‘The Voice': Two Country Artists Team Up for a Powerful Duet on a Miley Cyrus Hit [Watch]
The battle rounds on Season 22 of The Voice are underway, which means contestants were on the chopping block this week heading into their next phase of the reality TV singing competition on Tuesday night (Oct. 11).
The final pairing of the night as part of the latest one-hour edition of the show saw two country artists going head-to-head with a countryfied rendition of Miley Cyrus’ 2013 pop smash, “Wrecking Ball.” They were 36-year-old Morgan Myles and 40-year-old Steven McMorran.
The Nashville-based singer-songwriters have a lot in common, which is why their newbie coach, Camila Cabello, chose to put them together. She also expressed her reasons for the coach-picked song choice.
“Both of them are so experienced. They’ve been writing and performing for a long time,” Cabello told viewers of Myles and McMorran ahead of the duo's sing-off challenge. “They have common ground in their country roots. ‘Wrecking Ball’ is an emotional song, and I feel they're great at belting and delivering those messages.”
Needless to say, Cabello's instincts were right, as both artists floored judges with their intoxicating take on the tune. McMorran flaunted his alto vocals, while Myles connected with her emotions to make listeners believe every word that came out of her mouth. Of note, neither hopeful was overshadowed by the other. They made eye contact and used their soaring vocals to play off each other and turned the solo hit into a memorable duet made for big arena audiences.
Afterward, Cabello was faced with having to decide who won the battle. But before that, each coach delivered their remarks, offering plenty of positive compliments to each contestant.
“It’s crazy how good your voices sound together,” Gwen Stefani shared. “Steve, you have a lot of beautiful tones in your voice. It was very complementary to Morgan, and it’s hard to separate it because Morgan was working the fringe first of all. But, what I loved about your performance is I think even before the chorus, I thought you’d given us what you were going to give us. Then the chorus came in, and it was chilling. It was crazy. It was such a great duet.”
“You both are such great singers,” John Legend added. “You both have such different tones. Steven, yours is smooth and beautiful, and you have great range, and Morgan’s tone is like fire! Morgan, you remind me of that kind of singer that has that raspiness. You sound like a recording artist that should be making records and singing at the Grammys.”
Blake Shelton, then, said, “I enjoyed it. Steven, you were singing the hell out of it. I mean, you really did. Nothing about that could’ve been simple. But the thing about Morgan is she’s hanging in there with you, and then she hits that Bonnie Tyler gear and you just go, ‘Whoa!’ Not only did she hit that note, but it makes her voice do that shred deal that it does.”
Cabello told both artists she had the pleasure of "welling up with pride." And, while she felt both singers were “so, so special,” she chose Myles as the winner of the battle. However, it’s not the end of the road for McMorran, as Cabello decided to use her "save" on him, reasoning that she hadn’t cracked the code on a song that will show fans what he can do.
The Voice returns Monday and Tuesday nights on NBC.