The Voice Playoffs Recap: Did the Right Singers Advance — and Where Was [Spoiler]?

On Night 2 of The Voice’s Playoffs, it was Reba McEntire and Gwen Stefani’s teams that were whittled down from six apiece to just three. And though Reba struggled mightily as she decided which contestants to cut, she still had an (unfortunate) advantage over Gwen: One of Reba’s contestants, Tom Nitti, had dropped out of the sing-off for personal reasons, we learned. Who else wouldn’t be performing on the show again? Read on…

TEAM REBA

Jordan Rainer, “Boondocks” — Grade: B+ | Starting the evening on a high note, Jordan reduced her coach to tears with the way that she “represent[ed] southeastern Oklahoma so well.” Her raucous Little Big Town cover was as raw and real as a skinned knee. What’s more, she altogether inhabited the song, coming off less like she was sweating the competition than just enjoying performing. A real force of nature, this one!

Ms. Monét, “Until You Come Back to Me (That’s What I’m Gonna Do)” — Grade: B+ | Reba’s Super Save artist returned to the contest with a rendition of Aretha Franklin’s classic that allowed her to empty out her whole bag of tricks on stage. High notes, low notes, even a whistle note — Ms. Monét tore through them all, but, as John noted, maybe to the detriment of the song. Exciting performance, if not an altogether cohesive one.

Jacquie Roar, “The Chain” — Grade: A+ | Wow. Not only was Jacquie’s vocal as passionate as it was huge, but she managed to keep it under control throughout her Fleetwood Mac cover — no mean feat when you consider how exquisitely she shredded her voice on those extra-intense notes. She even seamlessly transitioned from roaring to singing far more softly without seeming remotely out of breath. Amazing!

Noah Spencer, “Jolene” — Grade: A | After being challenged by new coach Reba in rehearsal to show more of himself on stage, Noah turned out a gorgeous, emotionally resonant rendition of Ray LaMontagne’s ballad. I was glad, too, that Reba was satisfied with the way he’d put himself out there, because I bought every word that he sang. “You turned it up from zero to 10 from rehearsals,” she marveled.

Ruby Leigh, “Long Long Time” — Grade: A+ | Though it’ll be a good while before I stop sulking over a certain elimination last week, at least I can console myself with the fact that Ruby is still in the contest. With what Reba called the “Patsy Cline break” in her vocals, a richness that belies her years and the yodel that she deploys so tastefully, the teenager sang with an ache that was matched only by the beauty of her voice.

Reba’s Picks | Jordan Rainer, Jacquie Roar, Ruby Leigh

Eliminated | Ms. Monét, Noah Spencer — and, since he withdrew from the contest, Tom Nitti

TEAM GWEN

Stee, “Shut Up and Dance” — Grade: A- | Party at the mic stand! Dunno how Stee kept himself from busting a move on his Walk the Moon cover; he was obviously having a blast. But perhaps he was shrewd to keep his feet on the ground in order to ensure that his vocal could soar. It was as solid as a brick wall, and he had the charisma cranked to the “Leave nothing in the tank!” setting. He’d slay at Eurovision!

BIAS, “Where I Find God” — Grade: B- | BIAS promised to show his “really redneck side” as he took on Larry Fleet’s ballad, but more so, what he may have revealed was his storyteller side — and his storyteller side was, um, kinda cheesy. Vocally, he was fine, if a little meandering at times. There just didn’t seem to be a whole lotta genuine emotion on display (especially when compared to, say, Noah Spencer or Ruby Leigh).

RUDI, “My All/Mi Todo” — Grade: A | Dedicating Mariah Carey’s ballad to the aunt who’d just lost her battle with cancer, RUDI delivered a gorgeous, heartfelt performance. The notes that came out of her mouth were so silken, they were like fabric folding over itself — no ending, no beginning, just continuous loveliness. John wasn’t feeling RUDI’s performance, but Reba called it “so sexy, so sensuous.”

Tanner Massey, “Impossible” — Grade: B | For much of Tanner’s performance, I was on the fence: Was it good? Not? I liked the rough-and-ready quality to his vocal but wasn’t sure whether that was a choice or a sign that he was barely hitting the notes. By the end, though, it seemed like he’d figured out exactly what he was doing. And heaven knows he put enough oomph into his Shontelle cover. He was feeling it, so ultimately, so was I.

Lennon VanderDoes, “Falling Slowly” — Grade: B- | Gwen’s Super Save artist took pains to show on his Once cover that he was the right pick; not sure he altogether did that, however. His vocal was partly as magical as moonbeams, partly quirky and Muppety — which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I’d definitely check out an album by Lennon. But he did seem to struggle a bit with some high notes, making this perhaps not the comeback for which he’d been hoping.

Kara Tenae, “Rain” — Grade: A | On SWV’s dreamy ballad — one of Kara’s favorite songs, BTW — she did the girl group justice and then some, not so much singing the song as gliding through it with the confidence of someone who knew where she was taking every line — and the skill to make each one sound as natural as… well, rain. Plus, those moves! We weren’t just hearing a star, we were watching one, too.

Gwen’s Picks | BIAS, Kara Tenae, Tanner Massey

Eliminated | Stee, RUDI, Lennon VanderDoes

So, any of the eliminees surprise you? Drop ’em in a comment below after voting for your favorite performance of the night.