The battle rounds have begun on The Voice and coach Blake Shelton was presented with a tough choice between two of his team members, Carlos Rising and Grace West, on Monday's episode. The two teamed up on Randy Travis' classic 1987 tune, "I Told You So."
Rising and West seemed to take cues from the duet version of the song featuring Travis and Carrie Underwood. While their harmonious vocals flawlessly melded together sounding like a tried-and-true duo, the two singers were also competing against one another throughout the performance. Both artists showcased their strengths — Rising with his impressive range and versatility and West with her heartfelt performance quality — but only one singer could make it through to the next round.
Each coach gave their analysis of the performance and shared their best advice with Shelton in regards to which singer should go to the next round. Coach Niall Horan complimented both Rising and West, but ultimately erred on the side of West. Chance the Rapper, on the other hand, said the performers were "equally matched" and said he couldn't choose a singer to lean towards. Clarkson, similarly, enjoyed both singers' performances, and she applauded Rising's ability to sing any genre. She also said that West possesses an "unteachable" quality when it comes to her tone and the passion she exudes when she sings.
Shelton echoed the other coaches comments, also saying that the singers possess near equal talent. In the end, however, he chose West as the winner of the battle.
"I just feel like Grace has an edge on a lot of artists in this competition because she is so authentic in what she does," Shelton said after the performance. "Grace could be a huge artist in country music, and I want to be a part of that journey."
The Voice airs on NBC on Monday and Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. ET.
