‘The Voice': Team Blake’s Cam Spinks and Kailey Abel Battle With ‘What Ifs’
Monday night (Mar. 30) was time for yet some more exciting duets during the continuation of the Battles rounds on The Voice. The show features returning coaches Blake Shelton, Kelly Clarkson and John Legend; plus new coach Nick Jonas, pitting their team members against each other in cutthroat duets to see who will move on to the final round.
As always, this segment of the show features help from celebrity mentors, with Shelton choosing Bebe Rexha, Clarkson earmarking pop star Dua Lipa, Legend enlisting Ella Mai, and Jonas keeping things simple with his own brothers Joe and Kevin.
Rexha came in particular handy this week, when Shelton had Cam Spinks and Kailey Abel face off against each other. The song he chose for the two was the pop-crossover Kane Brown/Lauren Alaina duet, "What Ifs," which is territory Rexha is well familiar with (having co-wrote one of the most cross-overy crossover country songs of all time, Florida Georgia Line’s “Meant to Be”).
Things didn't get off on the right foot from the beginning. Spinks, although expressing lavish gratitude for ending up on Shelton's team, just wasn't vibing with the song choice. "While it is a country song, it's not the kind of country that I am used to. It leans a lot heavier to the pop aspects of country," he protested.
"You just need to relax. Relax. Like, shake your body," offered up Rexha. "Don't be scared to try different things, 'cause that'll make you a better artist."
As Spinks nodded, not looking entirely convinced, Shelton added, "One of my favorite rappers of all time is Jerry Reed...He really was the first guy in country to come out and do that stuff, you know?"
Although Abel didn't express much negative hesitation herself, Shelton seemed to resign himself to see what would happen in this particular duet. "I think this performance is gonna come down to whoever can prove that they're comfortable in a song that isn't something they would normally do," he noted.
Shelton didn't have much to worry about with the delivery of the song. Both singers added a charred, rough edge to the song that totally distinguished it from Brown and Alaina's version, leaving a tough decision to be made. "That was fun!" exclaimed Legend at the end of the song, a sentiment that Jonas agreed with.
Clarkson was a bit more astute. "I thought this was a really odd song that you maybe haven't ever sung before and maybe won't in the future," she directed at Spinks.
"So, the song was completely not what you do," agreed Shelton, adding. "Both of you stepped up to the plate, and it was a great performance. You put the work in."
Shelton didn't hesitate too long before choosing Spinks as the winner of the battle, and unfortunately nobody stole Abel, so she was destined to go home.
We'll be following along each week to see how things progress on the show, so be sure to check to see how all your favorites fare as the Battle Rounds continue.
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