‘The Voice’ Season 27 Episode 7 Recap: It’s Ladies’ Night!

Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for The Voice Season 27, Episode 7.The Battles battle on as The Voice Season 27 coaches continue to shrink their team, hoping their fellow celebrities steal their fallen artists. It’s never easy to be a coach on this show, you know, with all the scrutiny they receive (from people like me.) But as they say, art is subjective. We all have our own tastes and preferences. It’s not always going to align. At the end of the day, they’re the music experts. I’m a reality television expert. I can predict an outcome simply based on what we’re presented. It’s an easy evening of results, but not every answer is right.

In this edition of words of wisdom, Kelsea Ballerini says that she lives by these four rules: talent, work ethic, treating people kindly, and audacity. I’m glad it works for her, as it’s gotten her to this point. When it comes to The Voice, it’s helped her come out swinging, but nice people don’t always finish first. The boys are sneaking up on her. Good thing it’s the ladies of the night who are proving why an all-female finale sounds delicious right now.

John Legend Lets Coco Jones Take Charge

Before we dive into our first Battle of the evening, it’s our chance to check in with John Legend and his exceptional mentor, Coco Jones. Knowing she’s in the presence of a mentor in his own right, she is going to milk any semblance of a masterclass out of him. According to John Legend, “I’m 45. I can do whatever I want now.” Obviously he’s referring to life, but also adulting. Now, to the actual mentor session. John pits Ari Camille against Bryson Battle. They both fill a soulful lane, so their coach selects “Made For Me” by Muni Long, hoping it works with their range and styles. Both Ari and Bryson are in awe of Coco, but Ari aspires to be like her. She admires a strong, Black woman making it on her own in the industry. Like Coco, she’s an actress as well as a singer. She’s relishing in this moment. Like Ari, Bryson is studying musical theater. He is actually missing out on his opportunity to play Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar at Berklee College of Music. But working with the man who actually played Jesus on this network in the live production isn’t half bad. Coco is in the lane with these two. She knows exactly what to pull out of them. It’s easily one of the strongest mentor sessions we’ve seen.

This Battle is quite unique. Bryson wants to be on Broadway. He shares that he was exposed to the arts by his parents and wants to be someone who sees themselves in him on stage. This all makes sense in his performance. He feels like a performer. Ari Camille, on the other hand, exudes star quality. It’s effortless. She could easily follow in the footsteps of Coco Jones. Just in what she’s wearing, there is a star on that stage. Bryson may have been able to play around with range a bit more, but if you’re looking for someone who can make it in the industry, it’s Ari. The difficulty of this show is it’s called The Voice. By those standards, Bryson is the champion, but the artist who has potential is Ari. John decides to favor vocal gymnastics over star quality. Thankfully, Adam Levine was smart enough to think that star quality could win this game. He uses his steal. When it looks like Adam got one over on John, it’s Kelsea Ballerini who enters the chat, pressing her steal button. The OG and rookie make compelling pitches, but Ari decides to join Team Adam. It’s a brilliant steal. If this performance is a precursor to what else she can do, Ari is jumping to the top of the leaderboard. Song selection will be Ari’s key to success.

John Legend has another difficult battle between two similar yet unique singers: Antonio Ramsey and BD.ii. There is certainly a universe in which these two men could form an R&B duo. Certainly the world needs a new K-Ci & JoJo, right? My future dream duo take on “Just Friends (Sunny)” by Musiq Soulchild. It’s a classic track that brings out the best of both singers. Coco Jones seems to love offering her critiques to both men, perhaps she was itching to join them in a collab in the future?

Antonio Ramsey was the Coach Replay recipient, so the stakes are already quite high for him. But, as he tells us, he had the opportunity to sing this song with Musiq Soulchild in the past, so it’s a full-circle moment. BD.ii, on the other hand, has the pressure of being a four-chair turn. He has much more to prove. Both singers look like they are made to groove together. Orange and green are not really the best color combo, yet how they coordinate with their jackets is impeccable. BD.ii has a vinyl-ready voice, as Coco Jones put it, but Antonio has a bigger sound that overpowers his partner. It is a cool performance, but John gives the win to BD.ii. It makes sense, but it’s a tragic loss for Antonio. The coaches truly underestimated his potential.

