Watch Alabama teen’s ‘incredible’ battle on ‘The Voice’; coaches go nuts for ‘beautiful’ vocals

Watch Alabama teen’s ‘incredible’ battle on ‘The Voice’; coaches go nuts for ‘beautiful’ vocals

Alabama’s Ryley Tate Wilson has been making his mark on “The Voice,” prompting a fight among the coaches during his “insane” blind audition and now, earning kudos for an “incredible” battle round.

Although Wilson’s battle round hasn’t officially aired yet on the NBC reality series, “The Voice” has released a sneak peek video that shows the teen from Montgomery singing Giveon’s “Heartbreak Anniversary” with another contestant, Michael B. Williams. Both singers are on Niall Horan’s team, hoping to keep their spots during Season 23. (Watch the clip below.)

Wilson and Williams (known as Michael B. on the show) seemed evenly matched in the duet, and both received praise from the four celebrity coaches.

“That was just insane,” said Chance the Rapper. “That was one of the best performances we’ve seen in the battle rounds so far. It was incredible how you guys bounced off of each other. I loved the arrangement; I loved the lyric splits that you guys did. You guys both have so much control, and Ryley, you’re only 15? That’s crazy. … Michael, man, you killed that.”

Kelly Clarkson described Wilson’s voice as “a broken angel,” expressing admiration for a “raspy, but beautiful, airy falsetto that is, like, insane.” Clarkson added, “Michael, I don’t know why you weren’t a four-chair turn. That was incredible, Michael. Your runs are effortless for you. … You two should be in the finale.”

“Ryley, we all knew what to expect from you,” Blake Shelton said. “We knew it was going to be incredible. Michael, for my money, I feel like you won that battle, partly because of how comfortable you were on stage.”

Chance said he’d pick Williams as the winner of the battle, but Clarkson declined to make a choice between the two singers. The decision rests with Horan, who said it was a difficult moment for Team Niall.

“The performance from the two of you was just off the charts,” Horan said. “You sang beautifully together, the riffs, the control, the authenticity, making that song your own.”

Who will Horan pick as the winner? The sneak-peek video doesn’t reveal the outcome, so fans will have to wait for this week’s episodes, airing Monday and Tuesday. With the battle video in circulation, however, It’s a safe bet that Wilson’s battle will be shown on Monday.

Although only one winner of the battle will emerge — and move on to a phase of the competition known as the knockouts — it’s not a given that the other singer automatically will be sent home. All of the coaches have one “steal” during the battle rounds, allowing them to pick up a singer who’s been eliminated in a battle and place that person on their team.

Also, in a new twist for Season 23, each coach has one “playoff pass” that can be bestowed on a singer, allowing that person to stay in the competition, skip the knockouts and advance directly to a round called the playoffs. (Yes, it’s confusing, but “The Voice” is known for its tricky rules, which are meant to heighten the excitement and keep viewers on their toes.)

Four outcomes are possible for Wilson in his battle with Williams:

  • Wilson could win the battle and stay on Horan’s team, advancing to the knockouts.
  • Wilson could lose the battle and be stolen by another coach, advancing to the knockouts on a new team.
  • Wilson could lose the battle, but be chosen by Horan for the “playoff pass,” skipping the knockouts and advancing to the playoffs round.
  • Wilson could lose the battle and be eliminated from the competition.

Once the battle rounds are finished, country star Reba McEntire will be on hand to mentor “Voice” contestants in the knockouts. (Early episodes of “The Voice” are filmed in advance.)

An NBC press release describes the knockouts this way: “Artists are paired against each other, selecting their own songs to perform individually while their direct competitors watch and wait. Coaches choose the winner and the artist not selected is available for a ‘steal.’ The pressure is on as each coach only has one ‘steal’ during this round.”

For the record, “The Voice” features five stages of competition: Blind auditions, battle rounds, knockouts, playoffs and live performance shows.

Wilson’s fate on “The Voice” is pending, but he’s not the only contestant from Alabama on the series this season. Three other singers from the state aced their blind auditions and are competing in the battle rounds: D. Smooth, Jerome Godwin III and JB Somers.

Wilson and Godwin are on Team Niall; Somers and D. Smooth are on Team Kelly. Viewers have yet to see Godwin, Somers or D. Smooth in the battles, but they’re likely to appear during this week’s episodes. “The Voice” airs on NBC twice per week: Mondays at 7 p.m. CT and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. CT.

Alabama’s never had a winner on “The Voice,” but three singers from our state have made it to the finals: Dexter Roberts, who took third place on Season 16; Kirk Jay, who placed third on Season 15; and Red Marlow, who came in fourth during Season 13. Other “Voice” contestants from the state have included Berritt Haynes, Emma Caroline Warren, Levi Watkins, Cam Spinks, Josie Jones and Worth the Wait.

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