The Voice Of The Philippines: The Battles Round 1

Now we are on the stage which I can consider the best part of the competition. The Battle Rounds! This will be the biggest test for them. They will either win or beaten alive by their opponent. Having a 4 chair turn on your blind audition is not a guarantee that you will be the instant favorite of your coach. This is also the chance for those who only got 1 chair turn to prove that the other judges made a mistake by letting them go. This is the survival of the fittest. This is the battle rounds! Anything can happen!

First up for battle are #TeamApl's Tristhan Perfecto and the Lorenzana Duo. Coach Apl tapped the help of Journey's frontman, our very own Arnel Pineda to help the team prepare for this battle. Coach Apl picked Stevie Wonder's Sign, Sealed, Delivered to be their song. Being the first to perform is really nerve-wracking that's why I did not expect that much of a battle from this one. Tristhan clearly ate the Lorenzana duo alive. Tristhan's advantage is really his high and clear range while on the other hand, I think Lorenzana duo lacked harmony together. They could have done really well with this song since this is an upbeat one, but they didn't maximize their skills. Coach Apl was right on this one. 

Note: I can see Tristhan spoiling this thing from Thor and Janice. The two clearly are the front runners for Team Apl but I have this feeling we might see Tristhan giving them a run for their money!

    Tristhan winning against the Lorenzana duo

Kamp Kawayan's frontrunner Lee Grane will be paired up against Dan Billano. If we will just base our assumptions on who will win this one, your guess will be as good as mine. Lee Grane. NO DOUBT. NO QUESTIONS ASKED. But after Bamboo chose the song One by U2, I already had a doubt for Lee Grane since this is a man's song and this is not her genre. Bamboo was accompanied by the respected musician Mr. Joey Ayala.

Lee Grane winning against Dan Billano

True enough, Lee Grane was clearly out performed and out sang by Dan. Dan knew he has the advantage on this one so he made the best out of all the chances he have. Dan performed really well that surprised the judges as well. Lee Grane knew this was not her best performance. But to everyone's surprise, Coach Bamboo still picked Lee Grane. 

I know,  you guys will say it's quite unfair for Dan since he did his best and all, but I think Bamboo still made the right decision. Why? I think Bamboo knows that Lee Grane is more mold-able than Dan. Bamboo has a vision for Lee Grane. He knows what he can do with Lee Grane. Bamboo also has that special emotional connection with Lee Grance because of her blind audition. I must say, this is not the first time that this happened. Since I've been watching the US version of The Voice, I've seen this happened too. It's really with the coaches vision and strategy on how he will complete his team. It just sucks that we still don't have the benefit of Steal since this is just the first season. 

I did not agree with this decision since Dan clearly won that battle, I hope Lee Grane picks herself up come Live Shows and prove us all wrong.

Team Sarah's Morissette Amon and Lecelle Trinidad are up next to perform for Sarah's vote. As what I have said on my blog regarding Team Sarah, it is just now that I realized that Sarah clearly has a very strong and well rounded team! It is because of experience, that Sarah picked Mr. Gary Valenciano as her co-mentor. The two ladies will be performing Donna Summer's "No More Tears(Enough is Enough)". I was really impressed with this performance. Props to Coach Sarah on this one! This is what you call a battleround! This is war! They are making us feel like this is really a war! 

One of the best performances of the night: Morissette vs Lecelle

This is Morissette's battle to lose for me. She clearly has the advantage on this one. Her voice is just big and well composed. Lecelle was good, but this was a no-brainer for me. Morissette clearly won that battle.

Thought we got what we want? Team Lea's Mitoy Yonting and Chien Berbana ends the show for us. After I found out that their song will be Alone, I had to worry for Chien! This is Mitoy's song! He can sing this song anytime, anywhere! Ms. Lea tapped the help of her brother Mr. Gerard Salonga to help Mitoy and Chien prepare for this battle.

Mitoy vs Chien

To my surprise, Chien actually did quite good. He did not let Mitoy beat him that bad. She stayed focus and did her parts well. It's just a case of too much to handle for Chien. I am sure Ms. Lea didn't even break a sweat on choosing who will advance to the next round. 

I am very happy that The Voice welcomed past and seasoned artists who believe they still have it, they just need to have that chance, and their chance is now. 

So far, I got it all right, do you agree with the judges decision? :)

Credits to the Youtube Channel: ITHEVOICEPH for the videos! :) Thanks!

Keep the Faith.

Paolo