Adam Levine Sets Up ‘The Voice’ Front Runner

To kick off his night, Adam Levine decides to pair Hayden Grove with Lucia Flores-Wiseman. He is hoping a jazz track will ignite a fire on stage. Will there be chemistry? That’s the bigger question. Throughout their rehearsal package, you could not have an odder couple. Between height, sound, and style, Hayden and Lucia are very much living in two different worlds. The interesting thing about this pair is Hayden is naturally a jazz singer. Singing a jazz song is in his wheelhouse, but for Lucia, it’s out of the box so there is more potential to surprise. Speaking of people who do things out of the box, Kate Hudson is back. Remember her in Nine? Most don’t. What she’s bringing to the mentor session is a free VIP pass to watch how the sausage gets made.

Hayden and Lucia are taking on a classic jazz standard in “My Funny Valentine.” The tricky part about this track is it’s been done to death, not just on competition shows, but in life. There are countless covers, so bringing your own spark to the song is essential. Hayden sang the song as if he was impersonating Michael Bublé. Lucia Flores-Wiseman. My god. It’s like when Lady Gaga put out an entire duet album with Tony Bennett for the first time. We knew that Tony Bennett could sing these songs. It was Lady Gaga who stopped the show. Lucia does the same. The tone, the vibrato. It’s something special. Lucia’s versatility as a singer will open any door she wants to enter. For the record, I wrote my line comparing Lucia to Lady Gaga BEFORE it got to Michael Bublé‘s critique. So, maybe the MBs are in tune with one another. There’s absolutely no doubt who wins this one. It’s almost as if Adam wanted to showcase Lucia in a manner that makes her stand out. Adam selects Lucia as the winner. Sadly, it’s the end of the road for Hayden.

We are at that point in the season where we cannot spend a full segment with every act, and therefore, we only see truncated performances. Such was the case for Adam’s Battle pairing of Tori Templet and Grace-Miller Moody. Singing “Use Somebody” by Kings of Leon, both young singers seem to exude high school talent show vibes. Perhaps that’s why we do not see the full performance, but Adam gives the victory to Grace-Miller Moody.

It’s a Country Love Fest

For all those country fans out there, Kelsea Ballerini shares her favorite memory with Little Big Town. After picking up the name-drop, she shares it was when they shared the same bill at the Grand Ole Opry and they invited her to sing “Girl Crush” with them. Oh, and it happened to be the night she officially joined the Opry. Will any of her artists have that honor one day? Let’s find out. It’s time for the Battle between Alanna Lynise and Brook Wood. Both singers have such adoration for one another. It’s almost as if they forgot they are in a competition against one another. They both have powerful voices, just from two very entry points of styles. After revealing she selected “Angels Like You” by Miley Cyrus, LBT’s Jimi Westbrook made a “mhmm” as if he had any semblance of an idea what that song was. Yes, some people just live in their own musical bubbles. While the men of Little Big Town seem removed from offering feedback here, it’s Coach Kelsea, Karen Fairchild, and Kimberly Schalpman who swoop in with some sound advice. Give it up for the ladies!

To have a pop rock song for a country and an R&B singer puts Alanna and Brook on an even playing field. They both offer immense support for one another that it seems more than a collaboration rather than a battle. Brook infuses some country twang into lines. Alanna is slightly outmatched in pure intensity, but makes up in emotional connection. When they reach the chorus together, it’s a musical moment that showcases girl power. The song isn’t even over yet before Kelsea is on her feet. This battle comes down to pitch, power, and tone. Kelsea knows that this is a difficult decision but ultimately picks Alanna to stay. Knowing the complete breakdown of her team, it’s likely that she’s willing to part with a country sound, saving one that has yet to go, and Brook leaves the competition for good.

