‘The Voice’ kicked off the show’s first live cross battles during the April 15 episode. The performances were sensational and now it’s time for America to decide who makes it to the top 24.
It’s time for the live cross battles. Blake Shelton picks Kim Cherry for the first cross battle. He challenges Kelly Clarkson, who chooses Betsy Ade. Kim kicks off with Bell Biv DeVoe’s “Poison.” She really kills the first performance. Betsy fires back with a powerful rendition of Alanis Morissette’s “You Oughta Know.” All the judges commend Kim for her unique spin on the performances, especially with the rapping. However, Adam Levine thought Betsy “really, really killed” her performance. John Legend admitted he might be stealing the artist that America doesn’t choose!
Adam selects Mari for the next cross battle. He challenges Blake for the cross battle. Blake chooses Selkii to battle Mari. Mari slays her rendition of Troye Sivan’s “My, My, My!” Selkii responds by singing Natalie Imbruglia’s “Torn.” Both Blake and Adam push for their contestants, but John and Kelly recognize that Mari had the best performance.
The next cross battle is Team Legend’s Lisa Ramey and Team Kelly’s Karen Galera. Lisa performs a sensational rendition of Lauryn Hill’s “When It Hurts So Bad” and then Karen wows with a beautiful performance of Rihanna’s “Unfaithful.” Adam raves over Lisa, saying it was her best performance yet. Blake agrees and thinks Lisa performed better in the cross battle.
Kelly chooses Matthew Johnson for the next cross battles and challenges Adam, who picks Domenic Haynes. Matthew performs a very solid rendition of “Who’s Lovin’ You.” Domenic’s performance of Etta James’s “Damn Your Eyes” is incredibly raw and beyond powerful. “You are one of the most honest, raw, emotional, and powerful singers this show has ever seen,” Adam tells Domenic. John also notes that Domenic’s voice felt “emotionally pure” and Matthew’s singing was “just flawless.”
Kelly is back for another cross battle and picks Presley Tennant to battle it out with another contestant. She challenges John, who chooses Kayslin Victoria. Presley wows with her incredible performance of Rihanna’s “Love On The Brain.” Seriously, get this girl on tour ASAP. Her stage presence is terrific. Kayslin brings it as well with her powerful performance of Alessia Cara’s “Stay.” Kelly is amazed by what Presley has just done and thinks she could possibly win the show.
Adam chooses Celia Babini for the cross battle with Blake’s Oliv Blu. Celia performs Vanessa Carlton’s “A Thousand Years” and it’s not her strongest performance. Oliv takes the competition to the next level with her performance of “Gravity.” Blake is stunned by Oliv and calls it “by far” her best performance. “You literally just charmed America,” Blake says. John does note that Celia’s song “didn’t take advantage of all your strengths.”
It’s a country matchup between Team Blake’s Dexter Roberts and Team Adam’s Andrew Jannakos for this cross battle. Dexter hits the stage and sings Brooks & Dunn’s “Believe.” He doesn’t miss a note. Blake calls the performance “pitch perfect.” Andrew performs an equally great rendition of “Yours” by Russell Dickerson. The coaches are split on these two country artists. Kelly breaks it down — Andrew is new country and Dexter is old country. John raves over Andrew, saying he “wowed me tonight and nailed it.”
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