The Voice’s Battle Rounds continued on Tuesday night (October 31), and one of the match-ups featured Team Gwen’s Jason Arcilla and Eli Ward facing off on a duet of pop group Bread’s delicate ballad “Make It with You,” which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 back in 1970.
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The two singers deftly and smoothly wove their voices around each other’s and combined for a few tight harmonic highlights as they serenaded their coach, Gwen Stefani, while also displaying some synchronized moves—Arcilla perhaps showing a little more creativity with his runs.
At the end of their performance, the teammates and competitors embraced and patted each other’s backs, before hearing the coaches’ feedback.
John Legend first complimented Stefani on her song choice, which she admitted was one of her favorite tunes.
“That was so like fun and soulful, and you got these handsome gentlemen to serenade you,” Legend continued, noting that he also liked their “smooth” choreographed moves.
He then told Arcilla that he loved the “gentleness” of his vocal tone while praising Ward for “how confident and in command” he was throughout his performance. Overall, Legend said he sided “just slightly” with Ward.
Coach Reba McEntire followed with her review,
“You guys sounded great together. You were having fun. I loved the little choreography moves, and the interaction with the audience was really, really good,” she said. “You both did a great job.”
As for her decision, the country legend said, “I guess if I had to pick, I’d go with Eli.”
Then it was coach Niall Horan’s turn, and he admitted that he had a very hard time deciding which contestant he preferred.
“Eli, I love your ‘’50s meets … ’70s’ smoothness,” said Horan, while complimenting Ward on how fit he looked in the sleeveless sweater vest he was wearing.
“This song really suited you,” he added. “Your tone is really pure and classic.”
Horan then told Arcilla, “[T]his song suits you also. You have like an etherealness that’s just built into you.”
After some banter with Stefani about how hard a choice she had ahead of her, the Irish pop star offered, “Between the two performances I’ve seen so far from both of these guys, I would just lean a little bit more toward Jason.”
Then, it was decision time for Stefani, who admitted she had “zero, zero idea of what to do at this point,” while complimenting the contestants for how hard they worked and the growth they achieved while on the show.
“Jason, I love your vibrato. You have a beautiful, beautiful voice. I think you did a really great job, and I didn’t expect anything less,” she told Arcilla.
Stefani went on to talk to Ward about his journey on the show, and the qualities she admired in his singing.
“I was shocked with the tone of your voice,” she said. “You can go up into your head voice, you have a really warm chest voice.”
Stefani then hesitated before making her choice.
“This is so upsetting. I am going to choose the person I think is ready right, right now,” she declared. “And I’m gonna say Jason, you won the battle.”
Stefani explained her decision in an interview segment edited into the episode.
“Jason has this voice that just has this breathy, airy, serene quality that I would actually listen to on a record,” she noted. “I think he’s just really gifted.”
Stefani also pointed out that since Arcilla might not have the ability to do “vocal acrobatics” like some of the other contestants, she will have to be “really strategic with picking songs that highlight his tone and what he can do.”
The next episode of The Voice, which airs this Monday, November 6, will feature the final Battle Rounds and the start of the Knockouts.
The Voice airs Monday and Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT on NBC.
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