On Tuesday night's episode of The Voice, it was country duo The Dryes and solo singer Bryce Leatherwood's turn to take the stage in the battle round. The two acts, who are part of coach Blake Shelton's team, competed against one another by singing a version of Brooks and Dunn's "Red Dirt Road."
Husband-and-wife team Katelyn and Derek Dryes of The Dryes kicked off the performance, with Katelyn taking the first verse using her powerful voice. Georgia-born Leatherwood then joined with his classic, twang-tinged voice. The two acts continued through a slightly slowed-down version of the song, with The Dryes showing off their solid harmonies and Leatherwood displaying his smooth voice with a smile on his face. The three artists even came together for a few standout moments, letting all three of their voices shine.
The coaches were wowed by the performance, but they did note there was a tempo problem in the beginning of the song, which the artists attributed to not being able to hear the music. Coaches Camilla Cabello and Gwen Stefani both favored Leatherwood to win the battle, with Cabello citing his "calm confidence" onstage. Coach John Legend, on the other hand, leaned toward The Dryes, as their performance felt "more electric" to him.
Overall, the decision came down to Shelton, who commented on the strengths of both acts. He expressed that Leatherwood seems to have an old soul and compared him to "King of Country" George Strait.
"It doesn't hurt, the fact that you're a great singer," Shelton told Leatherwood. "You're one of those guys that's like a George Strait, and you deliver and you're solid, and people react to that."
Shelton clearly had a tough decision on his hands, but in the end he said, "Bryce is the winner of this battle."
Leatherwood was bursting with emotion after winning the battle, and he even shed a few tears backstage.
"I'm just happy Blake saw the light in me. I'm ready to go; let's do this thing," he said. "I'm sorry, I'm crying, man."
Leatherwood's win left The Dryes available to save by the coaches, and all it took was a few words from Katelyn Dryes before Shelton hit his button to save them.
"Let's have a do-over," Shelton said in the happy moment.
The Voice airs on NBC on Monday and Tuesday nights, and next week will begin the knockout rounds for artists who made it through the battles.
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