‘The Voice’ recap: Battle rounds reach a crescendo

Even with the safety net provided by the coach steal, quite a few worthy singers have tumbled out of “The Voice” Season 10 competition and headed home during the battle rounds. That was certainly true on Monday night’s show, the third night of battles, when the coaches declined to push their buttons for a handful of talents, sending them home disappointed.

Still, you couldn’t blame the coaches for being selective. At the beginning of the night, Christina Aguilera, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton each had just one steal left apiece, and Pharrell Williams had none at all, having used both of his up on previous nights.

By the end of the evening, only Aguilera still had a steal tucked snuggly into her back pocket -- or perhaps to that fascinating bun on the top of her head. (Love that hairdo.)

In any event, after we were treated to a flirty moment between Shelton and his girlfriend and team mentor, former “Voice” coach Gwen Stefani, we watched as the following battles played out:

Adam Wakefield vs. Jared Harder (Team Blake): Wakefield, a 33-year-old Nashville musician, had experience on his side; Harder, 22, having survived a tornado, which laid waste to much of his hometown of Joplin, Mo., had a heart-rending backstory. Both have big voices. Which would succeed in convincing Shelton, who assigned them the Marshall Tucker Band’s “Can’t You See,” that he was the “next superstar in country music,” as the country coach put it? Ultimately, Wakefield earned all the coaches’ commendations, and his own coach’s loyalty. “When I look at you, I think of the word character because there’s a character in your voice, and you look like a character too,” Shelton told the hirsute Wakefield, before declaring him the winner. Shelton had hoped Levine would steal the singer he didn’t choose, but that didn’t happen. The Maroon 5 singer said he was waiting to be “moved” and “touched” before he used his final steal.

Emily Keener vs. Jonathan Bach (Team Parrell): Keener, a 17-year-old singer-songwriter who had turned all four chairs during the blinds, clearly had the advantage over Bach, who had spun only Williams. Nevertheless, he showed impressive growth during their battle, in which they tackled Ellie Goulding’s “Explosions.” The coaches were divided on who had won: Shelton said he’d “connected” with Keener. Aguilera cast her vote for Bach. Levine said he thought it had been a battle of “equals.” Of course it was Williams’ vote alone that mattered, and he chose Keener, saying she was not only young, but also “superclear on what she wants to do.” No one stole Bach.

Daniel Passino vs. Kristen Marie (Team Christina): Given that both these singers turned both Aguilera and Shelton back in the blinds, this battle -- set to Adele’s “Turning Tables” -- seemed like an even match. Aguilera predicted she’d have a “tough decision” ahead. Yet, while Aguilera’s rival coaches uniformly praised Marie, all three tapped Passino, who’d sung with clarity and passion, as the winner. Eventually, Aguilera did, too, saying he was “a little more sure of” himself, as well as being “strong” and “consistent,” and had good “instincts.” Marie, a talented and appealing performer, went home unstolen.

In a fast-forward montage, we saw Williams advance Moushumi over Jonathan Hutcherson, Levine picked Katherine Ho over Lily Green, and Shelton selected Angie Keilhauer and sent home Teresa Guidry.

Abby Celso vs. Brian Nhira (Team Pharrell): Before this Rochester, N.Y., waitress and Oklahoma worship leader took the stage to sing Maroon 5’s “Sugar,” Williams called their match a “dead heat” and expressed hope for a steal so both singers could stick around. So one had to wonder, after all three of his fellow coaches said they’d tap Nhira for the win, if he wasn’t being strategic when he named Celso as the winner, making Nhira available to steal. “I need there to be a save,” the “Happy” singer said. “I need both of you guys to be on the show.” Williams said Celso had a “wide range vocally” and added that she could “swing for the fence,” and said he planned to push her further. Then both Levine and Aguilera moved in to steal Nhira, who elected to join Team Adam. Levine boasted that Nhira would be a “major game changer” for his team. “I’m extremely happy,” Levine declared. Nhira seemed pretty pleased, too.

Caroline Burns vs. Mike Schiavo (Team Adam): The winner of this battle appeared to be anything but predetermined. Burns, only 16, had youth, perseverance (she’d bounced back from an unsuccessful previous audition to turn two chairs), talent and complete adorableness on her side. Schiavo had staked out a memorable moment himself, dueting with Levine during the blinds. After the two singers performed prettily on Meghan Trainor and John Legend’s “Like I’m Gonna Lose You,” the coaches were split on who had won the battle: Shelton chose Burns, Aguilera went with Schiavo, and Williams took a more balanced view. Levine ultimately selected Burns to advance, crediting her potential and later telling Williams he “couldn’t not go with her” because she was just “too interesting” and comparing her to young Season 8 winner Sawyer Fredericks.

Alisan Porter vs. Lacy Mandigo (Team Christina): Eighteen-year-old Mandigo, whom Aguilera had scooped up in a one-chair turn, may have been the only person around who thought she had a chance of emerging the victor against former child actress Porter (she played the title role in the movie “Curly Sue”), who blew everyone away -- earning a four-chair turn and a reputation as a season frontrunner -- during the blinds. But guess what? Mandigo was kind of right. Even though, after the two battled on the Mamas and the Papas’ “California Dreamin’,” Aguilera did give the win to the powerful-piped Porter (Williams said she’d stormed through like a “weather system”), Mandigo ended up a winner too. Shelton stole her for his team. He said he saw “so much potential” in the teen singer, adding, “as a coach, I want to work with somebody that I’m interested in seeing what they can develop into.”

That means that, heading into tomorrow’s final battles, Aguilera is the only coach left with a steal. We’ll see who she uses it on...

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