‘The Voice’ recap: Christina Aguilera comes out swinging

“The Voice” coaches continued to stack their teams with talented singers on Monday, the third night of Season 10 blind auditions. They also showed they were seriously on their games.

Pharrell Williams worked his sweet, subtle charms. Blake Shelton invited country singers to “do this right.” Adam Levine begged and cajoled. And Christina Aguilera fought super-hard for the singers she was interested in -- at one point donning a cowboy hat and rolling out her best Shelton impression, trying to beat the country coach at his own game.

Aguilera’s scrappy strategy didn’t work for her that time, but it did with another singer, over whom she had battled -- back and forth and back again -- with Williams.

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“Christina’s coming out swinging,” Williams marveled, after he had lost both battle and war. “She went in like a dragon. She just went in for the kill.”

Several talented singers failed to turn a chair on Monday, although they were invited to return to give it another go in a future season. Here are the ones who did make it through:

Hannah Huston, a bubbly 24-year-old preschool teacher from Lincoln, Neb., who turned Shelton, Aguilera and Williams with her textured take on “Unaware.” Williams told her he was dying to see her personality come out in her songs. Aguilera said she understood Huston’s “sassiness” and “fire.” Shelton praised her “soulfulness” and said, no matter what happened, he wanted to be Huston’s friend because she seemed like “a blast to be around.” He won’t be her coach, though; Huston picked Pharrell for that.

Brian Nhira, a 23-year-old worship leader whose parents are from Zimbabwe and who was raised in Tulsa, Okla. His performance of Williams’ “Happy” caught the attention of both Williams and Shelton. “I’ve got so much respect for you that I did something so humiliating as to hit my button when you’re singing his freaking song,” Shelton told him. “I don’t have a shot, but heck.” He was right. Williams invited Nhira to sing “Jesus Loves Me” and sealed the deal. Williams snagged another talented singer for his team.

Brittany Kennell, 26, a Berklee College of Music grad from Montreal, who is trying to eke out a living as a singer-songwriter in Nashville. “Is that Gwen Stefani?” Aguilera asked Shelton, noting that the woman singing Sheryl Crow’s “Strong Enough” behind the coaches’ backs sounded a lot like Shelton’s girlfriend. “I like that,” Shelton responded, pushing his button. Williams liked it, too, turning to give Shelton competition at the very last minute. Williams complimented Kennell on her “crispy, classic” vibrato, but he was no match for Shelton, who knew the guy Kennell has been writing music with, called Kennel’s voice “magical” and “unique,” and even had the audience hold up signs advising her to pick him. Of course, she did. Later, citing the “Nashville connection,” Kennell said she believed Shelton would be “a great mentor” for her. “Kids, when someone lives in Nashville, it’s over,” Levine told the other coaches. As if they didn’t know...

Natalie Yacovazzi, 28, a hard-working single mom from Chicago and Season 9 returnee, who set out to turn Levine’s chair with her rendition of “Mr. Know It All” and did so straight off. At the last minute, Aguilera also tried to push her button, but waited just a hair too long. “This performance was much more powerful” than her first audition, Williams told Yacovazzi. “You came back swinging super-hard.” Shelton expressed regret. “I wish I had her,” he said.

Malik Heard, a 19-year-old Dallas singer from a sporty family, who impressed both Aguilera and Williams with his version of Nick Jonas’ “Chains.” The battle between the coaches was a knockdown, drag-out fight, or at least as knockdown and drag-out as a fight can get when mellow Williams is involved. But basically, in the coaches’ view, it came down to whether Heard wanted to work with a producer who would nurture his vocal talent or a vocalist who would. “It’s different. You have the growing plant and then you have the greenhouse,” Williams said. Aguilera slammed back Williams’ serve: “And then you have the tree that blossoms up and breaks the greenhouse because it’s so big.” Heard chose Aguilera, later saying she felt like the one for him “in that moment.”

Peyton Parker, a 20-year-old former cheerleader from Kennesaw, Ga., by way of Nashville, turned Williams and Aguilera and eventually Shelton with her take on Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams.” Williams sort of tried and Aguilera seriously tried to woo Parker for their teams. Aguilera told her she’d be just one of “the bunch” on Shelton’s team, but “special” on hers. “I just feel like this is going to get turned into coaches just trying to take a country artist away from me, and you not doing what you know you need to do,” Shelton told Parker. She picked Shelton. But Aguilera said she might be willing to pick Parker up, should Shelton drop her later in the competition -- “Who knows?”

Shelton also scooped up montaged contestants Gina Castanzo, an indie artist, and Trey O’Dell, who sings pop rock. But he lost his magic touch on the next contestant...

Kristen Marie, a 20-year-old student and indie jazz singer from Oklahoma City who spun both Shelton and Aguilera with her performance of “Mad World.” Shelton told Marie that “Okies stick together” and even made a play to appeal to her parents, but Aguilera told Marie she heard Adele and Sia in her voice, and those singers turned out to be Marie’s faves. “I think I have to pick Christina,” Marie said. Shelton said she’d broken his heart. “Every time an Okie turns me down, I can’t help but take it personally,” he said, perhaps loosening Marie’s hold on her home-state vote.

Nate Butler, a 19-year-old from New Jersey who has been working as a busboy since graduating from high school. Shelton, Levine and Williams turned at the very last minute for Butler’s take on “The Walk,” in which he showed off both a strong falsetto and a solid chest voice. (Aguilera said she’d thought Butler had been a duo.) Levine told him that in his “brightest spots” he was “phenomenal,” but said he had to master the transition between his head and chest voices and volunteered to be the one to help him do it. Butler took him up on it. Levine later said he felt Butler had “a lot of potential.”

Ryan Quinn, a 25-year-old from Westmoreland, N.Y., who uses music to help kids who have been traumatized. He turned all four chairs and earned a standing ovation for his “Can’t Find My Way Home.” Aguilera told Quinn he had a voice that needed “to be heard worldwide,” but Levine got specific with his praise, telling Quinn he was “jealous” of his tone “because it’s extremely round.” Levine got the guy, and when he went in for the congratulatory hug, it was clear -- from how similar they looked, as well as sounded -- that they were meant to be together.

Tuesday night, more auditions. We’re building steam now...