‘The Voice’ recap: The Knockouts separate the stars from the chaff

The Knockout Rounds on “The Voice” kicked off Monday with the usual fanfare: a flurry of coach declarations about “the best of the best” and deeper-than-ever cuts and “one step away from the live shows.”

“Anything before this was just tryouts,” Adam Levine intoned.

You remember how it works, right? The coaches pair up members of their teams to compete against one another for a spot on the live shows. Unlike in the Battle Rounds, which all these singers have survived, in this round, each singer chooses a song to perform solo, while the competing team member watches. Prior to performing, each meets individually with his or her coach and this season’s guest mentor, Taylor Swift, both of whom dispense helpful advice.

Song choice and vocal talent are obviously key, but in this round, as the coaches repeatedly noted on Monday’s show, sticking around may be more determined by personality, readiness, the ability to connect with an audience and that elusive intangible, “star quality.” Singers not chosen by their coaches are available to be stolen by the other coaches, but each coach has just one measly steal to use during the Knockouts, so they have to be pretty choosy.

Only two artists were saved by a steal Monday night, and plenty of talented singers headed home clutching only parting words of encouragement from their coaches. Here’s how it all broke down:

Bryana Salaz vs. Sugar Joans (Team Gwen): Gwen Stefani said she paired these two young women because “both know how to work the stage and have great voices, but both need to work on finding who they are and connecting.” Salaz, who is only 16, sang “Heart Attack,” by Demi Lovato, and was tasked with pulling back a bit and working on her dynamics. Joans, the daughter of a musician who is a fan of old soul and R&B, tackled Beyoncé’s “Love on Top,” a choice Stefani found disappointing (Joans had competed with a Beyoncé before), and tried to work on shedding her growl. It was a battle pitting youthful potential against smoky soulfulness. Levine told Stefani she was stuck choosing between “ridiculously incredible” and “unbelievably amazing,” noting that he’d probably pick Salaz. Pharrell Williams said if Stefani did so, he’d scoop up Joans in a heartbeat. Stefani did pick Salaz, and Williams made good on his promise, praising Joans for her love of soul music and promising to work with her to find the sound of soul music’s future.

Griffin vs. James David Carter (Team Blake): Blake Shelton pitted Griffin, a battle-round steal, against country singer James David Carter, even though, Shelton said, “genre-wise they are nothing alike,” because they were both experienced male vocalists and he wanted to see which of them had “better grasp of who they are.” Carter sang an emotional country version of James Taylor’s “You’ve Got a Friend,” a choice Shelton worried might be like “bringing a knife to a gunfight.” Shelton apparently did not have similar qualms about Griffin’s choice, Justin Bieber’s “As Long as You Love Me.” Stefani thought Carter had won, saying his performance had given her “goosebumps” and that she had “believed every second of it.” Levine, who said Griffin had performed a “man version” of the Bieber song, also thought Carter had won. Shelton admitted he’d been wrong to doubt Carter’s song choice and selected him as the winner. Griffin went home unstolen.

DaNica Shirey vs. Katriz Trinidad (Team Pharrell): You knew there’d be top-notch performances on tap from these two powerhouse singers, who tackled Whitney Houston and Alicia Keys, respectively, but it was hard to predict which one of them Williams would choose. Shirey’s potent, nuanced take on “Saving All My Love for You” and Trinidad’s lively, clear-voiced “Superwoman” were both arresting. In such close matches, the coaches often toss it in favor of the younger contestant, which would have meant good news for 15-year-old Trinidad. But Williams went with the more interesting of the two singers, Shirey, whom Shelton had called a “perfect singer.” Williams, for his part, compared Shirey to a “unicorn,” and said she “definitely feels like she could be one of the people who could win.” No argument here. No one stole Trinidad.

Damien vs. Toia Jones (Team Adam): When Levine had Jones, whom he’d stolen from Team Pharrell, face off against TSA agent Damien, one of his faves, you had to feel bad for Jones. Still, she pluckily vowed to win the Knockout, and after she gave her all to Beyoncé’s “Crazy in Love,” amping up the audience, all three other coaches thought she had. Yet Damien’s take on LeAnn Rimes’ “How Do I Live” apparently impressed Levine more. He picked Damien to move forward, calling him the “person most prepared for the future rounds.” Alas, despite their enthusiasm, none of the other coaches pushed their buttons to steal Jones. “As a coach, I don’t feel like had anything to offer,” Shelton explained.

Jessie Pitts vs. Tanner Linford (Team Blake): As we’ve repeatedly learned (see above), coaches often pick their original team members over their steals from other teams, regardless of the singers’ most recent performances. Given that, you might not have had high hopes for Jessie Pitts, whom Shelton had stolen from Stefani during the Battles. On the other hand, Linford, who had failed to make it through the blind audition in a previous season, was perhaps not the most seasoned singer on Shelton’s team — and Shelton seemed to have an especially soft spot in his heart for Pitts. In any event, Pitts’ take on Elton John’s “Your Song” (the Ellie Goulding version) was so far superior to Linford’s “Calling All Angels,” which may have been most remarkable for its volume, that Shelton’s choice seemed especially clear. “I have to go with who I think has a clearer vision of the artist they want to be,” he said, choosing Pitts to take through to the live shows. “I got further than last time,” Linford told his coach before heading home. “So thank you.”

Luke Wade vs. Taylor Phelan (Team Pharrell): The final Knockout Round of the night promised to be a blockbuster — two four-chair turns, both talented, attractive young men with appealing voices and stage styles. It’s Wade, though, whose vocal tone reminds me a little of last year’s winner, Josh Kaufman. “His tone, I can’t even describe it to you. It’s perfect,” Swift said of Wade, who performed “Rich Girl,” by Hall & Oates. “Luke is the one I want to hear on the radio. Luke is the one whose album I would buy.” Indie rocker Phelan, who sang “Rather Be” by Clean Bandit, had a breakthrough when parted from his guitar, moving around the stage with command and ease. “I don’t think there was a winner because it’s apples and oranges,” Levine said after both singers had performed, “but it’s the best apples and the best oranges this show has. So I am fired up right now because someone’s coming to my team.” Shelton actually thought Phelan had won, but that may have been strategic: After Williams (smartly) picked Wade, saying he had the potential to win the whole thing, all three other coaches pushed their buttons for Phelan. Phelan went with Levine, though, saying, the Maroon 5 singer had been “fighting” for him all along. Let’s see if he continues to do so.

The Knockouts continue tonight. So exciting. Any predictions for the win at this point?