‘The Voice’ recap: The knockout rounds conclude

Those looking for an escape from the grim realities of Sandy could find it on “The Voice” on Tuesday night, which steadily chugged along toward the conclusion of its Knockout rounds. There was comfort to be found in its predetermined outcome and painstaking progress. One by one, each coach paired up his or her singers, two by two, and coached them through one more song – of the contestant’s own choosing – in order to cut his or her team in half ahead of next week’s live shows.

On Monday night, as the storm raged and power flickered and went out in many wind- and water-ravaged areas, Teams Adam and CeeLo were trimmed down to their fighting weight. Tuesday, it was Christina Aguilera and Blake Shelton who were tasked with making cuts.

Here’s how the rounds went down for Team Christina:

Devyn DeLoera, “I Have Nothing” vs. Laura Vivas, “I Need to Know”
Winner: DeLoera, which was not difficult to predict considering we hadn’t seen much of Vivas before. Shelton said he figured DeLoera had won Aguilera’s heart the moment she’d dropped to her knees during her song, but Aguilera credited her “connection” with DeLoera, as well as her sense that she’d be the contestant for whom her coaching would be more beneficial.

Adriana Louise, “Already Gone” vs. Celica Westbrook, “Never Say Never”
Winner: Louise, whom Aguilera complimented for managing to rein in her nerves before singing. “You calmed yourself, and it helped,” she said.

Alessandra Guercio, “Take a Bow” vs. Dez Duron, “Stuck on You”
Winner: Duron. Aguilera said he’d been “consistent” and was “a little further along” than Guercio.

Chevonne, “Dancing With Myself” vs. De’Borah, “You Found Me”
Winner: De’Borah. Even though Aguilera admired the way Chevonne went “to that ledge,” putting herself “out there as a woman having fun,” she chose her original team member over her battle round steal.

Aquile, “Grenade” vs. Sylvia Yacoub, “Fighter”
Winner: Yacoub. Her gamble in choosing one of her coach’s own songs, which Aguilera said was “difficult” to sing, paid off.

And here’s how the knockouts played out for Team Blake:

Gracia Harrison, “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” vs. Liz Davis, “Gunpowder & Lead”
Winner: Davis. It came down to song choice. Even though Davis had taken a risk by selecting a song by Shelton’s wife, Miranda Lambert, she’d wisely decided to stick to country music, whereas Harrison’s song choice, by the rock band Aerosmith, made Shelton conclude Harrison didn’t have a clear handle on the sort of singer she was striving to become.

Rudy Parris, “Forever” vs. Terry McDermott, “Maybe I’m Amazed”
Winner: McDermott. Parris apparently erred by choosing a Chris Brown song Shelton felt was too young for him. McDermott, meanwhile, showed off his range and confidence, strutting around the stage to a Paul McCartney song he knew well because he’d covered it with his band.

Collin McLoughlin, “Breakeven (Falling to Pieces)” vs. Michaela Paige, “Love Is a Battlefield”
Winner: Paige. In a fairly even match, it came down to gut feeling for Shelton, who’d “stolen” McLoughlin from Levine during the battle rounds. “Man, I love this little girl so much,” Shelton said of 16-year-old Paige. “I gotta go with Michaela.”

Julio Cesar Castillo, “Somebody to Love” vs. MarissaAnn, “Lady Marmalade”
Winner: Castillo, who had the advantage because he was an original member of Team Blake, while MarissaAnn had been a steal from Aguilera’s team. “I have so much time invested in Julio,” Shelton said. “I have to go with Julio.” He later said MarissaAnn simply hadn’t wowed him enough to sway him.

Cassadee Pope, “Payphone” vs. Suzanna Choffel, “Could You Be Loved”
Winner: Pope, which makes me sad, because Choffel had been one of my favorites. Choffel had killed her chances by choosing a laid-back Bob Marley song with no soaring moments. “I really think your song choice hurt you here,” Shelton told Choffel, before announcing that he was picking Pope because she “took a chance and knocked it out of the park.”

Do you think the coaches made the right calls?

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