‘The Voice': Team Kelly’s Bundys Battle Team Blake’s Andrew Sevener
Last Monday (Apr. 15), The Voice introduced viewers to a new feature, the Live Cross Battles. The concept has the coaches (Blake Shelton, Kelly Clarkson, John Legend and Adam Levine) choosing an artist from their team to compete against an artist from an opposing team. The pair of singers face off with their own respective songs, and the decision is left to America's vote as to who wins.
This twist was met with mixed reviews from fans and critics alike, but continued the following Monday (Apr. 22) to ensure the coaches got enough time to showcase their favorites. One particular standout this evening was a battle between Coach Clarkson's unique trio, the Bundys, which she selected Shelton to counter. He did so with Andrew Sevener.
The Bundys happen to be the first trio on the show (like, ever) and the fact that they are a family band with seamless harmonies just pushed their advantage. They chose to cover the Box Tops' classic "The Letter," but instead of giving it an Alex Chilton-esque growl, they jazzed it up and made the tune something completely different from the original, glossing it up with their perfectly melding (related!) pipes.
"It's so hard to do that in a live setting," enthused Clarkson. "Y'all have done a fantastic job. It's just a beautiful thing that's not present on this show. I hope America agrees with me and votes y'all through."
That was some serious praise, but Shelton, coolly as always, called forth Andrew Sevener and remarked "I'm glad I saved this next artist, because it takes three people to go against Andrew."
Indeed, that statement was rather true. Sevener took the stage with a confident version of Travis Tritt's "Modern Day Bonnie & Clyde" that let everyone know he knows his way around some '90s country. Even Clarkson herself, a big self-avowed Tritt fan, looked impressed.
Of course, his own coach was happy as well. "Man, you just literally strolled around the stage like you were looking for some change you dropped, burning the place down with your voice. It was unbelievable," Shelton raved. "I'm telling you, Travis Tritt watches this show and he's freaking out right now. That's a hard song to cover and do it as well as he does. Country music fans are losing their minds. Congratulations.
Coach Levine noted that "the change thing was a weird analogy" (here's a quarter, Adam, call someone who cares), but added that Sevener "acted like three people up there."
We'll find out who makes it to the next round tomorrow, when America's votes are tallied. If your favorite does not make it through, cross your fingers, as there are still some saves and steals to be used up by the coaches.
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