This season, coaches on The Voice have the opportunity to still steal artists during the knockout rounds. Interesting – I like that the show is always looking to freshen things up and make changes.

On the one hand, more steals could stretch out the stage of the competition that includes more mediocre talent. On the other hand, I like seeing some of my favorite artists get stolen – especially from Christina or Adam’s teams, which seem much stronger than Cee Lo or Blake’s.

Team Christina
Amber singing “Mamma Knows Best” vs. Josh Logan singing “Living For The City”
This was a tough battle because the artists are so different, and I like them both. Personally I prefer Amber’s style a little more, but Josh is very talented. I just think Amber has such talent, stage presence and potential at such an astonishingly young age. I was a little surprised that Christina chose Josh, but I was happy that Cee Lo stole Amber.

Team Cee Lo
Kat singing “You Oughta Know” vs. Monika singing “Hit The Road Jack”
This was an interesting battle, because both of these singers were stolen from other teams. Monika seemed weak in her previous battle, but “You Oughta Know” is really hard to sing. I wasn’t sure who would win. When Kat performed, I was really impressed. She had a lot of attitude, but also killed the vocals. Monika is very sexy, but her performance was like a cheap lounge act. This obviously belonged to Kat, and that’s who Cee Lo chose.

Team Blake
Holly singing “Creep” vs. Nic singing “Genie in a Bottle”
Nic was a steal during the last round, but I was never a huge fan of his voice. It’s pretty high and nasally for my taste. I LOVE Holly’s voice, her quirky style, and I liked her song choice a lot. I wanted Holly to do better than she did, because I think she’s cool. But there were some sour notes there. She sounded way better in rehearsal, and I wondered if nerves had anything to do with the bad performance. The thing about Nic though, is that he can hit every note but I just inherently dislike his voice. Still, I knew Blake would choose him – and he did.

Team Adam
Ashley singing “Hey Soul Sister” vs. Tessanne singing “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)”
Oh man. I was so mad when Adam paired these gals up, because I love them both. But “Hey Soul Sister”? Really? Erm. Not my favorite choice – it seemed safe and easy. I thought Tessanne had the edge going into this and based on the song choices and rehearsals, that stood. Ashley’s stage presence was a little hokey, and with the song it didn’t really work for me. Which is too bad, because I love her voice. Tessanne, of course, NAILED IT. She not only nailed all her big moments and high notes, but she did things a little differently than Kelly. It was perfect. I knew Adam would choose Tessanne, but I was disappointed when no one stole Ashley.

Team Blake
Briana singing “Don’t Speak” vs. Shelbie singing “Last Name”
I liked Briana on “House of the Rising Sun”, but before that I thought she was weak. And I wasn’t sure Shelbie had a Carrie Underwood song in her. I hated the first few bars of Briana’s song, a lot, and it never got better. She never should have chosen this song. I didn’t think Shelbie was very good, but she certainly won the round. It’s too bad to see one of these weaker singers go through when Ashley was eliminated.

Team Adam
Grey singing “Already Gone” vs. James singing “Breakeven”
I liked both of these singers, but I remembered Grey a little bit more. “Already Gone” is a tough song, as most Kelly Clarkson songs are, and Grey was fantastic on it. She could be a dark horse in this competition. James is awesome, and his performance was very pretty. But it just couldn’t compare – he should have picked something more challenging. Grey won – I was surprised it wasn’t more of a landslide, hands down victory.

Team Christina
Destinee singing “See You Again” vs. Olivia “You’re No Good”
I didn’t think Destinee should have won her battle, so I didn’t have high hopes for her here. But I do really like Olivia, and I also loved her song choice. Destinee, frankly, sucked. It was embarrassing. Olivia was the opposite, she showed a lot of power and control. I see way more potential in Olivia, and that’s who Christina chose.

Team Cee Lo
Cole singing “Let Her Go” vs. Jonny singing “We Can Work It Out”
Cole chose a relatively unknown song, which I think can work against singers on a show like this. Jonny has more charisma, yet even though his song is more well-known, it was an odd choice. But you know what? I really dig Cole’s vibe, and that song is something that I’d listen to. I actually really, really loved his performance. Jonny’s performance was weaker than I expected. It was fun, and if I were in a bar I’d enjoy it, but it wasn’t anything special. I wasn’t surprised that Cee Lo chose Jonny, because I think he’s more energetic and that suits Cee Lo better. Both Adam and Blake pushed their buttons for Cole, and I was really hoping that he’d choose Adam. I think Blake would pigeonhole him in Southern rock, and Adam’s more creative. I was disappointed when he selected Blake, and I don’t see anymore cool, different song choices in Cole’s future.

Did you guys watch? Who are your favorites?