‘The Voice’ recap: The singers bring it as the battle rounds begin

With the blinds behind us, it was on to the battles Monday on “The Voice.”

“The battle rounds are so intense,” Blake Shelton said at the top of the show. “It may be the toughest part of the competition because [the singers] are so good -- and they always bring it.”

Bring it the contestants did. One Team Pharrell Williams pairing brought guest mentor Missy Elliott to tears with its musical authenticity and brought Gwen Stefani her “favorite battle” ever. A Team Adam Levine duo brought a guest mentor, John Fogerty, of Creedence Clearwater Revival, back to his guitar to rearrange his “Fortunate Son” just for them, a moment Levine called “one of the best moments” he had ever experienced on “The Voice.” And two members of Team Blake brought us the “ultimate four-chair-turn battle.”

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It was a big night of battles, featuring a very bald Levine. Here’s how it all broke down:

Jordan Smith vs. Regina Love (Team Adam): Having turned four chairs with his blind audition, unusually high-voiced 21-year-old Smith seemed to have a distinct advantage over Love, a 51-year-old radio host, who, years ago, had had success as a gospel singer. Levine paired them on Sam Smith’s “Like I Can,” hoping they would bring it emotion and harmony, which they did, bringing the coaches to their feet.

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Shelton said there was no wrong decision. Williams said it was like “listening to two beautiful trumpets going back and forth.” And Stefani called both singers’ abilities “shocking.” Nevertheless, Levine had to make a decision. And of course he picked Smith, whom he called a “unicorn” capable of winning the whole thing. It seemed unlikely that Love would get stolen, given her age and experience, which often puts coaches off, but Stefani surprised everyone – including, it seemed, herself, by stealing the veteran singer. Later, Stefani said “the Lord” had made her press her button for Love.

Tyler Dickerson vs. Zach Seabaugh (Team Blake): Formerly known as the Outlaw Kid, Dickerson, 21, had some country-music success before seeing it slip away. At 16, strikingly handsome high school athlete Seabaugh appears to have it all ahead of him. Shelton gave the two young country singers Travis Tritt’s “I’m Gonna Be Somebody,” a choice that might have seemed to favor Dickerson, who had been compared to Tritt during his Nashville days. But while Seabaugh sang with urgency and commitment, Dickerson came off as a bit distant, perhaps even slightly bored. Stefani complimented Dickerson on his “comfort,” but called Seabaugh a “phenomenon.” Levine said Dickerson had failed to show them his “fire.” Shelton agreed, advancing Seabaugh over Dickerson, despite calling the latter “an incredible talent.”

Ellie Lawrence vs. Tim Atlas (Team Gwen): Stefani pitted blue-haired indie pop singer Lawrence against singer-songwriter Atlas on the Neighbourhood’s “Sweater Weather,” hoping to figure out which would show her more “emotion, character and stage presence.” Both singers did well vocally, but Lawrence seemed more comfortable onstage. Levine and Shelton both said they’d give the win to Atlas, but Stefani said she suspected they were doing so only to throw her off so they could swipe Lawrence. (Levine swore it wasn’t so.) Ultimately, the No Doubt singer gave the win to Lawrence, crediting her “great voice,” “amazing stage presence,” and the fact that she related to her “in so many ways.” But it all worked out well for Atlas anyway: Williams stole him, crediting Atlas’ “passion.”

Celeste Betton vs. Mark Hood (Team Pharrell): These two soulful, gospel-based singers made Missy Elliott weep – balled-up tissue and all – while rehearsing “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell; Elliott said she hadn’t “felt that from music in a long time.” In fact, the coaches were pretty moved by Betton and Hood’s battle, too. “That was my favorite battle that I’ve ever seen,” Stefani declared. Levine said both singers had “lit the place up” and made everyone feel “every second of it.” Shelton said either of the singers “could be a star.” Still, Williams had to make a choice, and he wasn’t happy about it, saying he had “made a mistake” putting the two singers together. Ultimately, he chose Hood, explaining that he felt that “musically,” Hood could “do anything” and was capable of reaching the very end of the competition. Sadly, no one stole Betton.

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Dustin Monk vs. James Dupre (Team Adam): Levine pitted fiery rocker Monk against laid-back country singer Dupre, a four-chair turn, on “Fortunate Son,” guest mentor Fogerty’s Vietnam-era anti-war anthem. Fogerty not only talked about his process of writing the song – which apparently took him all of 20 minutes – but also came up with a new arrangement for the two singers. Levine called it “one of the best moments I’ve ever had on this show.” The coaches agreed that, while Monk showed a lot of conviction, Dupre’s voice was consistent and, as Stefani put it, “effortless.” Levine went “with his gut” and chose Dupre, sending Monk home disappointed.

Barrett Baber vs. Dustin Christensen (Team Blake): Apparently Shelton has so many talented singers on his team, he can afford to pit two four-chair turns against each other in what he called the “ultimate four-chair turn battle” and not sweat it. Or at least not sweat it too much. Baber and Christensen, both 35, each showed their strengths on Marc Cohn’s “Walking in Memphis.” Baber attacked his performance with bracing vigor. Christensen showed off his intense, gritty vocals. All the coaches rose to their feet to applaud them, and even host Carson Daly mused that Shelton was “so screwed.” Williams complimented both, but said, if he had to choose a winner, it would be Barrett.

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The other coaches played it a bit closer to their vests, positioning themselves for a steal by declining to take sides. “The fact that one of you is going to be available right now blows my mind because you’re both two of the best singers in this competition,” Levine chortled, calling Shelton “an idiot for putting you two together.” Shelton agreed that a) he had been “an idiot,” and b) it had been “a tie,” but then went ahead and chose Baber, leaving Levine and Stefani to fight for Christensen in a steal. Levine declared his love and begged Christensen not to break his heart a second time. Stefani said she “worshipped” the singer’s voice. Christensen picked Levine as his coach.

All in all, a solid night of battles. More Tuesday …