The Battle Rounds Begin With 2 Steals!

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The Voice‘s highly anticipated Battle Rounds premiered tonight. After 7 episodes of Blind Auditions, the show has officially moved on to the next round. This season, coaches will be able to hit their steal button 2 times, ahead of the upcoming 3-way Knockout Rounds. It doesn’t seem like the Playoff Pass will make its return this season.

John Legend Picks Hamilton Swing Over Four-Chair Audition Singer

The Voice Season 24 Blind Auditions began with a Team Legend performance. Deejay Young and Ephraim Owens took the stage singing “Cry Me A River” by Justin Timberlake. For those who may not remember, Deejay impressed in his rendition of Kate Bush’s “This Woman’s Work”, while Ephraim impressed with Labrinth’s “Beneath Your Beautiful” in the Blind Auditions. Deejay turned three chairs (Legend, Gwen Stefani and Reba McEntire), while Ephraim turned all four chairs.

This battle was extremely fair, both artists sounded great against one another. It never felt like either was pulling ahead, so it was hard to predict which artist Legend would choose as his favorite. The other coaches were clearly just as lost, since McEntire recommended Ephraim while Horan recommended Deejay; Stefani couldn’t pick between the two. In the end, Legend picked Deejay as the winner of the battle.

Reba McEntire Premieres First Ever Team Reba Battle Performance

McEntire’s first ever Battle Round featured Jordan Rainer, who turned Four-Chairs in her audition, and Jackson Snelling, who turned McEntire and Stefani’s chairs. For the first Battle Round, McEntire had her singers perform her hit “The Heart Won’t Lie.”

It was clear that there were some nerves at the beginning of this performance, but Jordan and Jackson fought through them together. Although both singers were good, I think Jackson really stepped up to the plate for this performance. I think he stuck out because he had more confidence behind his deep, country tone.

The other coaches complimented Jackson immediately after the performance, but all noted that they want to see more of Jordan. Jordan’s light and airy tone was good for the song, but it didn’t impress the same way as Jackson. In the end, McEntire decided that Jordan would continue in the competition.

Team Niall Impresses With Billy Joel Classic

The final battle of the night featured Team Niall members Lennon VanderDoes and Tanner Massey. In case you don’t remember, Lennon VanderDoes earned a Four-Chair turn, while Tanner Massey turned the chairs of McEntire, Stefani, and Horan. Both singers had a similar, pop based tone in their auditions, so this was a pretty good pair.

This song choice was great for both artists, but Tanner’s almost sounded most natural, since Joel’s voice is within a similar range. Lennon really stood out at the higher portions of the song. Although this song may have seemed like a solid pick for both artists, Lennon fell flat for me with his vocal range not really fitting the tune.

Tanner happily surprised both the coaches and I in this performance. In the end, Horan decided that the winner of the battle is Lennon. Luckily, Tanner’s time on the series is not over, both Legend and Stefani hit their steal for the artist.

Legend commented on Tanner’s “magical voice” while Stefani explained that she wants to highlight his best qualities on stage. This was an interesting double steal, since Legend didn’t initially turn for Tanner in the Blind Auditions. He decided to join Team Gwen.

The Voice returns to NBC on Monday, October 23 with the second part of The Battle Rounds. What did you think of this episode? Do you agree with the coaches’ picks? Let us know in the comments down below.

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