‘The Voice’ recap: Night One of battles leaves us (maybe) amazed

Night One of the Battle Rounds on “The Voice” meant we got to see the coaches in coaching action for the first time this season – and in the cases of newbie coaches Pharrell Williams and Gwen Stefani, for the first time ever. And -- may I just say? – they may be rookies as far as the spinning red chairs are concerned, but Williams and Stefani showed off their experience as music industry veterans for sure.

Williams, along with his guest advisor, Alicia Keys, especially seemed able to propel his singers forward – to help them grow as singers and confident performers.

“More often I start with humility,” the “Happy” singer told Keys, “but my team is magical.”

Celebrity advisors for this round also included Fleetwood Mac’s Stevie Nicks, working with Adam Levine; the band Little Big Town, mentoring alongside Blake Shelton; and Bush lead singer Gavin Rossdale, helping out his wife, Gwen Stefani.

The evening brought heated battles, unexpected winners, and surprising steals.

Here’s how it all broke down:

Elyjuh Rene vs. Maiya Sykes (Team Pharrell): In a battle that pitted enthusiastic teen against accomplished Yale grad on advisor Alicia Keys’ “If I Ain’t Got You,” Sykes seemed to have the upper hand going in. The 36-year-old wedding and backup singer even gave her 18-year-old competitor advice on how to hit a few notes during rehearsals. “Suck in your diaphragm,” she counseled. I thought Sykes, with her strong, mellifluous voice, won the round, and when several other coaches – Levine and Shelton – said they’d lean toward Rene, I thought maybe they were just being strategic, hoping to throw Williams off in order to make a steal. After all, she’d turned four chairs back during the blinds, whereas Rene had turned only two. But no, Williams, although he said Sykes’ voice had been “shooting out like lightning bolts,” chose Rene. “I don’t think she sang for her life, so I had to choose Elyjuh,” he later explained, apparently disappointed that no one had opted to steal Sykes.

Chris Jamison v. Jonathan Wyndham (Team Adam): The most remarkable moment in the run-up to this matchup of cute young guys in their early 20s, both sweet-voiced and with appealing personalities and both four-chair turns, was when Wyndham declared triumphantly that he’d snagged a copy of Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumours” on vinyl and dubbed it an “incredible find.” Um, it was one of the best-selling albums of all time, so, you know, not exactly rare, but whatever. The guy is 22. Paired off on “Young Girls,” by Bruno Mars, Levine said Jamison’s task was to project and Wyndham’s was to dial it back and not sound so strained. Jamison not only projected and sang well, he was hugely charismatic onstage. Levine said Jamison had “damn near broke the P.A.,” he’d sung so loud, and while he called Wyndham “fantastic,” he said he had to pick the singer he believed had “a superstar locked” within him – and that was Jamison. Levine seemed surprised when Wyndham went home unstolen. “You guys are crazy,” the Maroon 5 singer told his fellow coaches, but Shelton explained he already had singers “in the same wheelhouse” as Wyndham and, out of loyalty, didn’t want to bring additional competition their way.

Jean Kelley vs. Sugar Joans (Team Gwen): Stefani predicted that this battle between powerhouse young women, on Destiny’s Child’s “Survivor,” would be “one of the most bam performances” of the night, and it was. It was also one of the most surprising. The singers seemed to feed off each other’s energy, offering mutual support as much worthy competition, but Kelley dominated with a stronger, clearer vocal and stage style throughout. The other coaches, perhaps cannily playing things close to their vests, declared it to have been an even match, the winner a tossup. But Stefani had to make a choice, and she picked – no, not Kelley, but Joans. “I went with Sugar because her voice is just so effortless and natural,” Stefani explained. “She just poured her heart out.” Huh, maybe you had to be there. But don’t cry for Kelley, both Levine and Williams pushed their buttons to steal her. Levine had some Mies van der Rohe advice for her – telling her that by doing less she could have been “more effective” – but Kelley chose Williams, who said he wanted to keep her around until the end, because, she later said, she liked his “vibe” and predicted he’d make her an “even better performer.” Sounds about right.

Craig Wayne Boyd vs. James David Carter (Team Blake): It was Nashville versus Atlanta as these two three-named country singers faced off on Pat Green’s “Wave on Wave” in hopes of remaining on the country coach’s team. Carter – who’d cutely led advisors Little Big Town into a sing-along during rehearsals -- seemed more comfortable onstage, and really all around, and felt like the winner to me. But none of the other coaches was willing to declare either singer the victor, calling it a “draw” and “dead equal.” “I wish somebody would have sucked because it would make my decision a whole lot easier,” Shelton said, before naming Carter the winner. “I just feel like James has a better handle on where he wants to go and what he wants to do as an artist, and I feel like I can help him,” Shelton later explained. It didn’t look likely that Boyd would be stolen, but then, at the very, very last minute, Stefani startled everyone by hitting her button to claim him. “You were so natural and your voice was so strong,” she told a stunned-looking Boyd. “I just want to dress you up … do different hairdos.” Boyd didn’t seem amused by the proposal. Oh well.

Amanda Lee Peers vs. Taylor John Williams (Team Gwen): Stefani explained that she’d paired up these two distinct singers on Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” in hopes that one of them would show her “that alterna-indie thing” she sought. She said she was looking for stage presence, connection and chemistry, and by that measure, Peers seemed to surpass her rival; Taylor barely looked at Peers and appeared lost in his own solo world, sometimes even singing with his eyes closed. The coaches, though, were divided as to who had won. Stefani said having to make a final choice made her doubt her decision to be on the show at all. However, based not only on the battle itself, but also on what had come before and what she thought would come after, she said, she selected Taylor to move forward, sending Peers home unstolen. Taylor is definitely going to have to learn to connect better with an audience if he wants to stick around.

Griffin vs. Luke Wade (Team Pharrell ): In the hands-down, bar-none best battle of the night, Williams paired two guys with stylish voices -- a three- and four-chair turn, respectively -- and then coached them to break through their previous boundaries to become even better. Griffin, who had barely ever heard the Paul McCartney song before (!!!), nevertheless dug into it with vigor after Keys had the idea to have them sing an “Aretha Franklin” blues version of the song, which seemed to unlock something within both singers. Still, Wade set a high bar, and leaped confidently over it, singing with gritty soul and palpable passion and nailing the falsetto he’d been struggling with; he sounded a bit like last year’s winner, Josh Kaufman. Shelton, who thought Griffin had won, said the match was “definitely one of the greatest battles we’ve ever had on this show.” Levine, though, said Wade was the “best singer in the competition right now,” adding that he had everything: range, rasp, passion. Williams was pretty sure whichever singer he didn’t choose would get stolen, and struggled to decide which of them to give away. He elected to keep Wade, and Shelton and Stefani both moved to steal, but Shelton, who had tried hard to snag Griffin during the blind auditions, made a heartfelt plea. “I think I’m the coach for you,” he said. “Please don’t say no to me twice.” The plea worked. Shelton got the guy. Stefani said the coach-contestant combo was “meant to be.”

What did you think of night one of the battles? Any faves?