It’s time for a literal country love fest. It’s Hailey Wright and Jaelen Johnston. And who better to guide a male and female country singer than Little Big Town? While the pairing may be a match made in country heaven, Kelsea’s song choice leaves a bit to be desired. She selects “Neon Moon” by Brooks & Dunn. Vocally, it’s a track that caters to Jaelen’s deeper richness, but for both young singers, to attempt to enter modern country music, an early ’90s country song is a bit of a disservice. Certainly, there was a Little Big Town song that could have been cleared for this moment! LBT is so giddy to help this duo, that they even have a country love fest as they all sing together. Seven-part harmony!

Both singers are young. They are novices when it comes to duets. No better time than the present to test out those skills. Perhaps the key was not right for Jaelen, and he starts off a bit wobbly in that lower register — it’s a bit kitschy. Hailey is in the pocket when she comes in. Her voice is quite lived-in, and she seems much more relaxed, plus her classic tone is pristine. When she comes out of the chorus, you truly might believe Reba McEntire was back in the building. It seems as if Hailey is going to walk away with the Battle, that is until Jaelen finally finds the moments to bring a modern run into the track. It’s a reminder that if you can transcend a song, you have a chance to go further in this competition.

But let’s discuss that twirl Jaelen gives Hailey at the end. It’s so high school prom. Now, as a reality television expert, knowing where this performance comes in the evening, and the hype both artists received, neither will be leaving. It’s just a matter of who wins and who the loser lands with. Kelsea gives the win to Jaelen. Since she already gave up Brook Wood, Kelsea saves Hailey, keeping a female country artist on her team.

Kelsea Ballerini and Michael Bublé perform on the premiere of 'The Voice' Season 27.

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Team Bublé or Team Erivo

In today’s edition of why Cynthia Erivo rules, everything. Does she have any free time to become a full-time coach next season? Not only is she an expert in musical knowledge, she’s fun. She goes along with Michael Bublé’s stupid dad jokes about making babies as if they are actually brilliant. We most certainly can hold space for that. When Barry Jean Fontenot and Kaiya Hamilton arrive for their coaching, fan-girling officially enters the chat. After that brief moment, the vocal powerhouse is in her element, offering solid advice about the mechanics of singing. Simply advising Barry Jean to open his mouth changed everything. He feared it was too high, and suddenly, it sounds just right. Cynthia tells Kaiya to engage her core, allowing her to give her full belt. What she does is a “fake out,” causing Cynthia to call her out and challenge herself. This is the type of mentor The Voice needs every season — for every coach.

Singing “Cry to Me” by Solomon Burke, it’s a powerhouse moment. Barry Jean is in his comfort zone, even finding the tools to utilize his falsetto. Kaiya may not have the boom that Barry Jean has, but her tender tone is filled with color. Even though she sounds right at home, she does appear as the guest artist on Barry Jean’s track. She shines during their harmonies as it sits right within her range. Both artists have the potential to move on, but Kaiya has more potential. Michael Bublé does not want to make a decision. He knows that Barry Jean is likeable, noting that some winners of this show have that spark over the best performer. In the end, he gives the victory to Kaiya, but Barry Jean’s journey is far from over. Barry Jean receives a steal from Kelsea and a save from his coach. She tries to remind him that the Canadian crooner just gave him up, but Barry Jean is sticking with Team Michael.

For Team Bublé, we sadly don’t see the full performance between Naomi Soleil and Kameron Jaso. Though tasking them to sing Hall & Oates‘ “You Make My Dreams (Come True)” may not have been a shining decision for the reigning champion. He gives the victory to Kameron. It’s not a surprising release for Naomi as she was one of the last selections in the Blind Auditions. Additionally, the performance of “Gravity” by John Mayer is only given a single word as Carlos Santiago defeats Aaron Rizzo, who allegedly performs in shorts, Mary Janes, all with his electric guitar. Truthfully, release the full performance, cowards! The ladies truly dominate this evening of Battles. There are some exceptional women this season of The Voice that make things quite exciting. Can Kelsea win with a female artist? It’s possible, but the men have some strong contenders on their rosters. This season is keeping things very interesting!

The Voice airs Mondays at 8:00pm on NBC. All episodes are available to stream on Peacock.