Structured as duets, the best battles are those in which the two contestants complement each other. When they are in sync vocally, visually and emotionally, “The Voice” creates meaningful performances unrivaled by those on any other music competition series.
On Tuesday’s “I Wish it Would Rain,” Team Adam Levine members Barry Black and Preston Pohl demonstrated that battles need not suffer in the name of competition. The two played off each other perfectly, simultaneously coming off as immensely similar and surprisingly dissimilar.
It worked.
Unfortunately, it was still a competition, and that meant Levine could only select one to advance. And though Black certainly held up his end up the bargain, when push came to shove, Levine had to push through the superior vocalist in Pohl.
The chemistry was not as rich, but Team Christina contestants Olivia Henken and Stephanie Anne Johnson still made impressions on The Band Perry’s “DONE.” Henken emerged as a true star; the good-looking country blonde topped off her killer combination of personality, presence and energy with a very competent vocal performance.
She might have been less commanding–and the battle’s clear loser–but Johnson was far from a slouch. Her gritty vocals shined throughout the song, so much so that coach Cee Lo Green opted to steal her the show-closing moment.
With The Battles over, the next step is the Knockout Round. The rosters for that round are as follows:
Team Adam
Juhi
Lina Gaudenzi
James Wolpert
Tessanne Chin
Preston Pohl
Ashley DuBose
James Irwin
Grey
Team CeeLo
Stephanie Anne Johnson
Monika Leigh
Kat Robichaud
Caroline Pennell
Jonny Gray
Cole Vosbury
George Horga, Jr.
Tamara Chauniece
Team Christina
Will Champlin
Anthony Paul
Josh Logan
Matthew Schuler
Jacquie Lee
Destinee Quin
Amber Nicole
Olivia Henken
Team Blake
Briana Cuoco
Nic Hawk
Shelbie Z
Holly Henry
Austin Jenckes
EG Daily
Ray Bourdreaux
Brandon Chase