia, an undeniably special artist that Chance said "exudes star quality" and Dan Smyers called "one of the best in this entire competition." John himself even told Elyscia Tuesday, "Everything about you says, 'This woman belongs onstage!'" Just apparently not on The Voice's stage.
WINNER: Ashley Bryant
TEAM LEGEND: Mafe vs. Rivers Grayson, "You've Got a Friend"
"You don't always have to be the biggest vocalist to stand out in this competition," John explained Tuesday. Case in point: Rivers, who said more with his lovely whisper than most Voice contestants can do with a scream. While Rivers's vocals were so hushed and soft on this specially commissioned bilingual cover of the Carole King/James Taylor classic that they practically floated off into the ether, they were unique to this show. And, as John pointed out, "It's so hard to sing soft and quiet and be on pitch and resonate in the room." Chance loved Rivers's "nostalgic" vibrato, Shay Mooney described Rivers's voice as "so present," and Reba said his tone made her "relax and feel so good."
But of course, John went with the safe choice, rangy powerhouse Mafe, who'd probably have a better shot of navigating this competition and handling different styles. Rivers, on the other hand, will probably fare better in the real world, finding a place amid the Bon Ivers and Father John Mistys of the indie/Americana scene. I look forward to (barely) hearing whatever Rivers does next.
WINNER: Mafe
TEAM DAN + SHAY: AJ Harvey vs. Anya True, "Half of My Heart"
Dan + Shay joked that AJ and Anya were a hot new country duo "coming for our job," and this pairing on a John Mayer song was indeed groovy and vibey, very Tom Petty/Stevie Nicks. So, I am baffled that this Battle was not shown in full. Usually with montages, I can discern from the aired snippet that this performance was hardly must-see TV and the producers had good reason to leave most of the footage on the cutting-room floor. But this particular snippet sounded amazing to my ears and left me craving more. Sadly, this is all we will see of AJ, despite Dan praising him for knowing "what you sound like and who you wanna be." I still don't know quite what AJ sounds like after watching only 15 seconds of this Battle, but hopefully the also-deserving Anya will receive more screentime in the Knockout Rounds.
WINNER: Anya True
TEAM CHANCE: RLETTO vs. Val T. Webb, "Saving All My Love for You"
Chance knew this was going to be "one of the tougher" Battles, because covering the late, great Whitney Houston is actually "one of the toughest things that you can do on the show." I expected RLETTO, a melodic rapper (and total Team Chance material) to have a much tougher time, since he freely admitted Whitney is not in his wheelhouse. And I was confused as to why Chance wouldn't pick a song that would allow both contestants to shine, the way Reba had with Ashley and Elyscia.
But then, diva Val — despite Chance calling her a "generational talent" and comparing her to Anita Baker, and despite Whitney supposedly being in her wheelhouse — surprisingly struggled. She was admittedly "restrained" and "scared" in rehearsal, and I don't think it helped that she misguidedly dedicated a song sung from a desperate mistress's point of view to her beloved husband. (What misunderstood "love songs" will Val sing for Mr. Webb next? The Police's "Every Breath You Take"? R.E.M.'s "The One I Love"?)
RLETTO ended up being the star of the show here, making interesting choices to reach those power notes, showcasing the signature sound of his sexy lower register, and being the all-around more magnetic entertainer. It didn't hurt that his stage outfit was "absolutely fire" either, according to apparent fashionista Shay.
This Battle didn't have any surprise twist ending, but it ended in exactly the right way. Fellow rappers Chance and RLETTO stuck together, of course, and then John finally that Steal on Val. "We were supposed to be together from the jump!" Val told her new coach. John claimed this result was part of some long-game-strategy "revenge" on his new rival Chance, but I think everyone left the Voice set happy today. We'll see how happy everyone remains when they return to the show for the Knockout Rounds on April 8.
WINNER: RLETTO / STOLEN: Val T. Webb moves to Team Legend
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